Emperors Cut Honors Tuskegee Airmen With New Red Tail Series

Emperors Cut Cigars has announced its newest line, which pays tribute to the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black airmen in U.S. military history.

The Emperors Cut Red Tail Series is actually two different blends, both offered in the same two sizes. The Red Tail 332nd uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and four fillers: Colombia cubita and seco, viso and ligero tobaccos from Jalapa, Nicaragua. There is also the Red Tail Series Warhawk which uses a Nicaraguan wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and four fillers: habano 2020 from the Dominican Republic, seco and viso from Jalapa, and viso from Condega, Nicaragua. The cigars are made at the La Aurora Cigar Factory in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.

Both blends are offered in the same two sizes, priced the same:

• Emperors Cut Red Tail Series 332nd/Warhawk Toro (6 1/2 x 52) — $13 (Box of 10, $130)
• Emperors Cut Red Tail Series 332nd/Warhawk Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52) — $13 (Box of 10, $130)

All of the names are related to the Tuskegee Airmen. “Red Tail” is one of the group’s nicknames, a reference to the red tails of their airplanes; 332nd refers to the 332nd Fighter Group, the first Black flying group deployed into combat; Warhawk references the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the first plane the group flew. The Tuskegee Airmen were trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama before deploying to the European theater during World War II.

“Our Partnership consists of two U.S. Airforce, and one U.S. Marine Corps Veterans,” said Greg Willis, director of product development for Emperors Cut Cigars, in a press release. “We are inspired by the bravery and heroics of the Tuskegee Airmen. Like our Jazz Series, our goal is to produce cigars we believe are expressions of the American spirit.”

The Red Tail Series will go on sale on Dec. 1 through the company’s own website, the line is expected to begin shipping to other retailers next February.