Pinar del Rio Creates Several Retailer Exclusives

Pinar del Rio Cigars has launched a limited edition cigar called the Flores y Rodriguez Exclusivo that will not only be available to only a handful of stores across the country, but each store will have its own unique vitola and fine-tuned blend.

Ekert Cordon, the company’s national sales manager, said that the Exclusivo project cigars are similar to the Flores & Rodriguez maduro blend but with a Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 binder and Nicaraguan ligero from Esteli.

Shipments have already gone out to six retailers, with each store getting 100 boxes of their blend:

• Silo Cigars (Knoxville, Tenn.) – Aliento de Angel – 5 x 49 Perfecto
• The Party Source (Bellevue, Ky.) – The Coney – 6 1/2 x 48 Corneta
• Cascade Cigar & Tobacco (Happy Valley, Ore.) – Kingsman – 6 1/2 x 52 Figurado
• Atlantic Cigar Co. (Folcroft, Pa.) – Short Perfecto – 5 x 60 Perfecto with nipple
• Mission Pipe Shop (Pleasanton, Calif.) – Exquisito – 5 3/4 x 46 Corona Gorda
• Emerson’s Cigars (Chesapeake, Va.) – Divino – 4 x 49 Perfecto

Cordon said that there are still “another couple” of stores to follow, and they will be announced when the cigars are ready to leave the factory. Each retailer’s blend has been fine tuned, with the differences found mainly in the amount of ligero used, as some retailers requested more than was found in the Flores y Rodriguez Maduro, while others requested less.

On February 27, Atlantic Cigar Co. posted a picture on Twitter of their version of the Flores y Rodriguez Exclusivo, a 5 x 60 Perfecto:

The Flores y Rodriguez lines were first seen back in February 2012 and made their official debut at the 2012 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show.

Update: The initial version of this story identified Mission Pipe Shop as being in San Jose, Calif. While there is a store by that name there, Pinar del Rio made the Flores y Rodriguez Exclusivo for Mission Pipe Shop in Pleasanton, Calif. 

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 Major League Baseball, 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.