PCA 2025: JRE Tobacco Co

The story at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show at JRE Tobacco Co was Julio R. Eiroa. While Julio was not at the show, his presence was felt from the day the show opened. That is because the Trade Show opened with a preview of the upcoming docudrama Hand Rolled: Julio R. Eiroa. As the name indicates, this installment tells the story of legendary grower and cigar maker, Julio R. Eiroa. Julio is the father of Christian and Justo Eiroa, who are also featured in the movie. However, that wasn’t all. This year, the long-awaited Julio R. Eiroa 85th birthday cigar (albeit it is getting released after he celebrated his 87th birthday), and once again, JRE continues its trajectory of innovation. Finally, a new line called Camp Aladino will first be offered to retailers who have visited the JRE Tobacco Farm in Honduras.

It was priceless seeing Christian and Justo enjoying the premiere in the audience. It provided my “moment” of the 2025 PCA Trade Show.

Aladino 85th Aniversario Reserva

While the Aladino 85th Aniversario Reserva commemorates Julio R. Eiroa‘s 85th birthday, it has been in the works longer than that. This project was initially planned as an 80th birthday cigar for Eiroa; however, it took much longer than expected. Finally, at 87 years old, Julio R. Eiroa debuts the Aladino 85 Aniversario Reserva.

The cigar is a Honduran Pinareño puro. Pinareño seed was introduced to Honduras by Tino Agurdin in 1960. The Pinareño seed produces smaller yields and is more susceptible to diseases than the Authentic Corojo, the Eiroas cultivated. As a result, this type of tobacco is not commonly grown, but for the past few years. Julio Eiroa has been cultivating crops using the Pinareño seed.

The 85 Aniversario Reserva comes in two sizes: Robusto (5 x 50, SRP $17.50) and Toro (6 x 52, SRP $20). Each size ships in 20-count boxes. The boxes are yellow, Eiroa’s favorite color. The inside vista and outside of the box has an image of Eiroa’s 1961 yellow Buick. It has currently shipped to retailers. This will be an ongoing, limited production.

Camp Aladino

Camp Aladino is a series that will initially only be offered to retailers visiting the JRE Tobacco farm. This series of cigars is provided in a 4 1/2 x 60 size that JRE has dubbed “Gorbusto.” Camp Aladino has three wrapper options: Maduro, Cameroon, and Corojo. Besides the wrappers, JRE does not disclose additional information on the blends. Each blend comes in 20-count boxes. Pricing comes in at $11.00 SRP.