In early March, I was invited to an exclusive tour of the Aladino and JRE factory in Las Lomas, Honduras! This quick but packed event included tours of the tobacco farms, the curing and aging process, and the factory itself where all aspects of the cigar are created. Join me as I share my experience!
First, a beautiful departure from San Luis Obispo.
Day One: Travel and Arrival
Day one was the flight from Houston to XPL airport in Comayagua, which is about an hour north of the capital of Tegucigalpa. It is a new airport that replaced the very old and dangerous old one, but at the cost of being outside the city center.
What followed after arrival was a 4 hour drive to Las Lomas, which is in the El Paraiso district just outside of Danli. While only about 50 miles by air, because of the mountainous terrain and dubious roads, it is a very long drive. Fortunately we were supplied with Aladino cigars and made a stop about half way through for provisions.
Our first night was orientation - showing us our rooms and inviting us to our first dinner and welcome drinks. More to come for tomorrow for sure!
Departure from IAH Houston on the way to XPL!
Approach and landing in to XPL:
Day Two: Farm
Day two was the tour of the farm itself. Situated in the Jamastran valley, this farm is the oldest in all of Central America. You'll even see the first Cuban style tobacco barn constructed in Central America, right here. This is cigar history in both Honduras and Central America.
Blending modern agriculture science and old world tradition, the farm is a wonderful mix of the old and new. The countryside offers stunning vistas and year round temperature climate perfect for growing a variety of agriculture, but specifically for our needs, tobacco.
We also got to tour the box making factory - to be honest I always assumed the boxes were mass produced by machine . No, at least at JRE they are hand assembled. There is a full on wood shop onsite with lathes, saws, sanding, and painting going on every day. It's another impressive detail of something we typically just toss away.
Heading out to the farm riding in the back of a truck - what fun!
Justo discussing the portfolio of cigars: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tSG6p6zqcuo
A neat curing machine that helps speed up the process a bit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MmqFFA--ix4
Day Three - The Factory
Our third day was the cigar factory itself - what happens to the leaf after it leaves the farm. From washing and drying to curing and aging, we saw all aspects of the years long process that takes place in order to get a leaf ready to be assembled.
Once leaves are ready, they are hand made to exacting specifications. Each and every premium cigar goes through a draw test, a size test, and then as a final quality control measure, are weighed in bundles. Each bundle must be within a very tight tolerance in weight or it is discarded.
We also were lucky enough to meet and talk with Julio R. Eiora, a US military veteran and the founder of JRE cigars. A remarkable man in his late 80's, he is responsible for much of the cigar industry both in Honduras and Central America. I was lucky to have met him and experienced his family's hospitality in opening up their home to us.
Cigar rolling in action: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EREHyXMOqEw
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5bXdc-AnsP4
Justo discussing the leaf selection process: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Wk1PVhT-BTk
Sadly, our quick trip had to come to an end. But on our last night a bit of a surprise - the Eiora family had arranged for a travelling dance group to come to the compound to show us some native Honduran dances and traditions. It was very well put together and showcased the warm and inviting culture that Honduras has to offer.
My personal thanks to the fine folks at JRE Tobacco and the Eiora family for hosting the event, and for Kevin and Jessica Owens of the Sanctuary for sending me to it on behalf of the Sanctuary Tobacco in San Luis Obispo, CA. Come down and join us daily and you'll probably find me there and I'll tell you all about Honduras while we smoke a fine handmade Aladino cigar. Who knows, maybe in a few years we may even smoke one that I handled personally!