Name Changes and New Cigars

What's Black, White, and Red all over? West Tampa Tobacco Company and

Great Cigars Community News.

All news is directed to members of the cigar community, and how it can impact your day-to-day smoking experience. These updates are obtained from larger outlets such as Halfwheel and Cigar Aficionado, as well as word of mouth.

First up, boutique brand Fuerte y Libre has rebranded, and changed its name. Within the next year, the company's name will be changed to Fortaleza y Libre. This name change comes after a legal dispute with Arturo Fuente. The company's branding will be updated immediately with new packaging and bands, though you may find some of the old bands and boxes out in the wild. They are not bringing their inventory back for rebranding.

Fortaleza y Libre started distribution in the summer of 2019, and has been a focal point of the boutique side of the cigar industry. The original name, Fuerte y Libre, translates to Strong and Free, which holds up with their mission statement posted on their website. The new name, Fortaleza y Libre, translates to roughly the same.

There are also come new cigars hitting your local brick and mortar before this year's PCA Trade Show. The following list contains some of the new cigars being released before PCA:

1. Diesel Vintage Series Natural

2. Padron Black PB97

3. Espinosa 601 La Bomba Warhead X

4. Room 101 Hit & Run

While these are not all the cigars being released before the trade show, it's a nice list to give cigar smokers something new and interesting.

In other news, Laudisi Enterprises has acquired Caldwell Cigar Company and Lost and Found Cigars. Laudisi Enterprises, which is a company more geared toward pipes and pipe accessories, is using this acquisition to become a more prominent name in the cigar industry. Robert Caldwell and Juan Jaramillo will be joining the Laudisi Enterprises management team. While you may not recognise the Laudisi name, you may recognize some of the pipe brands they own, such as Peterson and Cornell & Diehl.

Thanks to West Tampa Tobacco Company for sponsoring Great Cigars Community News.