Just over a year ago, Emma Viktorsson of Las Cumbres Tabaco released the Freyja 12 in a single 7 x 52 Churchill vitola called Brísingamen, named for the goddess Freyja’s necklace and the source of her power. This summer, the line will add a second, much smaller vitola called Dvallin, named for one of the dwarves who created the necklace.

It measures 5 x 46, a size that was created for cigar smokers in Sweden who wanted a shorter size to enjoy in the winter. “The Churchill size of Freyja 12 Brisingamen is very large for Scandinavia’s long cold Winters during which they often have to step outside to smoke or sit in a cold garage or such,” Viktorrson told halfwheel in an email. “They wanted more of Freyja 12 but in a smaller size, which they call a winter cigar. I immediately informed Tabacalera Palma to work on that blend to tweak it down from a 52 ring gauge to a 46 ring gauge corona gorda,” she added.

Like its bigger sibling, the Freyja 12 Dvallin uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Dominican binder, and a filler of Dominican corojo, criollo 98, and piloto cubano, all of which are grown by Jochy Blanco. It also comes with a pigtail cap and is being produced at Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic.

It will come priced at $6 per cigar, or $36 for a cellophane-wrapped six-pack, which features a new Dvalinn design.

As part of the cigar’s development, Viktorsson turned to cigar smokers in Sweden to submit ideas for and ultimately pick the cigar’s name. Of the approximately 300 ideas received, the one that stood out involved the dwarves who created Freyja’s necklace, according to legend, so Viktorrson narrowed it down to the names of the four dwarves: Alfrigg, Dvalinn, Berling and Grerr, with Dvallin winning out among voters.

The cigar is currently en route to retailers in Sweden where it will get its formal release during a series of events the Viktorsson will host between July 8-14. Cigar smokers in the U.S. are scheduled to get their chance to smoke the cigar this summer as it is slated to ship in July.

Image courtesy of Las Cumbres Tabaco.

Overall Score

Avatar photo

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 MLB.com, 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.