Husband and wife team Azarías and Emille Mustafa of Córdoba & Morales were happily greeting retailers in their booth, which this year was a part of the American Caribbean Cigars booth.

Cordoba & Morales booth IPCPR 2016

Started five years ago, Córdoba & Morales is named after Azarias’ grandmother, Celestina Córdoba Morales. While not all of their cigars are made at American Caribbean Cigars, that is the factory that produces the majority of the Córdoba & Morales lines, so it makes sense that they were in their booth this year. They had a few new cigars to show off, and in between retailers I was able to jump in and get all the details.

Cordoba & Morales Clave Cubana Etiqueta Blanca IPCPR 2016

Clave Cubana Etiqueta Blanca Short Robusto BP

The first new thing is a new size in the Clave Cubana Etiqueta Blanca blend. First launched in 2014, it was launched with three sizes, and was limited to only 1,000 boxes across all three sizes. For the Short Robusto, there were a few more produced this go round.

  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
  • Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa
  • Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí Ligero, Jalapa Seco & Ometepe Viso
  • Clave Cubana Etiqueta Blanca Short Robusto BP (4 1/2 x 52) – $9 (Boxes of 21, $189)

Launch Date: July 25, 2016

Production: Initial production, 476 Boxes of 21 Cigars

Cordoba & Morales Finca Santa Fe IPCPR 2016

Finca Santa Fe

This is an interesting release, as it uses tobacco in the blend that was aged one year in oak rum barrels. The aroma from the cigar was a very pleasing, subtle rum note that wasn’t overpowering or anything close to an infused cigar. Another interesting thing about this release is that they were rolled by a single roller.

  • Wrapper: Criollo 98
  • Binder: n/a
  • Filler: n/a
  • Finca Santa Fe (6 x 52) – $20 (Boxes of 5, $100; Boxes of 10, $200)

Launch Date: May 2016

Production: 9,000 Total Cigars

Cordoba & Morales Platino Sumatra IPCPR 2016

Platino Sumatra: Reposado en Cedro Toro

Much like the Clave Cubana, the Platino Sumatra’s wrapper is aged almost five years. From there, the cigar is rolled and then rests for another year in Spanish cedar boxes before getting packed into the retail boxes and sent to stores. When asked, I was told that the factory these were produced at differs from the rest of their lines and is made at Tampa Tobacco Co.

  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Platino Sumatra: Reposado en Cedro Toro (6 1/2 x 52) – $12 (Boxes of 20, $240)

Launch Date: July 25, 2016

Production: 500 Boxes of 20 (10,000 Total Cigars)

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