Azimuth receives packaging award

---

 In 2021, Smoke Inn, a retailer in South Florida, released an Advent calendar that was so impressive that it resulted in halfwheel changing the rules for the Packaging Awards to allow for a retailer’s packaging to be eligible. 

For 2023, the company added a new offering, the Hanukkah Holiday Box, a nine-cigar sampler created by the retailer made up of part Smoke Inn exclusives, high-dollar limited editions, and at least one cigar that was exclusive to the box. Those nine cigars are a nod to the eight nights of Hanukkah and the candles on the menorah. The ninth candle, known as the shamash candle, is used to light the candles, hence nine cigars. 

 For the Hanukkah Box, the sampler was presented in a design based on the Star of David, which required two shapes of high-quality cardboard boxes to be used for the individual cigars—both triangles and pentagons—with graphics of candles on the sides. There were also nine corresponding cards that came in individual envelopes and that explained what each cigar was.

https://halfwheel.com/2023-packaging-top-10/6-smoke-inn-hannukah-box/

Collaboration By Azimuth Designs and Manny Iriarte they created one-of-a-kind Cigar Humidor for Basketball Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning.

With over 15 years in the National Basketball Association and a cornerstone of the Miami Heat, Alonzo Mourning, in August 2019, was inducted into the NBA’s Hall of Fame. He currently works for the Miami Heat, serving as Vice President of Player Programs — this NBA Champion and two-time defensive player of the year named twice to the NBA’s ALL Defensive team. He’s known the world as simply “Zo,” Alonzo Mourning.

The Espinosa Habano and Sensei’s Sensational Sarsaparilla, a collaboration between Espinosa Premium Cigars and Cigar Dojo, are both adding a 6 x 48 grand corona vitola called the Rabito, via a limited edition travel kit that is being released in celebration of both companies’ 10th anniversaries.  Each of the bright orange travel kits contain five of each cigar, for a total of 10 cigars. Instead of a traditional hard plastic shell, the Cigar Dojo Travel Kit uses a lightweight, durable material that is secured with a rugged zipper. The lid offers a mesh liner for storage of accessories.  Pricing is set at $109, with production limited to 1,000 kits. They will go on sale exclusively at Neptune Cigars on June 17 at 12 pm EDT.

“The Espinosa Habano has always been one of my favorite cigars, and the Sarsaparilla is a legendary Dojo blend,” said Eric Guttormson owner of Cigar Dojo, via a press release. “For our 10th year, we really wanted to highlight these two cigars with a very special 6 x 48 Rabito vitola.”  The Espinosa Habano was one of the company’s first lines and the first to be made at the La Zona Cigar Factory in Estelí. It uses a Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler.

Sensei’s Sensational Sarsaparilla debuted in 2014 and uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from Nicaragua’s Condega and Estelí regions, a combination that led to the cigar’s name, as it is said to offer a flavor reminiscent of sarsaparilla root beer. While originally a limited edition and single store exclusive, it became an ongoing, seasonal release in 2021 that is available to all Espinosa retailers.  “We launched Espinosa Premium Cigars around the same time as Cigar Dojo in early 2012,” said Erik Espinosa, owner of Espinosa Premium Cigars, in a press release. “The Dojo awarded our Espinosa Habano their No. 1 spot that year, and our two companies have had a close relationship ever since. We wanted to give our loyal fanbases something special to mark our decade milestones, and the Cigar Dojo Travel Kit hits it out of the park.”

https://halfwheel.com/espinosa-habano-senseis-sensational-sarsaparilla-add-rabito-vitolas-in-new-travel-kit/409718/

This October, the second version of Oliva’s Advent Calendar will arrive at stores.  This year’s version features completely new packaging compared to last year’s release and may or may not include different cigars. What is known is that there will be 25 cigars inside, representing the company’s Oliva Connecticut Reserve, Serie G, Serie O, Serie V, Serie V Melanio, Cain and NUb lines. In addition, there’s a bonus gift that is not a cigar.  What exactly all those items are—the specific cigars and the bonus gift—is not being disclosed until the Oliva Advent Calendar 2022 is shown off at next month’s PCA Convention & Trade Show, which takes place July 9-12 in Las Vegas.  

Oliva has said that there will be some limited edition cigars. For context, last year’s release included two cigars that the company does not regularly sell.  The Oliva Advent Calendar 2022 will have an MSRP of $220 per sampler and will ship to stores this October.

https://halfwheel.com/olivas-cigar-advent-calendar-returning-for-2022/409943/