United Cigars to Distribute Arnold André in U.S.

Arnold André, a German-based cigar company, will begin its distribution in the U.S. this year thanks to a new agreement with United Cigars. The brand will make its stateside debut at the upcoming Tobacco Plus Expo later this month and will be featuring two of its four premium lines, Montosa and Terra Nova, each of which have two variations.

The Montosa line is offered in both a natural and maduro option. The Montosa Natural uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder, and fillers from Dominician-grown criollo and piloto, along with tobaccos from Java in Indonesia. The company calls it mild to medium bodied, delicately spicy with a creamy finish.

The fuller bodied Montrosa Maduro uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, a Bahia Sumatra binder from Brazil, and a mix of fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Brazil, along with dark fired Kentucky tobacco.

The Terra Nova line is also available in two blends; the Terra Nova Araperique uses an Ecuadorian-grown wrapper and binder, while the fillers are Dominican, Peruvian, Nicaraguan, and Brazilian Araperique tobaccos. To put a unique spin on the blend, the tobaccos are aged under high pressure in oak whisky barrels for one year, which the company says results in a refined, medium bodied experience.

While the name is shared, the company says the Terra Nova Dark Fired Kentucky line is an exceptionally different tobacco composition, as it uses a subtle blend of Kentucky fire cured tobaccos from the Dominican, Nicaragua, and Brazil, which are then wrapped in a Sumatra binder and Ecuadorian wrapper. The result is a medium-bodied profile, according to the company.

The Montosa and Terra Nova lines are offered in the same four sizes: Short Robusto (3 7/8 x 54), Robusto (4 7/8 x 50), Toro (5 7/8 x 50), and Churchill (6 3/4 x 54), each of which are offered in 20-count boxes. While specific pricing has not yet been announced, the MSRPs are said to range from $6 to $8.

Both lines are scheduled to begin shipping to U.S. retailers in February. They originally debuted in 2011 and are made at Arnold André Dominicana, which is located in Santiago.

“The André family history runs deep throughout Europe,” said Emilio Ferri, director of export for Arnold André, via a press release. “This expansion to the United States has been a goal of the André family for many years and this partnership is exactly what we were looking for.”

Arnold André was founded in 1817, and according to a press release is the largest machine-made cigar manufacturer in Germany. It entered the premium cigar space in 2011 after purchasing a facility in the Dominican Republic, and has thus far focused its distribution of premium cigars on Europe. It also distributes cigars in Germany for La Aurora, Joya de Nicaragua, Toscano and J.C. Newman, and previously distributed for Davidoff. The company also publishes a cigar magazine called Alles André that is available in Germany.

Update (Jan. 4, 2022) — Drew Newman of J.C. Newman informed halfwheel that J.C. Newman has moved all of its German distribution to Arnold André; the original version of this article indicated they distributed a portion of the portfolio.

Images courtesy of United Cigars.

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, the G-League's Valley Suns, 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.