New Dark Cigar From United Tobacco

Gregory Mottola
Posted: August 13, 2009

When Eddie Ortega,co-owner of United Tobacco Inc. came across a cave of bats while hiking in the mountains of Veracruz, Mexico, he didn't get scared. He got inspired.

Years later, the experience still resonates with him, and has taken creative shape in the form of a new cigar, aptly named Murcielago, which means "bat" in Spanish.

"Awhile back, up in the boonies of Veracruz, I found a place where they have a ton of bats," said Ortega. "They grow a lot of tobacco [in Veracruz] too, so it made sense to me to name this cigar, with its Mexican tobacco, after all the bats in the area. It was a nice fit."

Like the bats, a good amount of the tobacco for the Murcielago brand comes from the Veracruz province, specifically the San Andrés valley of Mexico, which is an area known for producing quality maduro wrappers.

The blend consists of a dark Mexican wrapper and binder around Nicaraguan filler tobacco. Ortega describes the flavor profile as being medium to full bodied, and the cigar is offered in five box-pressed sizes: Churchill, 7 1/8 inches by 48 ring gauge; Toro, 6 1/8 by 50; Belicoso, 5 1/2 by 52; Robusto, 5 1/4 by 50; and Rothschild, 4 1/8 by 50. They come in boxes of 20 and retail for $8.75 to $9.61.

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