While A.C.E. Prime garnered considerable attention for its M.X.S. collaboration with NBA stars Dominique Wilkens and Tiago Splitter, the company launched several other lines at its debut IPCPR in 2019. One of the lines is Luciano The Traveler. It’s a cigar blended by company co-founder Luciano Meirelles that showcases Pelo de Oro tobacco.
Luciano The Traveler is a blend that features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a binder of Pelo de Oro tobacco from Ecuador and Pelo de Oro fillers from Peru and Ecuador. The Ecuadorian tobaccos come from a farm the company owns in Ecuador.
The cigar itself is a 7 x 46 vitola. It’s what the company describes as a hybrid between a Corona Gorda and a Churchill. The cigars are presented in 12-count boxes without cellophane. It’s described as a limited edition cigar. It’s also a more premium cigar offering priced at $17.00 SRP.
Pelo de Oro is considered one of the most flavorful leaves out there. Because it is susceptible to blue mold, Pelo de Oro crops often result in much smaller yields than from other leaves.
Meirelles blended the cigar at Tabacalera Pichardo, a factory in Estelí, Nicaragua that he co-owns with Don Eradio Pichardo. Tabacalera Pichardo recently garnered some attention when Crowned Heads’ cigars turned to that factory for its Juarez release. Until recently, the factory has been producing many cigars for U.S. and international brands silently under an NDA. Now Tabacalera Pichardo has joined forces to create A.C.E. Prime, a distribution company. A.C.E. Prime is owned by Splitter, Meirelles, Billy McCaffrey and the Cuban Legend Luis “Luisíto” Carbonell. A.C.E. stands for “A Cuban Experience.”
At a glance, here is a look at Luciano The Traveler:
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Sumatra Ecuador
Binder: Pelo de Oro, Ecuador
Filler: Pelo de Oro Peru, Pelo de Oro Ecuador
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo
Vitolas Offered
Vitola: 7 x 46
Bear Duplisea contributed content and photography to this report.
Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
