A gifted legend is given the ultimate gift…
Arsenio Ramos was born in Cuba in 1934 and dedicated his life to the art of tobacco. He spent more than four decades working at the state-run tobacco company in Cuba, Cubatabaco, honing his craft. Like many other highly skilled workers in the Cuban cigar industry, around the year 2000 he left his home country to work for Eduardo Fernández in Nicaragua. Fernández had recently just purchased the Nicaraguan powerhouse the cigar community knows and love today, AGANORSA Leaf, which then was known as Tabacalera Tropical.
There Ramos would spend 18 years fulfilling his passion to grow tobaccos, developing blends with a Cuban-esque look, feel, and flavor encapsulating the tradition of Cuban cigar making. This led to his ascension in ranks, becoming an integral part of the company as the head of the manufacturing team at the famed factory in Estelí.
The Arsenio is a special line created to honor the legacy of a gifted Cuban blender and the spearhead of Aganorsa Leaf’s factory. It is a previously unreleased blend, encapsulating the signature flavor that Arsenio helped cultivate and is considered Ramos’s preferred blend. Moreover, it displays his expertise in developing an unforgettable cigar.
Said by Aganorsa owner Eduardo Fernández: “Arsenio was a giant of the Cuban Tobacco Industry,” said Fernández, owner of Aganorsa, in a press release. “He was a self-taught man of humble means, a true craftsman. He was a great human being who was instrumental in creating the singular flavor that distinguishes the richness of Aganorsa’s leaf, taking us back to the traditions of a true Habano of old. This blend was his favorite and a tribute to his lifetime of work.”
Aganorsa at its finest, blend-wise, the tobaccos used were grown on farms owned by Aganorsa Leaf. A Nicaraguan puro, its composition features a golden-hued Corojo wrapper and is graced by two binders: Criollo ‘98 and tobacco from Estelí. For the core filler leaves are sourced from Jalapa and Condega. Delivering the same quality of excellence, Ramos would be proud of the medium to full-bodied smoke whose sweet and spicy flavor profile emanates nostalgic notes of decadent chocolate and florals. Aganorsa isn’t known for their meek cigars and the Arsenio is no exception.
Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio comes is formatted in three sizes: Robusto, measuring 5.25 inches by 54 ring gauge; Toro, 6 by 52; and a 6-by-44 Corona, which was Arsenio’s favorite size. Its packaging is opulent and regal, fitting for a man of his caliber. Stately are a quantity of 15 cigars featured in a brilliant royal blue box showcasing artisanal etching in a rich gold forming images of Ramos and the brand logo. Complimenting the box and the hue of the cigars are scrolled blue bands covering almost the entirety of the cigar also boasting the honoree’s image in gold.
This year’s 2024 PCA production is limited to just 2,000 boxes of both the Toro and Robusto, and 1,500 boxes of the Corona. You can shop the series here online at Casa de Montecristo or at your nearest Casa de Montecristo store and experience it in our one-of-a-kind cigar lounge and bar. But hurry, supplies won’t last.
