While Battleground Cigars was located in the back of the trade show floor, they made the most of their space by setting up a tent that captures the company’s vibe of producing cigars with themes and names that draw from American history.

Battleground Cigars Booth IPCPR 2016

Inside the tent were two new cigars, one that doesn’t draw on a particular individual’s name but shares a theme amongst many of the company’s lines, and a second line named for a famed military man and infused with a product made by a veteran-owned company.

Battleground CIgars Darby IPCPR 2016

Battleground Cigars Darby

Keeping with the theme that dominates most of Battleground Cigars’ portfolio, the first of the company’s new cigars is named in honor of Gen. William O. Darby, an officer in the U.S. Army who was killed in 1945 during military action in Italy in the midst of World War II. He was known for being one of a key leader and trainer in the Army’s Rangers program, leading a group dubbed “Darby’s Rangers.”

The Darby starts with Battleground’s Honduran Maduro blend and then infuses the finished cigars with Leadslingers’ Whiskey for 60 days in Battleground’s Connecticut facilities. Leadslingers’ Whiskey is owned and operated by seven combat veterans who come from backgrounds with the U.S. Army Rangers, U.S. Air Force TACP, Special Forces, and Paratrooper communities.

  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
  • Binder: Honduran Criollo
  • Filler: Honduran Corojo
  • Battleground Cigars Darby (6 x 60) — $19.95 (Box of 10, $19.95)

Launch Date: Immediately after the trade show

Production: Limited production

Battleground CIgars Rebel IPCPR 2016

Battleground Cigars Rebel

The Rebel may very well be Battleground’s most mainstream looking cigar, drawing not on a specific figure from American history but on the more generic term rebel. Like the majority of its cigars, the company isn’t disclosing where it is being made. It goes into the portfolio as a regular production addition.

  • Wrapper: Ecuador
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Battleground Cigars Rebel Churchill (7 x 56) — $9.95 (Box of 20, $199)
  • Battleground Cigars Rebel Robusto (5 x 54) — $7.95 (Box of 20, $159)
  • Battleground Cigars Rebel Torpedo (6 x 52) — $8.95 (Box of 20, $179)

Launch Date: Immediately after the trade show

Production: Regular production

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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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 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.