Davidoff also manufactures tubes for its Griffin's line. The Griffin tubos come with a special catch mechanism that ensures your cigars remain in a correct humidified environment for at least three months. The No. 300 Tubos, measuring 61/4 x 43, come in packs of 4 or boxes of 20; the Robusto tubos, at 5 x 50, come in packs of 3 or boxes of 20.

As they say, the rest is history. On the heels of the Yellowband's success were two Hoja Cubana installments: Cuba 1965 and the very rare XXO, with Tony Borhani. The XXO was introduced at last year's RTDA show in Nashville, but never shipped. Consumers' patience was recently rewarded, as Borhani's XXO, trapped in customs for months, according to the manufacturer, became available this month.

As the new century approaches, Carlos is the same stickler for quality that he's always been; he ages his cigars religiously, and keeps his production numbers low, so as to always train a watchful eye on each cigar he produces.

“As the trend toward shaped cigars grows increasingly popular, it seems a natural fit for Villazon to give consumers square-pressed premium cigars to satisfy their needs,” says Villazon vice president Bill Roethel.

The Prensado No. 3, a very dark and oily cigar, is manufactured by Villazon in Honduras, with a Connecticut wrapper.

A hearty and robust smoke, the Flor de Copan features Cuban seed Honduran wrapper combined with a Honduran Cubanito binder, and a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan long filler. Available in seven sizes, the Flor de Copan also offers cigar enthusiasts an enticing sampler package: the “Flor de Copan Selection,” which features a Churchill, Belicoso, and Rothchild.

All-natural, the system is completely maintenance free, and has stability over a broad range of temperatures, making it the perfect solution for controlling humidity during distribution and storage. The Humidi-Pak replaces the existing spacer in cigar boxes.

Now available in four varieties (Petit Sumatra, Petit Light, Petit Brasil, and the new Petit Dominican), Nobel cigarillos remain the leading brand in many European markets.

Aristoff has finally found suitable Cameroon and Brazilian Maduro wrapper leaf for the 7 inch cigars, which include Aristoff 700S Perfecto, Aristoff 700B Belicoso, and Aristoff 700S Special Perfecto, all measuring 7 x 52. The new cigars debuted in March.

“The 1998 Cameron large wrapper leaf is clean and even colored,” said Mr. Hirschfeld. “Overall, it is more favorable than the 1997 crop. We have fermented it three to four times since harvesting in June, 1998 - Cameroon wrapper leaf requires less aging because it is very light.”

All told, Aristoff now offers premium cigar smokers 18 selections in three lines in “the most popular sizes, shapes, and wrappers” notes vice president of procurement Patrice Hirschfeld.