PCA 2024: Altadis U.S.A.

Altadis U.S.A. was a busy booth at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Plenty of new or newly released products were showcased. Leading the way was the ultra-premium Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Noble Diamonte and a special release celebrating the 180th anniversary of H. Upmann. At the same time, there are projects among many of the other brands under Altadis U.S.A. It should be no surprise that Altadis U.S.A. got off to a fast start, given its banner year in 2023. Consequently, this resulted in a 2023 Large Company of the Year award for Altadis and its parent company, Tabacalera USA, and a 2023 Person of the Year award for Vice President of Product Capability Rafael Nodal.

Montecristo

The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Noble Diamonte officially debuted at PCA 2024. It’s the third Montecristo 1935 Anniversary developed by Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez. Not only is it the most exclusive, but it is also limited. The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Doble Diamante is a Nicaraguan puro comprised of rare and aged tobaccos. The tobacco comes from AJ Fernandez’s Finca La Lilia and San Lotano farms. The tobacco has undergone a slow fermentation and extended aging process over ten years. The cigars are packaged in a 20-count wooden box with a piano finish and metal accents that serve as a keepsake humidor. There are 250 boxes/humidors of the Doble Diamante. Each cigar comes in at a price point of $150.00. Additionally, Altadis U.S.A. has created a small number of diamond-shaped decanter sets made available to retailers who purchased the Noble Diamonte.

H. Upmann

Five years ago, Rafael Nodal partnered with AJ Fernandez to release the H. Upmann 175th Anniversary. Now, the two have teamed up to release the H. Upmann 180th Anniversary, commemorating this year’s 180th anniversary of the H. Upmann brand. The H. Upmann 180th Anniversary is a Nicaraguan puro made with a Medio Tiempo wrapper from a hybrid seed and an enhanced fermentation process. It is being offered in two sizes: Churchill and Toro. A total of 5,000 ten-count boxes of the Churchill are being released. The Toro will be available in a special edition numbered humidor, and 180 50-count humidors are being released.

The Churchill has a price point of $22.50. However, the Toro will only be available in the commemorative humidor, which has an SRP of $1,500.00.

Romeo y Julieta

Romeo y Julieta quietly has had a busy 2024. Two new releases were offered to retailers at PCA 2024. First up is the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Vintage Lote. This cigar pays homage to the original Romeo y Julieta 1875. These cigars were blended by the Grupo de Maestros and rolled six years ago. Since then, they have been aging in a cedar room at the Tabacalera de Garcia factory. The blend features a Habana 2000 Nicaraguan wrapper over a Broadleaf binder and a combination of Dominican and Pennsylvania fillers. The Vintage Lote is available in one size – a 6 3/4 x 48 Double Corona. The Vintage Lote is limited to 4,000 ten-count boxes. This cigar comes in at a price point of $15.00. It should hit stores this spring.

Photo Credit: Altadis U.S.A.

TPE 2024 saw Altadis U.S.A. introduce its latest barber-pole offering, the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua Midnight Twist. This cigar has recently hit retailer shelves but was also showcased at PCA 2024. Midnight Twist is a barber-pole variant of the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua. It follows in the footsteps of the barber-pole offshoot of the Dominican version of the Reserva Real, the Twisted. Like the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua, the Midnight Twist is produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua. The blend features 100% Nicaraguan tobacco with two contrasting wrappers for the barber-pole effect. Altadis U.S.A. says the binder and filler for the Midnight Twist are the same as for the Reserva Real Nicaragua. The Midnight Twist is available in two sizes, each packaged in 25-count boxes: Twisted Love Story and Twisted Toro, priced at $9.92 and $10.92, respectively.

Photo Credit: Altadis U.S.A.

Te Amo

One of the big stories of 2024 is the return of the Te Amo brand. Earlier this year, Altadis showcased a new offering under Te Amo known as Te Amo – The Original San Andres Valley Cigar. This new Te Amo hit retail shelves just before PCA 2024 and was showcased this year. The cigar is made in Mexico and features 100% Mexican tobacco. It’s being offered in three sizes: Robusto, Toro, and Magnum. The line comes in at a price point between $10.39 and $12.71. Long-time fans of the brand will notice all new contemporary-styled packaging as well.

Saint Luis Rey

Altadis introduced the Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar at TPE 2024 and used PCA 2024 to showcase it again. Ultramar is Spanish for “overseas.” This cigar is positioned as a sequel to the Saint Luis Rey Carenas and builds on the nautical theme of that line. Produced at Flor de Copan in Honduras, Ultramar features a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper over a Honduran binder and fillers. The cigars will be available in four sizes (Corona, Toro, Robusto, Magnum)– each in 20-count boxes. The line has a price point between $9.10 and $10.69. Ultramar is planned for release this spring.

VegaFina

Another exciting release is VegaFina Year of the Dragon. It was previously showcased at TPE and has now been launched internationally. This product is now also available in the U.S. The Year of the Dragon 2024 is the seventh release in what has become an annual tradition for VegaFina. This cigar features an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The cigar itself measures 6 3/4 (171mm) x 54 and comes packaged in 16-count boxes consisting of two blocks of eight cigars each. It was blended by the renowned Grupo de Maestros team and is produced at Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic. The price point for the Year of the Dragon is set at $15.00.

Trinidad

Trinidad has undoubtedly been a brand that is getting focus from Altadis U.S.A. While there wasn’t a new launch for the brand at PCA 2024, Altadis did showcase its latest offering, the Trinidad Espiritu No 3. This was a cigar released late in 2023.