Warped Cigars Brings Back Don Reynaldo

Source from:  Cigar Aficionado 06/11/2015

A short-lived, small-production cigar from a small company is coming back as a regular-production brand, and it's made in Miami.

Last December, the fairly young Warped Cigars company launched Don Reynaldo, a limited-edition, sentimental cigar that paid homage to company founder Kyle Gellis's father, Ronald. Only 100 boxes of Don Reynaldo were made, which shipped to retailers in a single corona size. Don Reynaldo is now returning as a regular-production cigar in a new robusto size called Don Reynaldo Regalos. The cigar will make its first official appearance as a production brand at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in July.

"Don Reynaldo was a project I did to honor my dad, who groomed me into the cigar lifestyle since I was a kid," Gellis said in a conversation with Cigar Aficionado. "When I showed him the reviews about how much people enjoyed Don Reynaldo, and how they wished more were made, it was his decision to make it a regular-production cigar. His words were, 'People should be able to enjoy a cigar they like all the time.' "

The Don Reynaldo Regalos measures 5 inches by 46 ring gauge and features a Dominican Corojo wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The cigar will retail for $15.00 and come packaged in boxes of 10. Don Reynaldo will start shipping to retailers immediately after the trade show.

"We chose to work with El Titan de Bronze for this project as they were already producing our other Miami lines, El Oso and La Colmena," Gellis said. "With the material they had at the factory, I knew I could create a blend that my dad would approve of. After some time, I did just that."

Kyle Gellis started Warped Cigars in 2008 while still attending college. He had three short-lived cigar brands-Annubis, Osiris and Private Blend-that were rolled at a small factory in Florida. Gellis sold them through his Warped Cigars website, however, he put a halt on his cigar brands to finish school. After graduating, Gellis returned to the cigar industry and relaunched Warped Cigars in 2012 with a focus on cigar accessories. Last year, Gellis shifted his attention back to blending cigars and released El Oso. In addition to the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami, Warped also has other brands made at TABSA in Nicaragua. Enditem