IPCPR 2019: Lars Tetens
Lars Tetens is back. No frills or tassels, according to the marketing materials. But there was a walled-off section of the Alec Bradley booth dedicated just to him, complete with velvet ropes and a bouncer, or at least a fairly muscular man playing the part of one, complete with “Lars Tetens Security” printed on his black t-shirt.
Given that Tetens’ heyday in the cigar industry was before my time, sitting with the man was much more of an introduction than a renewal of an existing relationship, and even after a good 15 or 20 minutes—not including his musical performance—I’m still not exactly sure what to make of all that he is, though it is clear he loves his name. I’d put the over under on 500 mentions of it within his booth thanks to several banners each repeating it dozens of times, with his leather goods and bottles of spices also proudly displaying it. That’s not counting the boxes of cigars outside the booth, all of which feature multiple mentions.
Regardless, the man is back as part of a new partnership with Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley, with the latter now handling distribution, though it should be mentioned that he doesn’t consider himself to have ever gotten out of making cigars, and proudly notes he has over 200 predicate brands in his portfolio. Little is disclosed about the specifics of his cigars, which are considered “conditioned” as opposed to flavored or infused. He also says he’ll be doing events in support of the brands he is launching in the upcoming months.
A mild blend with a sweet tip.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Lars Tetens Cubagua Robusto (5 x 50) — $8.96 (Box of 25, $224)
- Lars Tetens Cubagua Toro (6 x 50) — $11 (Box of 25, $275)
- Lars Tetens Cubagua Churchill (7 x 50) — $11.20 (Box of 25, $280)
- Lars Tetens Cubagua Gordo (6 x 60) — $11.20 (Box of 25, $280)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
Billed as mild but with a heavy price tag.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Grass Big (6 x 52, torpedo) — $45 (Box of 20, $900)
- Grass Bigger (6 x 60) — $50 (Box of 20, $1,000)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
Arguably the most diverse of the seven lines that Tetens is returning to the industry with, it ranges in intensity from mild—Royal, Shorty Nat and Asadachi—to full —Sun Fook Ka and Churchill, with Brief XTC falling somewhere in the middle.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Lars Tetens Phat Brief XTC (6 x 50) — $14.25 (Box of 30, $427.50)
- Lars Tetens Phat Asadachi (6 x 50/60) — $15.50 (Box of 30, $465)
- Lars Tetens Phat Royal (6 x 44) — $11.75 (Box of 30, $352.50)
- Lars Tetens Phat Short Natural (5 1/4 x 50) — $11.75 (Box of 30, $352.50)
- Lars Tetens Phat Sun fook Ka (6 1/2 x 44) — $12 (Box of 30, $360)
- Lars Tetens Phat Churchill (7 1/2 x 50) — $15.50 (Box of 20, $310)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
A full-bodied blend with three fairly standard vitolas.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto (5 x 50) — $10.85 (Box of 25, $271.25)
- Lars Tetens Serie D Toro (6 x 54) — $12 (Box of 25, $300)
- Lars Tetens Serie D Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.90 (Box of 25, $322.50)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
Quite possibly the most intriguing of the bunch, this line features a sweet and spicy tip, and it came with numerous warnings about just how spicy it is prior to a sample being proffered by the company. There is quite the assortment of peppers in the conditioning, and the effect is quite noticeable. It was also the only one on the shelf that had been depleted by the time I stopped by the booth.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Lars Tetens SS Robusto (5 x 50) — $9.85 (Box of 25, $246.25)
- Lars Tetens SS Toro (6 x 50) — $11 (Box of 25, $275)
- Lars Tetens SS Churchill (7 x 50) — $11.25 (Box of 25, $281.25)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
A medium-strength offering.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Lars Tetens Steam Punk Robusto (5 x 50) — $9.95 (Box of 25, $248.75)
- Lars Tetens Steam Punk Toro (6 x 50) — $11.60 (Box of 25, $290)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
Another milder offering.
- Wrapper: Undisclosed
- Binder: Undisclosed
- Filler: Undisclosed
- Lars Tetens Sutton Place Petit Corona (4 x 42) — $6.75 (Box of 30, $202.50)
- Lars Tetens Sutton Place Robusto (5 x 50) — $9.20 (Box of 25, $230)
- Lars Tetens Sutton Place Toro (6 x 50) — $11 (Box of 25, $275)
- Lars Tetens Sutton Place Churchill (7 x 48) — $11.20 (Box of 25, $280)
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: mid-August 2019
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.
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