PCA 2024: C.L.E. Cigar Company

The C.L.E. Cigar Company booth was one of the busiest at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. On day three, which saw many booths considerably slow down in terms of traffic, this was not the case with C.L.E. The booth remained slammed throughout the whole afternoon of day three. The theme around C.L.E. at PCA 2024 was packaging. The company made a major packaging change to its core C.L.E. brand and introduced several innovative packaging concepts throughout its portfolio.

On its core line, the C.L.E. Connecticut, C.L.E. Habano, and C.L.E. Corojo blends received the new packaging. Christian Eiroa was inspired to make the change after hosting a C.L.E. event at The House of Grauer in Geneva, Switzerland. Specifically, it was the classic Cuban design of the lounge that inspired Christian Eiroa to make the change. These lines trace back to the beginning of C.L.E. in 2012 – and this is the third set of packaging changes that these lines have seen.

Many companies seem to struggle with what to do with the PCA Exclusive program, but C.L.E. is not one of them. PCA Exclusives are cigars only sold to retailers who attend the PCA Trade Show. Once again, C.L.E. had a PCA Exclusive for each of its three main brands: C.L.E., Eiroa, and Asylum.  Like the 2023 release, each PCA Exclusive incorporates tobacco from C.L.E.’s undisclosed South American farm. The releases are differentiated by the wrapper: C.L.E. (Connecticut), Eiroa (Maduro), and Asylum (Habano). The big story of these releases is the packaging. Previous C.L.E. PCA Exclusives included packaging that doubled as an ashtray. This year, each PCA Exclusive release comes in a 100-cout reusable honeycomb display. The 100-count units contain four sizes: 50 x 5, 11/18, 52 x 6, and 60 x 6. Pricing comes in at $1,896.00 per 100-count unit.

Asylum Serenity Now and Insanity Later is a two-blend offering under a single package. It includes a smooth Connecticut Shade cigar known as Serenity Now. Serenity Now also incorporates Honduran and tobaccos from the South American farm into the blend. The Insanity Later offering is a bolder, more aggressive cigar. Insanity Later features a Habano wrapper over an undisclosed blend. Insanity Now and Serenity Later come in two sizes: 50 x 5 (SRP $8.00/cigar) and 54 x 6 ($10.00/cigar). Both blends come packaged together in a similar honeycomb-like display.

In 2023, C.L.E showed a preview of the Asylum Twelve, the annual anniversary edition cigar for Asylum. As the name indicates, this is a cigar commemorating 12 years of Asylum (which is in 2024). C.L.E. showcased the cigar again this year, but this time in some new packaging. Once again, the Asylum Twelve was showcased, but instead of using coffins, it now features tubes. Presented in 20-count boxes, the Twelve comes in two sizes: 11/18 (SRP $21.60/cigar) and 70 x 7 (SRP $26.60/cigar). Other than mentioning the Asylum Twelve tobacco from the company’s South American farm, no details are being disclosed. This cigar is expected to arrive on retail shelves this spring.