PCA 2023: Manny Iriarte Enterprises

The week of PCA 2023, Manny Iriarte sent over two press releases that caught my attention. First, the company has a new $16,000 watch winder humidor, which is certainly interesting to some of our audience. Second, the company is getting its first cigar, a new Fuente Fuente OpusX, something that is probably of interest to a much larger part of our audience.

It’s not all about new products, though. There was a third press release that announced a new distribution agreement with Cigar Specialist, which will cover most international markets, though I’m told Manny Iriarte Enterprises will still serve select accounts in the Middle East.

As for the booth, it’s the same as it’s been for the last two years. It’s blue, it’s yellow, it’s bright and it’s on the back side of the Elie Bleu booth, as the two companies have an extensive relationship. Irirate designs Fuente-branded humidors that Elie Bleu sells, while Rëyns International—Elie Bleu’s U.S. distributor—produces some of the accessories that Manny Iriarte Enterprises sells, etc.

Fuente Fuente OpusX La Edición de la Sociedad

While this cigar was unveiled by Iriarte and Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. during the trade show, there are still very few details. What we’ve been told is that it’s a new blend, it will ship in early 2024, and it will only be offered to the company’s better accounts. I think it would be very difficult to screw up the OpusX packaging, though I’m sure I could do it. That said, I really like the contrast in the X, which matches Manny Iriarte Enterprises’ signature colors.

There was only one size on display. I’m not sure if these were real cigars or mock-ups, but the wrapper was definitely darker than a standard OpusX.

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

• Fuente Fuente OpusX La Edición de la Sociedad

Production: TBA

Release Date: 2024

The OpusX Society C30 Cigar Cutter

Offered in five finishes, this is a new double guillotine cutter that is exclusive to Manny Iriarte Enterprises. It is designed to cut cigars up to 60 ring gauge.

I have no idea if this cutter cuts cigars well, but I do know there aren’t that many $310 double-guillotine cigar cutters on the market. I’ve always accepted that the products sold by Manny Iriarte Enterprises, especially the smaller accessories, are going to carry a pricing premium, but I’m really struggling to understand how this cutter ends up being $310.

It appears to be very similar to the XIKAR Xi-style of double guillotine cutters, i.e. the squeeze-action where the handles and blades are attached to one another. Unfortunately, most of those cutters tend to be $100 or less.

Even the regular production cutters from Davidoff and Elie Bleu tend to be less than $300. And it’s not as simple as a Fuente tax as Elie Bleu showed off a new limited edition OpusX Hemingway version of its C-4 cutter priced at only $250. For some comparison, Prometheus charges $99.95 for its double-guillotine OpusX Purple Rain cutter, which also promises to cut cigars up to 60 ring gauge.

It is entirely possible that I’m wrong and there are enough fans of Arturo Fuente that these cutters will sell. If you love Arturo Fuente, it’s a pretty enough cutter, but this is pushing the limits of how much of a premium that could carry.

MSRP: $310

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: September 2023

The OpusX Society J-30 New Colorways

The J-30 lighter, introduced last year, gets four new colorways: Don Carlos, Freedom, Rosé and Sugar. This is a single-flame lighter with an ignition built into the lid. There are also leather cases designed specifically for this lighter.

MSRP: $330

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: September 2023

The OpusX Society Table Top Lighter New Colorways

There are three new colorways (La Amarillo, La Fuscia, La Roja) for the Table Top Lighter. This is a triple-flame lighter with a side squeeze ignition. It debuted last year in blue or green models. Of note, the pricing has increased $70 compared to 2022.

MSRP: $460

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2022

The OpusX Society X WOLF 1834 The Humi-Winder

Let’s say you wanted to combine a watch winder and a humidor: you’d get The Humi-Winder. This is being made in collaboration with WOLF 1834, a British-Swedish accessory company with a specialty in watchwinders. Up top is a humidor that can hold up to 50 cigars, while the bottom of the unit has three of WOLF’s automatic watch winders. There are drawers to store other things like accessories or watches.

When closed, the unit measures 19.68 inches wide by 11.02 inches deep and 19.68 inches tall. With the humidor’s lid extended, the height can reach just under 30 inches and the watch winder slides out to a depth of 22.59 inches. It’s offered in two color combinations: yellow/blue and red/black.

WOLF 1834 says that it produces the only watch winder that can be set to a precise number of rotations, ranging between 300-1,200 turns per day. The winders are electric, powered either via an a/c adaptor or battery.

MSRP: $16,000

Production: 50 Total Units (25 of each color)

Release Date: September 2023