Swag Black In the Works from Boutique Blends

Boutique Blends is promising that cigar smokers will get to experience a new level of strength not commonly found in Dominican Cigars when its latest creation, Swag Black, hits store shelves.

“Dominican tobacco is known for aroma and flavor, but not for strength,” said Rafael Nodal, president of Boutique Blends. “What we have done in this cigar is build in the characteristics of the Dominican tobacco but add the strength and character until now only found in Nicaraguan cigars,” he added.

The cigar is made with Havano Dominicano tobacco grown by Jose “Jochy” Blanco of Tabacalera Palma that has been aged for more than eight years but retains enough strength to be considered a full-bodied cigar. Blanco and Boutique Blends have become regular partners on recent projects, including Swag Puro Dominicano and Aging Room M356, as well as the recently announced Aging Room Small Batch M20 and Aging Room Bin No. 1, both of which are slated to debut at the 2014 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show in July.

The Swag Black will be released in four sizes that are familiar to the Swag Black line, all packed in 20 count boxes.  The 4 1/2 x 48 VIP has an MSRP of $6.95 per cigar, while the 5 x 54 Lavish is priced at $7.90. The 6 x 54 Infamous ($8.49) and 6 x 60 Ego ($8.98) round out the line.

Shipping of the Swag Black is expected to begin shortly after the IPCPR Trade Show with an arrival at stores scheduled for August 15.

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.