Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/695589
48 SMOKESHOP June 2016 Inter-Continental Trading USA Inc. Rolls Out Consumer Loyalty Points Program Inter-Continental Trading USA Inc. has launched a new Loyalty Points Program in which customers can collect and redeem points for branded merchandise. Point values—located next to the UPC label— can be found on each bag of OHM, Au Naturall'e and 752 Pipe Tobacco, 752 Filtered Cigars, as well as Shargio Tubes. "Repeat customers are the heart of our business," said Shargio Patel, president of Inter-Continental Trading USA Inc., "and for that reason, we've developed a fun program to thank them for that loyalty." After collecting a sufficient amount of points, customers can log on to ictusainc. com and click the "Rewards" tab or ICT Loyalty Points Program banner. From there, they will be directed to a page showing the available merchandise, as well as 3 easy steps to redeem their points. The Loyalty Points Program is the start of more consumer-focused rollouts planned for ICT brands, and coincides with a website re-design. OHM, Au Naturall'e, and 752 Pipe Tobacco from Inter-Continental Trading USA are made from only the finest American-grown tobacco blends, and all of the company's products are manufactured in the U.S. New dealer inquiries are welcome. Inter-Continental Trading USA, Inc., Mount Prospect, Ill, Tel: (847) 640-1777, Toll-free: (800) 595-0796, Web: ictusainc.com. Brand NEWS J. Grotto Anniversary Adds Box-Pressed Double Robusto Maduro For IPCPR 2016, Paul Joyal's Ocean State Cigars will debut a Double Robusto addition to the J. Grotto Anniversary boutique premium cigar line—a 5-1/2" x 54 cigar offered in a box-pressed configuration. The Anniversary line is hand-made with 100 percent long-filler tobacco. The Double Robusto shares the same blend and construction details as the four original Anniversary shapes, blended and manufactured by Phil Zanghi, whose Dominican operation shares factory space with the Reyes' family of tobacco producers. Its double- capped wrapper is a naturally fermented Connecticut-grown maduro broadleaf, while the binder is a Dominican-grown Habano. Joyal is guarded about the special blend the factory developed; saying only that it is Dominican and "other Central American tobaccos." Like all Anniversary shapes, the Double Robusto is a medium-bodied cigar, departing from all other J. Grotto cigars, which are medium-full to full-bodied. "Although many cigar lovers rave about full-bodied cigars, most buy medium-bodied brands," says Joyal. "Anniversary's rich flavor is the full equal of highly-touted full-bodied cigars, many of which actually lack flavor, despite their power." All tobaccos are aged at least three years, and the finished cigars another three to four months. The cigars are presented in high-quality Spanish cedar boxes of 10 cigars, with a suggested retail price is $8.50 per stick. All J. Grotto cigars are available only to brick-and-mortar tobacco shops. Ocean State Cigars, Inc., West Warwick, R.I., Tel: (401) 822-0536, Email: Paul@OceanStateCigars.com, Web: www.OceanStateCigars.com. La Aurora Launches Black Lion La Aurora, the oldest cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, has launched a new premium cigar line, Black Lion, in four blends: Connecticut, Cameroon, Corojo, and Maduro, each "full of taste that represents four different types of choices." Black Lion Connecticut (yellow bands) features a Connecticut wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder and fillers from the Cibao Valley, Nicaragua as well as Peru for a "very well-rounded" blend. Black Lion Cameroon (blue bands) sports a Cameroon wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder, and fillers from the Cibao Valley and Nicaragua. It's characterized by "wooden and cocoa notes with hints of cinnamon." Black Lion Maduro (red bands) features a Cubra wrapper over Brazilian binder and fillers from Cibao Valley, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Peru. It has citrus notes, cocoa, and cedar among others. Lastly, Black Lion Corojo (green bands) taps a Corojo wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder with fillers from the Dominican Republics Cibao Valley and Nicaragua. It has honey and floral notes. Hand rolled by La Aurora in Santiago de los Caballeros, Black Lion comes in four sizes in black Cuban-dress boxes of 25 cigars, each with color-coded accents corresponding to the four blends: Robusto (5 x 50), Churchill (7 x 50), Toro (5 1/2 x 54), and Gran Toro (6 x 58). La Aurora, Santiago, Dominican Republic, Web: www.laaurora.com, distributed in the U.S. by Miami Cigar & Co., Miami, Fla., Tel: (305) 599-3395.