Altadis U.S.A. has announced the H. Upmann 1844 Special Edition Barbier, a new premium cigar that pays homage to the innovative craftsmanship and a favorite pastime of the brand’s founding brothers nearly 180 years after the brand came to life. Barbier is German for “Barber” and is a reference to the two Ecuadorian wrappers, Connecticut and Sumatra, used in the blend to form a barber pole cigar. The rest of the blend uses a Java binder and Nicaraguan, Dominican and Broadleaf fillers. The cigars are rolled at Tabacalera de Garcia in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Altadis has announced the latest in the Aging Room Quattro line: Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata. From his early classical music studies, Rafael Nodal, Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA, has always been fascinated by famous sonatas. “Beethoven’s Moonlight and other sonatas from Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Rachmaninoff among my favorites,” he says.
Altadis U.S.A. launched the Omar Ortez brand in 2006 and is a value-focused Nicaraguan tobacco brand. Now, the line is getting a Connecticut version: Omar Ortez Connecticuts. The Ortez Family has been well known name in the cultivation and blending of Nicaraguan tobacco for over 40 years.
Altadis U.S.A. and their VegaFina brand showed off a new cigar inspired by the zodiac sign for 2022 at the Tobacco Plus Expo 2022. The VegaFina Year of the Tiger will go on sale later this month and marks the fourth time the company has released a cigar celebrating the Chinese New Year.
"This was an interesting cigar that featured highly enjoyable flavors, nice transitions, and the finish was the star of the show… until that harshness crept in towards the end. That harsh, somewhat bitter aspect led me to slam the brakes on the smoking experience sooner than I would have liked and it’s disappointing because I was curious as to what the final act would be. Sadly, I’ll never know BUT the first two thirds were indeed very good and based on that alone I would be more than willing to give this particular cigar a second chance." -Matt Cade (CadeTNCC
Altadis is releasing a Montecristo heirloom set to arrive at a select number of retailers nationwide in March. The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Tesoro De Oro, meaning “treasure of gold,” is a luxury humidor, hand-crafted to emulate the wonder of the golden treasure discovered by Dantes in the acclaimed novel, “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
"This was a cigar of interesting finishes. From the onset, the primary flavor was espresso, and remained so throughout. What changed was the nature of the finishing flavors and the accompanying strength. Initially creamy, the finish transitioned to peat and finally to salted caramel. I thoroughly enjoyed the transitions and I think most smokers would as well. I would gladly smoke this again!" -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
"Amazing cigar with a sweet profile and flawless burn. The cap was a slight annoyance but everything else was so spot on that it is easy to ignore. If you enjoy a naturally sweet profile this will be a real winner for you. I can't recommend this enough and I think everyone should at least try one if not pick up a five-pack to give it a try. Certainly, the best review cigar I've had this year and one of the top cigars I have had in a while." -Alan (Eulogy)
Altadis U.S.A. has announced a new cigar in the H. Upmann brand for 2022, H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage. Frequent Altadis collaborator AJ Fernandez blended this new cigar and it will be shown off at the upcoming Tobacco Plus Expo January 26-28 in Las Vegas.
This cigar was a great addition to the Epic line from Montecristo, maybe the best yet. I was a big fan of the Epic Craft Cured, a cigar that I thought went kind of under the radar. This is just as good as that or better. The flavors were harmonious and left me wanting more and more. I really dug the caramel sweetness combined with the on an off oak flavor. The burn and draw were perfect the whole time and just added to the great experience. I will be picking up some more of these for myself, I think you should too.