To celebrate its 20th anniversary, XIKAR is releasing a special edition of its famed Xi1 cutter next month.

The XIKAR 20th Anniversary Retro Xi1 cutter is being released in the four original colors as the debut version that was released in 1996: black, titanium, silver and champagne. Each cutter features XIKAR’s 20th anniversary logo as well as the signatures of the company’s founders, Kurt Van Keppel and Scott Almsberger.

“Out of an idea we built in our garages and sold to our local cigar retailers, Scott and I built an iconic cutter, and then a brand,” said Kurt Van Keppel, ceo and co-founder of XIKAR, via a press release. “With support from the XIKAR Nation and our loyal retailers, the brand continued to grow and became bigger than the product itself.

Recently, XIKAR was awarded a trademark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the shape of the Xi cutter, which ensures its perpetual protection.

“We would like to show our appreciation for the past 20 years the best way that XIKAR knows how – with more award-winning cigar accessories,” said Scott Almsberger, XIKAR chief design office and co-founder. He went on to say that 2016 will be “an exciting and impressive year in XIKAR innovation.”

Van Keppel and Almsberger will also be touring the country this year as part of the XIKAR 20th Anniversary Thank You Tour.

Suggested retail pricing is $74.99. While the new cutters are going to be a limited production, XIKAR has not disclosed what the final production numbers will be.

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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.