Zorglub123 Posted July 7 Posted July 7 I'm new to the forum, but rather long in the teeth with CC. I hope I will be able to contribute somehow, but initially I have a question about the age of the tobacco leaves in regional editions. Specifically, I am inquiring about the Quai d'Orsay Capitolio. It was announced as a 2018 release, and effectively launched mid-2019. I just purchased a box with a box code of APR 2025. So is it a brand new cigar with no age whatsoever, or it is using the original tobacco blend from 2018 and had just been rolled and released now??? The question is about this particular CC, if there is a generic answer it works as well. Many thanks .
Fuzz Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Welcome to FOH. It is customary to introduce yourself here, before requesting assistance from the Forum. 1
avitus Posted July 7 Posted July 7 5 hours ago, Zorglub123 said: Specifically, I am inquiring about the Quai d'Orsay Capitolio. It was announced as a 2018 release, and effectively launched mid-2019. I just purchased a box with a box code of APR 2025. According to cubancigrwebsite: Quote " The imprinted factory code and the date are applied before leaving the factory, either for warehousing or for immediate export." As far as I know there is no way to know exactly the time cigars in your box were rolled. 1
cigaraholic Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Yes, it’s a brand new cigar. I’ve never heard of a RE coming with extended aged tobacco. I would imagine boxes will come trickling out until the next time Haley‘s comet comes around... 1
BoliDan Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Talisman entered the chat. Yes, Habanos S.A. continues to make popular sticks with new tobacco. I wish I was a fly on the wall in HSA leadership meetings. I bet its the most ridiculous data driven and non-business oriented decision making anyone has ever heard. 2
Popular Post El Presidente Posted July 7 Popular Post Posted July 7 11 hours ago, Zorglub123 said: So is it a brand new cigar with no age whatsoever, or it is using the original tobacco blend from 2018 and had just been rolled and released now??? The question is about this particular CC, if there is a generic answer it works as well. Many thanks . This could go a couple of different ways. They rolled all the cigars back in 2018/19. Due to packaging shortfalls/Covid/incompetence...they are just getting to finish them off now. There is no hurry as the distributor has already paid for them. They rolled some cigars back in 2018, quota fell short, got caught up in a range of issues (Covid/packaging etc), the distributor kicked up a stink and they have just got back to it now. You won't know which scenario is correct but the distributor will. 9
Çnote Posted July 7 Posted July 7 4 hours ago, Fugu said: Mind posting some pics, Please, I'm dreadfully curious on this one. 1
El Presidente Posted July 7 Posted July 7 4 hours ago, El Presidente said: This could go a couple of different ways. They rolled all the cigars back in 2018/19. Due to packaging shortfalls/Covid/incompetence...they are just getting to finish them off now. There is no hurry as the distributor has already paid for them. They rolled some cigars back in 2018, quota fell short, got caught up in a range of issues (Covid/packaging etc), the distributor kicked up a stink and they have just got back to it now. You won't know which scenario is correct but the distributor will. From memory the longest release phase for a PCC regional I have seen (launch to final availability) was three years. In that case I know that the cigars were being rolled progressively/haltingly through the period. 7 years doesn't sound possible on the surface. 4
MagicalBikeRide Posted July 7 Posted July 7 I’m kinda waiting for @El Presidente to just post that picture of Colombo 😂 1
MagicalBikeRide Posted July 7 Posted July 7 https://halfwheel.com/quai-dorsay-capitolio-er-francia-2018/296751/ and https://www.bondroberts.com/product/view/41445/Quai_d'Orsay_Capitolio_Edición_Regional_Francia_2025_Numbered_semi_boîte_nature_box_of_10_cigars 1
El Presidente Posted July 7 Posted July 7 1 minute ago, MagicalBikeRide said: I’m kinda waiting for @El Presidente to just post that picture of Colombo 😂 Waiting for the photos of the ABR 2025 box 2
El Presidente Posted July 7 Posted July 7 3 hours ago, MagicalBikeRide said: The BR link above appears to be ENE 25. There will be a story there but I am not aware of it. Alex Groom will no doubt jump in and shine some light later today 1
gormag38 Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Yeah I'd be curious to know the outcome of this. I know I've seen some QDO Clemencau posted online that were found in French LCDH this year. Shop owners said they came in with the most recent shipment; if I'm remembering correctly that was a '21 release.
Chibearsv Posted July 7 Posted July 7 4 hours ago, El Presidente said: From memory the longest release phase for a PCC regional I have seen (launch to final availability) was three years. In that case I know that the cigars were being rolled progressively/haltingly through the period. 7 years doesn't sound possible on the surface. Wasn't the Punch 8-9-8 a long release? I've owned boxes dated 2019-2021 and I thought I'd seen some dated later than that. Is there anything that prevents Habanos from continuing REs indefinitely if they are selling? I know the initial announcement references a specific number of boxes to be produced, but is that a real number? Are either the RE or LE releases locked into the number they cite at the announcement, or is that ultimately determined by the marketplace?
El Presidente Posted July 7 Posted July 7 2 hours ago, Chibearsv said: Wasn't the Punch 8-9-8 a long release? I've owned boxes dated 2019-2021 and I thought I'd seen some dated later than that. Is there anything that prevents Habanos from continuing REs indefinitely if they are selling? I know the initial announcement references a specific number of boxes to be produced, but is that a real number? Are either the RE or LE releases locked into the number they cite at the announcement, or is that ultimately determined by the marketplace? Two year stretches are fairly common. SP El Rey was another case in point. I am not aware of Habanos continuing to roll out a Regional after the allocation has been completed. That is unless the distributor has arranged another release /extention. PCC did that with the 2007 Ramon Allones Estupendos and Punch Super Robusto. Distributors are more likely to be shortchanged than oversupplied 1 1
Fugu Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Everything is possible. Not meaning to imply anything. There have been considerable delays in recent years, and ERs being delivered over longer periods of time than before, due to limited production capacities. Like Rob states, I’ve also seen recent ERs trickling in over a period of up to five years (e.g. box dates from 2019 to 2024). A stretch of seven years, like in the Capitolio seems like a new record for a running release (i.e. not a re-release). Still what’s irritating is the factory code APR, if this isn’t simply a confusion with the production month. 2
Popular Post ATGroom Posted July 8 Popular Post Posted July 8 I would say with a high degree of confidence that it's a brand new cigar with no age whatsoever. Pretty much every RE is rolled in a few different batches that are delivered normally a year or so apart. The order for the Capitolio was 15,000 boxes, which is pretty big for an RE these days. You would normally expect them to be produced in probably five or more batches over a couple of years. The first batch came in 2019... and then some very tough years for Cuba came shortly afterward. They are just getting to the rest of them now and probably won't finish them for some time. They should be the same blend recipe as the 2018 boxes, but the tobacco would be from the last few seasons. There have been circumstances where the entire run has been rolled and then sits in the escaparate for years, but this is because the cigars are waiting on something else like the fancy boxes or fancy gold foil or for the negotiations with the buyer to be sorted out. There is nothing like that going on here. The only time I am aware of that tobacco has been claimed to be reserved from a particular harvest for eventual production later down the road is the Reserva series and the second run of Talisman, which supposedly was made from the same harvest as the first. 5 11
Zorglub123 Posted July 8 Author Posted July 8 Great feedback and advice. Mr. Groom has been thoroughly authoritative on the subject - thanks again (particularly as my brother asked you the same question privately). 🙏
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