La Flor Dominicana Teams With Royal Agio On Paso Doble
European company Royal Agio Cigars has collaborated with cigarmaker Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana fame for a new brand that will be showcased at Royal Agio’s booth during the trade show: the Balmoral Paso Doble.
The new cigar is made at Gomez’s Tabacalera La Flor S.A. factory in the Dominican Republic and combines tobaccos from the inventories of both Gomez and Royal Agio.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Litto’s work,” said Boris Wintermans, CEO of Royal Agio, in a release. “Like me, he is obsessively ionate about pushing the boundaries of what can be discovered in cigar blending.”
The Balmoral Paso Doble is the second cigar released under the collaborative Balmoral Serie Signatura. Last year, Royal Agio partnered with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo for the Dueto.
Unlike many cigar companies, La Flor seldom makes cigars under contract . “This is not something we normally do,” Gomez said in a release. “For Boris I made an exception.”
Balmoral Paso Doble consists of an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Ecuador Sumatra binder and filler from the Dominican Republic and Brazil. It’s packaged in 10-count boxes and comes in three sizes: Robusto, measuring 5 3/4 inches by 50 ring gauge ($11.25); Gran Toro, 6 1/4 by 54 ($12); and Brindis, a 7 by 55 figurado ($16.50).
This isn’t the first time that the two companies have worked together. Royal Agio began distributing La Flor Dominicana cigars in and the Netherlands last year. Gomez was so pleased with the partnership that it led to this cigar brand. “When Boris asked me to collaborate on a blend with him, I did not think twice,” he said.
The Balmoral Paso Doble is a regular-production cigar made in limited quantities. It will be distributed by Royal Agio and should start shipping to retailers in August.
