In June, Habanos S.A. announced that it was giving its value-priced José L. Piedra line a makeover, updating the bands and packaging while also changing the number of cigars offered per box from 25 to 12 cigars. Since that time, the company has also added a new vitola, the Petit Caballeros, a 4 3/4 (120mm) x 48 corona in a vitola known as the Hermoso Especial. It’s a size that has only been used once before, for the Punch Regios de Punch, an Edición Limitada from 2017.

That new vitola will be arriving in Switzerland next week, as Intertabak AG, the distributor for the region, announced that it will be available at La Casa del Habano shops as of Aug. 19 and Habanos Specialist shops on Aug. 26.

It will be priced at CHF 50.40 ($55.42) for a bundle of 12 cigars, and CHF 12.60 ($13.85) for an étui, or pack, of three cigars. That works out to about $4.62 per cigar.

The José L. Piedra line now has five regular production vitolas:

  • José L. Piedra Brevas — 5 1/4 inches (133mm) x 42
  • José L. Piedra Cazadores — 6 inches (152mm) x 43
  • José L. Piedra Conservas — 5 1/2 inches (140mm) x 44
  • José L. Piedra Petit Cazadores — 4 1/8 inches (105mm) x 43
  • José L. Piedra Petit Caballeros — 4 3/4 inches (120mm) x 48

José L. Piedra uses short filler tobaccos, making it one of the most affordable cigars from Habanos S.A.

Images courtesy of Intertabak AG.

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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.