The highly regarded La Escepción blend is getting a second size, as Diadema s.p.a., the Italian distributor for Habanos S.A., has announced the launch of the Don José this week as an Edición Regional for the country.

The cigar comes in the Hermosos No.4 vitola, a parejo that measures five inches in length (127mm) with a 48 ring gauge. 4,000 numbered boxes of 25 cigars are being produced, making for a sizable total of 100,000 total cigars. Each box is priced at €375, with single sticks selling for €15.

La Escepcion Don Jose single

The La Escepcion brand is one with a good deal of history, tracing back to 1850 and Don José Gener y Batet, who is best known for creating the Hoyo de Monterrey brand. It was produced until 1989 when it was discontinued, disappearing from the cigar landscape until being resurrected in 2011 as an Edición Regional release for Italy in the form of the La Escepción Selectos Finos, a 6 1/2 x 38 panetela. As part of the process of bringing this marca back, samples from the 1960s were smoked and analyzed to determine the specific components of the blend and draw equivalencies to modern day tobacco.

La Escepcion Don Jose Box

Beyond the quality of the blend, the La Escepión gained even more attention for its difficulty to obtain, as retailers are forbidden from shipping tobacco out of Italy.

(Images courtesy of Diadema s.p.a.)

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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, 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.