PCA 2021: Quality Importers Trading Co.
Even after writing numerous stories about Quality Importers Trading Co., I’m still not sure that people are as familiar with them as they are with the company’s roster of well-known brands. That roster includes XIKAR, Pàlio and Stinky as some of its most notable brands, as well as Cigar Caddy, Shuriken and Humidor Supreme among others. It truly is a conglomerate of brands, and when everyone is in the same spot such as they are during the PCA Convention & Trade Show, it makes for quite a lot of cigar accessories to check out.
The Quality Importers booth is fully stocked with pretty much every type of accessory you could imagine, and the company generally organizes it by manufacturer, though there are some points where it feels co-mingle a bit. Its most high-profile new products are placed in cases along one of the sides that border and aisle way, while what might be considered a second-tier are featured in a central, multi-shelved circular display, or on one of the display tables. It’s a design that the company has used for a few years now and works well in allowing sales reps to lead retailers around easily.
We spend a lot of time covering humidors on this site, but most of them tend to fall into the desktop category. While that is easily the most common style, there are some that aim to provide much more storage, and to serve as true pieces of furniture, though the designs generally offered have fallen behind the times in recent years. Quality Importers’ Humidor Supreme brand is looking to remedy that with the upcoming release of the Balthazar, what could be referred to as an end table design. It can hold upwards of 542 toros or 1,024 coronas and offers a pullout storage drawer, while protecting your cigars with the company’s SureSeal technology It is offered in black oak, pictured above, or a walnut veneer finish, each of which have chrome hardware, including a hygrometer, thermometer, lock, draw handle and carrying handles on the sides.
MSRP: $659.99
Release Date: November 2021
Production: Regular Production
Humidor Supreme – New Designs
If there was one brand getting a good bit of attention this year in the Quality Importers booth, it was Humidor Supreme. The company is rolling out 18 new designs in the 60-80 count range, with pricing between $120-369. The collection features veneer wraps and real wood inlays and the humidors are slated for release in the fourth quarter, ideally in November so that they are available prior to the holiday shopping season.
The Ballista brings the oversized single jet torch lighter design that become very popular recently to the table-top segment of the cigar lighter category. Borrowing its design language from the company’s Torcia pocket lighter, the Ballista features an ergonomic capsule-shaped housing with a flame adjuster wheel at the bottom and a large ignition trigger at the top that simultaneously opens and closes the protective burner cover.
Underneath that cover is an oversized single-jet flame that offers the ability to quickly light thicker ring gauges as well as the precision to light more slender cigars. A large, 10g fuel tank reduces the frequency of fill-ups, while big air vents help keep it cool as well as facilitates its use at higher altitudes. It measures 2.125 inches x 0.875 x 3.5 and weighs 5.4 oz. The Ballista is being offered in five colors: black, blue, gunmetal, red and silver.
MSRP: $29.99
Release Date: September 2021
Production: Regular Production
Adding to a growing segment of the cigar lighter market, Palió has released a new oversized single jet torch lighter called the Siena. That means that its single jet torch is bigger than what has been considered standard for the segment, which makes lighting bigger cigars easier while not giving up the accuracy of a single flame for touchups or lighting thinner ring gauges.
It also features a base that serves as the flame adjuster, along with a large, translucent tank to make checking fuel levels easy. While the torch is oversized, the lighter is still pocket-friendly, measuring 1.65 inches x 1.25 x 3.53. The price is anything but oversized, checking it at under ten bucks. It is offered in five colors: clear, smoke, red, blue and amber yellow.
MSRP: $8.99
Release Date: July 2021
Production: Regular Production
Quality Importers is adding the Astral to its XIKAR portfolio, a slim new single jet designed to be high on portability. The lighter measures 1.4375 x 0.5 x 2.625 inches and features a low-profile ignition mechanism, while also offering a large flame adjustment wheel on the base and strategically placed vents to help with ignition, particularly at higher elevations.
It is offered in six colors: black, black and rose, gunmetal, gunmetal and blue, gunmetal and red, and brushed chrome.
MSRP: $30.99
Release Date: October 2021
Production: Regular Production
XIKAR VX2 — New Colors
You will soon be able to get the VX2, a v-cutter, in blue or brushed chrome, each priced at $49.99. Look for them in October.
XIKAR XO & XO Phantom — New Colors
The two variations of the XIKAR XO cutter are each getting some new colors in the near future. The original XO, with the silver blades, is adding red and blue options, both priced at $99.99, while the XO Phantom, with its black blades, is adding red, blue, orange and silver options. That version is priced at $139.99. Both will begin shipping in October.
XIKAR Xi1 — New Colors
Also getting new colorways is the iconic Xi1, seen at the upper corners of the picture above. Once they ship in November, you’ll be able to cut your cigar with an Xi1 with a black body and black blades, or an orange body with black blades. Both are priced at $89.99.
XIKAR Xi2 Big Cats Series
This one caught my eye as it utilizes Quality Importers’ ability to put pretty much any image or design on a cutter or other accessory that you like. The Big Cats series offers an image of a lion, panther, tiger or leopard, each with an MSRP of $59.99. They’re available now.
XIKAR Xi2 Terroir Series
If big cats aren’t your thing, this is another interesting option, called the XIKAR Xi2 Terroir Series. It features the flag of five tobacco-growing countries—in order left-to-right: the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, the United States, Honduras, and Cuba—on top of a picture of a tobacco field from each of those countries. The other side of the cutter features a full-size graphic of the flame. Each is priced at $59.99 and is now available.
Humidor Supreme – Habana Designs
The Habana Postcard and Habana Wooden Flag designs are offered on smaller desktop humidors, priced at $49.99, as well as ashtrays, though pricing for those was not available.
Don’t Tread on Me, Red Line Flag, Blue Line Flag, Camo Flag Designs
Drawing from the Humidor Supreme, Cigar Caddy and XIKAR collections, Quality Importers was showing off these designs on a variety of its products. The Cigar Caddy travel humidors are available in five, ten and 15-count options, while the lighters shown are based on the Pàlio Ballista, and priced at $34.99.
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.
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