Martinez Cigars Adding Two Vitolas to Reblended Riki Taki at PCA 2023

Martinez Cigars has given its La Bodega Series Riki Taki blend a bit of a rework, and will be debuting the new profile via two new sizes that will be released at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show.

The blend now uses a Dominican habano wrapper, a Sumatran binder from Indonesia, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The original blend used an Ecuadorian corojo wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a filler of Nicaraguan seco and ligero, along with Dominican ligero.

“We just felt that the habano really worked well with the blend,” Dave Rivera, director of sales and marketing for Martinez Cigars, told halfwheel. “It allows those other flavors to really come out. We’ve gotten really good feedback from our customers that come to the factory.”

As for the two new sizes, the first is a 7 x 44 lonsdale that is priced at $12 per cigar and $240 for a box of 20 cigars. The other size is a 4 1/2 x 46 perfecto that is being released as an exclusive for the trade show. It is priced at $10 per cigar and offered in boxes of 10 cigars. Both sizes are expected to begin shipping in late August or early September.

The original robusto vitola that the Riki Taki was released in last September will keep its original blend, with an Ecuadorian corojo wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a filler that includes Nicaraguan seco and ligero, along with Dominican ligero. The company has not yet decided whether it will update that vitola’s blend, though Dave Rivera, the company’s director of product development and marketing, said that both blends might be offered in that vitola.

The La Bodega Series is a collaboration between Rivera and Jesus Martinez, the owner of Martinez Cigars. Both grew up around bodegas and acknowledge that they are a big part of the Latin community in New York City, and that residents often identify with a particular bodega in their neighborhood. As such, they launched the La Bodega series to pay tribute to their New York City roots while sharing that experience with consumers, both those familiar with the stores and those who aren’t. For those not familiar with bodegas, they are small, owner-operated convenience stores that are fixtures in their neighborhoods. In addition to typical convenience store offerings, they also provide a number of household goods, prepared foods and neighborhood services, such as dropping off something for a friend to pick up later.

Martinez Cigars produces its cigars at the company’s factory in midtown New York City, on W. 29th St. and 7th Ave., as well as at a facility in the Dominican Republic.