Boutique Blends Overhauls Portfolio, Announces Five New Lines

The Boutique Blends portfolio will be getting a major overhaul in the coming weeks, as the company looks to reorganize its lines into four key segments while also adding five new cigars.

The new look, which is scheduled to be unveiled at the upcoming IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, is made up of four pillars:

• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal, which will house the core lines and will get three new lines, Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Habano, Connecticut and Maduro
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Series, which will be made up of the Quattro line, now dubbed Quattro Original and Quattro Maduro instead of Quattro F55 and Quattro F55M. This will also be getting two new lines, Quattro Connecticut and Quattro Nicaragua.
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Specialty Line, under which will be the Bin No. 1, Pura Cepa and Pelo de Oro lines, as well as new releases yet to be announced
• Aging Room Solera, which was released at last year’s trade show and includes four blends named for their wrappers: Sun Grown, Maduro, Corojo and Shade

The company is also dropping some lines, including the Aging Room Quattro F59, while La Boheme, Aging Room Small Batch M356ii and Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room won’t be getting the focus that the other lines are.

As for the new lines, the Aging Room by Rafael Nodal uses a Dominican binder and filler, with the Habano version’s wrapper coming from the Dominican as well, while the Maduro uses a Nicaraguan wrapper and the Connecticut’s wrapper comes from Ecuador. Each blend is getting a different selection of sizes, though all are being made at Tabacalera Palma:

• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Connecticut Rapido — 5 x 48
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Connecticut Vivase — 6 x 50
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Connecticut Andante — 7 x 50

• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Habano Rondo — 5 x 50
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Habano Mezzo — 6 x 54
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Habano Major — 6 1/2 x 50

• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Maduro Rondo — 5 x 50
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Maduro Mezzo — 6 x 54
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Maduro Major — 6 1/2 x 50

The Connecticut and Habano versions will be priced between $8.90 and $9.95 per cigar, while the Maduro version will range from to $10 to $11.

In the Quattro line, the Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Connecticut uses an Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper over a Dominican binder and filler, and it too comes from Tabacalera Palma. A.J. Fernandez will be making the Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Nicaragua, which is a Nicaraguan puro. The two new lines are being offered in the same four sizes, priced between $10.20 and $10.65:

• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Connecticut/Nicaragua Espressivo — 5 x 50
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Connecticut/Nicaragua Maestro — 6 x 52
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Connecticut/Nicaragua Vibrato — 6 x 54
• Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Quattro Connecticut/Nicaragua Concerto — 7 x 50

A packaging update is also coming for the Quattro series, with 20-count boxes, updated bands, and the removal of the footband.

The new lines are set to begin shipping to retailers shortly after the IPCPR Convention and Trade Show, which runs from July 13 – 17 in Las Vegas, Nev.

News of the updated portfolio was originally reported by Cigar Aficionado. Rafael Nodal declined to comment on the changes when contacted by halfwheel, although a representative from Altadis U.S.A., which distributes the brand, confirmed the accuracy of the report.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.