A Cuban Ghost Brand Rises Again in Italy

La Escepcion, a marque founded by Jose Gener of Hoyo de Monterrey fame and dormant since the late 1980s, is back on shelves this week as a Habanos Edicion Regional exclusive to Italy. The Selectos Reales is a 5 1/2 x 52 belicoso limited to 4,000 numbered boxes of 50, the third act in distributor Diadema's Italian trilogy. Resurrected dead brands are collector catnip: production this small, tied to a name with real 19th-century pedigree, tends to vanish into humidors and trade at a premium for years. If you have a contact in Italy, this is the week to use it.