PCA 2023: Lotus Group/Vertigo
One of the things I love seeing in a booth is a basic structure that a company can get multiple years out of while also updating it to keep things feeling fresh and current. That is why I like the booth that the Lotus Group, which also makes the Vertigo brand, has been using for the past few years. The company updates the panels throughout the booth with its current portfolio of products, features on new products, promotions, or really, whatever it wants to draw attention to at the show.
Inside the booth, a central display case shows off the new products, while each of the desks throughout the booth have all the new products so that a sales representative can show them off during meetings and let a retailer get some hands-on experience with them.
The company had a number of new products this year, though it did feel like it was just a few less than in other years, something that seems to align with what we’ve seen at other booths this year as the accessories segment still feels like it’s catching up from manufacturing delays during the pandemic.
Lotus Silicone Ashtray
This dual-cigar ashtray is made from silicone, which as Lotus’s ceo, Rosemary Sharp, showed off in this Instagram video, is quite flexible. It’s also shatter-proof, weather resistant, lightweight, and fairly easy to clean, though handwashing is still recommended over putting it in the dishwasher.
- Lotus Silicone Ashtray — $19.95
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2023
Lotus Single Stick Ashtray
When it’s just you and you don’t need a huge ashtray, this single cigar ashtray can do the trick. It’s made from a matte melamine and offered in the seven colors you see above, three of which get a marble-style finish.
- Lotus Single Stick Ashtray — $14.95
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2023
Lotus Travel Humidors — New Colors
The company’s popular travel humidors are adding two new colors: green and blue-gray. Both options are being added to the five- and 10-count humidors, giving some new options besides the standard black option that dominates many companies’ travel humidors.
- Lotus Five-Count Travel Humidor — $27.95
- Lotus 10-Count Travel Humidor — $28.95
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2023
Designed to be an entry-level workhorse lighter like the popular Vertigo Cyclone, the Boxer angles its three jet flames outward from the body of the lighter to improve comfort and ease of use. It’s available in two translucent color options, charcoal and clear, which allows the user to see how much butane is left in the tank. A large flame adjustment wheel doubles as the base, making it easy to set the amount of firepower you desire.
- Vertigo Boxer — $11.99
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2023
The options in the flat flame segment continue to grow with the release of the Vertigo Carrera. It features a single-action, flip down ignition mechanism that produces a wind-resistant flat flame. The lighter, which has a metal housing with a fuel window, measures 2.63 x 1.5 x .39 inches and is offered in four finishes: black, chrome, gunmetal and copper
- Vertigo Carrera — $24.99
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: June 2023
Vertigo Hercules
This pocket-friendly lighter offers a powerful quad-flame torch with a single-action ignition to make quick work of lighting your cigar. There’s a slide-out, self-cleaning punch cutter in the base of the lighter, while the cap serves as a cigar rest, and a large flame adjuster makes it easy to set your flame height. It’s available in four colors: black crakle, chrome, gunmetal and copper.
- Vertigo Hercules — $24.99
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: July 2023
The Nitro is a dual-flame torch, with the flames angled inward toward each other to provide a pinpoint flame along with the power of two torches. To get those flames burning, one side of the lighter is squeezed, which raises the lid, starts the flow of butane and sparks the fuel. A punch cutter folds out from the bottom of the metal housing, while a large fuel window reveals how much butane is in the tank. It is available in three colors: chorme, black and Valencia orange.
- Vertigo Nitro — $24.99
Production: Regular Production
Release Date: June 2023
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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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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