The next time you pick up some La Barba cigars, there’s a good chance the bands will have a new look.

Tony Bellatto told halfwheel that he decided to focus on the straight razor portion of the cigars’ branding.

“We feel that the straight razor has really made the brand iconic and I wanted to really exemplify it as the main focus of the band and I also wanted to keep the super modern feel,” said Bellatto.

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The new La Barba Red and La Barba Purple bands draw from the company’s third line, Siempre, for its size and shape, which Bellatto says helps ties the three lines together. He is now using a matte paper with gold and silver powder finishing.

But fans of the brand don’t have to worry about the cigars themselves changing.

“Nothing else is changing with the the two blends, or box packaging, just a little update on the cigar bands themselves,” said Bellatto.

The new bands will be on all IPCPR sample cigars and will begin showing up at retail in the coming week.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2017 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.