Aug 29, 2026
Limited-Edition SBC 26
Powstanie Cigars has begun shipping the highly anticipated Powstanie SBC 26, the latest installment in the brand’s limited-edition Surrounded by Champions series, to authorized retailers across the United States.
The SBC 26 continues a series that has become one of Powstanie’s most recognizable limited releases, combining the familiar Corona Gorda format and barber-pole presentation with a completely new blend.
This year’s release is especially significant for the company, as the SBC 26 was developed as a passion project by Powstanie co-founder Gregg Szczepankewicz.
The cigar brings together tobacco from five countries: Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
A Five-Country Blend
The Powstanie SBC 26 is a 5 1/2 x 46 Corona Gorda featuring a distinctive barber-pole wrapper made from Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed tobacco and Mexican San Andrés.
The Mexican San Andrés tobacco was grown by Pablo Morales, while underneath the dual wrapper is a Brazilian Mata Fina binder.
The filler combines four different tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
A Dominican Piloto Mejorado ligero grown by Leo Reyes at Finca De Los Reyes in Navarrete, Dominican Republic, is joined by three Nicaraguan components: tobacco from Condega, Estelí viso from Finca San Nicolás, and Pueblo Nuevo ligero from the 2021 crop.
The cigar is produced at Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A. in Nicaragua, the same factory responsible for producing the Powstanie portfolio.
Gregg Szczepankewicz’s Passion Project
Powstanie National Sales Manager Mike Palmer described the SBC 26 as an especially meaningful release for the company.
“Every SBC release gives us the opportunity to do something special, but the SBC 26 is particularly meaningful because it is Brother Gregg’s passion project,” Palmer said.
Palmer noted the amount of thought, tobacco knowledge and attention to detail that went into developing the blend, adding that the company is excited to finally get the cigars into the hands of retailers and consumers.
Powstanie co-founder Mike Szczepankewicz also had a little fun with the release, specifically calling out halfwheel co-founder Charlie Minato and joking that the SBC 26 had better receive a score higher than an 81.
It was a very Powstanie way of announcing that expectations for Gregg’s newest creation are high.
The Surrounded by Champions Series
SBC stands for Surrounded by Champions, a name created as a tribute to the people who have helped the Szczepankewicz brothers throughout their journey in the cigar industry.
The SBC 26 marks the sixth release in the series.
The previous releases include:
SBC 16 – released in 2017
SBC 18 – released in 2018
SBC 20 – released in 2022
SBC 22 – released in 2023
SBC 24 – released in 2025
SBC 26 – released in 2026
Despite differences in the individual blends, the SBC releases have maintained two defining characteristics: the 5 1/2 x 46 Corona Gorda format and their distinctive barber-pole wrappers.
Powstanie SBC 26 Details
Size: 5 1/2 x 46 Corona Gorda
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed / Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Brazilian Mata Fina
Filler: Dominican Piloto Mejorado Ligero / Nicaraguan Condega / Estelí Viso / Pueblo Nuevo Ligero
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A., Nicaragua
Packaging: 20-count boxes
Production: 500 boxes
Total Production: 10,000 cigars
MSRP: $18.00 per cigar / $360 per box
Production Type: Limited Edition
Availability: Shipping now to authorized Powstanie retailers throughout the United States
With only 500 boxes and 10,000 cigars produced, the SBC 26 is an extremely limited release.
For Powstanie fans, the SBC series has traditionally offered an opportunity to see the company step outside its regular-production portfolio and experiment with different combinations of tobacco while maintaining the series’ signature Corona Gorda size and barber-pole appearance.
The SBC 26 takes that concept a step further with a five-country blend and tobacco selections sourced from several specific growing regions and farms.
And considering this one is Gregg Szczepankewicz’s passion project, there will likely be plenty of attention on the SBC 26 as the first boxes begin landing at retailers.
The Powstanie SBC 26 is shipping now.