Macanudo Returns to Jamaican Roots
Remember when Macanudos were made in Jamaica with Jamaican tobacco? If you're at all nostalgic for Macanudo cigars with Jamaican leaf, General Cigar Co. will be releasing its Macanudo Estate Reserve this October.
It's been more than 15 years since a Macanudo cigar has been made with Jamaican tobacco, but come this fall, General Cigar's limited-edition Macanudo Estate Reserve turns back the clock by featuring some Jamaican leaf in the filler.
General intends this special Macanudo to serve as an homage to the brand's heritage. Macanudos were originally produced in Jamaica at the Temple Hall factory in Kingston using a blend that included Jamaican tobacco. General Cigar closed the Jamaican facility in the year 2000, with production of Macanudo moved entirely to the Dominican Republic. Jamaican tobacco was eventually phased out of the blend.
Jamaican tobacco, which is a rarity in today's cigar world, is making a special, limited appearance in the Macanudo Estate Reserve. The blend consists of a 10-year-old Connecticut wrapper, Mexican binder and what General calls "a private reserve of Jamaican tobacco, cultivated and aged [five years] exclusively for this limited release."
The Macanudo Estate Reserve will come in three sizes: Belicoso, at 6 inches by 57 ring gauge; Churchill, 7 by 50; and Robusto, 5 by 50. The smokes are set to retail from $16.00 to $18.00 each and will come individually encased in coffin-style boxes. The master case is solid mahogany accented with the distinctive colors of the Jamaican flag.
Only 1,800 boxes of each size have been produced.
For more on Jamaica's cigar history, see Jamaica's Cigar Comeback.
