Altadis U.S.A.’s H. Upmann line is getting a new barber pole design, as the company has announced that it will be releasing the H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier at this week’s 2023 Total Product Expo (TPE) in Las Vegas.

The cigar uses Ecuadorian Connecticut and Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper leaves to create the barber pole design, which gives the cigar its name, as barbier is the German word for barber. Under those wrapper leaves is a binder from the island of Java in Indonesia, along with a mix of Nicaraguan, Dominican and broadleaf tobaccos of undisclosed origin in the filler. The cigars are produced at Tabacalera de García in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and will be offered in five sizes, all of which come in 25-count boxes:

  • H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier Corona (5 x 44) — $7.25 (Box of 25, $181.25)
  • H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier Robusto (5 x 50) — $8.47 (Box of 25, $211,75)
  • H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier Belicoso (6 1/8 x 52) — $9.50 (Box of 25, $237.50)
  • H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier Toro (6 x 54) — $9.62 (Box of 25, $240.50)
  • H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier Churchill (7 x 50) — $9.75 (Box of 25, $243.75)

“The use of these contrasting shades of wrappers makes for an eye-catching, barber-pole-like presentation,” said Pedro Ventura, hand made operation and product development manager of Tabacalera de García, via a press release. “The wrappers work together to add an entirely new flavor profile to the cigar, making one’s smoking session a lot more interesting as well.”

The cigars are scheduled to begin shipping to stores during the week of March 20.

Update — Shortly after this story was published, the company confirmed box counts and a shipping date, which were not in the original version of this story.

Images courtesy of Altadis U.S.A.

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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 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.