PCA 2023: Zander-Greg

Zander-Greg has a penchant for taking a long row of booth spaces for their overall space, giving the booth a long rectangular shape that is then utilized for large signage with branding and cigars, making it easy to see what is being offered.

This year, the booth space was even longer than normal, and for good reason.

Epic Cigars, purchased by Zander-Greg in 2019, teamed up with actor Chazz Palminteri to create a new cigar, and Palminteri was doing meet and greets at the show. As you can see in the picture above, the extra space in the booth was used for people to line up to meet the actor. That entire area was roped off, meaning most of the company’s cigar lines needed displays outside that area, thus the extra room.

A Bronx Tale

If you’re only going to have one new release at PCA, having one created with a celebrity and having that celebrity do appearances at the show certainly creates enough of a buzz. Palminteri collaborated with Epic Cigars to create A Bronx Tale, named after the 1993 movie where Palminteri starred alongside Robert De Niro. The background behind this is deeper than just a cigar being named after a movie, which is explained well from an insert written by Palminteri included in each box.

A DEDICATION TO MY GRANDFATHER

I dedicate this cigar, “The Calogero,” in honor of my grandfather Calogero Palminteri who came to America in search of a better life. Calogero Palminteri was born and raised in Menfi, Sicily to a humble family. In late 1908, my grandfather journeyed from Sicily to Palermo, boarding the S.S. Principe Di Piemonte bound for New York City. The following year, Calogero docked at Ellis Island, disembarked, and was so overcome that he dropped to his knees, kissed the ground and felt the blessing of America. I have fond memories of my grandfather, who loved family, good wine and a great cigar. This cigar is for my grandfather Calogero and all the hard-working men and women who came to this country with just a dream.

Chazz Calogero Palminteri

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua

• A Bronx Tale (6 x 54) — $20 (Box of 10, $200)

Production: 3,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)

Release Date: June 2023

Update (March 5, 2024) — It was disclosed to halfwheel that this was a limited edition, as opposed to originally being reported as a regular production line.