Southern Draw Sending Kudzu Lustrum Lonsdale to Cigars International Hamburg

A new lonsdale size of the Southern Draw Kudzu Lustrum will be debuting at Cigars International in Hamburg, Pa. this weekend as part of the store’s CIGARfest event.

It’s a 6 x 44 vitola, and like the other sizes in the line, features a Nicaraguan habano seed wrapper that comes from the medio tiempo priming of a tobacco plant, the highest leaves and ones which are known for generally being the strongest and most flavorful on the plant. Meanwhile, the binder is a criollo 98 leaf that comes from Nicaragua’s Ometepe region while the filler is Nicaraguan, though more specific origins are not being disclosed. The cigars are made at by AJ Fernandez at his factory in Estelí.

They will be priced at $10.89 per cigar or $129.99 for a 12-count box. Southern Draw has produced 15,000 cigars for the release, and noted that while they will debut at the Hamburg store, the company anticipates that the Kudzu Lustrum Lonsdale will be made available to all Cigars International retail stores in Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas in the coming weeks.

As for why the lonsdale vitola was selected, Robert Holt said that it was driven in part by the desire to make use of smaller wrapper leaves that the company had available. “The company has used more of its flavorful medio tiempo habano wrapper, applying the smaller leaves that were not large enough to produce the 5 1/2 x 52 Belicoso Fino we originally released during IPCPR 2019. We just couldn’t find a better way to utilize the remaining medio tiempo leaves. We did not adjust the blend so expect an incredible medium to full bodied and flavored smoking experience.”

Southern Draw has also announced a new 6 x 42 corona vitola for its Fraternal Order Blue line, which it produces as a store exclusive for Cigars International.

Images courtesy of Southern Draw Cigars.

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 Major League Baseball, 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.