At the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show, AKA Cigar co-owners Jay Lundy and Tom Poehler have joined forces with Elliot Suied and Romereo Hartfield to launch an all-new cigar company called Acme Cigar Company. The company name is the resurrection of an old U.S. brand from the early 1900s. The company will be a separate company from AKA Cigars and it marks an all-new direction for Lundy and Poehler. Acme Cigar Company will launch three lines at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show – Acme Premier Ecuador, Acme Premier San Andres, and Route 66. Plans are for the cigars to ship this August.
On Episode 214 of the Calypso Cigar Podcast, Poehler described some of the background behind the brand. Acme Cigar was originally a line of cigars that was started in 1898. The brand was distributed in the United States with the cigars produced out of Cuba. By the 1930s, the company was abandoned. Lundy, Poehler, Suied, and Hartsfield have resurrected the brand and now are planning on taking the new brand in an entirely new direction from Lundy and Poehler’s AKA Cigars venture.
The lines will have more traditional branding than the edgier look from AKA Cigars. For Lundy and Poehler, it also marks the first venture into Nicaragua. Acme will source tobacco from Oliva Tobacco Company and work with the NACSA factory (Nicaraguan American Cigars SA) in Esteli Nicaragua to produce the cigar. NACSA is best known to be the factory founded by the late Frank Llaneza.
The Acme Premier Ecuador and Acme Premier San Andres are positioned as the company’s more premium offerings, while the Route 66 is positioned as the company’s everyday cigar offering.
In a press release Romereo Hartfield said, “We are pleased to be working with NACSA which has a great tradition of making excellent cigars and with Oliva which is known throughout the industry as having the finest tobaccos. It gives us the ability to make great tasting premium cigars at affordable prices.”
At a glance here is a closer look at the offerings:
Acme Premier Ecuador
Acme Premier Ecuador will be launched in three sizes in twelve count boxes. The blend itself is a multi-national blend with tobaccos from four countries.
Blend Profile
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Grown Cuban Seed Habano
Binder: San Andres Broadleaf, Esteli Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican Republic
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (NACSA)
Vitolas Available
Robusto: 5 x 50 (SRP $7.40)
Churchill: 7 x 48 (SRP $7.90)
Toro: 6 x 54 (SRP $8.40)
Acme Premier San Andres
Acme Premier San Andres will be launched in three sizes in twelve count boxes. The blend itself is a multi-national blend with tobaccos from Mexico and Nicaragua.
Blend Profile
Wrapper: San Andres Broadleaf
Binder: San Andres Broadleaf, Esteli Habano
Filler: Four Nicaraguan Fillers
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (NACSA)
Vitolas Available
Robusto: 5 x 50 (SRP $7.40)
Churchill: 7 x 48 (SRP $7.90)
Toro: 6 x 54 (SRP $8.40)
Route 66
Acme Premier Ecuador will be launched in four sizes in twenty count boxes. The blend itself is a multi-national blend with tobaccos from four countries.
Blend Profile
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Grown Cuban Seed Habano
Binder: Jalapa Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan, San Andres, and Dominican
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (NACSA)
Vitolas Available
Hot Rod: 5 x 50 (SRP $5.90)
Chopper: 7 x 48 (SRP $6.40)
Big Rig: 6 x 54 (SRP $6.90)
Tandem: 8 1/2 x 52 (SRP $7.40)
Poehler told Calypso Cigar Podcast explained the Tandem is a very unique cigar that is a double capped cigar. The cigar is meant to be cut in the center and can be split into two cigars or can be smoked as a single cigar. This is accomplished by by a small piece of leaf in the middle where the cut can be made.
Image Credit: Acme Cigar Company
