La Sirena will be sending out the first batch of its new Merlion Maduro today, with the shipment containing two of the line’s three sizes, the Robusto (5 x 50, $9.50) and Toro (5 1/2 x 54, $10.50).

The company announced the new blend in early May, which replaces the original Merlion’s Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper with a Mexican San Andrés maduro leaf, while leaving the Brazilian Sumatra binder and Brazilian, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers in tact.

At the time of the announcement, a third size was to be decided by consumers, but the announcement that FDA would be regulating premium cigars required that plan to be scrapped. Arielle Ditkowich announced in late June that the third size would be a 6 x 58 Gordo with an MSRP of $11, a decision that brought the Merlion Maduro in line with the sizes released for the original Merlion.

However, the Gordos will be shipped in the coming weeks after they have received their proper rest at the La Aurora Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic, where the line is being produced.

Additionally, the company has shipped the first batch of the the Sea Lion Maduro, a 5 1/2 x 47 figurado that comes in 10-count boxes with nine maduros and one natural version. Only 86 boxes are being produced for this limited release.

The Merlion Maduro line will be on display at La Sirena’s booth during the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, which opens on Monday and runs through July 28.

Shortly after this story was published, Danny Ditkowich of La Sirena informed halfwheel that the Sea Lion Maduro was included in today’s shipments, and as such has been added to this story.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2016 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.