Cigar News: Southern Draw Cigars Expands Desert Rose with Lonsdale and Toro Offerings.

Southern Draw Cigars, the family-owned premium cigar brand, announced two unique line extensions for the Desert Rose cigar blend. The first is a 6 x44 Lonsdale size that will be offered nationwide, while the Toro size will be a classic 6 x 52 format that will be an exclusive to Famous Smoke Shop and is dubbed the Famous Exclusive.

Desert Rose was introduced in 2019 as a limited production offering and an offshoot of the popular Rose of Sharon line, the premium Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade line in the Southern Draw portfolio. Desert Rose utilizes a modified blend featuring a thicker, heartier Ecuadorian Claro wrapper the company calls “Cloud Grown.” It was released in one size – a 5 1/2 x 54 Belicoso Finos.

The Desert Rose Lonsdale features a “flag” cap and is packaged in 12-count boxes designed by Humidif Group U.S. Production and is slated for 4,000 boxes per year. Retailers can now pre-order the initial 1,000 boxes that are expected to begin shipping in October 2020. Pricing is set at $9.99 per cigar, $121.00 per 12-count box, and a limited stock of 12-count replacement bundles are available at $115.99. The boxes feature a retail-friendly shelf display.

The Toro-sized Desert Rose Famous Exclusivo is slated to be a limited production of 250 10-count boxes. It features an introductory price of $9.99 per cigar/$99.95 per 10-count box from 9/30/2020 to 10/4/2020 and then $108.99 per box. It will feature a unique secondary band produced by Cigar Rings identifying it as a Famous Exclusivo. The Famous Exclusivo is available for purchase during a live virtual event hosted by Famous Smoke Shop & Southern Draw Cigars from 7 – 9 pm ET on September 30th.

In addition, Southern Draw has announced the Belicoso Finos size will continue to be available. Production is set at 80,000 cigars per year and these are now available for purchase in standard 20-count boxes and a limited amount of 20-count bundles.

Commenting on the new releases, Southern Draw Cigars’ Boss Lady and the namesake of the Rose of Sharon blend, Sharon Holt said, “We had to wait much longer than desired but the Desert Rose now headlines the 2020 Fall Release Collection in sizes that I find most enjoyable, offering a wider variety of smoking experiences of the blend. Simply put, the two new sizes of Desert Rose provide consumers, what I personally consider the two best smoking experiences for the blend and I have tried it in many sizes and formats. That said, we understand that our customers are sometimes very focused on new releases, wanting products that are specifically tailored to uniquely highlight the blend, so these are my gifts to them. These product line extensions address this desire for new releases while honoring the character of the original blend and by working closely with Famous Smoke Shop over the last 18 months, we were able to bring yet another exciting exclusivo cigar offering to their loyal consumers.”

At a glance, here is a look at the Desert Rose line:

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Claro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano (Condega)
Filler: Honduran Corojo ’99, Dominican Piloto Cubano
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez de Nicaragua