Altadis U.S.A. has announced they are officially launching the latest installment of the Romeo by Romeo y Julieta line. As the name indicates, the new Romeo San Andrés by Romeo y Julieta will introduce a San Andrés wrapper. It’s also a collaboration of two partners who have been playing a key role at Altadis U.S.A. – Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez.

Romeo by Romeo y Julieta is an offshoot brand introduced in 2012 by Altadis U.S.A. The Romeo brand is skewed toward the newer generation of cigar enthusiasts.  The Romeo introduced more contemporary packaging as well as moved away from the Romeo y Julieta’s reputation for milder cigars. The Romeo San Andrés by Romeo y Julieta is the fifth major release of this line following the Romeo by Romeo y Julieta, Romeo Añejo by Romeo y Julieta, Romeo 505 Nicaragua by Romeo y Julieta and the limited release Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room Small Batch F25.

For Nodal, this is the second major project he has been involved with since joining Altadis U.S.A. as part of a strategic alliance between his company, Boutique Blends, and Altadis U.S.A.  Late last year, Nodal was involved with launching the Trinidad Santiago. For Fernandez, this is the latest in a long line of projects for which he has been involved with Altadis. This includes such brands such as Montecristo, H. Upmann, Gispert, and Romeo y Julieta. Nodal and Fernandez are no strangers to each other – the duo collaborated on the Aging Room Pelo de Oro back in 2016.

In addition to the San Andrés wrapper, the Romeo San Andrés features a Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. It is available in four sizes – each packaged in 20-count boxes. Pricing ranges from $9.35 to $9.85.

Production is being handled at AJ Fernandez’s Tabacalera Fernandez factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. It also continues a trend of  Altadis working with many third-party factories. In the case of the Romeo brand, it’s the third different factory Altadis has worked with,  joining Tabacalera Palma (Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room Small Batch F55) and Plasencia S.A. (Romeo 505 Nicaragua by Romeo y Julieta).

Full distribution is expected to take place in March 2018.

At a glance here is a look at the Romeo San Andrés by Romeo y Julieta:

Blend Profile

Wrapper: San Andrés Mexican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Tabacalera Fernandez)

Vitolas Available

Robusto: 5 x 50
Pirámides: 6 1/8 x 52
Toro: 6 x 54
Magnum: 5 1/2 x 60

Photo Credits: Altadis U.S.A.