The new blend combines two unusual tobaccos for an exotic combination among premium cigars - Peruvian and East Indian filler leaf - matched with a Dominican binder. The cigars are offered in a choice of two wrappers styles: the Signature 1887 Black is finished with a Nicaraguan wrapper, while the Signature 1887 Red features an aged Connecticut Shade wrapper.

Both blends are available in a single 6 1/2 x 55 shape. The cigars are presented in elegant lacquered black or red boxes containing 48 cigars with a suggested retail price of $384 for a box of Reds ($8.00 per cigar) and $400 for a box of Blacks ($8.33 per cigar). Only 1,500 boxes of each style will be produced in 2008.

Now Altadis U.S.A. - the U.S. division of Altadis S.A. - pays tribute to four of its own top brands, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad, and H. Upmann, with with its own limited edition run of these well-known cigars.

Edición Limitada are crafted by senior rollers in the Dominican Republic’s Tabacalera de García using tobacco selected specifically for these cigars: San Andreas Corojo for the wrapper, ultra-premium Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobacco and a rich broadleaf binder.

In a departure from their Cuban counterparts, these Altadis U.S.A. Edición Limitada are a single blend available in four editions: Montecristo No. 2 Belicoso (6 1/8 x 52); Romeo y Julieta Churchill (7 x 54); Trinidad Toro (6 x 54); and H. Upmann Robusto (5 x 54).

Available exclusively through Davidoff Select Merchants, the Avo Tesoro blend is a combination of stronger Piloto and San Vicente tobaccos balanced with milder Olor tobaccos, all from the Dominican Republic. A sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper “highlights the complex yet uniquely spicy flavor” of this 5 3/4 x 50 format cigar.

Davidoff continues its tradition of unique packaging for the Avo special edition series. The Avo Tesoro are presented with a single bronze foot band, packed foot-up, vertically, in two parallel rows of 10 cigars, in keepsake wood boxes.

Davidoff and Uvezian kicked off a series of nine intimate dinners in conjunction with retail partners throughout the country. These dinners are held specifically to allow consumers to sample the Avo Tesoro 2008 Limited Edition and buy boxes before they become available to the public, while enjoying Uvezian’s company over fine food. The events are scheduled to run through the end of April.

Cigars are packaged either individually or two-per in a vacuum-sealed bag containing a Humidipak two-way moisture control pack, giving the cigars a shelf life of up to two years. The bag is resealable and can be reused by the consumer. The Humidipak - which has been utilized by a number of top cigar producers to prevent loss of essential oils and flavor during shipping and distribution - may also be reused by the consumer.

Nearly all sizes of Texas Cigar Brother’s full product line are available in the new packaging format: The Smokin’ Toad Sturgis Motorcycle Rally comes as a full-bodied 60 gauge maduro figurado and 56 gauge Presidente; the Smokin’ Toad Nicaraguan puros as Tadpole (5 x 38), Toad (6 x 50), and Bull Frog (7 x 54); and Flor de Jardin in two blends, a mellow and sweet Claro and a full-bodied savory Don Juan, each in Corona (6 1/2 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52) and Petit Corona (5 x 42). Suggested retail pricing of the UPC-coded packs is from $6 to $15 per pack.

These box-pressed cigars are medium - to full-bodied all Honduran Corojo puros; the finished cigars were aged extra long to produce a “smooth, creamy taste,” says Eiroa.

They’re available in four sizes; 4 1/2 x 50, Torpedo (6 x 54 x 42), 11/18, and 6 x 60, with suggested retail prices ranging from $10.50 to $12.75 each.

“Consumer acceptance of Red Man Moist Snuff in the test markets was overwhelming,” says Elliot Eliades, director of new product development for Swedish Match North America. “Through event marketing, retail intercept, and website-driven sampling we accelerated consumer trial by quickly getting ‘cans in hands.’” Post test-market research confirms that the brand’s authenticity transfers well from loose leaf, where it has been one of the most well-known and well-respected brands for over 100 years. 

“I’ve been a cigar lover for a long time, and the Isla de Cuba cigars are a special blend that I’ve had made exclusively for me and my friends for years,” says Isla de Cuba president Darryl Lieser. “Everyone that tries an Isla de Cuba cigar loves it, and I’m finally taking everyone’s advice and sharing this fantastic blend with the rest of the world.”

The taste profile of Isla de Cuba, says Lieser, is based on the 1956 Cuban Montecristo No. 3 - smooth, rich yet creamy. The cigars are made in Central America using and are offered in variations - Classic, with a Connecticut Ecuadorian wrapper, and Aged Maduro, with a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. Fives sizes are available: Corona (5 1/2 x 44), Robusto (5 x 54), Toro (6 x 54), Belicoso (6 1/8 x 52), and Churchill (7 x 52).

Throughout 2008, Isla de Cuba will launch four more cigars, and according to the manufacturer, each is “very unique in the taste they deliver to the cigar connoisseur.”

With a filler blend of all-Dominican San Vicente, Dominican Olor, and Piloto tobacco; a Dominican Cubano binder; and a Connecticut Ecuador wrapper, the medium-bodied Habana Gold Dominican Selection is offered in three sizes: Churchill (7 1/4 x 50), Robusto (5 x 50), and Torpedo (5 3/4 x 52). The cigars are presented in wooden 20-count slide-top boxes.

“Our research among current adult smokers of clove cigarettes shows a very distinct pattern of acceptance,” explains Mark Cassar, president of Kretek. “The current Djarum smoker is very loyal to the brand’s unique clove style, but reserves it for special occasions and night time social sharing.” Kretek identified an audience of past or occasional clove smokers who were looking for a lighter aroma and more tobacco taste with clove as more of an accent.

Djarum Supersmooth Series is a global product program of its manufacturer, P.T. Djarum of Jakarta, Indonesia. The product has already been successfully launched in European and Latin American markets with the same formula used globally.

Supersmooth comes in the recognizable Djarum flip-top packs, with 5 packs to a cube and 80 cubes per case.

The Connecticut shade wrappers add “smooth, creamy flavors which allow the filler blend to show its rich character,” explains company founder and president Nick Perdomo. The blend for all Perdomo Habano lines combines Cuban-seed tobaccos from all three of Nicaragua’s growing regions - full-flavored Estelí leaf, aromatic Condega leaf, and naturally sweet Jalapa leaf.

These cigars are available in Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (5 1/2 x 54), Torpedo (6 1/2 x 54), Gordo (6 x 60), and Presidente (7 x 56), range in cost from $5 to $7, and are presented in hand-stained Spanish cedar boxes of 20.

A spokesman for Philip Morris USA said the leaf for the new blend predominantly comes from Virginia and North Carolina. “The blend is uniquely driven around the flavor of U.S. flue-cured,” he said.

While an all-flue-cured blend would be expected to contain few additives, since flue-cured does not absorb additives well, that apparently is not part of the Marlboro Virginia Blend promotion at this time. Instead, the legend on the blend’s pack suggests, “Enjoy the crisp, mellow taste and easy finish.”

Its flagship brand, Predator long cut snuff, was launched in two varieties - Long Cut Straight and Long Cut Wintergreen - both offered in 1.2 oz. plastic tins. Retailers can select from two self-displaying countertop packing options. The “Predator 10-Pack” stands vertically and displays and dispenses 10 cans; the “Predator Rip & Dip,” dispenser holds 12 logs, each of which holds five cans.

Each display type is available in a master case, the 10-pack containing 100 cans, and the Rip & Dip containing 300 cans. Retailers are also provided point-of-sale materials and pricing decals.

Rolled by only four pairs of bunchers/rollers at the company’s Estelí, Nicaragua factory, Liga Privada is crafted from aged tobaccos from seven farms: Honduran and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed filler, Brazilian Mata-fina binder, and a dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper that is hand-fermented 18 months and not allowed to “sweat.” Finished cigars are aged a full year.

The manufacturer describes the medium- to full-bodied maduro’s flavor as “lush, earthy, and espresso-like with incredibly dense body” and targets the brand to cigar “connoisseurs.” They are offered in a single 6 x 52 parejo shape and presented in cabinet boxes of 24 or 44, with a suggested retail price of $10.95 per stick.