The relatively new venture JRE Tobacco (which was set up in 2015) belies the long pre-JRE history of the firm’s storied founder, Julio R. Eiroa. Starting as far back as the 1960s, it was Cuban-born Eiroa who perfected the world-class, grade-A “Authentic Corojo”-seed tobacco that lies at the heart of all the cigars in the Aladino line.
No less a legendary cigar industry figure than grower Angel Oliva (who Eiroa worked for early on) gave his blessing to Eiroa’s corojo-seed tobacco, calling it “as good or better” than what was being produced in Cuba at the time. Of course, Eiroa had a little help from none other than Cuban ex-agricultural official Jacinto ‘Tino’ Argudin, who was the first to smuggle the prized corojo seeds out of Cuba to Central America.
Since those days — over the course of the last 60 years — Eiroa’s corojo-seed tobacco has only gotten better and is now recognized as some of the best in the world outside of Cuba. As opposed to other corojo varieties, JRE’s seeds have not been hybridized, resulting in a purer corojo tobacco that’s closer to the original Cuban product than anything else you’ll find.
JRE showcased the Aladino line in 2015, and it earned praise and accolades from the industry. In 2018, JRE introduced the Corojo Reserva series, which is formulated to be heartier, more concentrated, and bolder than the original Aladino offerings.
For the Corojo Reserva vitolas, JRE’s prized seeds gave birth to not only the wrapper leaves of these premium, small-batch cigars, but also the binders and fillers. These long-lasting puro Honduran smokes offer sweet and alluring flavors of coffee beans, chocolate, pepper, and traces of various fruits, among others. Order a box of 20 or 24 cigars today, and taste the authenticity of Aladino’s corojo leaves, but with a bolder kick.