Aladino Limited Edition

Since the mid-’90s, the Eiroa family has made a name for themselves as a Honduran grower/manufacturer specializing in authentic Cuban-seed Corojo. The tobacco was prominently featured during their Camacho days, and has since found its way into the majority of cigars from both CLE and JRE—the two companies that were formed by Christian Eiroa (CLE) and father-son duo Julio and Justo Eiroa (JRE) after selling Camacho Cigars to Oettinger Davidoff in 2008.

It’s true, the Corojo influence holds strong to this day, though the family has clearly shown an interest in transplanting more exotic seeds in recent years. For JRE Tobacco Company, this has been evidenced through a series of Cameroon and Sumatra-themed cigars (the two varietals being closely related), transplanting the seeds away from familiar territory of Africa, Indonesia, and Ecuador, and growing the tobacco on the family’s farms throughout Honduras. To date, the leaves have only been used in the wrapper component of the blend, though this is soon to change. It began with the Aladino Cameroon in 2020, extending to the Aladino Limited Edition and Aladino Sumatra in 2023. In 2024, the Aladino Cameroon Reserva will break the trend by featuring a Honduran Cameroon puro recipe.

Aladino Limited Edition Breakdown

First announced in the summer of 2023, the Aladino Limited Edition was unique for JRE, being described as a one-and-done limited edition. Previously, the company had focused on regular or small-batch releases, with anything “limited” from JRE typically receiving reinforcements periodically. The blend is said to have been developed to coincide with a milestone birthday celebration for family patriarch, Julio R. Eiroa, though the final release broke away from the birthday theme. Instead, the Aladino Limited Edition is the first in a planned series of archived blends from JRE, with several other personal projects said to be in the works.

Aladino Limited Edition was among the only Aladino cigars to debut in a single size (6″ x 52 toro), arriving in 20-count boxes that retailed for $16 per cigar MSRP. The blend features a Honduran Cameroon wrapper and all-Honduran binder/fillers of undisclosed varietals.

Appearance

JRE are at their best when keeping things simple, and the Aladino Limited Edition makes this clear from the outset. The cigars are packaged in plain white boxes with the familiar Aladino insignia being displayed in a glossy red across the lid. There is also a “Limited Edition” inscription in a script font, which I can’t help but feel could’ve been spruced up a bit more. The box interior has the same old-school vista as virtually all Aladino cigars, and the bands are quite familiar as well (essentially swapping the metals/colors/finishes for a new spin on the Aladino Connecticut design).

With a glance, the cigar’s wrapper is paler in hue compared to the former Aladino Cameroon. It has a soft, velvet-like feel, showing almost no veins, nicely placed seams, and a triple-capped head. The cigar feels solid overall, having a medium-firm bunch. Aromas from the wrapper are of cedar, piney nutmeg, and tangy musk. On the foot, there are deeper notes of cinnamon and forest after a fresh rain. Finally, with a cut, the pre-light draw shows added nutmeg, cedar, and vegetation, being slightly to the firm side in resistance.

Smoking Experience

The Aladino Limited Edition is dry in texture from first light, prickling across the tongue as each puff settles. The first detected flavors are of creamy cappuccino with cinnamon dust. The latter note can swing into freshly shaved nutmeg territory with ease, bringing along the pine tree vibes from the cigar’s pre-light. It’s delicate yet fiery, having red pepper through the retrohale and lingering subtleties through the finish. The profile is medium in flavor, mild-to-medium in strength, and just under medium in body.

With a straight burn, the toro builds a near-white ash (there are touches of gray and medium-dark gray as well), being slightly flaky and clinging on for an inch and a half at a time. The draw is slightly firm but effective, allowing for slow and steady pulls that typically don’t require double puffs and produce a medium-light smoke output.

As Cameroon-wrapped cigars often shine in the retrohale, the Aladino Limited Edition follows suit, having an engaging spicy-sweet zestiness that lingers in the nostrils with each draw. The cigar isn’t as dry in texture after an inch and a half, being clean through the finish and more balanced in nature. Where pine was once a side effect of the nutmeg component, the flavor now emerges as a “playable character,” coming across like pine sap sweetness. This note cleans itself up through the finish, showing a more conventional sugarcane with cedar at the tail end. The smoke has a fairly even distribution across the palate, starting between the tip and center of the tongue and branching off to the sides and near-back regions.

There is a cool, clean spice with underlying sweetness, coming across like a sushi-style pickled ginger palate cleanser. Approaching the band, the toro is medium on all fronts, having a darker overall tone. The nutmeg from earlier returns with a toasty edge to it, being joined by burnt caramel through the finish. There are touches of medium-to-dark-roast coffee, leading way to allspice, leather, and touches of anise. The fiery elements return as well, prickling across the tongue with added intensity as the cigar closes out.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?

This one may already be getting into harder-to-find territory (although, a few of the larger online retailers still have them available, including Dojo sponsors Atlantic and Neptune), but I certainly wouldn’t shy away from adding a few more to the humidor. The cigars are a touch lighter, perhaps more fiery and complex than the Aladino Cameroon sister blend—enough so to warrant the higher price point. It’s an interesting combination of texture and contrasting elements of sweetness and spice, suggesting that there may yet be more to uncover in the ongoing Honduran Cameroon experiment from the Eiroas.

• The Aladino Limited Edition was awarded Cigar Dojo’s No. 11 Cigar of the Year for 2023.
• The Aladino Limited Edition currently ranks in the top 48 percent of cigars on the Dojoverse leaderboard, and is scored as “100% Smokable.”

Short Link: