PCA 2025: Diesel

Diesel was one of several brands being showcased by Forged Cigar Company at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Ever since STG moved Diesel out of the catalogs and made it a brick-and-mortar brand, it has been a brand that has gotten a lot of attention. The brand focuses on bold smokes with a variety of different lifestyle themes. This year, Diesel came into PCA 2025 with two limited cigars to launch. The themes would be the Kentucky Derby and barbecue.

There has been another quiet change since the last trade show. Justin Andrews was the Diesel brand manager from the time the brand was moved into the brick-and-mortar space. He has worked to grow the brand, and his labors paid off as he was promoted to Director of Business Development. Justin wore multiple hats for a while and continued running Diesel’s day-to-day business. More recently, a new brand manager, Joe Krzyston, has been brought in, but Justin will continue to have a heavy role on the creative side of Diesel.

Diesel Whiskey Row Founder’s Collection Raceking

The Whiskey Row series showcases a collaboration between Diesel and Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville. Diesel has enjoyed significant success with both the Whiskey Row and Whiskey Row Sherry Cask core lines. As a consequence of their shared Louisville location, Diesel and Rabbit Hole team up each year around the Kentucky Derby to create special releases. Since 2023, Diesel has launched a limited edition Whiskey Row cigar annually. These yearly releases involve aging tobaccos in barrels sourced from different offerings in Rabbit Hole’s Founders Collection. This year, Diesel proudly released the Founder’s Collection Raceking.

Like many previous Diesel and Rabbit Hole collaborations, the focus has been on aging the binder leaf in Raceking bourbon barrels. In this case, a Nicaraguan used for the binder was selected to be aged in the barrels. The remainder of the blend features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers.

Whiskey Row Founder’s Collection Raceking comes in one size—a 6 x 52 Toro. A total of 2,300 ten-count boxes were produced. The SRP is $15.99 per cigar.

Diesel Pulled Pork

First, there was Diesel Sunday Gravy, a successful series of value-priced limited edition cigars inspired by Italian cuisine. Now, there’s the Diesel Backyard BBQ Series, which includes Diesel Pulled Pork. This cigar pays homage to Pulled Pork, a North Carolina favorite, and reflects Andrews’ roots in that state.

Produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A., Pulled Pork features a Habano Rosado wrapper over a Jalapa binder from Nicaragua. The fillers are Honduran and Nicaraguan. Pulled Pork comes in one size – a thick 5 x 56 Robusto. A total of 2,000 ten-count packs were produced.