Aganorsa Leaf Honors Master Blender With Cigar Line
Aganorsa Leaf has a new cigar line made in tribute to Arsenio Ramos, the tobacco veteran who served as master blender for the company until he passed away in 2018. Called Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio, the blend is a recreation of a blend made by Ramos and was a personal favorite of his to smoke. The cigars will be on display at the PCA trade show in Las Vegas and are expected to start shipping to retailers shortly after in either late March or early April.
Born in 1934 in Cuba, Ramos worked for decades in the Cuban tobacco industry as head of processing for Cubatabaco, specializing in tobacco fermentation. In 2000, he joined Aganorsa Leaf and worked there for 18 years.
“Arsenio was a giant of the Cuban tobacco industry,” Eduardo Fernández, founder and owner of Aganorsa Leaf said. “He was a self-taught man of humble means, a true craftsman. He was a great human being who was instrumental in creating the singular flavor that distinguishes the richness of Aganorsa’s leaf, taking us back to the traditions of a true Habano of old. This blend was his favorite and a tribute to his lifetime of work.”
The blend consists entirely of Nicaraguan leaves grown on farms owned by Aganorsa. The wrapper is a Corojo ’99 leaf from Jalapa, two Criollo ‘98 leaves from Estelí serve as the binder and the fillers are from Jalapa and Condega. According to the company, the cigars are medium in body.
Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio is available in three sizes: Robusto, measuring 5 1/4 inches by 54 ring gauge ($15.99); Toro, 6 by 52 ($16.99); and—Arsenio’s personal favorite size—a 6-by-44 Corona ($14.99). The cigars ship in blue boxes of 15 adorned with a image of Ramos on the boxes and bands.
“We’ve been working on this project for years now because every detail needed to be executed flawlessly,” stated vice president of sales and marketing Terence Reilly. “We took our time to ensure the final product was worthy of Arsenio and a true homage to his impact on Aganorsa.”
Production for 2024 will be limited to 2,000 boxes of both the Toro and Robusto, and 1,500 boxes of the Corona.
This is not the first cigar to bear Ramos’ name. Back when Aganorsa Leaf was called Casa Fernandez, the company released a cigar called Casa Fernandez Arsenio.
See a rating of Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio in a future issue of Cigar Insider.
