Mission Zero
Back in mid-June, JRE Tobacco Co. began shipping the cigar you see here. A 100% Honduran mystery blend crafted to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. But due to some unforeseen shipping snafus, the late arrival of Klaro's allotment left zero room for this celebratory smoke to get to our members in time for the 4th of July. No bother. We hear that America's birthday party is still taking place, and that we still have about 4½ months left to celebrate her birth.
So, what do we have blend-wise, if we don't know what the cigar is made from? Well, we have a standard 6 x 52 toro, which, as expected, is all JRE farmed. We also found out from our buddy Trey Mac, who is Aladino's national sales manager in the United States, is that this is a modified version of an extremely rare one-off release from a few years back.
"With this being the first big release for this blend, it's definitely a collector's thing that you'll want to say that you got your hands on."—Trey Mac Shipley, National Sales Manager at JRE Tobacco Company
During our little chat, Trey Mac set the record straight and declared that only 750 boxes were ever produced. As opposed to the 1,000 boxes that other online publications are claiming hit the market. Furthermore, he also explained that each box only contains thirteen cigars, each one representing one of the original U.S. colonies.
"This is tweaked from an earlier blend that was super limited, so limited that we didn't talk about it... [and] this would be either my first or second choice for an aging cigar."
Apparently, this blend also ages with the best of them, so if it's too hot to smoke outside right now, set this stick aside for Labor Day, Veterans Day, or any other special occasion you so choose in 2026.
Trey Mac also explains that he was the one responsible for designing the box for the Aladino brand. Instead of using the current 50-state "stars and bars" flag on the lid of the box, he decided to utilize the original Betsy Ross colonial flag as an homage to where we, as a country, originated. Inside, you will find the modern American flag and a choice passage from the Declaration of Independence, which serves as a representation of how far we have come as a country in the last two and a half centuries.
"How do we stand out? Have the BEST box... If your presentation is beautiful and eye-catching, but also tells a story without saying a word, that means more than anything."
But much like the formation of the United States, the road to getting the Aladino 250th to market was a bit of a bumpy one. When JRE teased the cigar in early March, it was named the Aladino Declaration. However, a trademark dispute with another cigar maker (who shall remain unnamed for now) forced the Honduran tobacco grower and roller to change the name. This explains why you may have seen a similar cigar from Aladino being promoted and discussed earlier in 2026, but a different band being affixed to the blend seen here.
"Your collector out there is going to seek out this limited Aladino product. But, if it happens to be somebody's first Aladino product, they are going to be super happy too."
Either way, the blend remained the same, and we are thrilled that we were able to secure a large amount of the allotted cigars from JRE so that our members can gain access to this exclusive premium cigar blend. So raise that flag high ya'll, and celebrate the semi-quincentennial founding of the United States in flavor and style with this special smoke from our friends over at Aladino.
