PCA 2025: Topper Cigar Company

Topper Cigar Company is a regular stop for the Cigar Coop Coalition team at the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, and 2025 was no exception. Last year, Topper Cigar Company made a significant release with the Topper 1894 line, a cigar celebrating its 130th anniversary. This release came just three years after the company launched its 125th-anniversary cigar. The reason for this accelerated timeline is that Topper has historically traced its company’s founding back to 1896. However, Chris Topper, President of Topper Cigar, discovered historical documents indicating that the company’s inception dates back to 1894. As a result, Topper is established as the longest-standing family-owned cigar company in the United States, solidifying the company’s rich history in U.S. tobacco.

This year, Topper had a couple of line extensions to both the 125th Anniversary and 1894 lines in the form of a 4 1/4 x 43 vitola called the Shorty. When the Topper 125th Anniversary was being released, Chris Topper had a small allocation of the 4 1/4 x 43 size made for his personal consumption and to give to close friends. Topper decided to release the Shorty size in the 125th Anniversary line. It uses the same blend, including the 2017 vintage Connecticut Broadleaf. This becomes the second size in the 125th Anniversary, joining the Toro size.

Meanwhile, Topper is also adding the Shorty size to the 1894 line. A Habano wrapper from Sugar Valley, Pennsylvania, highlights the 1894. These wrappers are grown in a secluded region of central Pennsylvania. Chris Topper believes he might be the only one using this tobacco in a blend. The Shorty becomes the fourth size in the 1894 line.

Pricing and release dates for the Shorty are still to be announced.