July 10, 2019 Brooks Whittington IPCPR 2019

IPCPR 2019: Blackbird Cigar Co.

New cigar companies come and go in the cigar industry, so it is no surprise when a brand pops up out of virtual thin air at some point and I see them for the first time at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. Thus was the case with Blackbird Cigar Co., but the twist that owner Jonás Santana has on his brand is fairly unique: every blend is named after—and matched specifically to—a certain type of bird.

For a newer company, the booth for Blackbird Cigar Co. was impressive, with great graphics, well thought out layout and—perhaps most importantly—very comfortable carpet. The motto “Can’t Clip My Wings” was displayed prominently, and is an expression on how Santana runs his business and his life.

Rook

The first of four new releases for Blackbird starts with Rook, which his named after the bird that has black feathers which look blue in certain light, thus the color of the bands and boxes.

  • Wrapper: Sumatra
  • Binder: Habano
  • Filler: Domincan Republic & Nicaragua
  • Rook Gran Toro (6 x 54) — $9.52 (Box of 21, $200)
  • Rook Robusto (5 x 50) — $7.52 (Box of 21, $158)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2019

JackDaw

Next up is JackDaw, named after the bird that is part of the crow family and is one of the lightest blends in the Blackbird portfolio.

  • Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
  • Binder: Indonesia
  • Filler: Dominican Republic, U.S.A. & Nicaragua
  • JackDaw Gran Toro (6 x 54) — $9.52 (Box of 21, $200)
  • JackDaw Robusto (5 x 50) — $7.52 (Box of 21, $158)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2019  

Cuco

Medium to full-bodied, the Cuco blend features a wrapper from Brazil.

  • Wrapper: Brazil
  • Binder: Indonesia
  • Filler: Dominican Republic
  • Cuco Gran Toro (6 x 54) — $9.52 (Box of 21, $200)
  • Cuco Robusto (5 x 50) — $7.52 (Box of 21, $158)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2019

Finch

Another mild blend, the Finch features some tobacco from America in the filler.

  • Wrapper: Sumatra
  • Binder: Indonesia
  • Filler: Dominican Republic & U.S.A.
  • Finch Gran Toro (6 x 54) — $9.52 (Box of 21, $200)
  • Finch Robusto (5 x 50) — $7.52 (Box of 21, $158)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2019

Overall Score

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
Blackbird Cigar Co. Cuco Finch IPCPR 2019 JackDaw Jonás Santana Rook
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Brooks Whittington

I have worn many hats in my life up to this point: I started out as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then transitioned to photographing weddings—both internationally and in the U.S.—for more than a decade. After realizing that there was a need for a cigar website containing better photographs and more in-depth information about each release, I founded my first cigar blog, SmokingStogie, in 2008. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars, and it was one of the predecessors to halfwheel, which I co-founded.

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