PCA 2021: Miami Cigar & Co.

For a long time, I was told there wouldn’t be any new items from Miami Cigar & Co. at this year’s PCA Convention & Trade Show, but as it turns out, that’s not the case. There’s not a new Nestor Miranda, though Nestor—the man—is here; there’s not a new Tatiana; instead, there’s a pair of new Don Lino blends.

Miami’s booth has shrunk in half, though it honestly doesn’t seem 50 percent smaller. The company removed a gigantic center structure which freed up a lot of space, both square-footage-wise and vertically. The one downside to that is that just about every picture of the Miami booth is going to have a gigantic Integra Boost logo in the background. As always, Miami’s booth featured a group of models who are making sure the Nespressos were flowing, even if I didn’t partake. As I’ve argued for years, smaller booths feel busier and that is certainly the case for Miami Cigar & Co. There were definitely fewer people in the booth, but with a lot less space to loiter around in, the booth felt very busy every time I’ve walked by.

Don Lino Connecticut

Don Lino—easily the most forgotten about brand in the larger Miami portfolio—has two new cigars, a Connecticut and a Maduro. This is very clearly a value play. I haven’t smoked the cigars and the factory is undisclosed, so I’m not sure what to expect with these two.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
• Binder: Dominican Republic (Olor)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (Criollo 98 & Olor), Nicaragua & U.S.A. (Pennsylvania Broadleaf)

• Don Lino Connecticut Robusto (5 x 50) — $5.95 (Box of 20, $119)
• Don Lino Connecticut Toro (5 1/2 x 54) — $6.25 (Box of 20, $125)
• Don Lino Connecticut Gran Toro (6 x 60) — $6.50 (Box of 20, $130)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2021

Don Lino Maduro

What I can tell you is that the hold-up here is clearly packaging. As it turns out, the bands were delayed enough that the company wasn’t sure if these were going to be able to be shown off at the trade show. In fact, about 100 of each band were made just for the show, meaning some people are going to go home with unbanded samples.

• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Dominican Republic (Olor)
• Filler: Cameroon, Dominican Republic (Criollo 98) & U.S.A. (Pennsylvania Broadleaf)

• Don Lino Maduro Robusto (5 x 50) — $5.95 (Box of 20, $119)
• Don Lino Maduro Toro (5 1/2 x 54) — $6.25 (Box of 20, $125)
• Don Lino Maduro Gran Toro (6 x 60) — $6 (Box of 20, $120)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2021

Update (Nov. 22, 2021) — Miami Cigar & Co. has clarified that the MSRP of the Don Lino 6 x 60 is $6.50, not $6.