La Galera Delayed Until January 2016
While the first project under Jochy Blanco’s recently acquired Indianhead brand was expected to be on its way to retailers by now, it looks like La Galera won’t begin arriving until after the first of the year.
A company spokesperson told halfwheel today that paperwork issues have slowed the process of getting the cigars into the U.S. down, and they are now forecasting that the first batch of cigars will be on store shelves in mid-January.
La Galera is being released in two versions, one with an Ecuadorian habano wrapper and the other with an Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf. Both use a Dominican corojo binder with a filler blend of Dominican piloto cubano, criollo ’98 and pelo de oro, with everything but the wrapper grown by Blanco. The cigars are being made at Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic as well.
Interestingly, the packaging is slightly different for the two versions, as a company representative said that boxes of the habano version will hold 21 sticks, while boxes of the Connecticut will have 20.
The La Galera Habano is being released in four sizes, Chaveta (5 x 50, $6.20), El Lector (6 x 54, $7), Cortador (6 1/2 x 52 torpedo, $7) and Pilones (6 1/4 x 60, $8.20). The Connecticut version is being released in five sizes, Chaveta (5 1/8 x 50, $4.95), El Lector (6 x 54, $5.75), Tabaquero Presidente (7 1/4 x 50, $6), Cortador (6 1/8 x 52 torpedo, $5.75) and Pilone (5 1/4 x 60, $6.10). Blanco is working on three new sizes in each blend for the European market according to a spokesperson.
La Galera is the first new line that Blanco is releasing under the Indianhead Distributors brand, which he acquired in late October from Bill Bock and is known for its value-based offerings, including Plasencia Organica, Cuban Twist, Dannemann’s and Dynamite.
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.
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