The Kristoff Cigars booth has seemingly always stood out on the show floor; from the outside it could be considered sizable and imposing, yet once inside it feels very comfortable and almost intimate. This year was located on the left side of show floor, but not too far from the hub of the action.

There are a pair of new projects coming from Kristoff this year, one of which features an intriguing wrapper, while the other is an event-only stick—for now, at least—that builds on an existing line within the company’s portfolio.

Kristoff Shade Grown

Kristoff is releasing a new entry into the mild to medium range, the Kristoff Shade Grown. Using a shade grown Honduran Connecticut seed wrapper, the cigar is produced at the Charles Fairmorn Factory in the Dominican Republic.

  • Wrapper: Honduras (Connecticut Seed)
  • Binder: Dominican Republic
  • Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
  • Kristoff Shade Grown Robusto (5 1/2 x 54) — $7.90 (Boxes of 20, $158)
  • Kristoff Shade Grown Churchill (7 x 50) — $8 (Boxes of 20, $160)
  • Kristoff Shade Grown Matador (6 1/2 x 56) — $8.90 (Boxes of 20, $178)

Release Date: June 2019

Production: Regular Production

JT Signature Series

Building on the GC Signature Series, the company will be releasing the JT Signature Series, named for Jarrid Trudeau, the company’s director of sales. At first, the cigars will be used as sales incentives for events scheduled with retailers during the trade show, and the only way to get the cigar will be by booking a Kristoff event at the show with Trudeau. After the events, the stores will be able to carry the cigar, and there is the possibility that the cigars would be commercially available for sale by the end of the year.

Pricing is still to be determined should they go into regular production with availability beyond events. Trudeau’s initials can be seen on the foot band, which he seems insistent on reminding everyone is based on the colors of the Boston Red Sox, of which he is a fan.

  • Wrapper: Ecuador (HVA Habano)
  • Binder: Sumatra
  • Filler: Dominican Republic & Mexico (San Andrés)
  • JT Signature Series (6 1/4 x 54) — n/a

Release Date: August 2019

Production: Regular Production

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2019 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.