For part 1 of “Driving Curiosity,” an exclusive interview with Royal Agio Cigars’ CEO Boris Wintermans, click here.
Discovering New Taste Horizons
Since its launch three years ago, the Balmoral Anejo XO brand has consisted of just one blend. One of the top goals for Wintermans and the rest of the Royal Agio team has been to provide more expressions of the Balmoral Anejo XO line while maintaining the same exploratory brand blending philosophy. At this year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association trade show, the company debuted two new Balmoral Anejo XO varieties, Connecticut and Oscuro.
The Balmoral Anejo XO Connecticut blend is crowned with a shade-grown wrapper from the Connecticut River Valley, features an Ecuadorean Sumatra binder, and contains Dominican Olor, Pennsylvania 41 and stalk-cut Brazilian Mata Norte tobaccos in the filler blend. The cigar provides a luxuriously creamy smoking experience with complex notes of vanilla, toasted caramel and white pepper as well as an underlying smooth, natural sweetness.
“With Balmoral Anejo XO Connecticut, we tried to make an untraditional Connecticut cigar,” Wintermans explains. “We use a Connecticut Valley-grown Connecticut wrapper that doesn’t impart any of the bitterness that’s typically associated with Connecticut wrappers. And we used some PA41 tobacco from Pennsylvania in the filler blend to give the cigar some punch that seasoned cigar smokers who normally enjoy medium- or full-bodied cigars will enjoy. I think they will find this cigar interesting and challenging, with many different layers.”
Finished with a stalk-cut sun-grown Mexican San Andres wrapper, Dominican Olor binder, and filler tobaccos featuring Dominican Olor, Nicaraguan Jalapa and stalk-cut Brazilian Mata Norte tobaccos, Balmoral Anejo XO Oscuro offers a rich smoking experience with complex notes of dark chocolate, espresso and black pepper.
“Balmoral Anejo XO Oscuro is very complex, sophisticated and finishes smooth,” Wintermans says. “Because it is so smooth, you can discover the different layers of complexity in the cigar. It has some strength and body but also the creaminess and distinct flavor profile that you experience when you smoke the ‘classic’ Anejo XO. I enjoy this cigar a lot.”
With two additions to the Balmoral Anejo XO line, Royal Agio also added a new brand to its portfolio. The San Pedro de Macoris line draws inspiration from the people who live in the Dominican town where Royal Agio has its premium handmade cigar factory. These people are known throughout the country for living vibrant lives despite not owning large bank accounts. They possess a vital ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, which Wintermans says is the secret behind his company’s San Pedro de Macoris line, which debuted at the show with two varieties, Ecuador and Brazil.
“San Pedro de Macoris is a completely different brand,” Wintermans says. “The challenge was to create a premium cigar at an affordable price. We used our premium tobaccos to make a cigar that is much more accessible financially. There are many different brands out there, and we want to stand out from them. The construction and the quality must be flawless, and we created something that still gives a very aromatic and exciting taste. It is representative of the community that surrounds our premium handmade cigar factory. It’s our invitation to cigar smokers around the world to elevate their everyday occasions.”
