Flor de Gonzalez is bringing a new and edgy look and aesthetic to its latest release, Spectral, a cigar that is billed as being “for the social hearted.”

The cigar has been ten years in the making, drawing on tobaccos from Nicaragua and Peru that have been aged for five years. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Habano, with a Nicaraguan binder and a filler blend from Nicaragua and Peru. The cigars were then in aged in individual cedar wraps for an additional five years. Yadi Gonzalez Vargas said that Spectral is “a celebration of flavors, complexity and color.”

Spectral was inspired by José Martí, the influential Cuban writer, philosopher and political theorist. In particular, it draws from his poem “I Have a White Rose to Tend,” which Gonzalez told halfwheel was significant because of “the white rose symbolizing the diversity of mankind and its synergy, peace, unity and good will to all men.”

The cigar is being released in three sizes, the 5 1/2 x 44 Atom, 5 x 60 Cation and 6 x 50 Proton, with MSRPs between $8.50 to $8.90.

<Flor de Gonzalez Spectral box

Gonzalez said that the names represent the positive charges that make up a core and are brought upon by anyone who smokes this cigar. “An atom, like the world, is surrounded by negative energy; but look deep enough and you can find the positive anywhere, even in something as small as an atom. We smokers are a positive force in many ways: we always come together, share, help and with positive emphasis we try to prove a point to our government about our premium cigars!”

The Flor de Gonzalez Spectrum will be somewhat limited for its first run, with 3,000 boxes being produced at its debut, each containing 21 cigars. Gonzalez says that another batch is currently aging for a second release. Production is being handled by Omar Ortez’ AgroIndustrial Nicaraguense factory. It is slated to start shipping to retailers on August 15.

Update (July 20, 2014)–The Atom vitola was originally reported to be 6 1/2 inches in length, when in fact it is 5 1/2 inches, a mistake that was sent over in the original press release. The information has been corrected above.

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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.