What is new in The Shop:

• La Aurora 107 corona – This is the latest La Aurora 107 size to hit the shelf. There are ‘lancero rumors’ out there but for now, let’s enjoy this hit. Smooth, medium-bodied smoke, with leather, spice, and woody flavors was released to acknowledge 107th anniversary of La Aurora cigars. This cigar uses an Ecaudorian wrapper, Dominican binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Don’t let the size fool you ! Stop by and give it a try.

IPCPR 2010:

Yes, we brought The Stack to the Big Easy. Great event, successful convention, lots of conversations with manufacturers, and plenty of new releases to look out for. We have few hot items lined up so stay tuned ! Pictures from the convention are coming soon as well ! As for as what has been announced, we took notes and also surveyed the web (credit: stogieguys.com & cigarcyclopedia.com). Here are the highlights:

• Torano Cigars – Toraño Family Cigar Company will be bringing three new cigars to market this year. The Master is a joint effort by Charlie Toraño and longtime master roller Felipe Sosa using an all-Nicaraguan blend. Single Region by Toraño features Jalapa tobacco all from one farm and is being rolled at the Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras. The third line, Brigade, features an Ecuadorian wrapper.
• Padrón — Padron family is releasing new Family Reserve No. 46. A trunk-pressed smoke, the 46  (5.5 x 56) features well-aged Nicaraguan tobacco.
• Alec Bradley – Alan Rubin is releasing two new lines: Maxx Connecticut & Tempus Maduro
• Dion Giolito –  new sizes in Cruzado line, Candela & Maduro versions of Illusione Holy Lance, and new Singulare
• CAO – La Traviata maduro !!!
• Camacho – introduced Room 101 LTD Conjura Edition powerhouse, the first of a series of limited-edition Room 101 blends. It’s an extra-full-bodied blend with a Honduran Rosado wrapper, Honduran binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler leaves.
• Rocky Patel — 15th Anniversary cigar utilizing an Ecuadorian wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Available in four box-pressed sizes.
• J. Fuego — Origen line will use a Brazilian corojo wrapper, Costa Rican binder, and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler. While the series has been available to select retailers for some time now, a Lancero will be a new addition.
• Drew Estate – president Steve Saka brought forth the latest of his Liga blends with the Liga Privada Unico Serie, a 5-inch by 44-ring “Dirty Rat” size that Saks says is “too strong for 98% of our customers.” He also unveiled a “Flying Pig” shape – a tiny perfecto of 4 1/4 inches by 60 ring with pigtail heads – in the Liga Privada T52 series.
• La Aurora – Guillermo León line, named after Vice President of La Aurora, brings a complex and medium-to-full bodied experience. This new cigar sports a Habana wrapper grown in Ecuador, over a double binder of both Corojo for strength and Cameroon for sweetness. The fillers are from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Nicaragua and Brazil. La Aurora Corojo is another new line addition, specifically for Brick and Mortar stores. The new line will have the same basic flavor profile as our regular La Aurora, except with a touch more strength due to its Corojo wrapper. The rest of the blend is the same as the regular La Aurora with a Dominican binder and Piloto Cubano, Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.
• Nestor Miranda — Nestor Miranda is set to debut a new line called Art Deco, a collaboration between Nestor and Don Pepin Garcia. The Art Deco is a blend of Nicaraguan corojo and Dominican San Vicente with a dual binder of Dominican criollo ’98 and Nicaraguan Habano 2000 finished in a Nicaraguan corojo ’06 wrapper. Instead of wooden boxes, the Art Deco will be sold in metallic art deco tins of 21 cigars. It will be offered in three sizes: Coffee Break (4.5 x 50), Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54), and Gran Toro (6 x 60).
• La Flor Dominicana – Air Bender Chisel & Maduro Salomon.
• 7-20-4 – Kurt Kendall has two new sizes -one called the Dog Walker and the other a Londres. New brand with Brazillian Mata Fina wrapper is in works.
• Avo Cigars – new full line called Avo Heritage. Made in four sizes (Churchill, Toro, Robusto, and Short Robusto) it utilizes the same Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper as the Avo 2009 Compañero along with a Dominican binder and a blend of five different Dominican fillers.
• La Palina — La Palina, Bill Paley’s new line, is introducing it’s regular production Family Blend in New Orleans. It comes in four sizes, Pasha (a Churchill with an unfinished foot), Babe (a robusto), Alison (a torpedo), and Little Bill (a perfecto). The blend uses a Costa Rican binder with Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. Pasha and Babe use a Costa Rican wrapper, while Alison and Little Bill utilize an Ecuadorian wrapper and additional ligero fillers.
• Joya de Nicaragua — Joya de Nicaragua is adding an additional size to its Dark Antaño line. “La Niveladora” will be a six-inch by 52 ring gauge box-pressed toro.
• Ernesto Perez Carillo – EPC “core blend” debuted, featuring an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler leaves. It’s medium-to-full in body and available in six sizes from a standard robusto called “Encantos” up to a 6 1/4-inch by 60-ring “Golosos.” EPC also introduced its Edicion Limitada 2010, also medium-to-full in body, but of a completely different nature, with a Brazilian maduro wrapper, Dominican binder and Nicaraguan filler.
• Reinado – REINADO cigars are handmade and grown from Cuban seeds. Meticulously constructed from select premium tobacco grown in the rich fields of Nicaragua, REINADO is a Nicaraguan puro from premium crops aged up to 5 years.  The REINADO blend uses a proprietary fermentation process to enhance the flavors that resonate throughout the smoking experience.