On Saturday, July 4, Diadema S.p.A. held a launch party in Matelica for one of the most anticipated new Cuban cigars of 2026. This week, that cigar is set to arrive at stores in Italy. The cigar is the La Escepción Selectos Reales, a new Edición Regional release for Italy. It’s a 5 1/2 (140mm) x 52 belicoso, a common vitola known as campanas within the Cuban vitola naming system.
The list of companies making cigars in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States will have at least one more entry. On July 4, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Inc. posted a picture of its upcoming America 250 cigar. Nish Patel, evp of Rocky Patel, declined to discuss details with halfwheel, other than saying that the cigars have been rolled and the company is just waiting on
Before we started halfwheel, Brooks Whittington and I both had our own cigar blogs. His was called Smoking Stogie and mine was TheCigarFeed. I was a reader of Smoking Stogie at the tail of its first iteration, ogling over the rare cigars that Brooks was reviewing at the time. At some point, realizing that there were only so many rare Arturo Fuentes and vintage Davidoffs he could review, Brooks had pivoted to also
JRE Tobacco Co. has always given special privilege to the retailers who have made the trip to Danlí, Honduras and visited the company’s farms and factory. Previously, those stores have gotten early access to new launches as well as some exclusive limited edition releases. Last year, JRE introduced a new line that was made just for those stores: the Camp Aladino. It was offered in a 4 1/2 x 60
Weekly News (July 6, 2026) | halfwheel Glenn Wolfson, ceo of Drew Estate, Passes Away at 70 Even in an industry that has no lack of amazing people, Glenn Wolfson stood out. Affable, kind, and almost always sporting a smile, Wolfson joined Drew Estate as the ceo in 2016 after serving as a consultant for most of his professional career. I was not close friends with Wolfson, but I talked
This past spring, Black Label Trading Co. released a brand new, limited production line called Macabre, which James Brown, the company’s founder, called “the quintessential Black Label.” Macabre uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua. In a press release, Brown described the blend as “rich, dark and elegant with a perfect balance of strength and flavor. The earthy, floral notes on the
The morning program of the 2K Cigars Event featured an educational masterclass led by Aldo Puncioni of J.C. Newman Cigar Co., offering participants both a look into the company’s history and a practical approach to evaluating premium cigars. Puncioni began by introducing the origins of J.C. Newman, the oldest family-owned premium cigar manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1895 by Julius Caeser Newman, a Slovak immigrant from
New distribution partnership with Munich-based CigarKings introduces 11 of EGM’s best-selling cigars to a curated group of premium German tobacconists, with national expansion planned across CigarKings’ network of more than 350 points of sale. EGM Cigars announced its entry into the German market through a new distribution partnership. with ‘Trade by CigarKings GmbH & Co. KG’. The launch introduces 11 of EGM’s best-selling cigars, rolled from tobacco grown in the
The month of May seems long ago now, but finally the reports form a whole bunch of Cigar Smoking World Championship qualifiers are in. Some were close, some were not. Some were surprises, some were expected. Here are all the winners: Norway: Tormod Skaaraas – 1:59:21Morocco: Julian Sanns – 1:07:42Albania: Mariglen Gjata – 1:31:00Mauritius: George Bolbach – 1:11:28Serbia: Luka Vojnic – 1:48:07Kuwait: PostponedGreece: Kontopos Sokratis – 1:21:00Kenya: PostponedIndia:
Following an afternoon exploring the House of METAXA, participants of the 2K Cigars Event gathered at the Amaronda Resort & Spa in Eretria for an evening dedicated to cigars, cocktails and conversation. The beachfront reception provided a relaxed setting where retailers, distributors and cigar enthusiasts from across Europe came together to reflect on the day’s experiences while enjoying the Mediterranean atmosphere. Guests were welcomed with a refreshing St-Germain