At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, General Cigar Company launched two new blends for Macanudo – Macanudo Inspirado White and Macanudo Inspirado Black. While both cigars were showcased at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, attendees of this year’s IPCPR got a sneak preview at the opening gala that was sponsored by General Cigar.
Macanudo Inspirado White and Black are new extensions to the Macanudo Inspirado line. The first Macanudo Inspirado (also called Inspirado Orange) was originally launched in the European market in 2014. A year later, a maduro counterpart known as Macanudo Inspirado Black was also launched for Europe. In 2016, the two Macanudo Inspirado blends came to the U.S. with Macanudo Inspirado Orange becoming a brick and mortar offering and Macanudo Inspirado Black becoming an internet/catalog offering. This year’s Macanudo Inspirado Black replaces that internet/catalog offering in the U.S.
Taking Macanudo Inspirado Orange as a “medium offering”, Macanudo Inspirado White is a milder offering under the Inspirado line while the new Macanudo Inspirado Black is a fuller offering.
“The evolution of Macanudo continues with the launch of Macanudo Inspirado White and Black,” commented General Cigar President Régis Broersma in a press release. “Cigar lovers who now see Macanudo in a new light should be prepared to be wowed yet again.”
The Macanudo Inspirado White features a proprietary Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper developed by General Cigar’s agronomists that has been aged six years. The blend also features an Indonesian binder. The fillers consist of Mexican San Andres and Nicaraguan Condega leaves aged four years as well as a Nicaraguan Jalapa leaf aged two years. The cigar is available in three sizes: Robusto, Toro, and Churchill – each packaged in 20-count boxes.
Jhonys Diaz, Vice President of Operations at General Cigar Dominicana who spearheaded blend development for Macanudo Inspirado White said, “We spent several years developing this blend, using tobaccos we refined and aged to perfection. Think of the most creamy, alluring cigar you’ve ever had, amplify the complexity and you have Macanudo Inspirado White.”
Meanwhile, the new Macanudo Black uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper grown under a proprietary and experimental process where the plant was allowed to ripen on the stalk. The new Macanudo Black also utilizes an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan filler featuring tobacco from proprietary seeds grown in Estelí that were uniquely fermented. Macanudo Black is available in three sizes with slightly different dimensions than the White offerings: Robusto, Toro, and Churchill – each packaged in 20-count boxes.
On the new Macanudo Inspirado Black, Diaz noted, “Macanudo Inspirado Black represents sophistication, and is truly for the initiated smoker. It’s about tobaccos that deliver incredible full-bodied flavor and complexity, in a cigar that’s balanced and pleasurable to smoke.”
Both Macanudo Inspirado White and Macanudo Inspirado Black have begun to hit retail shelves. This month will feature a series of launch events at retail shops.
At a glance, here is a look at the Macanudo Inspirado White and Macanudo Inspirado Black lines:
Macanudo Inspirado White
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Mexican, Nicaraguan (Condega and Jalapa)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (General Cigar Dominicana)
Robusto: 5 x 50 ($6.49 SRP)
Toro: 6 1/2 x 50 ($6.99 SRP)
Churchill: 7 x 48 (7.29 SRP)
Macanudo Inspirado Black
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (General Cigar Dominicana)
Robusto: 4 7/8 x 48 ($6.99 SRP)
Toro: 5 7/8 x 54 ($7.49 SRP)
Churchill: 7 x 48 ($7.99 SRP)