Tabacalera Palma Celebrates 85 Years With La Galera 85th Anniversary, Imperial Jade
The Tabacalera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic is celebrating its 85th year with a special commemorative limited-edition cigar called La Galera 85th Anniversary that will be available with two different wrappers, along with a new, regular-production line called Imperial Jade, which sports a Cameroon wrapper. Retailers can expect the cigars to start shipping in September.
La Galera 85th Anniversary is a multi-generational family effort: the 6 inch by 52 ring toro will be available in two wrapper types, Ecuador Connecticut and Connecticut broadleaf. The Ecuador Connecticut-wrapped version was blended by José “Jochy” Blanco, while the Connecticut broadleaf version was blended by Jochy’s son José Manuel.
“My father’s blend was inspired by my grandfather, Don Nanán, who loved Connecticut wrapper almost as much as his nine children,” José Manuel stated. “When we sat down to think of ways to accurately convey what this occasion meant to us, we both decided to consult our fathers. My father revisited dozens of scribbles and stand-alone paragraphs in my grandfather’s notebooks… I borrowed my father’s wisdom after bribing him with some cheap whiskey.”
The 85th Anniversary’s interior tobaccos consist of a Dominican Corojo binder and a mix of Piloto Cubano and Criollo ’98 filler from Blanco’s Jacagua and Gurabo farms in the Dominican Republic. The cigars have a suggested retail price of $14.50.
Inside the ornate red boxes are 10 of each version of the 85th Anniversary and an ashtray is built into the top of the outer lid.
The regular-production La Galera Imperial Jade line gets its name from the gem’s color and preciousness. Like the precious stone, true Cameroon wrappers grown in Africa are also prized for their rarity in the cigar world, and the Imperial Jade is wrapped in Cameroon leaf. The Criollo ’98 binder is from Blanco’s Jacagua farm and the Piloto Cubano and Criollo ’98 fillers are from Blanco’s La Canela farm, which he co-owns with Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana.
Imperial Jade is available in five sizes: Corona, 5 1/2 by 44 ($7); Robusto, 5 1/8 by 50 ($8); Toro, 6 by 52 ($9); Piramide, 6 by 52 ($9.50); and Churchill, 7 by 47 ($9.50). All sizes are available in boxes of 20 and made in the Dominican Republic at Tabacalera Palma.
