LSU Gets New Cigar Collection via Bocock Brothers

Bocock Brothers Premium Cigars has announced that it has an agreement with Louisiana State University to make officially licensed LSU cigars.

Next month, the first three lines will be available, all of which feature LSU’s tiger mascot, LSU logos and a sticker from the Collegiate Licensing Co., signifying their official status. There are three different cigar lines as well as a variety of LSU-branded cigar accessories from Visol Products.

The LSU Connecticut and Habano share similar but not identical blends. The Connecticut uses a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Honduras over a Costa Rica binder and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua. The Habano also uses a Honduran wrapper, though it’s placed on top of a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua. Both lines are offered in the same two vitolas—Robusto (5 x 50, $14.20) and Toro (6 x 52, $14.35)—packaged in 20-count boxes. The Connecticut comes in a white box, while the Habano is purple.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Tiger Stadium, LSU’s iconic football stadium. Bocock Brothers has created the LSU Centennial Edition. It uses a Honduran wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua. Notably, the company says that the cigars have been aged for seven years. It’s offered in Robusto (5 x 50, $14.95) and Toro (6 x 52, $15.45).

“We are incredibly proud to be the first Premium Cigar Company to collaborate with a major university like LSU,” said Doug Bocock, co-founder of Bocock Brothers and an LSU alumn, in a press release. “This collaboration feels especially fitting, considering LSU’s long-standing tradition of celebrating championships with cigars. We’re thrilled to offer fans exceptional handcrafted blends and accessories they can proudly call their own.”

Bocock told halfwheel that the partnership is not new. Bocock Brothers has been providing cigars for various LSU functions and other purposes. That led to LSU-branded cigars for those events and then a conversation about a more widespread use for the LSU cigars.

All three lines will go on sale next month, and distribution will be to stores in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas. Bocock Brothers will also sell the cigars directly to consumers. The company pays LSU a royalty for each cigar sold.

In addition to the cigars, there are a dozen SKUs of accessories made up of Visol products, including lighters, cutters and an ashtray branded with LSU logos.