Rauchvergnügen, the Hamburg, Germany company that is seeking to bring German engineering to premium cigars, has announced plans for four new sizes of its debut line, as well as a distribution agreement that will help them reach U.S. retailers.
To complement the debut #42 (4 3/4 x 54, $9.20), the company is adding sizes that run the spectrum of vitolas: #64 (9 1/4 x 47, $16.50), #62 (6 x 58, $10.50), #36 (3 1/2 x 60, $8.20) and #18 (3 x 44, $4.20). Each size gets its name from the volume of the cigar as measured in cubic centimeters.
The company produced 2,500 cigars for the global launch of the #42, available in two-count slide boxes with 2,000 cigars designated for retail and the remaining 500 for promotional purposes. To prepare for its U.S. debut, an additional 3,000 cigars of the #42 have been produced, split into 150 20-count boxes.
Oliver Nickels of Rauchvergnügen said that the four new sizes “will be available in very limited numbers for now, but we will produce more as soon as possible.” The #64 will be packaged in 10-count boxes, while the other four sizes will come in 20-count boxes. All of the cigars are being produced at InterCigar S.A. in the Dominican Republic.
The company needs to have its product on retail shelves by Aug. 8 in order to be in compliance with new regulations implemented by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Rauchvergnügen’s debut blend uses a Cuban-seed hybrid grown in Ecuador, with a Dominican criollo 98 binder and fillers consisting of Dominican piloto cubano alongside tobacco from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania.
Rauchvergnügen has also announced a distribution agreement with APS Distributors, which will represent the brand at this month’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.