Oscar Valladres Adding Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo and 2012 by Oscar Sumatra at PCA 2023 (Update)

At next month’s PCA Convention & Trade Show, Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co. will be releasing a line extension to one of the company’s very first lines, as well as celebrating the 10th anniversary of one of its most successful creations.

The 2012 by Oscar Sumatra is the latest version of a line that dates back to 2012 and was the first commercially available line from the company. Not only was it a nod to the year that the company was founded, but more importantly to the Mayan calendar and the accompanying thought that it foretold the end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012. Since its debut, the 2012 by Oscar has grown to four variations, the 2012 by Oscar Corojo, the 2012 by Oscar Maduro, the 2012 by Oscar Connecticut, and the 2012 by Oscar Barber Pole. Now, a fifth version, that uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a Honduran binder and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua will join the portfolio.

It is being offered in three box-pressed vitolas:

• 2012 Sumatra Box Pressed Short Robusto (4 x 52) — $6.80 (Box of 20, $136)
• 2012 Sumatra Box Pressed Toro (6 x 52) — $9.30 (Box of 20, $186)
• 2012 Sumatra Box Pressed Sixrty (6 x 60) — $10.20 (Box of 20, $204)

On the celebratory side, the company has announced the Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo, which commemorates the first decade of what has become one of the more popular cigars in humidors across the country and beyond, the Leaf by Oscar.

The cigar is a Honduran puro, with the criollo-seed wrapper coming from the La Florida Jamastran farm. It is being offered in two vitolas, both of which will be offered in 20-count boxes, though prices are not being disclosed as of yet:

• Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo Toro (6 x 52) — $11.50 (Box of 20, $230)
• Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo Sixty (6 x 60) — $12.50 (Box of 20, $250)

The company is not releasing images of the cigar, choosing to save its first look for the trade show.

The Leaf by Oscar line was created by “Island” Jim Robinson and Oscar Valladares as a house cigar for his Leaf & Bean stores in Pittsburgh, Pa., but quickly gained a national following both for its distinctive packaging that used a tobacco leaf to cover each finished cigar, as well as its ability to deliver a solid flavor profile at a reasonable price. The regular production versions are available in four wrapper options: Connecticut, Corojo, Maduro and Sumatra, and a handrful of sizes ranging from lanceros to gordos.

Both the 2012 Sumatra Box Pressed and the Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo are made at Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co.’s factory in Danlí, Honduras, both are regular production lines, and both will begin shipping in mid-to-late July.

Oscar Valladares will also be releasing The Oscar Connecticut at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show, which will also be shipping to stores in July.

Correction (June 16, 2023) — A representative from Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co. informed halfwheel that the wrapper on the Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo comes from the La Florida Jamastran farm, not the Copan region of the country, as originally indicated by the company. The article has been updated accordingly.

Update (June 29, 2023) — The company released pricing for and an image of the Leaf by Oscar 10th Anniversary Criollo, which have been added to the story.

Image courtesy of Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co.