Fratello’s ViceVersa Shipping Next Week

Most cigars are only intended to be smoked in one direction: cut the end finished with tobacco, known as the cap, and light the end where the filler tobaccos are visible, known as the foot. A new release from Fratello is challenging that norm.

The Fratello ViceVersa is a 7 x 52 Churchill that uses an Ecuadorian HVA wrapper over an Indonesian binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. However, it’s capped at both ends, something other companies have done on previous releases. What’s different about ViceVersa is that Omar de Frias, Fratello’s founder, said he blended the cigar to be smoked from either end. Not only that, depending on which end you smoke from, the cigar is designed to taste differently.

Fratello says it will begin shipping the cigars to stores on Feb. 20.

“This project is easily one of the most challenging projects I have had the pleasure to work on,” said de Frias in a press release when the cigar was announced. “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.”

The release is limited to 2,000 packs of 12 cigars, though the packs are shipped to retailers in a box that contains five packs, i.e. 60 total cigars. Each cigar has an MSRP of $15 and Fratello says a portion of sales will be donated to the Premium Cigar Association. ViceVersa is made at the La Aurora Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.

Fratello originally announced it would ship ViceVersa in October 2022.