A new project is set to emerge from the aging rooms of PDR Cigars’ factory in Tamboril, Dominican Republic, as today the company announced a new project called the AR Cigar Collective.

Richie “Riot” Otero, the company’s director of sales, told halfwheel that during several visits to the factory, he and Abe Flores, owner of PDR Cigars, had been sampling a number of cigars that had been tucked into the factory’s aging rooms. After finding two that particularly stood out, they decided to release them to the market.

The first of the new cigars, dubbed Bullet With a Name Volume 1, is scheduled to head to retailers on Dec. 11. Little is being said about the blend of the cigar other than it uses a desflorado wrapper and will be released in two sizes, a 5 x 54 robusto ($6.50) and a 6 x 54 gran toro ($6.70). Both are offered in 10-count bundles, with 285 bundles produced between the two sizes.

The second cigar, aptly named Bullet With a Name Volume 2, will be released in the coming months but no specific date has been set yet.

“It’s edgier than our normal stuff,” Otero told halfwheel, adding that there should be more releases to come under the AR Cigar Collective header, which gets its name as an abbreviation for Abe & Riot.

Update: Shipping on Bullet With a Name Volume 1 has been delayed until Dec. 17 per Otero, but said that the cigars have arrived in the U.S.. Additionally, the list of retailers carrying the cigars has been announced. This story was originally published on Nov. 27, 2018.

  • Ash Taproom, Orlando, Fla.
  • Ashes Cigar & Lounge- Miami, Fla.
  • Beehive Cigars- Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Caribbean Cigars- Miami, Fla.
  • Cigars on 6th- Denver, Colo.
  • Cigar Shenanigans- North Conway, N.H.
  • Cigar World- Ramsey, N.J.
  • Don Leoncio Cigars- New Orleans, La.
  • Havana Cigar Group- Miami Lakes, Fla.
  • Havana House- Niles, Ohio
  • Havana Manor- Longmont, Colo.
  • Stix Cigar Shop & Club- Pompton Plains, N.J.
  • The Cigar Chapel- Bend, Ore.
  • The Office Cigar Lounge- Floyds Nob, Ind.
  • Tobacco Depot- Brandon, Fla.
  • Tobacco Depot- Tampa, Fla.
  • Twins Smoke Shop & Lounge- Londonberry, N.H.
  • Underground Cigar Shop & Lounge- Fort Worth, Texas
  • Widmer’s Tobacco- Holmes, Penn.
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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 and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, 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.