Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Launches

Building upon a family legacy of more than 30 years in the cigar business, Neil Garcia and business partner Gerard Abajian have announced the launch of Jake Wyatt Cigar Co., a company that gets its name from the co-owners’ two sons.

Abajian’s family has been in retail business for 30 years, with his father, Mardo, launching his first business, Mardo Cigars, in California and expanding it to three locations. Following his passing about five years ago, that sparked the journey for Gerard into the cigar business. Today, the company is still in existence with two locations, one in Laguna Niguel, Calif. and the other in Sarasota, Fla., as well as an online storefront.

Garcia told halfwheel that the company’s launch has been two years in the making dating back to time that both spent with the retailer, though the process was interrupted by his previous career playing college and professional baseball, while Abajian pursued a career in firefighting.

The company is debuting with a portfolio of six lines, five of which are regular production and one limited edition line, and all of which are made at Tabacalera JVM in Tamboril, Dominican Republic. Each of the regular production lines line will have the same four sizes and a limited edition size, while the limited edition will be a single vitola release. As a nod to Garcia’s family history in baseball, each box of regular production cigars will contain 22 sticks, a reference to the jersey number he said was worn by three generations of ballplayers.

Each line gets its name from an aspect of the co-founders’ mutual experiences in sports, literature, and philosophy.

The first of the company’s lines is Fourth Dimension, billed as a medium-full bodied cigar. The name references being “in the zone,” Garcia said, referencing sports and saying that the cigar will put you in the zone, taking the smoker to a new and different place.

• Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Habano Rosado) with Dominican candela accents
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Fourth Dimension Robusto (5 x 50) — $10.52 (Box of 22, $231.44)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Fourth Dimension Toro (6 x 54) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Fourth Dimension Belicoso (6 x 52) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Fourth Dimension Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.56 (Box of 22, $275.32)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Fourth Dimension L.E. Figurado (7 x 49/64) — $26 (Box of 10, $260)

For the Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Herbert Spencer, the company focused on a Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper and a bold, medium-full blend of Dominican-grown fillers that delivers a combination of spice and smoothness. The name is a tribute to the English philosopher who said that “there is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance. This principle is, contempt prior to examination.” In other words, Garcia said, don’t knock something until you try it.

• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés Maduro) with Ecuadorian Connecticut accents
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Herbert Spencer Robusto (5 x 50) — $10.52 (Box of 22, $231.44)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Herbert Spencer Toro (6 x 54) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Herbert Spencer Belicoso (6 x 52) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Herbert Spencer Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.56 (Box of 22, $275.32)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Herbert Spencer L.E. Figurado (7 x 49/64) — $26 (Box of 10, $260)

The Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Appendix II “hits at the heart of our existence,” the company said in a press release, calling it a profile designed to deliver a smooth and creamy masterpiece. It’s name comes from the place where Spencer’s quote was published, which has been a significant influence in the lives of the company’s co-founders.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut) with Mexican San Andrés Maduro accents
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Appendix II Robusto (5 x 50) — $10.52 (Box of 22, $231.44)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Appendix II Toro (6 x 54) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Appendix II Belicoso (6 x 52) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Appendix II Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.56 (Box of 22, $275.32)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Appendix II L.E. Figurado (7 x 49/64) — $26 (Box of 10, $260)

The Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Lucid Interval is a candela-wrapped cigar that focuses on delivering “a unique combination of smooth cream and bold buttery flavors.” Garcia said the name is explained as one of the best remembered signs of an experience.

• Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Candela) with Mexican San Andrés maduro accents
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Lucid Interval Robusto (5 x 50) — $10.52 (Box of 22, $231.44)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Lucid Interval Toro (6 x 54) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Lucid Interval Belicoso (6 x 52) — $11.80 (Box of 22, $259.60)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Lucid Interval Gordo (6 x 60) — $12.56 (Box of 22, $275.32)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Lucid Interval L.E. Figurado (7 x 49/64) — $26 (Box of 10, $260)

Rounding out the regular production lines is the Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. U.S.I.R., a medium-full bodied cigar. The name is an acronym for unsuspected inner resource, which Garcia explained is similar to finding that next gear or place within yourself that you didn’t know you had within you.

• Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Habano Rosado) with Mexican San Andrés maduro accents
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. U.S.I.R. Robusto (5 x 50) — $11.36 (Box of 22, $249.92)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. U.S.I.R. Toro (6 x 54) — $12.68 (Box of 22, $278.96)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. U.S.I.R. Belicoso (6 x 52) — $12.68 (Box of 22, $278.96)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. U.S.I.R. Gordo (6 x 60) — $13.44 (Box of 22, $295.68)
• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. U.S.I.R. L.E. Figurado (7 x 49/64) — $26 (Box of 10, $260)

Additionally, the company is releasing the S.E. 2019, a perfecto named for the desire to create the “special essence” of the pair’s experience and passion.

• Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Habano Rosado) with Mexican San Andrés maduro accents
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. S.E. 2019 (5 x 48/58) — $20.80 (Box of 10, $208)

As for production numbers, the company is launching with 300 boxes of each line and 100 boxes of each of the limited edition sizes as well as 100 boxes of the S.E. 2019.

The company officially launched the company on Feb. 10 with the cigars ready and available to ship to retailers.

Images courtesy of Jake Wyatt Cigar Co.

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 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.