Smokable Cigar Bands from La Gloria Cubana

The YG-23 is a 7 inch by 60 ring cigar that comes dressed with a swatch of smokable homogenized tobacco leaf as its band.

Gregory Mottola
Posted: August 28, 2012

If you’ve ever smoked a cigar down to the nub, you’ve probably burned your fingers trying to peel off the paper band before it went up in flames. Maybe you didn’t even realize that the band was burning until it was too late. The new La Gloria Cubana Trunk Show cigars address this problem in a practical and creative way—smokable bands.

At this summer’s IPCPR trade show, General Cigar Co. (owner and producer of the La Gloria Cubana brand) unveiled its limited-edition Trunk Show Collection, which featured two different cigars with two different types of smokable bands.

The Liga LR-1 measures 7 by 52 and features a smokable band that is actually a piece of die-cut tobacco leaf.

Created by Team La Gloria’s Yuri Guillen, the YG-23 is a 7 inch by 60 ring cigar that comes dressed with a swatch of homogenized tobacco leaf (HTL) as its band. Because the La Gloria logo is stamped on the HTL with a non-toxic vegetable dye, the smoker can safely puff his cigar down to the nub without ever having to remove the band. Only 500 rustic boxes of the Liga YG-23 were made.

Unlike the Liga YG-23, the Liga LR-1 measures 7 by 52 and features a smokable band that is actually a piece of die-cut tobacco leaf patterned in the shape of the La Gloria Cubana logo and glued to the wrapper. The Liga LR-1 comes in more refined lacquered boxes of 26, of which only 500 were produced.

Both cigars should hit the market in early November.

For more on the La Gloria Cubana Trunk Show and on General Cigar Co.’s IPCPR releases, see today’s issue of Cigar Insider.

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Comments 11 comment(s)

Cody Unczur — Albany, New York, — August 28, 2012 8:28pm ET

Thoght the YG-23 was the 7x52 and the LR-1 was 7x60

Nolan Perry — August 29, 2012 11:09am ET

It may be just be, but I don't find this very exciting at all, but hey, it's perfect for those who can't find the time to take off a piece of paper

Leopold — August 29, 2012 1:53pm ET

How rude to not only leave the band but also burn it. Bad taste

Jeremiah Wood — Athens, GA, — August 29, 2012 9:02pm ET

This is novel, but novel and gimmick are pretty closely related.

Drake Paben — August 30, 2012 7:11pm ET

If I wanted to smoke homogenized tobacco, i would go look for a cigar at the gas station

See Garr — September 1, 2012 12:00am ET

But weren't you guys listening? The ink is non-toxic! Mmmmmm... Tasty.

See Garr — September 1, 2012 12:01am ET

But weren't you guys listening? The ink is non-toxic! Mmmmmm... Tasty.

Alex B Mayer — September 1, 2012 2:11am ET

i love the names of these cigars, it is very creative. I don't think anyone has a cigar called "liga" and the some letters and numbers after to denote the blend. yes nobody has ever done that before.

George C — Commack, NY, USA, — September 3, 2012 1:04am ET

I always like to take the band off while I'm getting close to the end. It is a cool idea anyway. Maybe they will make smokable cellophane in the future and then we can cut and smoke. Safe smoking!

Rick Lee — Cleveland, OH, USA, — September 5, 2012 9:08am ET

You say that this concept is "an industry first." Pete Johnson did this 2 or 3 years ago with his Halloween release, The Leatherman.

sigaro@mailinator.com — May 21, 2013 5:08pm ET

Very cool!
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Thanks for sharing!

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