PCA 2022: Cavalier Genève

My first visit to Cavalier Genève’s booth came at 6 p.m. on Day 1, though I admittedly didn’t realize it was closing time. The AGANORSA Leaf booth was still humming, and because of the position of the booths, there was still plenty of foot traffic, though it was heading to the literal exit. Cavalier was finishing up with its final customer and suddenly it was me and the team and an otherwise empty booth, which I’m guessing is not how most of the company’s day looked.

Cavalier’s booths have gone through many iterations over the years. If you are wondering how that is cost-effective, it’s because the company almost certainly rents almost every non-cigar item in the booth, which gives it some flexibility and means it can constantly change. One thing Cavalier does a bit more than most: its new products are clearly positioned and emphasized to be separate from the rest of its portfolio, which makes my job a lot easier.

I ended up coming back on Day 2 to grab the above booth shot. I was only in the booth for 30 seconds but it seemed pretty busy.

Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2022

For the third consecutive year, the Cavalier Genève is a 6 x 54 toro, though it’s pretty clear it’s not the same cigar as the previous two years, one of which was a barber-pole, and the other of which had a wrapper that is a lot darker than this. Cavalier does not disclose the blend of its limited editions, though my notes from 2021 indicate that Sébastien Decoppet will tell me “some day.”

One thing I was curious about earlier in the week, while I write the linked news story in the Las Vegas airport, was why are there 1,948 boxes? Per Decoppet, 1948-degrees Fahrenheit is the melting temperature of gold, which is a reference to the gold leaf the company has put on every cigar to date, or at least until Inner Circle.

• Wrapper: Undisclosed
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed

• Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2022 (6 x 54) — $12 (Box of 10, $120)

Production: 1,948 Boxes of 10 Cigars (19,480 Total Cigars)

Release Date: July 2022

Inner Circle by Cavalier Genève

Yes, Inner Circle will be the first cigar from Cavalier Genève that will not feature the gold foil diamond on the wrapper. Decoppet said he wanted to separate the brand a bit from the rest of the portfolio as the company is entering a new chapter. The company’s Fábrica Centroamericana de Tabaco S.A. factory in Honduras is one-year-old, and Brian Motola has joined the company. It’s not just the lack of gold foil that sets this cigar apart, it’s packaged in a much more traditional manner than the company’s previous releases.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano Jalapa)
• Binder: Honduras (Habano Jamastran Valley)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (Piloto), Honduras (Broadleaf Jamastran Valley), Nicaragua (Habano Jalapa) & U.S.A. (Pennsylvania)

• Inner Circle by Cavalier Genève Petit Robusto (4 1/2 x 50) — $12.80 (Box of 24, $307.20)
• Inner Circle by Cavalier Genève Robusto Grande (5 x 54) — $13.60 (Box of 24, $326.4)
• Inner Circle by Cavalier Genève Toro (6 x 52) — $13.90 (Box of 24, $333.60)
• Inner Circle by Cavalier Genève Figurado (6 x 52) — $14.30 (Box of 24, $343.20)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022