Ramon Allones AJ Fernandez to Launch in May

At the tail end of 2017, it was announced that the non-Cuban Ramon Allones brand would have a new home for manufacturing and distribution, as A.J. Fernandez would be taking over both from General Cigar Co., who would still retain the rights to the brand. Next month, the first cigar from the Cuban cigar maker is set to make its debut.

The Ramon Allones AJ Fernandez is scheduled for a launch on May 1 at Club Macanudo in New York City, after which it will begin shipping to accounts nationwide, according to a report in Cigar Insider.

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The new cigar uses a Nicaraguan habano oscuro wrapper that comes from the medio tiempo priming, a powerful leaf which comes from the very top of a tobacco plant but isn’t always produced by a crop. Underneath that will be a Nicaraguan corojo 99 binder and a Nicaraguan filler made up of corojo 99 from Jalapa, criollo 98 from Condega and Pueblo Nuevo, as well as a hybrid leaf grown in Estelí. Fernandez is making them at his factory in Estelí, Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua SA.

It is being offered in four sizes, all packed in 20-count boxes:

• Ramon Allones AJ Fernandez Robusto (5 1/2 x 50)
• Ramon Allones AJ Fernandez Toro (6 x 52)
• Ramon Allones AJ Fernandez Churchill (7 x 50)
• Ramon Allones AJ Fernandez Torpedo (6 1/2 by 54)

The report says that single cigars will have MSRPs between $12 and $15, though specific pricing was not disclosed.

An email sent to A.J. Fernandez about the new line’s launch was not returned.

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 Major League Baseball, 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.