Flor y Nata SRL, a Dominican based cigar brand and factory, is set to make its stateside debut at the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, which begins July 17 in New Orleans, La.

The company is planning to unveil its eponymous line as well as a line called Noxio, both of which are Dominican puros and the creation of Joan Manuel Rodríguez, who has been selling the cigars throughout the Dominican Republic for the past 18 months.

Flor y Nata Corona open box 1

Flor y Nata will be released in three sizes, a 5 1/2 x 46 Corona, 5 x 52 Robusto and 6 x 54 Toro, and there will be both maduro and natural versions released, with Rodríguez adding that the blend uses tobaccos up to ten years old with the cigars receiving a minimum of six months of rest following rolling. The line uses a blend of Dominican-grown corojo and HVA, a Dominican Negrito binder and a wrapper of either a Dominican Negrito Canca or Dominican HVA Natural. The name, which translates as flower and cream, also means “creme de la creme” or “cream of the crop” according to Rodríguez, who added that the name honors the best tobacco that the company’s fields could deliver.

Final pricing for Flor y Nata will be announced at the trade show, but is expected to be between $6-8 per cigar. The line will be offered in a mix of ten- and twenty-count boxes.

Noxio Robusto open box

The Noxio line gets its name from a term that Rodríguez and his team use to describe “the bonding relation of a cigar master crafting expressions and feelings in a cigar,” adding that it is where the line gets its slogan of “modern tobacconist art.” It is a limited production release, with just 25,000 cigar per year being produced.

The wrapper is a Dominican-grown Negrito Canca, while the binder and filler are both Dominican grown but the company isn’t releasing additional details. It’s coming out in four sizes, all of which have been aged for at least a year since their rolling: Robusto (5 1/4 x 52), Churchill (7 x 52), Toro (6 x 56) and Doble Toro (6 x 60). Pricing is expected to be between $7-10 per cigar, with each size packed in 20-count boxes.

Both lines are made at the company’s factory in Tamboril and will begin shipping shortly after the trade show. Rodríguez is not disclosing his plans for distribution of the cigars in the U.S.

Flor y Nata will be sharing space with Cuban Tradition Cigar Group at the upcoming IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. Rodriguez said that Luis Sánchez of Cuban Tradition Cigar Group is a friend and is collaborating on the event, orders and logistics.

(Pictures courtesy of Flor y Nata SRL/Noxio Cigars LLC)

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
Avatar photo

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 MLB.com, 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.