Sam Leccia is ready to unveil his first new line since he joined General Cigar Co. in September 2014, and it’s an extension to his popular Luchador line.

The Luchador El Gringo is slated for a September release and will be a regular addition to the portfolio, using a Nicaraguan oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan habano binder and ligero fillers from Pennsylvania and Nicaragua. It was the filler that Leccia focused on when talking about the cigar with halfwheel, calling it “full bodied, packing a nice punch, but it’s smooth.”

Leccia El Gringo

It’s being released in four sizes, all with wrestling-themed vitola names and pricing between seven and nine dollars. The 6 x 48 Chin Music is the skinniest of the bunch, followed by the 6 x 60 Pile Driver, 6 1/2 x 64 Squared Circle, what Leccia describes as a “pyramid square press” and the 4 1/2 x 70 Frog Splash, which he notes gets a “mat press.”

“There’s something for everyone: short, fat, skinny, and pyramid; two pressed and two round,” Leccia noted., adding that the Frog Splash is much wider than it is tall, making it more “mouth friendly.”

All four of the sizes will come in 21-count boxes in a three-rows-of-seven style that Leccia has used for previous releases.

The Leccia Luchador El Gringo is being made at American Caribbean Tobacco S.A. in Nicaragua. Leccia will have the cigars at the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show happening next month before they begin shipping to retailers in September.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2015 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.