Meerapfel Project 18 Set to Ship in the Fourth Quarter

Meerapfel Cigar says Project 18 will begin shipping worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2026. The cigar was shown last week at InterTabac in Dortmund. Sticks n Stogies was not at the show. These details come from Meerapfel’s announcement and from reports by Halfwheel, Cigar Dojo and Cigar Coop.

Project 18 is a new annual series. Each year the company will take one blend from tobacco it has been aging, produce it once, and not make that blend again. The first edition is a 6 x 50. Production is 180 chests of 99 cigars, 17,820 cigars in all. The number 18 refers to the Hebrew symbol for life.

The only blend fact released is the wrapper: vintage Meerapfel Cameroon. Binder and filler were not disclosed. Meerapfel says the wrappers age for decades at Maison Meerapfel, in a room finished with Japanese paulownia wood. Cigar Dojo reports that the finished cigars then age in paulownia as well. The company describes the profile as dark Belgian chocolate, with sweetness and a powdery texture. The chests are paulownia, with perforated humidity chambers. The 99 cigars are tied in a wheel with Bleu de Vie ribbons. Each chest includes two gold plated tubes.

U.S. pricing is $99 a cigar, or $9,801 a chest. Chests will be allocated through Meerapfel’s partner shops rather than sold as open stock. Jeremiah Meerapfel, who leads the family company, said in the release, “This may be one of the most extraordinary creations yet.”