A new project coming out of the Wynwood Cigar Factory in Miami has been announced – La Barba, which was featured in a YouTube video posted on Tony Bellatto’s TattooedSommelier.com.

Bellatto is a WSET-certified sommelier, a wine instructor at Youngstown State University, owner of The Havana House in Ohio and a columnist for Cigars in Review magazine. According to his commentary in the video, Bellatto says he and his best friend (and creative director) Craig Rossi have had the cigar in the works for approximately two years now. He says that they are trying to bring “Miami to the Midwest” and hope to have the cigar available in September.

News of the cigar traces back to October 5 and this video of a event at Havana House featuring Christian Eiroa as well as Robert Caldwell, the co-founders of Wynwood Cigars. The name La Barba translates as the beard, and while blend information hadn’t been decided on, Bellatto said it will “probably be of Nicaraguan or Honduran origin.” In the video, Rossi said the target date for the cigar’s release was March 2013, though that has since been pushed back.

It was on October 4, 2012 that Rossi filed for U.S. Trademark Registration for the name, with the application’s review being completed on February 7, 2013.

On Wednesday, Bellatto posted a picture of the band to his Instagram account:

La Barba cigar band - Feb 2013

Wynwood Cigar Factory opened in 2012 and is the factory where Wynwood Cigars, which debuted at the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show as part of Eiroa’s CLE Cigars booth, are made.

 

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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.