Aging Room Small Batch Pura Cepa Coming In May
Fans of Aging Room cigars will be getting a new variety next month, and it’s made with only Nicaraguan tobacco. Called Aging Room Small Batch Pura Cepa—“pure bred” in Spanish—the Nicaraguan puro is made by Nestor Plasencia and will be distributed by Altadis U.S.A., the premium cigar division of Tabacalera USA.
The brand is partly owned by Rafael Nodal, who also serves as the current head of product capability for Tabacalera USA.
“I wanted a world-class cigar that ideally displayed the richness Nicaraguan soils can bring to quality tobaccos,” said Nodal. “With Pura Cepa, I strived to capture the very essence of the land’s core and deliver a Nicaraguan puro.”
Nodal said that Pura Cepa consists of tobacco from the four primary growing regions of Nicaragua: Ometepe, Jalapa, Condega and Estelí.
The brand is made in three sizes: Rondo, at 5 inches by 50 ring gauge; Mezzo, 6 by 54; and Grande, 6 1/2 by 56. They come packed in 20-count boxes and have suggested retail prices from $12.50 to $13.50.
Aging Room Pura Cepa is made in Nicaragua at Plasencia Cigars S.A. It marks the second time that an Aging Room cigar has been produced outside of the Dominican Republic (the first was the Aging Room Small Batch Pelo de Oro, made by A.J. Fernandez). All other versions of the brand, such as Aging Room Small Batch Quattro F55, Aging Room Small Batch M356ii and Aging Room Solera, are made at Tabacalera Palma, the factory owned by Jochy Blanco.
All Aging Room brands are owned by parent company Boutique Blends. Nodal’s wife, Alina, along with partners Hank Bischoff and cigarmaker Jochy Blanco are all co-owners of Boutique Blends and the Aging Room line of brands.
Altadis began distributing cigars by Boutique Blends last year as part of the arrangement when Nodal signed on with the company.
While Nodal works for Tabacalera USA, he and his partners still maintain ownership of Boutique Blends and all its cigars.
This article first appeared in the April 17, 2018 issue of Cigar Insider.
