PCA 2022: La Galera

The La Galera booth is another great case for the benefits of different-colored carpeting. While the company has a rug in the booth, different colored carpet would make it clearer as to where its booth ends and where the hallway begins. As it stands now, it sort of looks like the company just dropped off some furniture in the middle of the hallway. This seems to be a common problem at this trade show and it’s a minor criticism, but I think the small investment in carpeting makes a difference in how the booth looks. That said, it will likely make no difference in sales.

Speaking of sales, the team at La Galera said it was happy with both the domestic and international growth it’s having, particularly when it comes to opening up new accounts. New clients might be the valuable takeaway from a trade show, perhaps even more important than the raw sales volume.

Just as I was about to leave the booth and head back to the halfwheel bunker to write this post up, Blanco told me one other curious thing: Tabacalera Palma—the factory and tobacco-growing operation that is also owned by Blanco’s family—has apparently seen a growth in the sales of its candela tobacco following Procigar. He mentioned how my write-up of the Tabacalera Palma tour during Procigar, where he showed us the candela process, was helpful. I don’t want to take any credit, but it sounds like just the fact that people knew there was a company that could provide candela wrapper was enough to get the ball rolling on candela sales. Blanco said the company is actually looking at creating an even larger candela barn to process more of the wrapper, which is in short supply at the moment. So if you need candela wrapper, go talk to La Galera.

La Galera Imperial Jade Chiquito Perfecto

The Imperial Jade line, which La Galera introduced last year, is getting a sixth size in the form of this small perfecto. Here’s a fun fact: only one roller makes this cigar and his name is Chiquito. One other thing I learned while talking with Blanco—Imperial Jade is selling very well for the company in France.

• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Dominican Republic (Jacagua Criollo 98)
• Filler: Dominican Republic (La Canela Piloto Cubano & Criollo 98)

• La Galera Imperial Jade Chiquito Perfecto (4 x 40/52) — $6 (Pack of 5, $30)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022