Share Photo/Padilla Cigars
Ernesto Padilla has just released his Padilla 88 Aniversario, a new, three-size-line made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez. “We wanted to release it last year, but things got crazy,” Padilla told
Cigar Aficionado.
The cigars are dark and lightly pressed, made with a core of Nicaraguan tobaccos and cloaked in Ecuador Havana wrapper. Among the leaves inside is some Pelo d’Oro, a flavorful but fickle tobacco that’s hard to grow, given its susceptibility to disease.
The 88 in the name refers to the 88th birthday of Heberto Padilla, Ernesto’s father and a famed Cuban poet who died in September, 2000. Padilla, who would have turned 88 last year, was imprisoned in 1971 for criticizing the Cuban government, sparking what became known as “The Padilla Affair.” He was incarcerated for more than a month, and after his release he was forbidden from leaving the island until 1980. Ernesto Padilla ha
Share Photos/Altadis U.S.A.
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen anything new from the Honduran Saint Luis Rey brand, but Altadis U.S.A. has decided to give it some attention. Next month, the company is releasing the Saint Luis Rey Carenas, a four-size line named after the Puerto de Carenas, now known as the Port of Havana.
“The historic Puerto de Carenas…was a place to seek repairs,” the company said, referring to 16th century mariners sailing to the West Indies. “But it also served as a departure port for many important exports, including the tobacco leaves destined for the world’s first tobacco factory in Seville, Spain.”
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Texas is back in business. After nearly a year of various shutdowns and restrictions designed to slow the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week the reopening of Texas businesses and the end of the statewide mask mandate. Abbott’s executive order goes into effect today, and allows any Texas business to open to 100 percent capacity should they so choose. Across the Lone Star state, cigar shops contacted by
Cigar Aficionado welcomed the return of normalcy while expressing caution for their customers.
“We’re strongly recommending that customers still wear masks,” says Keith Rumbo, co-owner of Club Humidor in San Antonio, Texas. “We won’t make you wear a mask the customer won’t be forced out if they don’t have a mask but we’re not going to risk it. Our employees will still be masked up.”
Share Photos/JRE Tobacco Co.
Fans of long, thin Honduran cigars have something to look forward to this spring. JRE Tobacco Co. is adding a lancero to its Aladino Cameroon line and retailers can expect the slender size to arrive in May.
Retailing for $8 each, the Aladino Cameroon Elegante measures 7 inches by 38 ring gauge and is wrapped in a Cameroon-seed cover leaf grown in Honduras. Like the wrapper, the Corojo binder and fillers were grown on the Eiroa family farms in the Jamastran Valley. According to the company, the wrappers have been aged for two years.
This is not the first time JRE has added a panetela to its portfolio, as the Elegante size is already a part of the original Aladino and Maduro lines.
Share Photo/General Cigar Co.
The mildest of the Macanudo Inspirado series now has two new cigars. Last week, General Cigar Co. shipped its first boxes of Macanudo Inspirado White Coronas and tins of Cigarillos to retailers across the United States. Although the brand already had six cigars in its portfolio, customer demand for smaller sizes prompted General to add these diminutive smokes to the line.
The Coronas are handmade cigars that measure 5 1/2 inches long by 42 ring gauge. They retail for $5.49 and come in 20-count boxes. Like the rest of the handmade brand, the Coronas are made in Honduras at General’s HATSA factory with a blend of Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Indonesian binder and filler from Mexico and Nicaragua.