JRE Tobacco is a family-owned company, founded by Julio R. Eiroa and his son Justo M. Eiroa. A fully integrated operation from crop to shop. The history of the Eiroa family goes back to the time when Julio Eiroa, a Cuban exile from Pinar del Rio, moved to Honduras to flourish the Cuban cigar-making tradition at the JRE Tobacco Farm specialized in handmade Cuban seed cigars and to become the premier ‘Corojo’ grower in Honduras. Corojo is a type of Cuban wrapper leaf that gets its name from a variety of palm trees found around Cuba and which is also very prominent at the Santa Ines del Corojo farm in Pinar del Rio where this leaf was originally grown. Today, Corojo varieties exist in different countries, especially in Honduras where JRE cigars are made.

The Eiroa family are also the former owners of Camacho Cigars —they purchased the company in 1995 from Simón Camacho— until it was sold to Oettinger Davidoff Group, the parent company of Davidoff of Geneva in 2008. As the premier Corojo grower in the industry, Julio R. Eiroa guarantees that their three cigar brands —Aladino, Rancho Luna, and Tatascan— provide the opportunity to enjoy an authentic Corojo taste.

The Aladino line of cigars —available in a variety of sizes including Petit Coronas, Coronas, Toros, Robustos, Churchills, and Gordos to name a few— is a pure original Cuban seed Corojo cigar lineup grown in Honduras at the JRE Tobacco Farm. Its flavor characteristics are unique and its draw and peppery notes will bring you back to the golden era of Cuban cigars from the pre-Castro era.

This trio of Aladino robustos is definitely not for the faint of heart and for seasoned cigar smokers that strive for medium to full-bodied cigars. The Aladino Cameroon, Aladino Corojo Reserva, and the Aladino Classic, all measure 5" in length with a 50 ring gauge, and all of them contain authentic Cuban seed Corojo leaf in their binder and filler among other leaves as is the case of the Classic and the Corojo Reserva.

Out of these three robustos, the Aladino Cameroon is the smoothest thanks to its Cameroon wrapper, followed by the Aladino Classic which features an Habano wrapper with Corojo and Habano filler. Meanwhile, the strongest and extremely peppery one is the limited production Aladino Corojo Reserva which features 100% Corojo aged to perfection with corona leaf.

When it comes to their flavor profile, these three Aladino robustos are very complex with notes that evolve almost every third of the cigar. The Aladino Cameroon starts off as an extremely smooth cigar for the first third with a perfectly even burn and flawless draw. Towards the second third, the cigar becomes more peppery with notes of leather and ambergris that remain consistent through the last third. The burning time of this cigar is approximately 40 minutes. The ash is nice and firm and the Aladino Cameroon is our favorite cigar from this trio.

In contrast, the Aladino Corojo Reserva starts off already extremely strong and remains very peppery throughout the first and second third, becoming way too peppery to smoke in the last third. Very light notes of coffee and tree bark are present throughout the whole 38-minute smoking time and this cigar is comparable to a Cohiba Maduro 5 Mágicos we reviewed here a while back.

And then, somewhere right in between the Aladino Corojo Reserva and the Aladino Cameroon, we find the Aladino Classic. This cigar somewhat reminded us of a Partagas Serie D No. 4 with a perfect draw and a consistent medium to full-bodied taste throughout the whole 35-minute smoking time. The Aladino Classic features light leather and cocoa notes with an intense burn and a beautiful smell thanks to its Habano wrapper.

Complex, robust, and with a very even burn —not going out at all—, these Aladino robustos develop some of the longest and firmest ashes we've seen in cigars that are not Cuban. One of the few non-Cuban cigars that can go head to head against Habanos.

In terms of vitolas, these three cigars come in a wide variety of them and the robustos are sold in boxes of 20 cigars for the Aladino Corojo Reserva and the Aladino Classic, and in a 24-cigar box for the Aladino Cameroon.

Sticker Price $250 to $172 USD —Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400ST not included. For more info on JRE Tobacco click here.

SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Tobacco Smoke Increases The Risk Of lung Cancer And Heart Disease, Even in Nonsmokers.