There are a handful of companies who are really poised to take a big step forward at this year’s show, one of which is Oscar Valladares & Co., as Charlie Minato noted in his article about five companies to watch. Valladares has been on quite a hot streak in recent years due to the success of the Leaf by Oscar, which he makes for Jim Robinson’s company, but has now branched out to release his own cigar, The Oscar, as well as reintroducing the 2012 by Oscar line and giving his master blender his own line.

Valladares is now in the importation and distribution parts of the business as well, both key parts to growing the Oscar empire. If he can capitalize on having the majority of cigar retailers in the same room for a couple of days and then parlay that into a year of delivering orders on time and keeping stock current, he could make as big a move as anyone at this year’s show.

2012 by Oscar

This line with its trio of blends debuted back in 2012 as Oscar Valladares’ first release, with the name a nod to the Mayan calendar and the accompanying thought that it foretold the end of the world on Dec. 21. After a toro vitola was released earlier this year as part of the line’s rebirth, three new sizes are being added.

2012 by Oscar Connecticut

  • Wrapper: Connecticut
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
  • 2012 by Oscar Connecticut Short Robusto (4 x 54) — $7.50 (Box of 20, $150)
  • 2012 by Oscar Connecticut Sixty (6 x 60) — $9.50 (Box of 20, $190)
  • 2012 by Oscar Connecticut Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52) — $8.35 (Box of 20, $167)

2012 by Oscar Corojo

  • Wrapper: Honduras
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
  • 2012 by Oscar Corojo Short Robusto (4 x 54) — $7.50 (Box of 20, $150)
  • 2012 by Oscar Corojo Sixty (6 x 60) — $9.50 (Box of 20, $190)
  • 2012 by Oscar Corojo Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52) — $8.35 (Box of 20, $167)

2012 by Oscar Maduro

  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
  • 2012 by Oscar Maduro Short Robusto (4 x 54) — $7.50 (Box of 20, $150)
  • 2012 by Oscar Maduro Sixty (6 x 60) — $9.50 (Box of 20, $190)
  • 2012 by Oscar Maduro Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52) — $8.35 (Box of 20, $167)

Launch Date: July 2017

Production: Regular production

My Way by Bayron Duarte

The master blender of Oscar Valladres & Co. gets his own cigar after being involved with the blending of the company’s other lines, which include Leaf by Oscar, Rosalia, The Oscar, 2012 by Oscar, Big Johnny, and The Woody. It uses a fair amount of Honduran tobacco, something that’s no surprise given that the factory is located in Danlí, while Nicaraguan tobacco makes an appearance in the filler and a Mexican wrapper covers it all.

  • Wrapper: Mexico
  • Binder: Honduras (Olancho)
  • Filler: Honduras (Olancho) & Nicaragua
  • My Way by Bayron Duarte Gordito (4 x 60) — $8.50 (Box of 20, $204)
  • My Way by Bayron Duarte HD (7 x 66) — $11 (Box of 20, $220)
  • My Way by Bayron Duarte Sixty (6 x 60) — $9.50 (Box of 20, $190)
  • My Way by Bayron Duarte Toro Grande (6 x 54) — $9 (Box of 20, $180)

Launch Date: Currently Shipping

Production: 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars

The Oscar Maduro

This new line extension replaces the original’s Ecuadorian habano wrapper with a Mexican maduro leaf from the San Andrés region, while keeping the Honduran binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, as well as the same three sizes and prices as the original, and are once again packed in 11-count boxes that resemble cigar molds.

  • Wrapper: Mexico
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
  • The Oscar Maduro Robusto (5 x 50) — $11 (Box of 11, $121)
  • The Oscar Maduro Toro (6 x 52) — $12 (Box of 11, $132)
  • The Oscar Maduro 6 x 60 (6 x 60) — $13 (Box of 11, $143)
Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2017 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, 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.