Dan Welsh, co-founder of L’Atelier, came up with the concept while replacing a tube in one of his guitar amps. He noticed the top of the tube resembled the head of certain cigars. Since the amp uses two distinct tubes—one being a preamp—the idea was born to include two different cigar sizes in one box, styled to resemble a classic VOX amplifier.

Each box includes 20 cigars—10 of each vitola:

• Surrogates Back Line EL454 (4 x 54) – $9.50 (Box of 10: $95)

• Surrogates Back Line EL554 (5 x 54) – $10 (Box of 10: $100)

The blend features an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It’s described as medium-full in strength with a clean profile, a nod to the crisp tone VOX amps are known for. This is expected to be an annual release, each year inspired by a different iconic guitar amp.

Production is limited to just 1,000 boxes.

-Photos brought to you by Halfwheel