Tobacco Leaf, located in Jessup, Md. is celebrating 40 years in business with a limited edition re-release of the AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Cuba 109 Maduro, a cigar that came out in August 2020 under the Casa Fernandez name.

The cigar is a 6 1/4 x 54 figurado that features a 109 style head, a more subdued figurado head design than a typical belicoso, generally with softer sloping shoulders. As for its blend, it is still a Nicaraguan puro highlighted by a shade grown corojo maduro leaf. The cigar wears AGANORSA Leaf’s updated packaging, with a foot band added to the cigar indicating the store’s 40th anniversary, with a corresponding design added to the inner lid of the box. That logo was designed by Gianni Brunetti of Red Velvet Design.

“Tobacco Leaf was the first AGANORSA Select Partner in the Mid-Atlantic region and we are honored to replay them for their support with this incredible blend, one of my all-time favorites,” said Terence Reilly, vp of sales and marketing for AGANORSA Leaf.

The release is produced at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. in Nicaragua and is limited to 400 boxes of 10 cigars, with pricing set at $16.50 per cigar and $165 per box. It will debut on June 30th during an in-store dinner celebrating the store’s anniversary, with each of the 100 attendees receiving a box. Additional boxes will be made available after the event.

“The 40th Anniversary is a favorite of mine, both size and blend, and also of my store manager, Yaser Fahmy who was instrumental in the idea behind this project,” said Rahul Gupta of Tobacco Leaf. “We were excited to work with AGANORSA for this special project, as in our opinion they are making some incredible cigars within their portfolio, as well as their other clients. We value our partnership with them and are excited to have this opportunity to launch our first ever store exclusive cigar.”

Tobacco Leaf and its parent company, Valley Tobacco Company, was founded by Harish Gupta in 1982, opening its first store in the Hunt Valley Mall in Hunt Valley, Md. Since then, the family-run business has included several locations in the Baltimore area, including a converted diner in Jessup, Md. that the Gupta family purchased and converted into a cigar lounge which they currently operate.

Image courtesy of Tobacco Leaf.

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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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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.