IPCPR 2015: Boutique Blends Cigars

Boutique Blends Cigars might be a little difficult to find on the show if you’re looking for that name. Previously using the Oliveros name, the booth is still listed for the show under Oliveros and the booth had that and the Aging Room logo all over it. Regardless, the booth was a easy find and quite large, which is good because they had plenty of new cigars to show off. All of the new cigars are expected to ship in August.

Aging Room Bin No. 1
The first thing on the list is the Aging Room Bin No. 1, which had two new sizes – a 6 x 54 coming in coffins and an 18-count box retailing for $14.90 per cigar and a 7 x 38 lancero coming in a 20-count box and retailing for $10.50 per cigar.

The blend is made up of an Ecuadorian habano wrapper and Dominican habano filler and binder. The lancero will be regular production while the coffins will be limited to 1,600 boxes.

Aging Room Fortissimo M19
The Fortissimo brand returns with the M19, which features a Habano wrapper and Dominican filler and binder. Coming in a 5 3/4 x 47 preferido, it will come in boxes of 10 and retail for $13.90 per cigar. This will be limited to 2,000 boxes.

Aging Room M356ii
Next in the Aging Room line is the M356ii. The blend was tweaked because the binder was running out, so it uses a new vintage of tobacco. With a habano wrapper and Dominican binder and filler it will come in six sizes all in 20-count boxes: the Major (6 1/2 x 60, $9.82), the Forte (5 7/8 x 40-56-40, $9.52), the Motivo (6 x 46, $8.66), the Mezzo (6 x 54, $9.32), the Rondo (5 x 50, $8.88) and the Paco (4 1/2 x 48, $8.38).

Aging Room Quattro F59
The last new cigar in the Aging Room lineup is the Quattro F59. Using all Dominican habano for the wrapper, binder and filler it comes in five box-pressed sizes and 20-count boxes: the Concerto (7 x 50, $10.23), the Vibrato (6 x 54, $10.16), the Maestro (6 x 52, $10.04), the Stetto (4 1/2 x 46, $9.12) and the Espressivo (5 x 50, $9.68).

La Bohème Encantador
New this year is the La Bohème Encantador, a new blend for the La Bohème line. Using an Ecuadorian habano wrapper with Dominican Habano binder and filler underneath, it will come in three sizes and in boxes of 18.

The Turin (5 x 46) will retail at $10.50, the Fenice is a 6 x 52 torpedo retailing at $11.80 and the La Scala is a 5 3/4 x 54 retailing at $12.50.

Swag Connecticut
The last new thing they had to show off was the new blend for the Swag brand, the Connecticut. With an “Ecuadorian Brown Connecticut” wrapper and Dominican binder and filler, it comes in four sizes and 20-count boxes: the VIP (4 1/2 x 48, $6.95), the Lavish (5 x 54, $7.90), the Infamous (6 x 54, $8.49) and the Ego (6 x 60, $8.99).

Brian Burt

I have been smoking cigars since 2005 and reviewing them as a hobby since 2010. Initially, I started out small with a 50-count humidor and only smoking one or two cigars a month. Not knowing anybody else that smoked cigars, it was only an occasional hobby that I took part in. In March of 2010, I joined Nublive and Cigar Asylum, connecting me with many people who also shared an interest in cigars. Reading what they had to say about brands I had never heard of, I quickly immersed myself in the boutique brands of the industry and it was then that cigars transformed from a hobby into a passion.