Coming together for the first time, Cigar Dojo and Fratello Cigars have collaborated on the limited-edition After BurnR cigar.
With Cigar Dojo often taking inspiration from Japanese/ninja culture, and Fratello weaving together Italian and space imagery throughout many of their releases, you’d be forgiven for assuming the duo’s only common interest was premium cigars. When in fact, the Dojo has ties to some of the original spacecraft designs/concepts from NASA. Enter John R. Guttormson, father of Eric Guttormson (owner of Cigar Dojo), Korean War vet, and lifelong artist. After serving two tours on the frontlines in Korea, John became a technical illustrator for NASA, bringing engineers’ concepts to life as the first spacecrafts took shape during the 1950s and ’60s.
“Knowing that Omar had a connection to NASA gave us an opportunity to collaborate in a special way,” said Eric Guttormson, owner of Cigar Dojo. “My father, John R. Guttormson, worked for Martin Marietta, illustrating some of the early spacecraft for NASA. I think it’s pretty special that we were able to include some of these illustrations on the After BurnR box.”
It’s no secret that Omar de Frias, owner/founder of Fratello Cigars, also has a background with NASA, spending 12 years and managing a $5 billion budget with the organization before departing to live out his dream by creating Fratello Cigars in 2013. Gathering together many of Guttormson’s 60-plus-year-old illustrations, the Fratello After BurnR cigar concept was born, spanning the course of two years before the final project was ready for ignition.
The After BurnR cigar is part of a recent shift in terms of manufacturing for Fratello, partnering with the bourgeoning, boutique-minded Tabacalera la iSLA factory of the Dominican Republic.
The blend was built around a particularly well-aged bale of tobacco, being incorporated into the filler alongside other Dominican leaves.
This core recipe was then bound in a Nicaraguan leaf and finalized with an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper.
Omar de Frias, owner/founder of Fratello Cigars, noted, “Cigar projects, where quantities do not exceed 4,000 cigars, are ones I really enjoy. We get to source tobacco bales from our suppliers that, due to mass-market projections, companies tend not to use, as replicating such a blend would be impossible. This is a one-of-a-kind cigar, as the bale we sourced had been aging for years and was perfect for this project.”
Fratello After BurnR is packaged in 10-count boxes that feature Cigar Dojo and Fratello imagery alongside original NASA illustrations from John R. Guttormson. The cigars have been rolled in a singular 5″ x 50 robusto format, being limited to 300 boxes of 10 cigars that will retail for $105 per box ($10.50/cigar). The two companies have partnered with online retailer Atlantic Cigar Co. for the cigar’s exclusive release, set to launch on Friday, June 23rd, at 12pm (Eastern).
Fratello After BurnR
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera la iSLA (Dominican Republic)
Production: Limited Edition (3,000 cigars)
Packaging: 10-ct Boxes
Vitola: 5″ x 50
Price: $105 ($10.50/cigar) MSRP
Release: June 23, 2023
Retailer: Atlantic Cigar Co.
