Cigar Aficionado

The cigar industry and the world of Louisiana State University (LSU) has ed with Bocock Brothers Cigars for the first officially licensed, LSU-branded cigar. The partnership includes two regular production lines, a limited-edition release and a series of cigar accessories, all set to debut in early September, at the start of college football season.

Bocock Brothers Cigars is a boutique cigarmaker that operates in Houston and Honduras, a company that makes both private-label cigars and a brand called World Traveler. The latter includes several lines, such as the World Traveler Maduro made by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua. 

The two regular production cigars are called LSU Connecticut and LSU Habano, which are emblazoned with the familiar purple and gold seen on LSU jerseys. Those will be sold on an ongoing basis. The limited-edition line, LSU Centennial Edition, is set to be a one-off, special release created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of LSU’s Tiger Stadium. Along with the cigars, Bocock is debuting a series of cutters, lighters and ashtrays, all with LSU-branding.

All three cigar lines will be available in two sizes, Robusto (5 inches by 50 ring gauge) and Toro (6 by 52). The LSU Connecticut features a Connecticut-seed, Honduran wrapper with a Costa Rican binder and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. The LSU Habano also is made with a wrapper from Honduras, but with binder from Nicaragua to go along with Nicaraguan and Honduran filler tobaccos. The Centennial Edition is similar—Honduran wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, filler from Honduras and Nicaragua—but Bocock says these limited-edition cigars have been aged for years. Bocock prefers not to disclose production size, but says Centennial is much more limited than the two regular production lines. 

Each line will be packaged in 20-count boxes. The LSU Connecticut comes in a glossy white box, with the LSU Tiger centered on the front along with other university-specific branding. The Habano will feature an identical design, but with an LSU purple finish. The Centennial is meant to have more of a collectible-feel. The box features a logo commemorating the 100th anniversary of Tiger Stadium, with the famed venue pictured in the background. 

The cigars come with eccentric, LSU-themed bands. The LSU Connecticut and Habano feature the roaring LSU Tiger as the main band, with secondary bands reading “LSU Tigers” underneath. The only variation between the two lines is the main color—white for Connecticut, purple for Habano. The Centennial line swaps in the 100th anniversary logo for the Tiger, while the secondary bands mirror those on the purple Habano line.

The LSU Connecticut and Habano will range in price from $14.20 to $14.35 per cigar, while the Centennial cigars will be slightly more expensive, $14.95 to $15.45 each. LSU will receive a commission percentage for the sale of each cigar, although the exact percentage remains private. The products (including the accessories) will be sold on the Bocock website and will also be available at some cigar retailers throughout Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Texas, areas targeted as hubs for LSU alumni. 

“We are incredibly proud to be the first Cigar Company to collaborate with a major university like LSU,” said Doug Bocock, co-founder of Bocock Brothers Cigars along with his brother Bryant. “This collaboration feels especially fitting, considering LSU’s long-standing tradition of celebrating championships with cigars.”

While most universities, and the NCAA, are vehemently and openly Joe Burrow, while being positioned squarely in the national spotlight. Recent athletic success has generated hundreds of millions in revenue the last few years, thanks in part to a string of national championship victories and a lineup of budding superstar athletes (Burrow, Livvy Dunne, Angel Reese, Paul Skenes), some of whom will be featured in an Prime Video documentary series centered around LSU athletes and the new  NIL era called "The Money Game." Plus, LSU is a part of the mighty SEC conference, which is growing increasingly powerful and profitable. 

It is this present context that has Bocock believing this partnership is primed for success. “This is a start of a new era as it relates to sports and cigars,” says Doug Bocock. “We figured out and understand how to navigate this space now.” The company hopes to add more special releases in the future, celebrating football and other LSU sports.

The LSU Tigers football team will begin the season against USC on September 1.

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