Altadis U.S.A. is one of the “Big Four” companies that withdrew from the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show back in 2020. Altadis U.S.A. has seemed to have found its groove since pulling out of the PCA Trade Show. The company has spread its releases out throughout the year without having the releases compete with each other. This year, Altadis U.S.A. had two releases that fell during the Summer of ’22 period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. One release would be an extension to one of the pillar brands in the Altadis U.S.A. portfolio. The other release would be a new release to one of Altadis U.S.A.’s under-the-radar brands.
The Romeo y Julieta brand is adding two barber-pole cigars to its Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real line: The Twisted Love Story and Twisted Toro. Both line extensions feature an intertwined Ecuadorian Habano and Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper arranged “barber pole style.” The remainder of the blend features a Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. The Twisted Love Story is a 46 x 4 1/4 figurado priced at $8.00 per cigar. The Twisted Toro is a 54 x 6 Toro priced at $9.00 per cigar. Both the Twisted Love Story and Twisted Toro are based on existing formats in the Romeo y Julieta Reserva line. At press time of this report, these cigars are expected to make their way to retailers shortly.
Omar Ortez is not a brand that people associate with Altadis U.S.A., but over the years, the Omar Ortez brand has done very well for Altadis U.S.A. The Omar Ortez Originals and Omar Ortez Maduro have been quite successful in the value-priced segment. Altadis U.S.A. has worked with Omar Ortez’s Agroindustrial Nicaraguense de Tabacos S.A. to produce the cigars. This year brings the Omar Ortez Connecticut – an Ecuadorian Connecticut-wrapped value-priced cigar. In addition to the Connecticut wrapper, the Omar Ortez Connecticut features a blend of all Nicaraguan tobaccos. It comes in three sizes: Robusto (54 x 5, SRP $7.30); Toro (54 x 6, SRP $8.00), and Magnum (60 x 6, SRP $8.95). The cigars will be offered in either 20 or 60-count offerings. These cigars have begun to arrive at retailers.
