IPCPR 2016: La Barba Cigar Co.

Tony Bellatto’s La Barba Cigar Co. shared space with Caldwell Cigar Co. at the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, a fitting arrangement given the longtime friendship between the two and the fact that Caldwell’s Down and Back LLC distributes La Barba. As noted in the coverage of the Caldwell booth, the two ends of the booth featured the same product, a compact and tidy arrangement that allowed the entire collection of cigars to be shown off without having to cover a great distance.

Bellatto kept the new releases to just one, a limited edition called One&Only that he teased about a week before the show. The rest of his display focused on updated packaging for his core lines.

La Barba One&Only

Bellatto isn’t saying much about his new limited edition, other than that it is a 6 x 50 toro that is being made at Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic. While the cigar is certainly intriguing, the packaging and bands might be even more so as they feature artwork from Jade Rivera, a prominent artist located in Miami that captures Bellatto in a Barber of Seville style. All 500 boxes were accounted for very early on during the trade show, so hopefully your local retailer stopped by booth early to get some.

• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: n/a
• Filler: n/a

• La Barba One&Only (6 x 50) — $12.50 (Box of 10, $125)

Launch Date: Shortly after the trade show concludes.

Production: 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars

La Barba Red, Purple & Siempre (updated packaging)

An updated look for the three lines, with Red and Purple going to 12 count boxes from 10 counts. No other changes have been announced.

As for Siempre, the line released last year and blended by Bellatto, his father Geno and friend Matt Waris from Havana House, it goes from 10-count bundles to a 5×5 box, with five five-packs assembled to make a 25-count box. It keeps the same four sizes: Perla (4 x 42, $6.80), Robusto (5 x 50, $7.20), Toro (6 x 50, $7.60) and Double Toro (6 x 60, $7.95). Production is still handled by Tabacalera William Ventura.

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.