PCA 2023: Hooten Young

Hooten Young has one of the more interesting backstories of cigar companies that I cover, as it was launched in the winter of 2018 by Army Master Sgt. Norm Hooten and his friend Tim Young, who sought to honor friends and family, and in particular those who have served in the U.S. military. As such, the company donates 10 percent of its profits to charities that serve U.S. military veterans. In addition to cigars, the company also produces several lines of whiskey. Hooten is also the real-life “Hoot” from “Black Hawk Down,” the movie depiction of the Battle of Mogadishu.

This year marked the first time that the company has exhibited at the PCA Convention & Trade Show, as the company said that while it had always planned on being at the show, it wanted to make sure that the time was right, and having recently moved into a new 6,000-square-foot warehouse as well as making inroads into the cigar industry over the past several years, the time was now right.

For its debut, the company had a 20′ x 10′  booth that was located in the rear half of the hall, and as would be expected there was some military themes, though I wouldn’t say it was dominated by them, as the camouflage table cloth was the most notable from what I can recall. Incidentally, the company’s booth included a surprise appearance by Colibri, a company we were told was not going to be at the show this year, though ended up setting up a table along one side of Hooten Young’s booth.

Hooten Young Operation Gothic Serpent 30th Anniversary

Eladio Diaz, the former director of quality for Davidoff, created the blend for the Operation Gothic Serpent 30th Anniversary, a cigar that commemorates the 1993 U.S. military operation that sought to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid, leader of the Somali National Alliance who was wanted for his attacks against United Nations troops.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Hooten Young Operation Gothic Serpent 30th Anniversary (6 1/4 x 54) — $15 (Box of 20, $300)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Oct. 3, 2023

Hooten Young Operation Neptune Spear

This cigar honors Operation Neptune Spear, the mission of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six, which led to the successful finding and killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. Hooten Young describes it as medium-to-full-bodied with notes of leather, earth, bread, and espresso beans. It’s being made by the Córdoba & Morales factory in Nicaragua.

• Wrapper: Brazil (Mata Fina)
• Binder: Ecuador (Habano)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí, Condega and Jalapa)

• Hooten Young Operation Neptune Spear (6 x 50) — $15 (Box of 10, $150)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2023

Hooten Young The Operator

The Operator is an homage to the “fearless yet humble professional of the U.S. Special Operations Forces with an extraordinary sense of physical and emotional grit,” according to a press release from the company. It is described as a medium-bodied cigar that offers natural sweetness, toasty nuttiness, baking spices, cocoa, and hints of pepper. It is also made by Córdoba & Morales.

• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Ecuador (Habano)
• Filler: Undisclosed

• Hooten Young The Operator (6 1/2 x 54) — $25 (Box of 10, $250)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: Aug. 5, 2023