Tradecraft Adds Shinobi as Fourth Core Cigar, Drawn From Japanese History

Tradecraft Cigars has announced Shinobi, the fourth release in its core line alongside Gladius, Azorian and Vitruvian, according to Halfwheel. The cigar is a full-bodied 5 1/2 x 52 Gran Robusto. Rob Blumenthal, owner of Tradecraft, developed the blend with Hostos Fernández Quesada, owner of Tabacalera La Isla in the Dominican Republic, where the cigars are made.

Halfwheel lists the blend as an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder. The filler combines Dominican Olor viso, Nicaraguan viso from Condega and Jalapa, and Connecticut broadleaf viso.

Tradecraft describes Shinobi as "dark, sweet, and slow-burning," with notes of coffee, cinnamon, cocoa powder and saffron running through a steady sweetness. The company says the layers of rich smoke reward an unhurried smoker, and that this balance and complexity has become the trademark of its cigars.

As with its other releases, Tradecraft says it is drawing on its love of history, this time from Japan. In a press release, Blumenthal said there is perhaps no culture the company loves more than ancient Japan. He said the team collects Japanese swords from the Kamakura and Muromachi eras and Japanese tattoos, and appreciates Japanese art. In its own story for the cigar, the company calls the shinobi the group in history that best embodies the spirit and application of tradecraft, and names them its inventors. It points to the Shoninki, historical documents that record the shinobi's tactics and techniques.

Halfwheel notes that shinobi is the traditional Japanese term for what became known as ninja, though they were often common people hired as spies or saboteurs. The word comes from shinobu, meaning to hide or steal away.

Shinobi comes in boxes of 12 with a suggested retail price of $13.80 per cigar and $165.60 per box. Halfwheel lists the cigar as planned for release in October 2026. It will first be available through Luxury Cigar Club and its subscription packs, then in the club's online shop within a week or two, and to other retailers in December.