Emilio Grimalkin Returning in May

The cigar that put the Emilio brand on the map is coming back.

Scott Zucca of Emilio Cigars and Boutiques Unified has announced that the Grimalkin will be returning to store shelves in May with a new look and coming from a new factory, Black Label Trading Co’s Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua.

It’s not only a return of the cigar which debuted in 2011, but a return of the Grimalkin name. In January 2012, the cigar was renamed La Musa by Emilio Cigars after the brand’s founder, Gary Griffith, acknowledged that both the name and design had received a fair amount of criticism. Despite the name, the Grimalkin placed #4 on The Consensus Top 25 of 2011.

The word grimalkin comes from Scottish lore, and refers to an old, gray, female cat, in particular a fairy that lived in the Scottish highlands.

The cigar will remain a Nicaraguan puro and as part of the reworked blend, James Brown of BLTC and Fabrica Oveja Negra said that he chose to highlight the qualities he loves about Nicaraguan tobacco. “The blend is very spice forward with a lot of complexity and depth, balanced by a rich creamy finish,” he said in a press release. The original Grimalkin had been made by My Father Cigars S.A.

The revamped Emilio Grimalkin will be available in two sizes, a toro (6 x 50, $10) and robusto (5 x 50, $9.80), both offered in 20-count boxes.

Emilio Cigars are distributed by Boutiques Unified.

Images courtesy of Emilio Cigars/Boutiques Unified.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.