PCA 2023: La Galera

Art is the theme of La Galera’s new offerings for PCA 2023. Years ago, José “Jochy” Blanco, La Galera’s founder, commissioned a painting centered around the lector, a job that existed within cigar factories during a bygone era. Lectors would read the newspaper or novels to cigar rollers as they rolled cigars. Their roles went beyond just reading and when Tampa’s Ybor City cigar factories got rid of lectors, it led to a three-day strike amongst the city’s cigar rollers. The painting hangs in Blanco’s office, though you’ll begin to see it at cigar shops.

La Galera’s booth always seems to be bursting at the seams, and this year is no different. When I stopped by, there were retailers placing orders and a meeting between the Blanco family and Hendrik “Henke” Kelner, and his family. Blanco and Kelner are two of the most prominent suppliers of tobacco in the Dominican Republic, though neither one has ever seemed all that interested in bragging about it. That said, both are deeply proud of the Dominican Republic.

I’m told the booth will be larger next year, which seems like a smart idea. While I’m always a fan of smaller booths when it comes to cost (they are cheaper) and when it comes to appearance (they look busier), walking in and out of the La Galera booth can be a challenge at times. That said, there are worse problems to have.

La Galera Exclusive Samplers

If you are looking for the aforementioned artwork, it is found on this sampler. It looks really nice, and makes me want to see the painting in person the next time I visit Tabacalera Palma, Blanco’s factory. There are two samplers—one for robusto and one for toros—each containing 10 cigars:

• Two La Galera Connecticut
• Two La Galera 1936 Box Pressed
• One La Galera Anemoi
• One La Galera Imperial Jade
• Two La Galera Maduro
• Two La Galera Habano

These will ship next week.

MSRP: $92.75 (Robusto), $100.25 (Toro)

Release Date: July 17, 2023

La Galera Fresh Pack

There’s also a new five-pack sampler. It contains:

• Two La Galera Connecticut Robustos (5 1/8 x 50)
• One La Galera Habano Robusto (5 x 50)
• One La Galera Maduro Robusto (5 x 50)
• One La Galera 1936 Box Pressed Robusto (5 x 50)

MSRP: $40.81

Release Date: July 17, 2023

La Galera Connecticut New Packaging

The La Galera Connecticut is getting a new look. You’ll actually see the old look bands in the Exclusive Robusto Sampler packaging above, but that will soon become a collector’s item. The packaging has been updated to be more consistent with the company’s 1936, Habano and Maduro lines.

All that is changing is the packaging. The blend remains the same as before: an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a binder and filler grown on Blanco’s farms in the Dominican Republic.