Prototype Cigar Co. Debuting With Super Unknown

At one point, the website for Prototype Cigar Co. had a handful of different releases with brand concepts. Turns out, that was just a prototype.

Rather than a bunch of different brands, the company intends on debuting with a single cigar: Super Unknown.

“We wanted the first release to be something special, but seeing as we are just a starting company, we decided it might be better to have a blend in mind for the first release, and see where we could find that cigar,” said Cody Smith, co-founder of Prototype Cigar Co., in an email to halfwheel.

“We bought up the stock of these cigars from a Dominican factory that we thought were pretty great, and decided to brand them. Super Unknown became the name for these because, let’s face it, we as a company are super unknown. But we thought these cigars invoked a real sense of wonder. Not just in the smoking experience, but also in the way we decided to do this.”

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is. The company isn’t shy that it’s using the same technique that Lost&Found uses: going into factories, buying up old and unused inventory and providing new packaging.

As for Super Unknown, the final packaging is still unknown. The company describes the current soft-packs and foil-covered bodies as “prerelease versions.”

Regarding the cigars, they are 4 x 50 short robustos from a Dominican factory, but Prototype Cigar Co. is declining to disclose the factory and the blend, though the packaging indicates it is from 2012.

They will ship in “mid-2016,” which seems likely to be over the summer, with pricing currently set at $10 per cigar.

“We started Prototype Cigar Co. as a way to promulgate our interest in the industry and to bring some of our unique talents to the masses (we hope),” said Smith.

“I think it’s fair to say that most people pay attention to the brand of what they buy. When a new offering from your favorite cigar brand is released, most people are excited to try it. We are no different. We love the concept of branding and the sheer amount of limited released cigars that have flooded the market made us start thinking about what would make a cool LE cigar to release.”

Smith indicated the company has not finalized its distribution plans.