Bill Ives and Juan Cancel of Cubariqueno Cigar Co. were back at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show as part of the Espinosa Premium Cigars Booth, as the company’s cigars are made at Espinosa’s La Zona Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The brand occupied one corner of the booth in terms of floor space,  product displays and decorations on the wall, which included a number of the accolades that they’ve received in recent years.

As has become the case in recent years, the brand held an anniversary party in May, where the newest line, Official Misconduct, was unveiled. Also released at that event was a new corona gorda for the Probable Cause line, but that doesn’t mean that Cubariqueno showed up without anything new for the trade show this year. In addition to a new lancero, the company is moving all of its offerings to 10-count boxes and adding colored ribbons as foot bands to give the line additional visual identity and consistency on retail shelves.

Protocol Themis Lancero

Cancel and Ives are not shy about their love of lanceros, and this year the Protocol Themis gets one. The Themis line debuted in May 2017, and while the lighter-colored wrapper may suggest a milder cigar, the company calls it medium-strength with full flavor. Its name comes from the Greek titaness of law and order.

  • Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Protocol Themis Lancero (7 1/2 x 38) — $10.50 (Boxes of 10, $105)

Production: Regular Production

Launch Date: July 2018

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2018 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.