In keeping with the robust character of the cigar, the wrapper and binder leaves are selected only from the rich, sun-drenched tops of the tobacco plants and aged four years. The long-leaf filler blend incorporates Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican Republic tobaccos.

Each square-pressed Double Maduro cigar bears an additional gold band and each box is finished with an ebony stain and a gold Sancho Panza crest.

"Double Maduro offers maduro enthusiasts a richer alternative at the same value-minded prices as the rest of the Sancho Panza line," said Whit Beebe, Villazon's director of marketing.

The line is offered in four sizes: Quixote (4 1/2 x 50), La Mancha (5 1/2 x 44), Cervantes (6 1/2 x 48), and Escudero (7 1/4 x 54). The suggested retail prices range from $3 to $4.50 per cigar.

This all-new blend features a special Corojo wrapper leaf developed and grown specifically for Davidoff, called Corojo Dominicano. The strain was first planted in 1996 on the Finca Barrero in the Dominican Republic, and has been perfected through successive plantings each year since. The binder leaf is Dominican San Vicente, while the filler is a blend of San Vicente Seco, Piloto Ligero, and Olor.

The Limited Edition 2002 is offered in two perfecto shapes " each thick in the middle and slimmer at the head and foot. The Special 48 is a small perfecto format measuring 4 in. by 48 ring gauge, while the Special 53 is a gran perfecto measuring 6 in. by 53 ring gauge. Both are presented in varnished wooden boxes containing 10 cigars each, secured with a numbered Davidoff Limited Edition seal.

Penthouse Selection Cigars measure 7 x 49 and are individually packaged in crystal tubes. Each tube contains a portrait of Penthouse magazine's "Penthouse Pet" centerfold for that particular month. The collectible prints culminate with a special "Pet of the Year" edition. Single cigars retail at $11.99, full boxes of 20 at $149.95.

Sampoerna 'A' Mild was created for smokers who want a lower tar clove smoke without sacrificing the pleasing taste. Like all Sampoerna cloves, 'A' Mild offers a smooth, well-balanced blend of the finest Indonesian and imported tobaccos with a hint of clove and a sweet tasting filter tip. The cigarettes are available in Regular and refreshing, cool Menthol. Their unique flavor, aroma, and crackle comes from the finest cloves available, while the patented Twinwrap gives each cigarette a clean, white appearance. Both brands are slims, measuring 85mm in length, packed in a classic white box with red and green 'A' emblems on the front.

Compared to traditional clove cigarettes, which often show clove oil stains, 'A'-Mild uses a special manufacturing process that eliminates clove oil "spotting" as well as shooting and dropping clove fragments normally associated with clove cigarettes. The result is a cleaner, whiter appearance for a more enjoyable smoke.

Preliminary market research with non-clove smokers indicated that 'A'-Mild could be a unique alternative to their everyday smoke. Sampoerna 'A'-Mild is blended for the American palate. Using a combination of mild, low-tar tobacco and a light clove taste, this product can be sold successfully outside the niche market, maximizing sales potential and profits for the retailer.

Lignum 2 will offer an attractive pricing structure and support the 'A'-Mild product line with advertising and eye-catching point-of-sale merchandising.

The 6 x 44 Tatiana Classic line is available in four flavors: honey, vanilla, rum, and cherry. Each gift pack contains two cigars of the same flavor.

"We have priced the Classic gift packs very aggressively, at $15.90 suggested retail, keystone discounted," says Daniel Miranda, Miami Cigar's vice president of sales. The handmade Classic is Miami Cigar's luxury flavored cigar, made with 100% long filler Dominican tobacco, and what Miranda calls "high-quality water-soluble flavoring agents." The Tatiana Classic is also available in boxes and bundles of 25, as well as being sold individually from a counter-top display that Miami Cigar offers retailers.

"In addition to being a great gift item, the Classic gift pack introduces many cigar smokers to this prestigious line of flavored cigars," reports Miranda.

"Black Pearl was a hit at the RTDA trade show because of its rich, dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper," reports Doug Wood, company president. "The sun-grown leaf combines rustic appearance with suppleness."

Woods says La Perla's Maduro Sampler was so successful with retailers during the holidays last year that they suggested the gift-pack represent the different wrappers that La Perla has to offer. The four cigars are encased in a cedar presentation box and cellophaned for protection. Each bears the distinctive La Perla Habana band, with a secondary band to emphasize its product identity.

Pricing is set to give the sampler a competitive advantage against other super-premiums. The Torpedo Gift Sampler retails for $29.95 each.