Southern Draw Cigars has announced that its IGNITE series will be making a return in 2019, with the first batch of cigars to debut in June.

The company is planning six new cigars for the series, with a total of 50,000 cigars produced across the new lines. The first three will make their debut on June 20 at a pair of events in Coronado, Calif. hosted by Crown City Cigars and McP’s Irish Pub, before they will head to other Southern Draw retailers.

The Private Blend Connecticut #1 uses an Ecuadorian wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It is being released in a 7 1/2 x 50 double corona vitola, with 11,000 cigars produced and split into 800 10-count humi-jars and 300 10-count bundles. Pricing is set at $11.69 per cigar and $116.99 per jar.

The Private Blend Corojo 99 #4 features a Honduran wrapper over a dual binder of Nicaraguan and Honduran leaves and a filler that comes from Nicaragua and Honduras. It is offered in a 5 x 50 Rothschild vitola priced at $11.49 per cigar and $114.99 per jar. Like the Connecticut #1, production is capped at 800 jars of 10 cigars and 300 bundles of 10 cigars.

Rounding out the first batch of releases is the Private Blend Habano #3, a 7 1/2 x 50 double corona with an Ecuadorian wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and a filler blend of Brazilian, Nicaraguan and Ecuadorian leaves. It is priced at $11.69 per cigar and $116.99 per jar, with production also set at 11,000 cigars split into 800 10-count humi-jars and 300 10-count bundles.

The remaining three cigars will be announced at a later date says the company, with releases planned for both the third and fourth quarters of 2019. Cigars in the IGNITE series are produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí.

This year’s series will benefit the Navy SEAL Foundation, which offers immediate and ongoing support an assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families.

“We are honored to have Southern Draw Cigars supporting the Navy SEAL Foundation with this promotion,” said Chris Irwin, director of partnerships at the Navy SEAL Foundation, via a press release. “As a company owned and operated by veterans, their commitment to giving back through their IGNITE program is incredible and the Navy SEAL Foundation is thrilled to be named as one of their benefitting charities for 2019.”

The cigars each come with bands representing the Navy SEAL Foundation with secondary bands identifying the specific blend. Each of the humi-jars also features the foundation’s logo on the cap and includes a brochure about the organization as well as Boveda humidification pack, while bundles are wrapped in tissue paper and cellophane and bear a sticker with the foundation’s logo.

There will also be charitable giving and events led by Harry “Phil” Hogan and his wife Shelly, who are the namesakes of Southern Draw’s Cedrus The Hogan cigar. Phil Hogan is a retired member of the U.S. Navy, and he and Shelly will be joined by Daniel Peterson, U.S. Navy Retired, SEAL Team 1 – BUD/S Class 54.

“The Navy SEAL Foundation offers many areas of support and our family has selected two vitally important areas to focus our charitable contributions,” said Shelly Hogan in a press release. She noted that the areas of emphasis will be on the transition from active duty service into civilian life, and support for warriors and their families, providing strength, resiliency and peace of mind via a variety of programs.

According to a press release issued by Southern Draw, each purchase of an IGNITE humi-jar will result in a charitable contribution of 12.5 percent of the cost to the Navy SEAL Foundation, something only made possible as each valued retail partner jointly contributes to the selected charity.

Southern Draw launched the IGNITE series in 2018 with proceeds benefitting Operation Cigars for Warriors. The company said that the project was launched with the intent of raising money for three types of charities: those helping active-duty, deployed, military veterans and their families; premium cigar rights and cigar retail associations; and organizations that help the needy, homeless and hungry population, many of whom are U.S. military veterans.

Image courtesy of Southern Draw Cigars.

Avatar photo

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.