Tag Archives: Archetype

News: Two Items From Ventura: Archetype Mini-series and Swiss Distribution

There were two news items out of Ventura Cigars this week, so I thought I’d consolidate them into one post. I gotta tell ya, I’m a fan of the PsyKo7 cigars, have been since the fist time I smoked on back in 2013 when I was on the Cigar Authority show with Dave Garofalo and Mr. Jonathan. I especially dig the Maduro. I haven’t smoked a great many of the Archetype yet, but I have enjoyed the ones I’ve smoked, I really need to try more, and look forward to these Mini-series cigars, although the Swiss distribution isn’t likely to effect me much!  Check out the news: 

Number 1.

Ventura Cigars is pleased to announce that the Archetype Mini-series is now shipping to tobacconists all over the United States. This 3-cigar collection- Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks- was released with fanfare in July 2018 at IPCPR, and instantly caught the eyes of the industry for its unique blends and backstory. And it’s now available for consumers on their own quest for standout cigars.

Inspired by the musings of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell over the recurring characters and themes in a hero’s journey, Archetype cigars launched in 2016, and cigar enthusiasts immediately took notice. Archetype cigars, including Dreamstate, Sage Advice, Strange Passage, Initiation and Axis Mundi have repeatedly been recognized for their flavorful blends and extraordinary smoking experiences. This mini-series is a new addition to the line, which adds mysteriously interesting details to its overarching tale.

Says Michael Giannini, General Manager for Ventura Cigars, “We were blown away by the attention the Archetype Mini-series received at IPCPR this year. We know that Archetype is different, really special. And if we’re adding to that story, the new smokes needed to live up to the legend of the ones that came before them. And that, they truly do.”

Custom-crafted and blended to perfection at the renowned Oliva Factory, the rich layers and flavors of Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks beckon to be tried, tasted, and savored. Details about cigars include:

Crystals

20-count box

Size: 5×50

Format: Robusto

Wrapper: Sun-grown Habano

Binder: Nicaragua Habano

Filler: Nicaragua Habano

MSRP: $180/box, $9/Cigar

Curses

20-count box

Size: 5×50

Format: Robusto

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Nicaragua Habano

Filler: Nicaragua Habano

MSRP: $180/box, $9/Cigar

Cloaks

20-count box

Size: 5×50

Format: Robusto Square Press

Wrapper: Broadleaf

Binder: Nicaragua Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

MSRP: $180/box, $9/Cigar

We invite Archetype enthusiasts to be sure to check out all three cigars in the mini-series,” says Giannini. “If you enjoy Archetype, you’ll relish Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks. And if you haven’t tried an Archetype cigar yet, the mini-series is a great place to start. Like a good story, you can always go back to re-read the beginning.”

For more information about Archetype cigars and where to find them, please visit venturacigar.com.

Number 2.

Ventura Cigar Company is pleased to announce that its Psyko Seven cigars will be arriving on European shores this October at the upcoming Oettinger Davidoff Expo in Lucerne, Switzerland. Held from October 20 through October 22, at the Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, the Expo 18 is expected to host hundreds of attendees looking to bring Oettinger Davidoff brands and products into their retail outlets. The cool, eye-catching edge of the Psyko Seven brand, and the high-quality craftsmanship of these cigars made at the Occidental Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic, are expected to draw buyers from all over Switzerland, potentially leading to additional growth into other European countries.

Rick Charles, International Markets Manager of Ventura Cigar Company.Says Rick Charles, International Markets Manager of Ventura Cigars, “The Ventura Cigar Company and the Oettinger Davidoff AG have enjoyed a successful partnership for many, many years. Because we both have incredibly high standards for the quality of our products, and a mutual respect for each other and the industry, we’re able to create and shape this new opportunity, initially bringing Psyko Seven to Swiss retailers. We think the European market is more than ready for the disruptive nature of the Psyko brand, and that it will do well here.”

 

Charles will be going to Switzerland for the show, along with Michael Giannini, General Manager at Ventura Cigars and Psyko Seven’s Brand Ambassador. They’ll be on scene with swag from both Psyko Seven and Ventura Cigars, plus samples of the product for attendees to explore.

Michael Giannini, General Manager of Ventura Cigar CompanyWe’re excited to head to Switzerland with Psyko Seven,” says Giannini. “Our US customers have enjoyed these cigars for years. It’s time we let Europe in on these incredible smokes. I’m looking forward to growing the brand here in Switzerland, and to really seeing it take off. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

 

Designed to strike a chord of taste and experience, the complex flavors of Psyko Seven’s blend of seven tobaccos offer a medium-bodied, extraordinary smoke that’s richly satisfying. The branding is equally attention-getting, with clean, white packaging and detailing that reads more like a doctor’s orders. Psyko Seven cigars have earned high ratings by top industry publications, and have become almost a cult classic in the United States market.

The Psyko Seven cigars include:

  • Psyko Seven Natural, which received over-90 ratings by Cigar Snob, Cigar & Spirits, and Cigar Aficionado,
  • Psyko Seven Maduro, which received an over-90 rating from Cigar Aficionado,
  • Psyko Seven Connecticut, a relatively recent release.
  • Maduro Psykorillos, conveniently sized for when you’re short on time.

There’s something really unique about the Psyko Seven cigars,” says Gerhard Anderlohr, General Manager, Davidoff of Geneva Switzerland, Oettinger Davidoff AG. “We’ve been impressed with their longstanding quality and success and are pleased to work with Ventura Cigars to bring this brand into Swiss retailers. I’m confident it will be well-received, and look forward at growing our partnership even more.”

About Ventura Cigar Company

Ventura Cigar Company (VCC) is a unique cigar brand born in sunny Southern California that is on a mission to create memorable, complex cigar blends that excite the senses and reward discriminating palates. Their flagship Archetype, Case Study, Project805, and PSyKo SEVEN brands offer multiple award-winning blends that earned 90+ ratings in Cigar Aficionado, Cigar & Spirits, and Cigar Snob. And Archetype’s Axis Mundi won #13 Cigar of the Year for 2017 from Cigar Aficionado. Ventura Cigar Company also distributes the 4th Generation and Comoy’s of London line of pipe tobacco products, extending its reach and tradition of offering top-quality tobacconist products. Pipes and blends under these brands are cultivated through generations of craftsmanship, making them longtime favorites of pipe tobacco enthusiasts.

About Oettinger Davidoff

Oettinger Davidoff Group, with sales of approximately 500 million Swiss francs and 3,600 employees around the world, traces its roots back to 1875 and remains family-owned to this day. The company is dedicated to the business of producing, marketing, distributing, and retailing premium-branded cigars, tobacco products, and accessories. The premium-branded cigar business includes Davidoff, AVO, Camacho, Cusano, Griffin’s, Private Stock, Zino, and Zino Platinum. Oettinger Davidoff Group is also the sole agent of many brands in several countries, such as Haribo in Switzerland and S.T. Dupont in the USA. Its business is anchored in a strong “crop-to-shop” philosophy, having pursued vertical integration from the tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua to its global network of over 75 Davidoff Flagship Stores and strong Appointed Merchants.

 

 

Share

Comments Off on News: Two Items From Ventura: Archetype Mini-series and Swiss Distribution

Filed under News

News: Ventura Cigar Company Announces Upcoming Release of Archetype Fantasy Mini-Series

This one came in late yesterday, but I had already posted enough for one day!  I like these guys, I’m a big fan of the PSyKo Seven line and have enjoyed several other offerings. Of course, I’ve been following Michael Giannini for quite a while too and consider him a friend, and there’s the whole recent Island Lifestyle distribution news item too. So I hope to try the new Archetype offerings soon. 

 

The Journey Continues.

The next chapter of the popular Archetype saga is set to be revealed this July, at the 2018 IPCPR show. Continuing the narrative of the hero’s journey, this three-cigar series unveils new details of the overarching story, a flavorful new tangent to be smoked and savored.

Crystals, Curses, and Cloaks, the cigars of the Archetype Fantasy Miniseries, have been custom-crafted and blended with rich, premium tobaccos at the acclaimed Oliva factory. Specifics of these soon-to-be legendary cigars include:

Crystals

20-count box

Size: 5×50

Format: Robusto with closed foot and pigtail cap

Wrapper: Sun-grown Habano

Binder: Nicaragua Habano

Filler: Nicaragua Habano

MSRP: $180/box, $9/Cigar

Curses

20-count box

Size: 5×50

Format: Robusto with closed foot and pigtail cap

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Nicaragua Habano

Filler: Nicaragua Habano

MSRP: $180/box, $9/Cigar

Cloaks

20-count box

Size: 5×50

Format: Robusto Square Press

Wrapper: Broadleaf

Binder: Nicaragua Habano

Filler: Nicaragua

MSRP: $180/box, $9/Cigar

“We’re telling a story at Ventura Cigars,” says Michael Giannini, General Manager at Ventura Cigar Company, and visionary behind the Archetype miniseries. “And although Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell would agree that there are similarities within any tale, it’s the particulars that set every story apart. The Archetype miniseries reveals more details of the hero’s journey. Really of every smoker’s journey. We’re all heroes on our adventure through life, and we’ll all uncover different nuances, flavors, and essences from these cigars. And that uniqueness is the beauty of this release.”

About Ventura Cigar Company

Ventura Cigar Company (VCC) is a unique cigar brand born in sunny Southern California that is on a mission to create memorable, complex cigar blends that excite the senses and reward discriminating palates. Their flagship Archetype, Case Study, Project805, and PSyKo SEVEN brands offer multiple award-winning blends that earned 90+ ratings in Cigar Aficionado, Cigar & Spirits, and Cigar Snob. And Archetype’s Axis Mundi won #13 Cigar of the Year for 2017 from Cigar Aficionado. Ventura Cigar Company also distributes the 4th Generation and Comoy’s of London line of pipe tobacco products, extending its reach and tradition of offering top-quality tobacconist products. Pipes and blends under these brands are cultivated through generations of craftsmanship, making them longtime favorites of pipe tobacco enthusiasts.

Share

Comments Off on News: Ventura Cigar Company Announces Upcoming Release of Archetype Fantasy Mini-Series

Filed under News

Ventura Cigar Company Archetype Axis Mundi

Archetype_AxisMundi_ToroSaturday while I was at the cigar shop I picked up a few of Ventura Cigar Company’s Archetype cigars, specifically the Axis Mundi in Toro and Robusto. I had smoked this in the corona size last year and really enjoyed it, and commented that I wanted to try it in larger sizes. It takes me a while to get around to things sometimes. The Archetype Axis Mundi has a Habano Ecuador Maduro wrapper, Indonesian Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan Habano filler and it’s made at Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. I really enjoyed the toro, it had similar sweet dried fruit and savory flavors. I smoked the robusto tonight, but I lit it after the first cigar wasn’t satisfying me, and it didn’t do it justice having whatever little flavor the previous cigar left behind. I hate it when that happens. The toro was great though, I really enjoyed it.  I also smoked the Archetype Strange Passage in the robusto size and it was very good, although quite different, even though it has an Ecuador Habano wrapper too.  I’m a fan of quite a few of the Ventura offerings, and look forward to trying more of the Archetype lines.

 

PA BarnsmokerSpeaking of Drew Estate, they announced dates for their Barnsmoker events, and added a Pennsylvania Barnsmoker in Lancaster County, PA. I believe it sold out already, but I happen to know one person who has an extra ticket for sale. If anyone is interested, drop me a note and I’ll put you in touch with him. They teased a new blend featuring PA Broadleaf that I look forward to trying. If you go, look me up. Also, if you want to find events local to you, check out Cigar Planner. I heard about this site on the Cigar Hacks Podcast.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

Share

3 Comments

Filed under Review

World Know Tobacco Day and an Archetype Axis Mundi Corona Cigar

I read somewhere that today is World Know Tobacco Day, so I said to myself: “hey, I know tobacco, and I really like it!” It’s been said that tobacco cultivation has been done for ten thousand years in the Americas, the indigenous people used if medicinally and ceremonially long before Europeans “discovered” the Americas. The Europeans took a shine to it, and its use was met with mixed opinions, some of the  more enlightened (tongue firmly planted in my cheek) thought people with smoke coming out of their mouths an noses was a sign of demonic possession while others saw the economic potential. Our beloved nicotiana tabacum  was the currency that underwrote the war of independence and made the United States the independent country that it is today. Of course, nobody remembers that, and it’s again demonized by the less enlightened. Just the other day I was yelled at by a woman on our local multi-use trail where Macha and I take our daily walks. She ran past me and yelled “how can you be smoking on a trail where people are running?” I chuckled at her rudeness, an imagined that it offset any of my own rudeness for daring to enjoy a legal product. I wonder how people can live in a world where people do things that they don’t like. I don’t appreciate all the sweaty, stinky runners and cyclists disturbing my relaxation on the trail, but I’m not so rude as to point it out! Perhaps if I had a stick up my ass I’d have a different opinion. Anyway, tobacco is now grown in beautiful countries, tended by passionate and caring people, rolled into cigars by artisans and smoked by intelligent and humble people like us. Hopefully now you know tobacco a little better and can properly celebrate this World Hedonism Organization (WHO) holiday with a fine cigar. I got that all right, didn’t I?

 

Archetype_AxisMundi_CoronaI celebrated tonight with a cigar from the folks at Ventura Cigar Company, the folks that make the Psyko 7 and Project 805 cigars. I’ve been a fan of the Psyko 7 line since I had one in late 2013 as a guest on The Cigar Authority radio show. I have a neat Psyko 7 humidor that my wife won that works quite well, and have a cool light-up Psyko 7 Maduro sign hanging in the smoking porch. So I was pretty excited when I saw the Archetype line displayed at the IPCPR show last year, but I couldn’t really find anyone in the Phillips and King International booth to help me. Not their fault, they were busy and I’m not the guy at the show that’s high on the priority list. I managed to get my hands on some of the Archetype Axis Mundi Coronas, which was tonight’s smoke. I also got some of the Initiation in the same size, and the one I smoked last night tasted great, had a really unique flavor that I loved, but half way through it died on me, one of those strange situations that blowing through the cigar gives plumes of smoke, but drawing gets nothing. I tried and tried, but it frustrated me. I have more, I’ll come back to that one at a later date because I really liked the flavor. To be fair, it had spent a couple of hours in a case in my pocket on a humid evening, which may have contributed to my problems. The Archetype Axis Mundi has a Habano Ecuador Maduro wrapper, Indonesian Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan Habano filler. This is on the stronger end of the spectrum, had a great burn, although I let it go out a couple of times because I was trying to maximize the time smoking. It was great for a three-mile walk on the trail where nobody complained. It had some burned wood, savory and sweet dried fruit kinda flavors with a hint of spice. I really enjoyed this, I’ll be on the look out for larger vitolas in both this and the Initiation lines and would recommend it highly.

 

That’s all for now, unless you’re looking for Father’s Day gift ideas, then Holt’s has a nice selection on their Father’s Day Cigar Deals page, or the folks at Stage V Clingers are still running a special on their four-pack with the “StageVdad” code. Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

Share

1 Comment

Filed under Editorial, Review