Altadis U.S.A. And C.L.E. Cigars Aim To Recreate Original Saint Luis Rey
Do you remember when the Honduran Saint Luis Rey brand first hit the market in 1996? Whether you’re nostalgic for the old cigars or curious as to what they tasted like, a recreation of the retro blend is coming back this month. Altadis U.S.A. and Christian Eiroa of C.L.E. Cigars have gone back to the archives and found the original blend for the first Honduran Saint Luis Rey from 30 years ago. They’re bringing it back, only they are using some modern tobaccos to create a similar period piece of sorts. Called Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary, the cigars will be on display at the upcoming PCA trade show and ship shortly after.
The timeline for the Honduran Saint Luis Rey brand is interesting. According to Altadis, Eiroa created the blend three decades ago when he was still a young man in his 20s. At the time, he was working with his father, Julio, making the Baccarat and La Fontana brands in Honduras at the Tabacos Rancho Jamastran factory for distributor Max Rohr Imports Inc. Rohr had owned the Saint Luis Rey trademark for the U.S. market since 1980. The cigars were launched in May of 1996.
So how did Saint Luis Rey end up with Altadis? Soon after the commercial launch, Rohr was acquired by tobacco giant Tabacalara S.A. in 1997. Two years later, Tabacalera merged with French distributor SEITA to form the mega-cigar company Altadis. Eventually, Altadis moved production of Saint Luis Rey to its Flor de Copan factory in Honduras. Eiroa still remembers the project fondly.
“Saint Luis Rey has always held a special place in my career,” says Eiroa. “Returning to collaborate on this project 30 years later is incredibly meaningful. This cigar is about honoring the legacy of the original blend while creating something that today’s smokers can truly appreciate.”
Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary consists of a Colombian Pinareño varietal wrapper, Honduran Corojo binder and filler combination of Corojo and Pinareño. It comes in four sizes: Rothchilde, measuring 5 inches by 50 ring gauge ($12); Torpedo, at 6 by 52 ($12.50); Toro, 6 by 54 ($13); and the 6-by-60 Titan ($13.50). The cigars are packaged in 25-count cabinets and come individually wrapped in tissue paper. When the brand first came to market in 1996, the retail prices ranged from $3 to $5.25. Of course, they’re more expensive today, but these Saint Luis Rey cigars are still a relative bargain, just as they were 30 years ago. The new line is produced in Honduras at the C.L.E. factory in Danlí.
Those with a good memory will recall that the original Saint Luis Rey blend was made entirely from Honduran tobaccos. Altadis says that the Colombian tobacco comes from the same Pinareño seed as the Honduran leaf used in the original release, so, from a tobacco varietal standpoint, it mimics the same blend as the Saint Luis Rey from the 1990s.
For a vertical brand tasting of the upcoming Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary see a future edition of Cigar Insider.
