PCA 2023: Stallone Cigars

Located seemingly right at the midway point of the show floor and just off one of the main aisles on the right half of the floor—looking at it from the front to the back—was Stallone Cigars, with a well-branded booth that measured 30 feet long and 10 feet wide.

One of the things that I have come to appreciate about the Stallone Cigars booth is the display table that you see on the left side of the image below, as that is where the company displays its new offering for the year, which in this case was the Stallone Mustang, and which you will read more about below. Beyond that, the booth is quite functional with some high-top tables for meetings and order writing, couches for more a  relaxed seating option, and then display towers that show off other lines in the company’s portfolio.

I have written about the price creep that was noticeable at this year’s trade show, as have some of my colleagues, and while I will say that I believe a company has every right to charge what they want for their products, I hear and see the complaints of some of our readers that they feel like manufacturers have forgotten about them and their budgets. Such is not the case with Stallone, whose new line seems geared toward those looking for a cigar that delivers on both flavor and value.

Stallone Mustang

Stallone’s newest line, Mustang, comes in two sizes, with each size offering a distinct wrapper. Tony Barrios describes the Short Toro as offering notes of nutmeg, brown sugar, hints of cinnamon and an underlying combination of cream and baking spices, while the Rothschild adds cocoa and light pepper on top of those other flavors due to the oscuro wrapper. The line is designed to appeal to those looking for a wallet-friendly cigar that still offers a lot of flavor. It’s also the first time that Barrios has used a Rothschild vitola in the Stallone Cigars portfolio.

• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro (Rothschild) / Ecuadorian Sumatra Natural (Short Toro)
• Binders: Brazil & Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí and Jalapa)

• Stallone Mustang Rothschild (4 1/2 x 50) — $5.45 (Bundle of 25, $136.25)
• Stallone Mustang Short Toro (5 1/2 x 50) — $5.99 (Bundle of 25, $149.75)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2023