Iturbides Zaldivar, Director of Sales & Marketing at La Aurora says this re-release is “a very special product for me.”

“It represents our commitment to U.S. retailers and our desire to craft products that not only stay true to our roots in the Dominican Republic but represent the growing and changing palates of U.S. cigar aficionados.”

What is La Aurora Especiales?

Manuel Ynoa, La Aurora’s master blender, considered the input of over 100 cigar retailers before developing the blend for the original Especiales. The retailers involved visited and worked directly with the flavor genius over the course of six years. Six years of experimentation is a long time.

How did it turn out?

Especiales is a medium-bodied experiential smoke with a luscious Ecuadorian Cameroon wrapper, Dominican binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and United States. The 2025 cigar is a similar blend to the 2022 release of the cigar. Enthusiasts and aficionados describe the flavor notes as woodsy, with sweet cedar, nuttiness, coffee, spice, and light pepper.

Speaking on his side of the equation, Joshua Habursky, Chief Executive Officer of the Premium Cigar Association, says that he is “proud” of the collaboration.

“This is the second year that we are launching a major collaboration at our fall fundraiser, and we are very proud of the company we are collaborating with and the product itself. Over the past year the PCA team has worked with La Aurora on an Alliance exclusive cigar and they are hosting our pairing as part of the FIU Luxury Marketing Class this November. This is another win-win for both La Aurora, the association, and our retail membership.”

Last year’s fundraiser racked up nearly $40,000 to go towards ongoing advocacy efforts in the industry. It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out this year. Of course, I’m more excited for the launch of the Especiales.

How do I get one?

Anyone attending the PCA Fall Fundraiser on September 11 will have a chance to try the cigar as part of an exclusive pairing event. You can buy tickets for that here.

As mentioned after the fundraiser, La Aurora Especiales will ship out to retailers in October. Additionally, $0.50 from every cigar sold will go towards PCA to support its advocacy mission to protect and ensure the security of tobacco retailers and manufacturers.

La Aurora Especiales will be available in the following formats:

• La Aurora Especiales Robusto (5 x 50) — MSRP: $13.50
• La Aurora Especiales Toro (5 3/4 x 54) — MSRP: $14.50
• La Aurora Especiales Corona Gorda (6 x 47) — MSRP: $14
• La Aurora Especiales Gran Toro (6 x 58) — MSRP: $15

Excited to give this one a try myself!

The post La Aurora Especiales relaunching thanks to partnership with PCA appeared first on The BS Lounge.

While working on the blend, and after soliciting feedback from a curated panel — including select retailers — the cigar is crafted with a Habano-seed wrapper and a unique blend of fillers. Those include Dominican tobacco from La Canela and Dominican pelo de oro, Mexican San Andrés, Nicaraguan tobacco and Pennsylvania broadleaf. What a mix, right?

According to Casa Carrillo, Silk is a “refined medium-bodied cigar with layered notes of earth, sweetness, and spice.”

It originally showed up at PCA before the blend was finalized, but now it’s ready for launch.

More on the La Historia Silk

Available in boxes of ten, the Silk will retail for about $16.50 per cigar (about $165 per box) at a size of 6-inches by 52. However, they will be produced in limited batches and released throughout the year. The company will output the first run at 1,500 boxes. It’s also the first “round-format” cigar released in the U.S. from the Perez-Carrillo team.

Lissette Perez-Carrillo says that Silk was born after listening to influential women in the industry. She also said in a video that it’s been a wonderful learning experience for her and a “journey in blending.”

“It reflects the stories, experiences, and insights of women in our industry, while being crafted for all cigar lovers. Having it be the first release to carry the Casa Carrillo name on its foot band makes it even more meaningful—it’s a symbol of our evolution and the future we’re building.”

Lissette’s daughter Skye also worked on the project. She not only represents the fifth generation of the family to be involved in the industry, but also an entirely new generation coming into the craft.

It should be available to retailers within the next couple of weeks — this week at the earliest. Frankly, the blend sounds delightful, and I’m excited to give it a try.

The post Perez-Carrillo La Historia Silk is a cigar inspired by women and for a new generation appeared first on The BS Lounge.

The new Corto Maduro will be in a single-size, a robusto-like in 4 and half inches by 46 — called x46. It features a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over the top of Nicaraguan tobacco. Like it’s predecessor, it’s full-bodied but even stronger. That’s thanks to the Medio Tiempo tobacco used inside, straight from Esteli Nicaragua. Media Tiempo, if you didn’t know, is a rare, top-primed part of the tobacco that tends to be extra powerful, yet doesn’t always grow. It’s estimated to appear in maybe 10% to 15% of all tobacco plants.

What is the Corto Maduro and when will it be available?

Source: Warped Cigars

Source: Warped Cigars

Both the original Corto and the new Corto Maduro launched in a single size. The core line was made by Aganorsa Leaf — hell yeah — but this new blend is being crafted at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA).

As previously stated, the wrapper is a beautiful, oily Mexican San Andrés with Nicaraguan tobacco making up the entirety of its insides. They’ll be sold in boxes of 20 for about $12.95 per cigar, which puts a box price around $259. Yes, they will demo at PCA, but they should be available in stores shortly after. Sometime around April.

Unsurprisingly, it sounds delicious and I’m hoping to get a chance to try one of these bad boys. I know I’m not the only one.

More sizes may be coming at a later date if you’re not into the robusto. Although, there’s no information on whether those sizes will be bigger or smaller.

The post Warped Corto Maduro headed to PCA 2025 appeared first on The BS Lounge.