A Trio of New La Galera Cigars

Source from:  Cigar Aficionado 07/15/2016

José "Jochy" Blanco's Tabacalera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic has been rolling cigars for 80 years, and to celebrate the milestone, he's releasing three new extensions to his La Galera brand.

La Galera 80th Anniversary Box Pressed Limited Edition, La Galera 1936 Box Pressed and La Galera Maduro will all debut at this month's International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show in Las Vegas. Each will be distributed by IndianHead USA, which Blanco acquired last year.

The 80th Anniversary Box Pressed Limited Edition features a San Andrés wrapper from Mexico that covers a Dominican Corojo binder, with filler tobaccos that include Piloto Cubano, Criollo ‘98 and Olor, all grown on Blanco's Potrero Farm in the Dominican. Each box will be packed with seven cigars in two different formats: El Lector, which is a toro measuring 5 inches by 54 ring gauge; and Cortador, a 6 1/8 by 52 ring torpedo. The cigars will sell for a suggested retail price of $11.50 per stick.

Blanco also plans to release La Galera Maduro, a five-size extension that features Piloto Cubano and Criollo ‘98 tobaccos in the filler, grown on Blanco's Jacagua and Gurabo farms, respectively. A Dominican Piloto Cubano binder sit atop these fillers, with a dark, San Andrés wrapper covering it all.

La Galera Maduro will come packed in boxes of 20 in five sizes: Vitola No. 1, measuring 3 1/2 inch by 50 ring gauge; Pegador, 6 by 46; Chaveta, 5 by 50; El Lector, 6 by 54; and Churchill, 7 1/4 by 50. The cigars will range in price from $4 to $6.75 each.

Rounding out the new offerings is the La Galera 1936 Box Pressed. For this cigar, Blanco went with a Habano Ecuador wrapper and Criollo ‘98 binder with Piloto Cubano and Criollo ‘98 for filler. The binder and filler tobaccos hail from La Canela. The line comes in six sizes, packed in 21-count boxes: Pegador, at 5 1/2 inches by 46 ring; Chaveta; 5 by 50; El Lector, 6 by 54; Churchill, 7 1/4 by 50; Cortador, 6 1/8 by 52; and Pilon, 6 1/4 by 60. The cigars will range in price from $6.30 to $9.20 per cigar. Enditem