Reinado Announces Upcoming Return with Grand Apex

It’s been more than six years since there has been any news from the Reinado brand, but that is no longer the case. After a number of posts teasing an upcoming announcement, Reinado has confirmed that it will be releasing a new cigar called Grand Apex that is scheduled to be available in May.

The company is withholding a number of details about the cigar for the moment, including the blend, but it will debut in a 5 1/2 x 52 robusto extra vitola, with production handled by Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua. Pricing is said to be in the $10-$13 range, and it’s expected to be offered in 20-count boxes. Production is limited to 3,500 cigars, though the company said more could be produced in the future.

The reason behind the gap in Reinado’s activity is what provided the inspiration for the new line. While the company never officially ceased operations, it did go into a hiatus around the end of 2014 as Lam and his family attended to his father’s needs following a diagnosis with dementia. It was a surprising development for a company that was on the upswing and had released a number of well-received cigars between 2012 and 2014, including the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition and the Reinado Premium Collection Grand Empire Reserve.

Lam’s father came to the United States from Cuba in 1968, and while he had worked as a lawyer and held diplomas and degrees, none of those were recognized in his new home. He eventually took an entry level job at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City, and climbed the corporate ladder to the position of vice president. It is that climb that the company is honoring, “paying tribute to his apex, his climb and the efforts we all make to reach our apex, that highest point of success,” according to information provided by the company.

“My father always taught me to excel at whatever I chose to do, work hard and never give up,” said Lam, adding that “although my father will not know it, we will make the climb just as he did to make him proud.”

The Reinado Grand Apex will debut at Ruben’s Smokestack in Hackensack, N.J., as Lam said that owner Ruben Abreu is not only a mentor and friend, but a retailer of the brand from its early days. The Grand Apex will also be offered to the brand’s former retailers as well as opening up new accounts in the coming weeks.

Reinado will contributing a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the Grand Apex to the Dementia Society of America to help find a cure for the illness.

Image by Elisa Bailon, courtesy of Reinado.