A shortage of a popular Cuban cigar in Belgium and Luxembourg has led PDR Cigars to create a new vitola for its Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada line, which is on its way to Europe and which will be coming to the U.S. next year.
The new size is a 5 x 42 corona named the Millefleurs Corona, a size and name familiar to smokers of the Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleurs, which measures 129mm (5 1/10 inches) long and has a 42 ring gauge. Abe Flores of PDR Cigars told halfwheel that several months ago, he was with his distributors in those two countries who asked if he could help solve a problem stemming from the shortage of that Romeo y Julieta vitola. They told Flores that they thought the Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada would work in that same corona size, so he got to work on it, with the first shipments heading to Belgium this week.
The new size will be available in several European countries in the coming months, with pricing around €6.28 ($6.85) per cigar. However, that number will vary from country to country due to local taxes and other factors. The new size will also be heading to China this year, with Flores saying he plans to bring it to the U.S. market in 2024.
Like the rest of the Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada line, it uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, a Dominican olor binder, and a filler that contains seco and ligero primings of Dominican piloto cubano that has been aged for seven years, as well as Dominican-grown habano leaves that do not come with an age statement.
The Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada line is currently offered in four regular production sizes:
- Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada Robusto (5 x 52)
- Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada Figurdo (6 1/2 x 52)
- Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada Gran Toro (6 x 54)
- Flores y Rodriguez 10th Anniversary Reserva Limitada Wide Churchill (5 1/8 x 58)
All four existing sizes and the new Millefleurs Corona are offered in 24-count boxes and are produced by PDR Cigars at its factory in Tamboril, Dominican Republic.
Images courtesy of PDR Cigars.