Early in 2012, West Coast Cigars in San Jose, Calif. announced that it was bringing back the 601 Black as its new house cigar called the Evil Clown. Next Sunday, the store will unveil a new limited edition release under the Evil Clown name, as well as the addition of a maduro version, both of which will be made by Erik Espinosa.

The limited edition celebrates the store’s 10th anniversary and is a barber pole that uses Ecuadorian Connecticut and habano oscuro for the wrappers and Nicaraguan fillers to create a medium to medium full profile, according to Bill Davis, owner of West Coast Cigars. It’s a 6 x 50 toro that will come in ten-count, paper-wrapped bundles, priced at $10 per cigar or $100 per bundle.

The Evil Clown Maduro uses an Ecuadorian maduro wrapper with Nicaraguan fillers from Jalapa and Estelí to create what’s being called a medium-bodied, spicy sweet profile. Davis is releasing it in three sizes, Lane Splitter (5 x 52, ) Full Throttle (6 x 50) and a 7 x 70 called the Big Mo, named for his dog Mojo, a 205-pound Mastiff who passed away recently. Davis said he will be making a donation to a local animal shelter for every Big Mo vitola purchased. Pricing is still being finalized, but he expects the two smaller sizes to be just under $10, while the Big Mo will be right around $10.

Like the original Evil Clown, both of the new cigars are made at Espinosa’s La Zona Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua and will be released during an in-store event with Espinosa on Feb. 7.

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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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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.