Cornelius & Anthony – IPCPR 2017

Cornelius & Anthony Premium Cigars made a big splash coming onto the scene in 2016, launching a whopping four cigar lines in the span of seven months. And while the cigars were split between two factories for production (El Titan de Bronze and La Zona), the four blends shared the common trait of Habano-style blends. This made for a direct strategy to fill out the brand’s portfolio in 2017, with C&A introducing both maduro and Connecticut-wrapped blends at the trade show.

Cornelius debuted with a more impressive booth than most new brands in 2016 (even though it wasn’t technically their first attempt at the IPCPR), so it made sense that the brand would return with the same setup for 2017. The booth is medium-large and offers a classic look of brick, wood, and glass. The setup is open-concept, with cigars displayed along the side of the booth in large, glass-panelled shelves. Early 20th century artwork lines the walls, such as the cross-hatched look seen on each of the brand’s releases.

With a nearly overwhelming amount of cigars released last year from C&A (although understandable, considering the FDA’s imposed release deadline), it was refreshing to find the straightforward additions to the portfolio this year.

Aerial

Aerial is the first time Cornelius & Anthony has used a Connecticut Shade wrapper on a blend. As such, the cigars will be on the mild/medium side, described as being more flavor-forward than your average Connecticut. Aerial will be produced at Erik Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Estelí, as with all other Cornelius cigars, with the exception of the brand’s eponymous Cornelius cigar. The cigar’s imagery has a steampunk feel depicting a hot air ballon, with the tagline, “A great smoke, like cream, rises to the top.”

Señor Esugars

Another first for C&A, Señor Esugars offers a maduro blend, using a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over a similar interior recipe as Aerial—a USA-based binder (most likely broadleaf) and Nicaraguan fillers of the Jalapa region. The cigar is named after company owner Steven Bailey’s own dog, a dachshund named Oscar. Señor Esugars is offered in the same four sizes as Aerial and most other C&A cigars, although there are slight differences between each line. The cigars saw a small shipment in July but have yet to receive a widespread release and are currently listed as “backorder” from most online retailers.

Other

Cornelius also expanded their self-titled Cornelius cigar—their first and most expensive offering—from three sizes to four. The new addition is a 6½” x 42 Lonsdale, joining the Toro, Robusto, and Corona Gorda sizes introduced in 2016. The cigars will be rolled at El Titan de Bronze and priced at $13.50 (MSRP); making it the second most affordable in the series. The size is now available for sale.

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