Aging Room Quattro Original

About

The top of Cigar Aficionado's Cigar of the Year list is normally dominated by major cigar brands with a long track record of produce famous cigars. But when they gave the #1 spot to the Cuban Montecristo No. 2, the second place went to a small-batch cigar from a brand new cigar brand. The aptly named Boutique Blends launched the super-premium Aging Room line in 2012 and earned the highest honor of any non-Cuban brand in their very first year of production. It takes a truly remarkable cigar to launch a brand to such enormous success right out of the gate. Then it was called the Aging Room Quattro F55, now it’s known as the Aging Room Quattro Original cigar. Boutique Blends founder Rafael Nodal – not to be confused with tennis master Rafael Nadal – never wanted to create the next big brand. When he decided to launch Aging Room, he didn't partner with any major brands or build his own factory with the intention of creating a new cigar empire. Instead, he turned to the Tabacalera Palma, which produces cigars for various international brands including Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo, but up until that point only sold cigars under their own name within its native Dominican Republic. Following the success of Aging Room, Boutique Blends has become part of the massive Altadis brand, and Tabacalera Palma achieved worldwide fame with its La Galera brand. But back in 2012, neither company was part of the mainstream cigar world. This was just what Nodal wanted. His mission was to use his freedom as an independent blender to create groundbreaking small-batch cigars. Tabacalera Palma was the perfect partner for this endeavor because they produced a wide range of remarkable tobaccos which allowed him to experiment and create unique blends with the craftsmanship that his ambition demanded. Their Dominican long-fillers and binder give the Aging Room cigars their mellow, complex backbone. But Nodal wasn't going to stop with Tabacalera Palma's wonderful tobaccos. He embarked on a world