The cigar collaboration between Rafael Nodal of Boutique Blends and Altadis U.S.A. has begun arriving at retailers.

The ROMEO by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room Small Batch F25 was announced in mid-March and originally slated for a May 20th release date. Its nationwide release party was held on May 21 at the Tinder Box in Charlotte, N.C., but widespread shipping didn’t begin until a month later, with several retailers tweeting about receiving it in recent days.

Rafael Nodal of Boutique Blends created the new cigar’s blend; it’s a Dominican puro that incorporates habano tobacco sourced from the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic, with production handled by Tabacalera Palma, which produces all of Boutique Blends’ lines. Altadis U.S.A., however, is handling distribution of the cigar.

ROMEO by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room Small Batch F25 Capriccio Box 2

The name merges two of the better known brands from each company involved; the ROMEO by Romeo y Julieta has become a focal point for Altadis U.S.A. in recent years while Boutique Blends’ Aging Room line has garnered its share of critical acclaim.

There are three sizes being produced for the release, the 5 x 48 Copla, 6 x 54 Capriccio and 6 x 52 Cantaor. All are packed in 20-count boxes with single stick prices between $11.50 and $12.50, before taxes. A total of 250,000 cigars are being produced between the three sizes.

The ROMEO by Romeo y Julieta Aging Room Small Batch F25 Capriccio was reviewed on halfwheel in June 2015.

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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 MLB.com, 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.