Viaje Holiday Blend Returns With New Wrapper, Honey & Hand Grenades Getting New Vitola

Last year marked the first time since the Viaje Holiday Blend debuted in 2009 that the company did not release a Holiday Blend to stores. This year, Holiday Blend is returning in two different formats and most notably with a new wrapper. Additionally, the company has shown off a new vitola for the Honey & Hand Grenades series.

Viaje has announced that the Holiday Blend (5 x 54) and Holiday Blend Christmas Tree (4 x 60) will begin shipping to stores next week. Both cigars will use a Nicaraguan corojo 99 maduro wrapper, replacing the Nicaraguan criollo wrapper that has historically been used for the Holiday Blend. The binder and fillers are also from Nicaragua. A spokesperson for Viaje told halfwheel that the Holiday Blend 2022 has an MSRP of $10.66 per cigar while the Christmas Tree 2022 will have an MSRP of $10 per cigar.

That spokesperson did not answer a question about where the cigars are made, but the corojo 99 maduro wrapper has been a popular choice of late for new blends coming from AGANORSA, a company Viaje has worked with in the past.

This year marks the first time since 2017 that there has been a Christmas Tree release. For those wondering, the company said on Instagram that it would not be releasing a Holiday Blend Candy Cane release, a baberpole version of Holiday Blend.

Additionally, Viaje’s founder, Andre Farkas, posted an image on social media showing a new Honey & Hand Grenades vitola.

The cigar is called The Katana, and it is a 7 x 48 double corona-esque vitola. It will use the same all-Nicaraguan blend as the other sizes in the Honey & Hand Grenades line, which is highlighted by a criollo wrapper. Production numbers have not been disclosed, but the boxes come with the Edición Limitada secondary band, which has been used to indicate that a particular vitola is getting a small production. In a Facebook post, Farkas called it a “micro production.”

The Honey & Hand Grenades line debuted in 2012 and has previously been offered in three sizes, all of which feature a rounded cap but with a tapered foot reminiscent of a salomon, a vitola known as a diadema. The majority of the cigar is covered in a red foil paper that is designed to evoke the image of blood, as each of the vitolas is named for a bladed weapon, such as a knife or sword.

• Viaje Honey & Hand Grenades The Shank (5 1/4 x 52)
• Viaje Honey & Hand Grenades The Shiv (6 1/4 x 50)
• Viaje Honey & Hand Grenades The Rapier (6 1/2 x 44)
• Viaje Honey & Hand Grenades The Katana (7 x 48)*

*Not pictured

The line has had several releases, including in 2013, 2016 and 2019. In 2021, the company added the Honey & Hand Grenades Maduro, using a Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper in place of the Nicaraguan criollo leaf, releasing it in the same three vitolas as the original line.

A Viaje spokesperson did not return an email seeking more details about The Katana.

Patrick Lagreid contributed to this story.

Images via Andre Farkas/Viaje Cigar Co.

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I handle the editing of our written content, the majority of the technical aspects of the site and work with the rest of our staff on content management, business development and more. I’ve lived in most corners of the country and now entering my second stint in Dallas, Texas. I enjoy boxing, headphones, the Le Mans 24-hour, wearing sweatshirts year-round and gyros. echte liebe.