The Southern Draw Cigars family and AJ Fernandez Cigar Co. have fervently collaborated for 10 years, this time fusing six different tobaccos, in creating the teams gentlest blend. Resulting in an incomparable brown butter flavor somewhere between subtly toasty and elegantly nutty while remaining classically smooth, intentionally delivering a medium intensity that will be easy for most to enjoy. Claro que sí!
The new core blend is called the MORNING GLORY (ipomoea tricolor or Heavenly Blue) as the name suggests, the inspirational Heavenly Blue morning glory flowers unfurl into full bloom in the early morning, and once the flower closes in the mid-afternoon, the flower never opens again, instead it produces seeds and the vine produces only new flowers the next morning. Each bloom, and in our case, each cigar is a symbol of hope and the fresh start we embrace with each new sunrise that is granted.
Southern Draw Cigars has long been compelled to release this blend but held this and several other releases as they maneuvered through COVID restrictions and supply chain challenges. Despite the Claro or Connecticut Shade (USA) wrapper, MORNING GLORY is an entirely different mixture of tobaccos intended to be a perfect complement to our Rose of Sharon. Based on generous customer feedback, the company agreed the RoS carries a flavor too substantial to be considered a “lead-pipe cinch” for all new cigar smokers or those that primarily enjoy smooth and mild classic blends. Sure, the MORNING GLORY can be enjoyed anytime, and we expect it will be, but it has the manners and taste in a triumvirate of sizes to be THE first cigar every day.
Heartfelt sentiments of Robert, Sharon and Ethan Jacob Holt from Southern Draw Cigars sum it it beautfully:
“The MORNING GLORY has been produced in over 20 sizes or formats, enjoyed by the SDC family for many years, and in an age of instant gratification, it has taken incredible perseverance to achieve our desired result. As the pursuit of our own defined excellence came to an end, we consulted some of the most respected masters of this handmade art, and each had no further suggestions to make the Morning Glory better. The blend is a beautiful token of our daily appreciation to our SDC family that have not previously been honored. Despite their financial investments and collective patient dedication of our continued growth, all have remained quietly offstage but just behind the drawn curtain. A very public thank you to Auntie M, Brendan and Paula, Ellen, Sean, Mark and Julie, George and Kim, Michelle, Kyle, Kris, Larry, Dan O, Tom, Amy, Pat, Zac and Courtney, Mike, and Mike Jr.”
To provide a “first look” at this new blend before the general release date, Southern Draw Cigars has partnered with Cigars International to include two (one time only) test sizes, 6.5×46 Lonsdale and 6.75×52 Perfecto in a box pressed format which have been included in the Create-Your-Own CIGARfest – 64 Cigar – Deluxe Cigar Package, being sold at each of their retail superstores between September 24th and October 29th, 2022, including seven events highlighting the SDC brand. https://www.cigarsinternational.com/page/cigarfest-2022/2044481/
The MORNING GLORY will be packaged in the company’s faceted 10 count boxes, identical to that of the MANZANITA, the Heavenly Blue color scheme of the boxes and multi-color cigar bands were carefully chosen by Sharon Holt, to embody the morning glory blooms and its climbing green vines.
The MORNING GLORY blend is described as:
- Wrapper: Claro (light), Connecticut, USA
- Binder: Habano Hybrid, Nicaragua
- Filler: Corojo 99, Criollo 98, Nicaragua
MORNING GLORY is a regular production blend, 180,000 cigars per year available to all valued retail partners in three sizes,
- Rothschild (4.75×50)
- Short Churchill (6.5×48)
- Diadema (6.75×52)
MSRP is set at $12.49 – $13.99 per cigar – prices subject change based on local, state, and federal taxes and fees. Presales begin November 15, 2022, and delivery is expected in early Q1 2023
For general information about Southern Draw Cigars, a list of retail partners, cigar blends and reviews, please visit us at the company’s new website: www.southerndrawcigars.com.