Fratello Creates Double-Capped Cigar as PCA 2022 Exclusive

At next month’s 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Fratello will show off a cigar that can be smoked from either end.

The Fratello ViceVersa​is a 7 x 52 vitola that is capped on either end. According to Fratello, depending on which end you cut and smoke from, the cigar will start very differently flavor-wise.

“This project is easily one of the most challenging projects I have had the pleasure to work on,” said Omar de Frias, Fratello’s founder, in a press release. “We blended a cigar and tripled capped both ends. The consumer decides if they want to start their smoking experience Mild and Creamy or Strong and spicy.”

As for the blend, it uses an Ecuadorian HVA wrapper over an Indonesian binder and fillers from Pennsylvania and the Condega and Estelí regions of Nicaragua. It is made at the La Aurora Cigar Factory in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.

Only 2,000 boxes of 12 cigars have been created and the cigars are expected to ship on Oct. 1. Each cigar has an MSRP of $15, Fratello says a portion of sales will be donated to the Premium Cigar Association.

While still relatively rare, Fratello is not the first company to sell a cigar that is capped on both ends. The original Viaje Zombie cigar was capped on both ends, though not made to be smoked from either end. Cigars International tried patenting a concept where the cigar was capped on either end, but made to be cut in the middle and smoked from either, somewhat similar to a Toscano. Furthermore, Tabac Trading Co. has marketed a similar experience with its Muestra de Tabac cigar, which is a perfecto with two open feet. Similar to the ViceVersa, Tabac Trading Co. says that depending on which end you light up, your experience will vary dramatically, which makes sense given those cigars also come with different wrappers on each end.

The 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show begins July 9-12 in Las Vegas.

Update (June 22, 2022) — Added two lines about Tabac Trading Co., who claims to have applied for patents and trademarks for the concept of a cigar that could be smoked from either end for different desired results.

Update (Feb. 15, 2023) — Fratello has clarified the correct styling of the name is ViceVersa.