Aganorsa Leaf has long been known for being one of the largest tobacco growers and a leading premium cigar manufacturer in Nicaragua. Based on the growing popularity of its own brands—Aganorsa Leaf, Guardian of the Farm, JFR and New Cuba—as well as the popularity of cigars it makes for other companies, Aganorsa Leaf has been flexing its muscles in the premium cigar space for years, and the company is dedicating one of its newest releases to the man who had much to do with Aganorsa’s rise in the Nicaraguan cigar industry.
At the PCA Show this week in Las Vegas, Nevada, Aganorsa Leaf is launching the Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio to honor the memory of Arsenio Ramos, the company’s long-time master blender who passed away in 2018. Born in Cuba in 1934, Ramos spent his entire life working in tobacco. He gained a mountain of experience with the precious leaf as head of tobacco processing and fermentation for Cuba Tobacco in Pinar Del Rio before moving to Nicaragua and spending the last 18 years of his life establishing Aganorsa’s leaf-growing operation and developing Aganorsa tobacco’s signature flavor and aroma.
The Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio cigar is made from one of Ramos’ favorite blends, previously unreleased, and is presented in three sizes: Ramos’ favorite vitola, Corona (6 x 44, $16.99), and Toro (6 x 52, $15.99) and Robusto (5 ¼ x 54, $14.99). The limited edition Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio cigar will be an annual release with an initial production of 2,000 15-count boxes of the Robusto and Toro sizes and 1,500 15-count boxes of the Corona frontmark.
“Arsenio was critical in the growth of Aganorsa Leaf through his ability to cultivate and define the attributes of Aganorsa Leaf tobaccos,” says the company’s vice president, Terence Reilly. “The signature Aganorsa Leaf combination of potency and smoothness wouldn’t have been possible with Arsenio.”
Additionally, Aganorsa Leaf is bringing a new Connecticut-wrapped cigar to its JFR Jr. (4 ½ x 46, $6.25) lineup to join Maduro and Corojo versions, as well as adding the Titan (6 x 60) to its New Cuba portfolio. Finally, the company is once again making its 10 x 100 cigar, or as Reilly refers to it, “The Cigar That Shall Not Be Named.” At an estimated 6-hour smoking time and massive length and girth, any passionados hoping to try the 10 x 100 will almost certainly need to spend some time training in the gym to flex those muscles and enjoy the gargantuan cigar!
