The Romeo y Julieta brand is going to Connecticut via Nicaragua, and it’s being made with an unusual kind of wrapper. Next month, Altadis U.S.A. will release the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Connecticut Nicaragua, a cigar that showcases a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown under shade in Estelí, Nicaragua, by the Plasencia family.
Although Plasencia grows different strains of Connecticut-seed tobacco for the mass market, the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Connecticut Nicaragua is the first premium brand to use this particular varietal of Nicaraguan-grown, Connecticut-seed cover leaf, which is cultivated under tents of cheesecloth to filter the sun’s rays—the same tenting method used to grow Connecticut shade wrapper in the microclimate of the Connecticut River Valley.
Like last year’s Romeo y Julieta 1875 Nicaragua, the upcoming Romeo Connecticut Nicaragua line is a collaboration between cigarmaker and tobacco grower Nestor Andrés Plasencia and Rafael Nodal, head of product capability for Altadis’ parent company Tabacalera USA. According to Nodal, Plasencia has been growing this Connecticut-seed wrapper in Nicaragua for a few years on an experimental basis, but this will be the first brand to actually be made and sold with the wrapper. The filler and binder leaves are all from Nicaragua.
The new cigar comes in four sizes: Bully, measuring 5 inches by 50 ring gauge ($7.20); Toro, 6 by 52 ($7.50); Churchill, 7 by 50 ($8.10); and Magnum, 6 by 60 ($8.35). All come in boxes of 25 except the Magnum, which comes in a 20-count format.
Altadis U.S.A. produces many versions of the Romeo y Julieta brand in various strength levels, blends and styles. Depending on the line, Romeo y Julietas are made in Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Not including catalog brands or limited editions, the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Connecticut Nicaragua is the twelfth Romeo in Altadis’ portfolio of premium cigars.
