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Announcements, News & PR for Cigars (November 11 - November 18, 2025)

🔥 Get Ready for the Premium Experience: LeeMack912’s Top 25 List and the Luxury Cigar Boom.

Prepare for a highly anticipated reveal as the LeeMack912 Top 25 Cigar List is on the horizon.

Tune in to the Meet in the Middle Cigar Show for a follow up. Be sure to follow LeeMack’s social media for the dates and content.

📰 Cigar Industry News Briefs

This list drops just as the industry is undergoing a significant transformation: price points are climbing, and the cigar market is clearly steering toward a luxury focus, catering to a sophisticated consumer base that’s driving demand for premium, handcrafted experiences. Beyond the price shift, this week is packed with other intriguing news and releases, so let’s dive into what’s happening now.

🗽J.C. Newman Partners with America250 Commission

J.C. Newman Cigar Co. announced a partnership with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission to brand its Tampa-made cigars with the official America250 logo.

• Commemoration: The branding commemorates America’s 250th anniversary celebration in 2026.

• Start Date: Beginning December 2025, all cigars from the historic El Reloj factory—the last large cigar factory operating in the U.S.—will feature an America250 secondary foot band.

• Affected Lines: Includes The American, Angel Cuesta Rosado/Shade, LeRoy Neiman, and Tampa Smokers.

✮ Habanos S.A. Launches Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de San Luis

Habanos S.A. officially unveiled the Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de San Luis at an exclusive launch event in Germany.

• Vitola: Measures 6.25 x 52 (160mm x 52 ring gauge) in a vitola called Fragancias.

• Series: Joins the Le Hoyo Series (alongside San Juan and Rio Seco).

• Tobacco: Uses leaves exclusively from the San Luis and Vuelta Abajo regions of Pinar del Río, Cuba.

• Pricing (Germany): Packaged in 10-count boxes, retailing for €24.80 per cigar.

🌟 New Limited Editions and Line Expansions

Ashton Announces La Aroma de Cuba Small Batch

Ashton Distributors Inc. announced the La Aroma de Cuba Small Batch, a new limited edition line for 2025.

• Manufacturer: My Father Cigars S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua.

• Blend: Ecuadorian habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder/fillers (Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, Namanji).

• Aging & Profile: All tobacco aged for five years, delivering a full-bodied profile.

• Format: Single 6 x 52 toro vitola.

• Production: Limited to 2,000 boxes of 24 cigars for 2025; MSRP $25.00 per cigar.

Cavalier Genève Ships Project Broadleaf Cowrider

Cavalier Genève began shipping the Project Broadleaf Cowrider, the fourth and final blend in the Project Broadleaf Series for 2025.

• Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf wrapper with three years of fermentation over five years of aging.

• Format: Single 6.5 x 50 toro extra vitola; MSRP $17.70.

• Packaging: Limited to 500 bundles of 10 cigars.

Crowned Heads Expands Tennessee Waltz Nationwide

Crowned Heads announced the nationwide expansion of Tennessee Waltz with new vitolas and updated paper band packaging.

• Manufacturer: My Father Cigars S.A.

• Blend: Connecticut broadleaf wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.

• New Vitolas: Adds a 5 x 50 robusto and 6 x 54 toro to the original robusto extra.

• Availability: Now available nationwide, no longer exclusive to Tennessee retailers.

Viaje Shipments: Vampire Dust Red and Zombie Farmer Bill Hatchet

Viaje announced next week’s shipment of two cigars.

• Vampire Dust Red: New, undisclosed blend, 5 x 54 vitola.

• Zombie Farmer Bill Hatchet: Returning after four years. 5.5 x 54 box-pressed robusto; Nicaraguan criollo 98 wrapper. Priced at $11.67 per cigar.

🤝 Luxury Collaborations

Elie Bleu and Au Départ Unveil Collaboration

Paris-based luxury brands Elie Bleu and Au Départ announced a collaboration featuring three limited-edition items, including a 75-count cigar humidor.

• Design: Special editions of existing Elie Bleu models featuring Au Départ’s signature marquetry branding.

• Exclusivity: Each of the three items is strictly limited to 34 pieces.

💰 Business & Financials

STG Q3 2025 Financial Results

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) announced its Q3 2025 financial results.

• Revenue: Total revenue of DKK 2.357 billion ($365.92 million), down 3% from Q3 2024.

• Handmade Cigar Growth: Handmade cigar sales in North America delivered high single-digit organic growth, accounting for 37% of total sales.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Ships New Samplers

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust began shipping two new samplers.

• Essentials Sampler: Seven core line cigars; MSRP $117.10.

• Deep Cuts Sampler: Eleven cigars, including the new Sin Compromiso Word of Saka; MSRP $232.70 (limited to 5,000 samplers).

📅 Upcoming Event

Cigar Aficionado Top 25 Reveal Schedule

Cigar Aficionado announced the Top 25 reveal schedule for 2025, running from December 15 through December 19.

• December 15: Cigars ranked 10, 9, 8

• December 16: Cigars 7, 6, 5

• December 17: Cigars 4, 3, 2

• December 18: Cigar of the Year

• December 19: Cigars 11-25

Finally, thank you for being a part of our community! Let’s make the next MITMCIGAR LIVE even better, please invite someone to join the conversation this Sunday.

Next Live Show Details

The Meet in the Middle Cigar Show is live at 7:15pm Eastern

When: This Sunday, November 23

Cigar: JFR 20th Anniversary Super Toro

As always, Stay Hype,

- Mark