Category: Industry News

On Monday, Aug. 3, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG)’s two U.S. handmade cigar divisions—Forged Cigar Co. and General Cigar Co.—will increase prices for the cigars they sell. STG’s American portfolio—headlined by brands such as Alec Bradley, CAO, Macanudo and the non-Cuban Cohiba—has nearly 750 SKUs between the two divisions. Forged Cigar Co. General Cigar Co. Alec Bradley CAO Bolivar Don Tomas Chillin’ Moose El Titan de Bronze Cohiba Excalibur Diesel Hoyo

This year, Quality Importers Trading Co. gave the XIKAR Allume lighter collection a makeover, and today, two of the three refreshed models are shipping to stores. The Allume line debuted in 2014, and while the updated versions look largely the same, they now come with a red-tinted fuel window, which makes the remaining butane easier to see. The back of the lighter now has a flat, uninterrupted surface, allowing customization

Apostate Cigars’ first cigarillo is on the way to retailers. The Lost Pages is a 4 x 20 machine-made cigarillo that uses a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper on the outside and a filler blend composed of chopped up remnants of all eight of the company’s existing core blends. All of the cigars are being made at Tabacalera Palma in the Dominican Republic. Each cigar has an MSRP of $1.45, and it

J.C. Newman’s Yagua line, one of the more unique cigars on the market today, is getting a second vitola. Next week, the company will begin shipping the Yagua Robusto, a new 5 x 56 extension for the line. It has an MSRP of $10.50 per cigar. Blend-wise, Yagua uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers, though the blend is not what sets the cigars apart.

Beyond his past work with Davidoff, starting his own cigar company and factory, Eladio Díaz is likely known for his birthday cigars. Once, they were a project he created for himself and those lucky enough to receive one from him, but it has since turned into commercial releases. In 2026, Díaz once again created a cigar for his birthday—the most recent being his 73rd—and called the cigar the Unforgettable Edition.

Craig Reynolds, who once led Cigars International and General Cigar Co., has joined Best Cigar Prices and its related companies as an advisor. He told halfwheel that he will serve as an advisor to Greg Fox, the head of New Global Marketing, Inc., the parent company of Best Cigar Prices, a Drums, Pa.-based retailer. Best Cigar Prices includes an online retail operation, a physical store in Drums that has a full

Casa Carrillo has not one but two new international releases. shipping to stores this month. The company already announced the Perez-Carrillo Encore Noir II, but there’s also a second version of a different Encore. The Perez-Carrillo Encore Edición Unica II is a 6 1/4 x 54 toro extra that uses a 109 head, meaning the top of the cigar is slightly tapered, something in between the standard parejo cap and

Emperors Cut Cigars proudly announces the upcoming release of Prophecy, a limited-production premium cigar. Developed in collaboration with master blender Manuel Inoa of La Aurora, Prophecy is presented in an elegant 7 x 52 vitola. The blend features an African Cameroon seed wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a balanced filler composed of Pennsylvania, Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobaccos. “Prophecy is a manifestation of all we have learned and what

Earlier today, Cavalier Genève announced it started shipping the LE2026 to US-based retailers at the end of last week. The LE2026 has been produced in one size only, a 6.5×47 Parejo. This size has been carefully selected to provide the passionado with the most intense and balanced expression of the blend for this year. For reference, the yearly Cavalier Genève Limited Edition always comes in a single size,

Casa Carrillo announces that Ascend, the newest regular production release in the Perez-Carrillo Series, is now shipping to retailers nationwide. Joining releases including Pledge, Allegiance, La Historia, and Encore, Ascend represents the next chapter in the Perez-Carrillo Series and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s continued pursuit of refinement, balance, and an evolving smoking experience. Crafted at the Casa Carrillo Cigar Factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Ascend features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper,