Altadis Celebrates 175 Years Of H. Upmann With Limited-Edition Churchill
The H. Upmann brand turns 175 this year, and Altadis U.S.A. is celebrating with a limited-edition Churchill covered in a medio tiempo wrapper grown in Nicaragua by cigarmaker A.J. Fernandez.
Medio tiempo is a rare sprouting of tobacco leaves that occasionally grow in small clusters on the very top of the plant. These leaves are prized for their rarity and intensity.
The H. Upmann 175 Anniversary Limited Edition is made by Fernandez at his factory in Nicaragua and contains only Nicaraguan tobacco grown on his farms.
“Working with Abdel [A.J.] Fernandez in the development of the H. Upmann 175 Anniversary has been a unique learning experience,” says Raphael Nodal, head of product capability for Altadis’ parent company Tabacalera USA. As with many brands over the last few years, Nodal worked closely with Fernandez on this collaborative project.
According to Altadis, the medio tiempo wrapper was fermented within layers of broadleaf tobacco. In this layered process of alternating tobacco types, humidity was applied only to the broadleaf, which resulted in a slower rate of fermentation intended to maximize the characteristics of the medio tiempo. The broadleaf used in this method was discarded after the fermentation was complete.
“It took a lot of time to find the right tobaccos to blend with the unique medio tiempo,” Nodal adds.
The anniversary Churchill measures 7 inches by 50 ring gauge and will retail for $18 per cigar. Only 14,750 boxes of 10 are being produced.
In addition to the 10-count boxes, Altadis is also releasing 50 humidors that will retail for $1,250. Each humidor will contain 50 Churchills, for a total production run of 150,000 cigars.
Both packaging styles will be introduced at the IPCPR tradeshow later this month. They are scheduled to ship shortly after.
