Europe to Get First Taste of Trunk Show

European cigar smokers will soon be getting their own version of General Cigar’s Trunk Show line, which had previously been available only in the United States under the La Gloria Cubana name but will be heading across the pond under the El Credito brand.

The El Credito Trunk Show YG-23 is the creation of Yuri Guillen, production manager at General Cigar Dominicana. The YG-23 line debuted stateside in November 2012 after being announced in August of that year, with the first release a 7 x 60 vitola that used an Ecuadorian Sumatra Especiale wrapper with Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobacco. The most recent version, released at the 2014 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, measured 7 1/4 x 54 and used a Connecticut habano maduro wrapper from 2010. The line became known for its smokeable bands thanks to a patent-pending technique where the band is stamped with vegetable dye which allows the smoker to experience the distinguished taste from foot to cap.

For Europe, Guillen has crafted a 7 1/4 x 54 cigar that uses a Connecticut wrapper, Dominican binder and filler blend of Dominican, Brazilian and Nicaraguan tobaccos. Each box contains 26 cigars, with 500 boxes being produced for the international market. The box uses an oversized hexagonal shape with two lids that open to the side, a unique presentation for the El Credito line.

The El Credito Trunk Show YG-23 has already been released to retailers in Belgium and will reach more markets in Europe later this year. In a press release, Scandinavian Tobacco Group said that the demand for a European version of the line was simply “too strong to deny.” STG has not yet announced pricing for the El Credito Trunk Show YG-23.

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.