United Connecticut, La Gianna Havana 30th Anniversary Begin Shipping

Two new releases from United Cigars are on the way to retailers.

The first new release is the United Connecticut, a new regular production line made with an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed shade-grown wrapper covering a Dominican binder and filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic, including Dominican broadleaf. United says that the wrappers used for the new line are taken from the “higher primings” of the tobacco plants, meaning the leaves come from higher up on the plant. The line is produced at Tabacalera Magia Cubana in the Dominican Republic.

It is offered in three sizes:

• United Connecticut Robusto (5 x 54) — $7 (Box of 20, $140)
• United Connecticut Toro (6 x 54) — $8 (Box of 20, $160)
• United Connecticut Churchill (7 x 54) — $9 (Box of 20, $180)

The company is also shipping the La Gianna Havana 30th Anniversary, offered in a single 6 x 54 vitola, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the La Gianna Havana brand. La Gianna Havana was originally released in 1994 to commemorate the birth of David Garofalo’s daughter. Garofalo is the founder and owner of Two Guys Smoke Shop, a chain of retail stores located in New Hampshire.

The blend of the La Gianna Havana 30th Anniversary uses two wrapper leaves to create its barber pole design: an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed leaf and a Mexican San Andrés leaf. Underneath those wrappers, the cigar features a habano criollo binder from Honduras and filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and the U.S.

Each cigar has an MSRP of $12 and they are packaged in 20-count boxes, but United Cigars has declined to provide information on the exact number of boxes that are being released. The La Gianna Havana 30th Anniversary cigars are rolled at Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A. in Honduras.

In an email, Oliver Nivaud, director of operations for United Cigars, told halfwheel that both the United Cigars Connecticut and the La Gianna Havana 30th Anniversary started shipping to stores on May 3.