Juan López Selección Especial Previewed in Belgium, Goes on Sale This Weekend

On Saturday, the Juan López Selección Especial was previewed during an online event hosted by Cubacigar Benelux/Laguito 1492 NV, the distributor of Habanos S.A. products in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The event came roughly 22 months after the cigar was announced, and as a lead-up to the cigar’s exclusive release for La Casa del Habano stores, with the cigar scheduled to make its global debut in the Benelux market this weekend.

The cigar celebrates two anniversaries: the 150th anniversary of the Juan López marca and the 30th anniversary of the first La Casa del Habano franchise. It is a double robusto that measures 6 7/10 inches (170mm) in length with a 52 ring gauge, a vitola known as the Fortunas. The size has been used twice before: for the Juan López Selección Suprema, a 2009 Edición Regional release for the United Kingdom, and the Ramón Allones Gladiator, a 2010 Edición Regional release for the Andes region, which is made up of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.

It is slated to go on sale in the Benelux region this weekend, with pricing set at €29 ($32.60) per cigar in Belgium, €29.40 ($33.05) in the Netherlands, and €28 ($31.48) in Luxembourg. It is offered in 25-count luxury boîte nature boxes.

“Juan López Selección Especial comes to surprise the most demanding aficionados with its exquisite aroma and excellent taste,” said Ernesto González, operational marketing director, and Rodrigo González, strategic marketing director of Habanos, S.A., in a press release. While Juan López is not one of the largest brands in the Habanos S.A. portfolio, as there are just two regular production vitolas on sale today, the pair also noted that the 20 Ediciónes Regional releases under the Juan Lopez marca “demonstrate its great acceptance in the different Habanos’ markets around the world.”

As a La Casa del Habano exclusive, the cigar gets a secondary band featuring the stores’ logo, and will only be available at those retailers, which are considered to be the premier retailers of Habanos S.A. products. There are nearly 160 La Casa del Habano stores throughout the world.

“One of the most important things about La Casa del Habano is the exclusive and limited launching of products that are only commercialized at these points of sale,” said Jorge Pérez, franchise director of La Casa del Habano for Habanos, S.A., via a press release. “This is the case of the launching of Juan López Selección Especial, which is sure to be very well received by aficionados.”

The Juan López Selección Especial will be arriving in other markets in the near future, though a specific timetable has not yet been announced.

Images courtesy of Habanos S.A.

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.