Cross another cigar off the yet-to-be-delivered list from Habanos S.A.’s Edición Regional releases from 2014, as the Ramón Allones Sur arrived in duty-free shops in Lebanon last week.

The cigar measures 5 1/2 inches long with a 52 ring gauge, a robusto extra vitola known as Genios that is also found in Cohiba’s Maduro line, and has been used by H. Upmann for the Connosieur A release from 2013 as well as the La Gloria Cubana Belux No.1 from 2011.

It’s the sixth Edición Regional for Lebanon, all of which have been from the Ramón Allones marca: Phoenicio (2008, 6 1/2 x 54), Beritus (2009, 5 3/10 x 52), Phoenicio 32 (2010, 6 1/10 x 52), Eshmoun (2012, 6 1/2 x 54) and Sidon (2013, 6 x 53).

Ramon Allones Sur open box

It’s a fairly good sized release, with 5,000 numbered boxes of 25 cigars being released, for a total run of 125,000 cigars.

The name comes from the ancient Phoenician island city of Sur, currently known as Tyre, which was founded as the start of the third millennium B.C. Comprised of two parts, it was conquered by Alexander the Great over a period of seven months. From Sur, merchants explored the Mediterranean Sea and founded colonies in Corsica, Sicily, Tartessus and North Africa, as well as the city of Carthage.

internal lid sur

Artwork inside the box depicts Europa, who according to myth was born in Sur and taken to the island of Crete by Zeus for a love affair, who had taken the form of a white bull.

The cigars sell for $375 per box or $15 per single and are distributed by Phoenicia T.A.A. Cyprus, which is the official Habanos distributor in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Europe–Turkey, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, and Ukraine. It’s the second regional release for the distributor, who saw the Bolívar Bosphorous for Turkey debut earlier this summer.

(Images courtesy of Phoenicia T.A.A. Cyprus)

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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.