Gato Negro Cigars Slates Second Release for Late March
Gato Negro Cigars has announced plans for its second commercial release, the eponymously named Gato Negro, which is scheduled to be released on March 25 and which the company says marks “a significant milestone in the brand’s journey to redefine the art of cigar craftsmanship.”
The blend features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, a Dominican olor binder, and a filler that includes tobacco from Nicaragua’s Estelí region and Dominican criollo 98. It is being released in one size, a 6 x 48 box-pressed grand corona vitola. The cigar is being made at Tabacalera Las Lavas S.R.L. in the Dominican Republic, the factory owned by the Cuevas factory and best known as the home of Casa Cuevas cigars. While Gato Negro is a regular production cigar, the first batch is limited to 300 bundles of 10 cigars, a total run of 3,000 cigars.
“With this blend, we have meticulously crafted a cigar that embodies the essence of Gato Negro – tradition, innovation, and uncompromising quality,” said Drew Nicastro, co-founder of Gato Negro Cigars, via a press release. “We invite aficionados to experience the unparalleled luxury and sophistication of what Gato Negro has to offer.”
Pricing is set at $12.50 per cigar and $125 for a bundle of 10 cigars.
Shortly after the initial shipments go out, the Gato Negro will be featured at a launch party hosted by The Cigar Vault in Bessemer, Pa. on March 29.
Gato Negro Cigars launched in 2021 as a venture that Nicastro started with one of his cousins who is acting a silent partner. The company got its name after Nicastro learned the history of that cousin by marriage and his experience growing up in Cuba. The cousin’s father owned a store called El Gato Negro, or The Black Cat, a business that Nicastro said sold “a little bit of everything,” including cigars. Eventually, the store was seized by the Castro regime and the family fled for the United States. Nicastro’s cousin said that he always wanted to honor his father and his legacy, a wish that gave birth to the company and its slogan, “Cuban by birth, American by the grace of God.”
The Gato Negro is a follow-up to the El Gato Negro, which Nicastro described as an “educational experience” and which will now be an event-only cigar.
Images courtesy of Gato Negro Cigars.
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.
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