Two Habanos regional editions were launched last week in Asia, including the very first “exclusivo Japón”.

 

“A is for Asia, a region of the world that values ​​tradition and refinement, and, as we approach the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse, also symbolizes promising beginnings, renewal, and prosperity.” These were the words with which Thuy Thu Van, General Manager of Golden Phoenix Vietnam, welcomed the arrival of the Saint Luis Rey The A RE Asia-Pacific 2025 at the launch event held at the Habanos Specialist flagship store in Ho Chi Minh City on February 4th.

The launch was orchestrated simultaneously, on the same day and at the same time, in all partner stores (Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines) under the auspices of The Pacific Cigar Company (PCC), the exclusive distributor of Cuban cigars in Asia.

The event opened with a live, “regional-vision” speech by the CEO of PCC. “Launched in the late 1950s and then withdrawn from the market in 2014, the Saint Luis Rey The A is now officially relaunched by Habanos SA as an Asia-Pacific regional edition, confirming the historical and collector’s status of this elegant vitola,” emphasized Dag Holmboe. These coronas gordas (143 mm x 46) are offered in boxes of 25. 4,000 traditional wooden boxes with sliding lids have been produced.

Beyond its rarity, it was the balance and quality of the cigar that captivated the guests of Habanos Specialist on February 4th in Ho Chi Minh City, such as T. N’Guyen, a regular at the event: “It offers notes of toasted cedar, light cream and a sweet natural flavor, then it evolves towards warm spices and a subtle white pepper. The finish is fragrant and spicy, perfectly balanced by the format for a slow and refined tasting,” the Vietnamese aficionado enthusiastically points out.

 

The very first regional edition for Japan

A few thousand kilometers further north, Japanese cigar aficionados were not to be outdone. Following the launch of the Saint Luis Rey The A, PCC reserved an exclusive special edition for the Land of the Rising Sun with the launch of the Bolivar Hamaki RE Japan 2025 on February 9th at the Cigar Club of Tokyo. “The launch in Japan was decided upon because this Bolivar Hamaki is the very first regional edition for Japan. We wanted to mark the event by offering our Japanese enthusiasts the first tasting of this cigar,” proudly states Norio Hattori, PCC’s Regional Marketing Director and Special Advisor to Tang Tobacco Japan.

The name Hamaki means cigar tobacco in Japanese; its origin comes from the words “ha,” meaning leaves, and “maki,” meaning twisted.

Measuring 155 mm in length with a 50 ring gauge (factory name: dobles), the Bolivar Hamaki is also offered in boxes of 25 cigars; 4,000 boxes will be produced, making them collector’s items from the outset.

 

Philippe Dova, Asia Correspondent
Photos: © Avanti / The Pacific Cigar Company