In with the new! I think anyone who knows me knows one thing for sure: I love working in the specialist tobacco trade. I get to work with products that I’m genuinely passionate about and mostly get to talk with people who share my hobby. However, my one foible with the trade is that there’s not always a huge amount of new products on the market. So, when we have a run of new things, I tend to get a little excited! So, this week, I’m going to give you a run-down of some of the new goodies we’ve had in recently!
Flavour Sprays
Ok, I know these aren’t a “new” new product, as they’re been out for a few months now. However, we’ve just been informed that a few new flavours have been added to the original six. These are Spearmint, Strawberry, Blackcurrant, Cherry Brandy, Rum and Cherry Menthol. I’m pretty happy to hear this, as I was always a big fan of the flavoured rolling tobacco and was struggling a bit with only having 6 sprays to choose from! Thankfully, these new flavours bump the total up to 12 and include a few of my favourites from the former AK range (yay, strawberry!) This is actually an advanced scoop, as we’ve only just heard they’re available, so they won’t be here for sale for another few days, but keep an eye out for them arriving very soon!
9mm Basket Pipes
Our “Basket Pipes” have always been a hugely popular product for us. If you’re wondering what a “Basket pipe” is: 
They’re simply no frills pipes that we sell in assorted baskets at a great value price. The Cool and Sweet pipes have always been a customer favourite. However, there was always something missing from this range and that thing is filter pipes! Well, we’ve finally been able to plug this gap with a new assortment of 100% genuine briar filter pipes. Now you don’t have to choose between a bargain pipe and a filter pipe, you can have both! Again, these are so new that they’re not actually available online yet, but they can be found at our Chester Store.
Nothing makes me happier than getting in some new cigars to try! Regius are a very popular brand, amazing value and one of my go-to smokes. Again, I’d always felt something was missing from the range: There were plenty of nice long, heavy gauge cigars to enjoy over an hour or so, but there wasn’t anything to fill the need for a convenient, short smoke. Finally, the Media corona has arrived to fill that gap! Measuring up at 3 ½” x 46rg, this new format allows for a cigar that perfectly expresses the sweet, mellow chocolatey flavour in a convenient 20-30 minute smoke. definitely going to be a regular choice for me from now on!
New Tubed Havanas!
Ok, again, I guess these aren’t technically new cigars (although one definitely fits into the category of “New-ish”) but a couple of Havanas are now being released in cedar lined tubes for the first time and both of them are firm favourites of mine. There first is one of the newer additions to the Partagas Portfolio, the Serie E No.2 and the other is the newest H. Upmann, the Magnum 54. Both of these are good, chunky 54 RG cigars, which allows for the full taste of the blend to be enjoyed. I’m a huge fan of both of these, especially the Partagas Serie E No.2, as I was reminded at a tasting a few weeks ago! So, the fact I can now enjoy both in the convenient tubed format is a real bonus for me. Tubes are not only handy for keeping cigars fresh if you don’t have access to a humidor, but they also offer great physical protection for cigars, so they’re perfect for just keeping in your pocket if you’re attending an event, but don’t want to have to carry a cigar case with you!
So, there you go: It’s good to see some new stuff coming in! Hopefully there’s something in there that you’d like to try!
Until next time: Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Calum
