The setup for Royal Agio was a little different at IPCPR 2017. When we met up with Boris Wintermans to talk, we did so in their own, dedicated booth. It marks a big change for Agio, this is their first year with their own organization in the U.S., and the beginning of a direct strategy of building relationships with retailers and consumers. They don’t make that decision lightly, as Boris says, “once we do something, we’re here to stay.”
In terms of cigars, Agio is still heavily promoting their most recent release, the Balmoral Añejo XO, which has garnered many positive reviews and a number of awards in various countries over the past few years. The problem is, it’s well received by reviewers, but is still relatively unknown to many consumers. Agio’s goal is to change that.
From there, Boris reintroduces us to the Balmoral Añejo XO, a cigar he calls his signature blend. While many of our regular viewers may be aware of the line, the chances are good that the occasional visitor may be unfamiliar with it. (Also, the audio in our interview last year wasn’t the best, so I feel like we owe Boris another opportunity to tell us about it.) The blend features a 10 year old Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, with a Dominican Olor binder, and Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Dominican fillers. It retails from between $8 and $13, depending on size, plus applicable taxes. The most exclusive cigar in the lineup is the Lancero FT (7 x 40). 1,250 boxes were made for last year and a remaining small percent may appear at select retailers. Keep your eyes peeled if you’re interested, there won’t be many.
And because I couldn’t help myself, I had to bring up that I found out Boris raced motorcycles and is a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He’s since moved onto more conservative hobbies like racing cars and boxing. Though he races all over the place, he assures us that he’s not a pro, it’s just a great way to blow off steam.
IPCPR Coverage Sponsored By
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