PCA 2023: Aganorsa Leaf

It took us a few tries to get time with the folks at the Aganorsa Leaf booth at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, but that was because the booth was very active. That’s understandable because Aganorsa Leaf came into PCA 2023 with a strong lineup of brand and line extensions. Heading up the lineup is one big line extension. When we say big, we mean big in cigar size – a 10 x 100 cigar. On the other hand, a small ring gauge comes to the Rare Leaf Reserve line in the form of 6 x 44 Lonsdale. There are also new lines coming to the Aniversario and New Cuba brands. Finally, we presented Aganorsa Leaf’s Terence Reilly with a special award.

The Lunatic 10 x 100 Belicoso Maduro was a sight to behold – especially in person. Lunatic is a brand that has seen some unorthodox vitolas, so this 10 x 100 Belicoso fits right in with Lunatic (In fact, the first Lunatic was an 8 x 80 Belicoso). The blend for the 10 x 100 features a San Andres Maduro wrapper over Aganorsa-grown tobaccos from Jalapa and Estelí. The cigar will be packed and sold in single slide-top coffins. Pricing is set at $39.99. The Lunatic 10 x 100 Belicoso Maduro will be an annual production with 2,500 cigars produced for 2023.

Aganorsa Leaf’s most premium line, the Aniversario, is getting a Connecticut Shade blend – and it’s appropriately titled Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Connecticut. The Connecticut is the third blend in the Aniversario series, joining the Corojo and Maduro lines. The cigar features an Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf over Aganorsa-grown tobaccos from Jalapa and Estelí. The Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Connecticut is being launched in two box-pressed sizes – each presented in boxes of ten: Robusto: (5 x 54, SRP $14.50/cigar) and Toro: 6 x 52 SRP $15.50/cigar). Plans are for the Aganorsa Leaf Aniversario Connecticut to be a regular production offering. Still, it will be exclusive to PCA attendees and Aganorsa Select Accounts through the end of the year. This cigar is now being shipped to retailers.

Photo Credit: Aganorsa Leaf

One of the most under-the-radar releases at the Trade Show was the New Cuba Superior. This is a brand extension to Aganorsa Leaf’s New Cuba line. The New Cuba brand has been Aganorsa’s value-priced mixed filler bundle offering. New Cuba Superior is a more premium offering utilizing long-filler tobaccos and is packaged in dress boxes. This is also intended as a lighter, milder offering in the Aganorsa portfolio. New Cuba Superior features a shade-grown Connecticut wrapper over binder and long filler from the Aganorsa farms in Jalapa, Condega, ad Estelí. Sizes will consist of a Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50), and a Corona (5.5 x 44). All three vitolas are packaged in boxes of 25 cigars. Pricing ranges from $6.50 to $7.50. The cigars are due to ship this summer.

Photo Credit: Aganorsa Leaf

It wouldn’t be a PCA Trade Show for Aganorsa Leaf without a packaging change, and this year the company has decided to change the packaging on the Rare Leaf Reserve, a cigar that made its debut in 2021. This packaging is consistent with the recently released Rare Leaf Reserve Maduro that was released this spring. In addition to the packaging change, Aganorsa Leaf has also added a 6 x 44 Londsale, the original Rare Leaf Reserve, but has also retired the 6 x 60 Titan size. The Lonsdale shares the blend with the rest of the original Rare Leaf Maduro line, which features 100% Aganorsa tobacco highlighted by a café cover leaf from Jalapa over a double binder and filler tobaccos of predominantly Criollo ’98 with a just touch of Corojo ’99.