It’s truly a day of firsts. This is the first roundup of the year. Today is the very first Friday of January. That means it is also the first Limited Cigar Association LCA Day of 2023! Just revealed earlier in the week, this month’s LCA and LCA Plus offerings are the 6 x 60 Año Viejo 2023 and the 5 x 52 Mexican Hot Chocolate. Both explorations of balanced blending with a San Andres wrapper, these two cigars are said to offer decidedly different smoking experiences. Anyone not sure where the closest LCA affiliated brick & mortar location is can use the locator. Do you have a favorite LCA? Let everyone know in the comments below!
Also a day of 2nds, today marks 2 years since Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott announced the formation of Ferio Tego. In just 24 months, Ferio Tego – named after the Herklots family motto – has already earned multiple top 3 ratings and brand/company of the year awards. Officially launched in 2021, the brand is distributed by Davidoff across the US market. Ferio Tego owns and sells the Timeless Collections and Metropolitan Selection brands in addition to their flagship brand. If you’re not following Herklots on Instagram, you’re strongly urged to remedy that. For someone who’s seen, done, and heard pretty much all of it before to be so willing to share stories earned and lessons learned is a rare opportunity that should be taken full advantage of. Congratulations Ferio Tego!
Just over three months since the grand opening of the first domestic El Septimo Cigar Lounge – located in the company’s Woodland Hills headquarters – the second is set to officially open it’s doors this weekend. Those familiar with Los Angeles may recognize the 5403 Hollywood Boulevard address, which the luxury brand has purchased and rebranded. The space was originally designed as a hybrid cigar lounge and co-working space, making it an ideal acquisition for El Septimo’s growing network of membership based lounges. The location features 14 foot ceilings, leather seating, diffused lighting, and humidified lockers. Membership is valid for any of their lounges, which stock El Septimo cigars exclusively. Ultimately, the plan is to open 30 across the world.
If you’ve never heard of Tampa’s famous Gasparilla festival, you’re in for two treats instead of one. Allow Drew Newman, fourth-generation owner of J.C. Newman to offer some background, “José Gaspar was one of most feared pirates in the Americas. Sailing from his base near Tampa Bay in the late 1700s, he terrorized the Gulf of Mexico and amassed a great fortune. Gaspar celebrated victories with a bold and flavorful cigar.” A parade, festivities, and a staged pirate “invasion” all honoring Gaspar that began in the earliest years of the 20th century has grown into a full on festival that welcomes upwards of 300,000 pirate clad attendees each year. To honor Gaspar in their own way, and in homage to the victory cigar he would enjoy, J.C. Newman is again releasing their Jose Gaspar cigars. Launched last year, the 2022 version utilizes what the 127-year-old company describes as “hearty, sun-grown, Ecuadorian Havana-seed wrapper.” More information about the project, as well as a full list of the Tampa shops that received allocations for 2022’s celebration, is available here. The 2023 blend will be available across Cigar City in just a few days time!
The S.T. DuPont Roadshow continues this month in London. After spending the last part of 2022 being displayed in Beijing, Shanghai and France, the collection moves to Tokyo once its UK run is completed. There are actually two locations on the London schedule for January. Each less than 2 miles from each other, the venues listed are the St. James Davidoff store and the world famous Harrod’s department store. Simon Tissot Dupont opened his first leatherwork shop in Paris in 1872 while only 25 years of age. 150 years later, the name itself means luxury. Attendees of the roadshow will get to view 150 heritage products from the iconic brand, all made by hand. Even the cases being used to display the works are uniquely DuPont, each one inspired by work that the real life Maison created for the Queen of Siam.
If you haven’t taken 20 seconds to submit your selection for best cigar of 2022, you can do it right now! At the end of every year, cigar heads the world over get told what cigars they should like. From now on, we want to hear what you actually enjoy each year. More than that, we also want to know what you’d like to see when you visit Cigar Public each day, such as more interviews, more videos, and more in-depth tobacco education. This is your platform, take advantage of that and be heard.
Wishing you all another great week full of your favorite cigars and your favorite people. Keep on sending in your favorite cigar related news stories, posts and video. If anything from this roundup catches your attention, let everyone know in the comments below!