There was talk of reduced foot traffic at the 2017 IPCPR, but you would not know it from Espinosa’s booth at the show. This booth seemed quite busy the 3 1/2 days the trade show was open. While there wasn’t a ton of new products at the trade show, there was still enough to keep customers happy.
First up are the Espinosa Reggae and DREAD. This was a project that was announced prior to the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show. It was one of the few innovative projects on display at the show this year. What made it innovative was the incorporation of Jamaican Lengua de Vaca tobacco into the blend.
Espinosa Cigars describes the Espinosa Reggae as a medium-bodied cigar featuring Nicaraguan and Jamaican Lengue de Vaca tobacco in an Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper. It will be available in three sizes: Robusto (5 1/2 x 54), Toro (6 x 52), and Short Churchill (6 1/2 x 48).
The other Jamaican offering is the Espinosa DREAD. This is a more limited offering that not only showcased innovation, but artisanship as well. DREAD is described as a medium to full-bodied cigar featuring Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Jamaican Lengue de Vaca tobacco in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The cigar is unique in that it is rolled with several pigtails at the head, reminiscent of the fuse on their La Bomba line, to resemble dreadlocks on the cigar. The cigar is available in one size – a 6 x 56 Toro Grande. I had this as one of Cigar Coop’s top five picks for hottest cigar at the show – and I don’t think I was that far off.
The other big story was the third iteration of Murcielago. Murcielago was originally a blend done at Erik Espinosa’s old company EO Brands, in conjunction with Eddie Ortega. When EO Brands split, Espinosa got the rights to the brand, however, he could not get the details of the blend from the factory that was making Murcielago. The Espinosa team worked to reverse engineer the blend and two years ago, the company debuted a new version of Murcielago. Espinosa still felt some additional work was needed on the blend, so he turned to AJ Fernandez (whom Espinosa is working with for some production) to refine the blend. The result was a third iteration of Murcielago. Espinosa cigars used the 2017 show to also introduce some packaging changes.
The blend for Murcielago still features a Mexican San Andres wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. It is being launched in two box-pressed sizes (Robusto and Toro) and one rounded size (Rabito).
The heritage of Murcielago was not forgotten about as the three bands were also on display at the trade show.
Finally, Espinosa Cigars chose to showcase an installment of its Backroom Series called Eminent Domain. The Backroom Series is a line of cigars that is exclusive to Espinosa Lounges. Last year, Espinosa Cigars rolled out eight installments of the Backroom Series in a limited fashion. The Eminent Domian was the first wider release of those eight installments.
The Eminent Domain is described as a rustic-wrapped Habano cigar. It is available in one size – a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigars are packaged in ten-count boxes.
Finally, Pier 28 Cigars, a brand owned by Espinosa West Coast Sales Manager Tim Wong, was a part of the Espinosa booth. Last year at the Trade Show, he launched his first cigar, the Pier 28 Habano. This year, he returned with his second line, the Pier 28 Maduro.
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
