Stogie News: New Cigars from Altadis

Altadis USA is the country’s largest cigar importer, so it should come as no surprise that the manufacturer used last week’s RTDA to announce the continued expansion of its well-known stable of cigar brands. Altadis Vice President Janelle Rosenfeld recently filled us in on all the details of their many new additions:

Already released is the new Bock y Ca Edicon de Oro brand. This Nicaraguan-made cigar features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper and is available in boxes of 20 and bundles of 25. Currently shipping to stores, the line offers value for smokers with prices that range from $1.75 to $2.50 per cigar.

In October, Altadis will begin shipping new Playboy cigars. Following up on the company’s Playboy by Don Diego, the new Playboy line is made at Altadis’ Tabacalera de Garcia mega-factory in the Dominican, with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian fillers.

Another new addition to Altadis’ stable of brands is the Honduran Santa Rosa. Made at the same factory as Gispert, Saint Luis Rey, and Quintero, the reasonably priced ($3.60 to $4.50 per cigar) smoke comes in seven different sizes. The Santa Rosa – which is named after the Santa Rosa de Copan tobacco-growing region of Honduras – is made with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Honduran binder, and binders from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Primarily known as a Mexican brand, Te-Amo seems to be moving away from its Mexican roots with three “World Selection” blends. While still made in Mexico, the Te-Amo World Selection Series Dominicana Blend, Honduras Blend, and Nicaragua Blend each feature 54 ring gauge robustos, toros, and churchills, with a filler exclusively from the country from which each blend takes its name. The Te-Amo World Selection Series hits shelves in October.

Also being released this fall is another line from the Romeo y Julieta brand. Described by Altadis as the “richest, most full-flavored Romeo y Julieta yet,” the Romeo y Julieta Habano Reserve is made in Honduras with a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder around a combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan long fillers. With a suggested retail price from $4.50 to $6.00 a cigar, the new Habano Reserve blend debuts in September.

And the Habano Reserve isn’t the only new Romeo y Julieta line. The Habano Reserve and the highly anticipated Edicon Limitada (featuring an San Andreas Corojo wrapper) we reported on back in July are also being joined by a new Romeo y Julieta Cabinet Selección, which is part of Altadis’ new Cabinet Selección line. The Romeo y Julieta features a vintage Cameroon wrapper and joins “fuller-bodied” Cabinet Selección Montecristos, Cabinet Selección H. Upmanns, and Cabinet Selección Por Larranagas. According to Rosenfeld, the four Cabinet Selección lines are “available now at a limited number of retail tobacconists…and they are selling like hot cakes.”

As they become available, be sure to check StogieGuys.com for reviews of these and other new cigars.

–Patrick S