New Habanos Due in 2010

If you were disappointed by some of the lines that Habanos S.A. has dropped from its production portfolio (see article below), you will be pleased to hear that Cuba has plenty of new and exciting cigars in store for the UK market this year.

STANDARD LINES

First off, five new vitolas will be added to the list of standard sizes for general release in shops worldwide. They will come in two of Cuba’s best known brands: Cohiba and Romeo y Julieta. All five are due to be tasted by the guests attending this year’s Festival del Habano in Havana from 22nd to 26th February.

Cohiba will see three new sizes of full flavoured, heavy girth cigars introduced under the line name of “Behike”, alongside its three existing lines: the medium to full flavoured Classic and Maduro 5 lines and the medium flavoured 1492 (Siglo) line. If the name “Behike” sounds familiar, you may recall that it was used for the very few, special 7 ½ inch by 52 ring gauge cigars made in 2006 to celebrate Cohiba’s 40th Anniversary. The new Behikes are completely different in size and blend, and are differentiated further by the size names BHK 56, BHK 54 and BHK 52. The numbers refer to the ring gauge, of course.

We expect to see the first shipment of these cigars in March or April.

Cohiba Behike - BHK 56 56 x 6 ½” (166mm) in boxes of 10.
Cohiba Behike - BHK 54 54 x 5 5/8” (144mm) in boxes of 10.
Cohiba Behike - BHK 52 52 x 4 ¾” (119mm) in boxes of 10.

Two new Romeo y Julieta sizes are scheduled for release in May. The Wide Churchill with its chunky 55 ring gauge follows on from the success of the classic Romeo Churchill and robusto-sized Short Churchill. The Julieta is a slender, elegant vitola created with lady cigar smokers in mind.

Romeo y Julieta - Wide Churchill 55 x 5 ¼” (133mm) in boxes of 10 & 25.
Romeo y Julieta – Julieta 33 x 5 ¼” (120mm) in boxes of 25.


2010 LIMITED EDITIONS

The three Limited Editions for this year are due to arrive in the summer. Once again all the tobaccos for these releases have been specially aged in bales for a minimum of two years and the wrappers are selected for their darker colour.

Montecristo - Grand Edmundo 52 x 5 7/8” (150mm) in boxes of 10.
Vitola de galera: Cañonazo i.e. is the same size as the Cohiba Siglo VI.


Partagas - Serie D Especial 50 x 5 ½“ (141mm) in boxes of 10.
Vitola de galera: Gordito like the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial.


Trinidad - Short Robusto T 50 x 4” (102mm) in boxes of 12.
Vitola de galera: Short Del Valle Identical dimensions to the Short Robusto, but with Trinidad’s signature “pig tail”.


UK REGIONAL EDITIONS
Two UK Regional Editions are due to arrive in the summer.


La Flor de Cano - Short Robusto 50 x 4” (102mm) in boxes of 25.
This is a smaller version of the Flor de Cano Short Churchill, a robusto, which took the market by storm in the late 1980s and today sells for very high prices at auction. The vitola de galera for this cigar is Petit Robusto.


Por Larrañaga - Regalias de Londres 50 x 5 ½” (141mm) in boxes of 25.
The translation of the name is “Gifts from London”. and comes from a UK importer’s price list dated July 1912. The vitola de galera for this cigar is ‘Gordito’


CASA DEL HABANO EXCLUSIVES
Also expected in the summer are two new lines that will be sold only at Casas del Habano shops, which is good news for Teddington.


La Gloria Cubana – Inmensos 54 x 6 ½” (164mm) in boxes of 10.
Vitola de galera - Sublimes


Ramon Allones - Allones Superiores 46 x 5 5/8” (146mm) in boxes of 10.
Vitola de galera - Corona Gorda


TRAVEL RETAIL EXCLUSIVE
The last new size is due in the autumn and will be sold exclusively in travel retail or duty free.


Hoyo de Monterrey - Double Epicure 50 x 6 1/8” (155mm) in boxes of 15.
Vitola de galera - ‘Dobles’

So there you have it; a total of 13 new Habanos sizes will arrive on these shores during 2010. We will let you know when they are here.

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