IPCPR 2019: Royal Agio Cigars

I mentioned recently that I was a bit surprised to see only two new lines from Royal Agio scheduled for IPCPR 2019. It’s not that I want to see more new lines, I think the company has more than enough cigars in its portfolio. And while I still think the company has too many cigars, I’m certainly interested in trying both of the new lines.

The Agio booth seems more or less the same though it was much busier than I ever recall it. That included what seemed like a mini-summit of European cigar manufacturers when I was there.

Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble

You are best just by your peers and during my visit I saw an owner of a rather prominent cigar brand come over and ask for samples of this cigar. The draw here is simple: this cigar is made by La Flor Dominicana. It’s part of the Serie Signaturas, which will see Agio collaborate with various cigar factories. Given that La Flor Dominicana doesn’t make cigars for other people, this might seem a bit odd, though Agio is La Flor’s distributor in parts of Europe.

• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic

• Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Robusto (5 3/4 x 50) — $11.25 (Box of 10, $112.50)
• Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Gran Toro (6 1/4 x 54) — $12 (Box of 10, $120)
• Balmoral Serie Signaturas Paso Doble Brindis (7 x 55) — $16.50 (Box of 10, $165)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: July 2019

Balmoral Añejo XO Nicaragua

The Añejo XO line—like seemingly every other cigar on the market—gets a version with more Nicaraguan tobacco. I’m curious to try it as the filler blend mixture is not something you see every day.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano)
• Binder: Brazil (Cuban-Seed)
• Filler: Brazil (Mata Norte), Dominican Republic (Olor) & Nicaragua (Estelí)

• Balmoral Añejo XO Nicaragua Torpedo Mk52 (6 1/4 x 52) — $11.25 (Box of 20, $225)
• Balmoral Añejo XO Nicaragua Gran Toro (6 x 52) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Balmoral Añejo XO Nicaragua Rothschild Masivo (5 x 55) — $9.75 (Box of 20, $195)
• Balmoral Añejo XO Nicaragua Corona (5 7/8 x 42) — $9 (Box of 20, $180)
• Balmoral Añejo XO Nicaragua Petit Robusto FT (4 1/4 x 48) — $8.50 (Box of 20, $170)

Production: Regular Production

Release Date: August 2019