Two weeks ago I found myself in the right place at the right time. I was chatting it up on Twitter and got to talking with Jackie from Bonita Smoke Shop. She made mention of the new Artesanos De Tabaqueros from General Cigar Co. and I asked if that stick would be in addition to the Artisanos De Miami or a replacement.
As luck would have it, Jackie was able to get me a response right away. Her local General Cigar Rep, Rick, was in store and gave me an instant answer. Being a fan of the Artesanos De Miami, I was glad to hear that this new cigar was a line extension and not a replacement.
To make things even better, Rick offered to provide me with one of his samples, which were in limited supply, as long as Jackie would be so kind as to ship it to me. A few days later a package arrived in the mail with not only one Artesanos De Tabaqueros, but two!
I smoked the first sample just a few days ago and was impressed. It isn’t very often that General Cigar Co. produces a cigar that gets me excited, but the first sample really did wow me. For more information on the new line, check out the press release below.
La Gloria Cubana Press Release:
ARTESANOS DE TABAQUEROS Richmond, VA—General Cigar is pleased to introduce Artesanos de Tabaqueros®, the second edition in the critically-acclaimed Artesanos series from La Gloria Cubana®.
Created to showcase the artistry of La Gloria Cubana “tabaqueros” (artisan cigar makers), Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are a stunning embodiment of the time-honored craft of cigar making. So exacting is the skill required to handcraft cigars of this complexity that Benji Menendez personally selected an elite group of just 18 master cigar makers, representing the cream of the crop from El Credito Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.
According to Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing for General Cigar, parent company of Artesanos de Tabaqueros, “This exciting collection represents the brain trust that is Team La Gloria Cubana. They pooled their collective talents to showcase the best that General Cigar has to offer: aged and proprietary tobacco, passionate and talented cigar makers and an unwavering commitment to innovation. It is with pleasure that I commend Benji Menendez, Michael Giannini, Yuri Guillen and Rick Rodriguez on yet another exciting addition to our portfolio of brands.”
Meticulously crafted to combine two different wrappers and two distinct tastes in one eye-catching cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros is a world-class smoke that opens to a rich and intriguing spice and ultimately reveals a depth of flavor that can only be achieved through a precise balance of unique and rare tobaccos. Hand selected from General Cigar’s extensive library of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos, the cigars are dressed in both a supple Connecticut Shade and hearty Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. The blend is made solely of proprietary tobaccos, each aged five years or more.
Presented with two different wood treatments to promote the unique tastes promised in each cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are protected in boxes of 25. The collection will debut in early April with three frontmarks, each named to according to its dimensions: 650 (6” x 50, SRP per cigar is $8.00), 652 Belicoso (6” x 52, SRP per cigar is $9.50) and 750 (7” x 50, SRP per cigar is $9.00).
“To truly experience this gem of a cigar is to smoke it and taste the masterful artisanship that comes to life when one wrapper ends and the other begins in balance and harmony,” noted Michael Giannini, director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana.
The last time I got excited about a General Cigar product was the Upper Cut by Punch. That excited phase lasted until about the 3rd or 4th puff when I started wondering what the big deal was. By the end the cigar had confirmed why I make it a point to never get too excited about anything the General does. Maybe this is one that will prove to be the exception to the rule and I will eventually try it, but I can’t say I’ll be bugging my tobacconist until it arrives.
For me, when General Cigar releases something new, its kind of like when Budweiser comes out with a new beer. It might grab my attention at first but I don;t often go seeking it out.
If I smoke a few more of these new Artesanos De Tabaqueros and they are as good as the first one, I might just go seeking out a few.
I ha this cigar about a month ago get 3 samples from the rep at first I thought to myself just another “gimick” cigar but to be honest it was really an enjoyable smoke
I was pretty impressed with the Artesanos De Miami when it came out, so I was curious about this one as well. I need to smoke a few more (sadly I only have 1 more) before I can form a solid opinion but I was pleasantly surprised.
Smoked a 650 Belicoso today… did not impress me… frankly had no flavors… I got nothing from it… bad burn, lots of canoeing… was waiting for something good out of it but the only flavor I got from it was a very, very light leather note towards the end (and I nubbed it seeing if something would come out of it)…
I found it very flat, one-dimensional, basic tabacco taste and that was it… will try another but really am not expecting much… highly disappointing so far…