Re+United, the project between Michael Giannini of Foundry Tobacco Co./General Cigar Co. and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Jr. of E.P. Carrillo, has had its delivery date pushed back to late April following minor production issues with the boxes. Both Giannini and a spokesman for E.P. Carrillo confirmed the delay.

The project was announced in mid-February and at the time was expected to be on retail shelves in March. It gained attention because of the common connection that Giannini and Perez-Carrillo have dating back to La Gloria Cubana, the company that Perez-Carrillo owned until selling it to General Cigar in 2009. Giannini had worked with Perez-Carrillo for 10 years before the latter left to begin work on his current company.

Giannini has become closely aligned with the La Gloria Cubana brand since that departure through his role as brand manager, overseeing the launch of several new lines as well as new packaging and imaging. While he continues to be involved with La Gloria Cubana, Giannini has also launched Foundry Tobacco Co., a venture in conjunction with General Cigar Co. but that allows him even more creative control over both regular production and limited edition releases.

When it arrives at stores, Re+United will be released as a single 6 1/2 x 54 vitola, with a high priming Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper coming from General Cigar’s warehouse that was grown by Oliva Tobacco Co. The Connecticut Broadleaf binder comes from Perez-Carrillo, while the filler comes from both companies: Dominican Piloto Cubano from General and Nicaraguan leaves from Perez-Carrillo.

Production is being limited to 1,500 boxes of ten cigars, for a total run of 15,000 sticks.

 

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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.