Hello and welcome to August's first edition of new releases on Puff.com. We have quite a variety of cigars to present today, so let's jump right in....

Illusione Cruzado

Illusione is doing some restructuring with regards to its Cruzado line by refining and replacing two of its vitolas. The new sticks are not available just yet, but they are expected to be revealed in New Orleans this August at the IPCPR show.

The Marelas, a perfecto shape that measures 5 5/8x 46, will get a name change to the Marelas Supremas. Its size will also change, although how large it will be is still unknown. Based on the Supremas suffix, one could incur that the newer edition will be larger than the original. The second vitola that will be replaced is the Domenicos, which measures 5 5/8x 56. Its size will be increased to 6 x 56, and it will carry the new moniker of Domenicos Extra to reflect its size growth.

The Cruzado line is one of the smoother offerings from Illusione and is medium-bodied. It features a filler blend of tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. The binder is Nicaraguan as well, and a Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper finishes it off. Spice, leather, and coffee are some of the flavors one can expect. The Cruzado line comes in boxes of 20. The upcoming Domenicos Extra vitola is expected to sell at around $10 per single. Other offerings in the line currently average in the neighborhood of $8 to $10 each.

La Verite Tatuaje A.O.C.

Being unique and different can be a good thing, and Pete Johnson, owner of Tatuaje cigars, takes this train of thought to heart with his upcoming La Verite Tatuaje A.O.C. line.

The La Verite line is unique because of the process in which it is made. While many manufacturers of premium cigars prefer to use blends of various tobaccos, Johnson chose to stick with tobacco from one farm and one harvest. The Criollo tobacco for the La Verite was taken in 2008 from the La Estrella farm in Esteli, Nicaragua, which is owned by Don Pepin Garcia. In addition to the one year, one location approach, Johnson also decided to roll the cigars in 2009. In essence, he reversed the typical process. Usually, tobacco is aged in bales on its own and then rolled into a final product. The tobacco for the La Verite line was quickly rolled into cigars and then allowed to age in a completed form.

If you are interested in sampling the effectiveness this unique process employed by Tatuaje and enjoy Nicaraguan puros, you can do so when the line becomes available in the next few weeks. Retailers will supposedly be able to choose the packaging, which will be offered in boxes of 10, 25, 50, and 100 cigars.