Smokeshop

SS August 2016

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64 SMOKESHOP August 2016 Brand NEWS Tony Serino to Launch Nicaraguan-made Serino Royale Cigars Anthony "Tony" Serino, owner of APS Distributors LLC, has teamed up with Omar González Alemán, owner of the La Corona Cigar Factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, to develop and launch Serino Royale 20th Anniversary, a "world-class" cigar that Serino describes as "the journey of a lifetime." The new brand will launch at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas under a new company, Serino Cigar Company, which will focus exclusively on super-premium, handmade cigars. Serino currently markets over a dozen premium brands through APS Distributors produced by Tabacalera Cibao and Intercigar, including Vallejuelo, Niño Vasquez, Antonious, and El Taino, among others. Serino Royale marks a separate approach for Serino. Following multiple trips to the factory to consult with Omar and his son Luis on every step of the blending process, Serino narrowed the final blends down to four distinct selections, all of which will debut simultaneously. Each blend features a distinct wrapper, taste, strength, and selection of sizes. The variations, all featuring different Ecuadorian wrappers, include Serino Royale Connecticut, a "surprisingly satisfying mild to medium-bodied Connecticut featuring an abundance of flavors not typically found in a Connecticut-wrapped cigar; Serino Royale Medio, a medium-bodied Habano blend; Serino Royale Maduro, a medium to full-bodied dark Ecuadorian Habano; and the full-bodied Serino Habano Maduro XX. La Corona Cigar Factory grows, harvests, ferments, and ages all of the tobacco that its highly trained rollers use to produce its cigars, ensuring maximum consistency of the final product. Alemán's career blossomed when he started working in Cuba's Partagas factory, but his true fame began when he became the director of La Corona Factory in Havana, manufacturer of Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Cuaba, Por Larranga, Saint Luis Rey, San Cristobal de Habana, and Montecristo. The cigars are double banded with a separate foot ring designating the blend and presented in premium-quality 20-count lacquered boxes packed with Boveda two-way humidification packs. Serino Royale will be unveiled and available for sampling at the Serino Cigar Co. booth #137 at the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas in July and slated to ship shortly thereafter. Serino Cigar Company, Pompano Beach, Fla., Tel: (954) 784-5557, Email: tonys@apsdistributors.net. Swisher Launches Swisher Sweets Caramel, Swisher Diamonds Swisher International Inc. has introduced two new Swisher Sweets Little Cigars, both made with high- quality tobacco that pack "big taste at a sweet price." Both little cigars come in 100 mm, 20-count soft packs. Swisher Sweets Caramel Little Cigars have a "sticky sweet caramel taste fused with juicy peach." For those who love filtered little cigars with a natural tobacco taste, Swisher Diamonds Little Cigars provide a smooth, rich pure tobacco taste that's unsweetened, what the manufacturer dubs the "un-sweet Swisher." In addition, Swisher Sweets Summer Twist, a favorite seasonal cigarillo, is back again, but only for a limited time during the summer months. Available now for shipment to stores, Swisher Sweets Summer Twist features a sweet lemon mango taste and comes in a resealable 2-count pouch with the "Sealed Fresh" guarantee and is available in "2 for 99¢"and "2 for $1.49" options. Swisher International, Jacksonville, Fla., Web: swisher.com. Duran Cigars Unveils Azan Blue Connecticut Premium Cigar Line Roberto Duran Premium Cigars will jump into the Connecticut-wrapped premium cigar segment at the 2016 IPCPR show in Las Vegas in July with the release of Azan Blue Connecticut. The new line for the Azan brand will come in three sizes: Robusto (5 x 50), Campana (6 x 52), and Toro de Luxe (6 1/2 x 54). The flavor is described as medium, creamy, and very smooth. The fillers and binders are from Nicaragua while the wrapper comes from the first Connecticut crop at Fincas Azan in Ecuador. "I am very excited about our incursion into the Connecticut wrappers," said Roberto Pelayo Duran, owner of Duran Cigars. "I was following very closely the crop at Fincas Azan last year and couldn't believe the size and quality of the leaves. Tasting the cigars and appreciating the beauty of the wrapper now give me tremendous joy and I can't wait to see the reaction of the Azan smokers." The Azan Blue Connecticut line will be priced between $7 to $8 per stick and will be presented in 20-count boxes. Miguel Schoedel, national sales manager at Duran Cigars, said, "I have always admired the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. This particular crop is exceptional." Roberto P. Duran Premium Cigars, Miami, Fla., Tel: (786) 391-4563, Email: info@rduranllc.com, Web: robertodurancigars.

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