The Honduran Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar is a spinoff of the core Carenas line, featuring tobacco that has been aged longer.
Three years ago, Altadis revitalized its Saint Luis Rey line with the Carenas blend. Now, a new version is being shipped to retailers, and according to brand owner Altadis U.S.A., the tobaccos in this blend are even older.
Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar
The Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar is produced in Honduras at the Flor de Copan factory using an “extra-aged blend of tobaccos,” according to Altadis. However, they have not specified how much older these tobaccos are compared to those in the original Carenas line. In addition to the age difference, the Ultramar blend features a Nicaraguan wrapper and binder, with the filler consisting of both Honduran and Nicaraguan leaves. This contrasts with the original Carenas blend, which has a Honduran filler and binder and a Nicaraguan wrapper.
Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar
The Carenas Ultramar comes in four sizes: Corona (5 5/8 inches by 45 ring gauge, $9.10), Robusto (5 by 50, $9.64), Toro (6 by 52, $9.75), and Magnum (6 by 60, $10.69). All sizes are packaged in 20-count boxes featuring a Spanish galleon on the inner lid, reflecting the brand’s theme (ultramar means “overseas” in Spanish).
“The transport of tobacco in ships bound for Spain from the New World was the first known method of tobacco fermentation and aging,” says Gabe Diaz, brand manager for Altadis U.S.A. “The original Saint Luis Rey Carenas mirrors how tobacco would have tasted in the New World. The Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar represents the extra-aged tobacco that would have been smoked upon the shipment’s arrival in Spain.”
Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar
Look for a future issue of Cigar Insider for a vertical brand tasting of the Saint Luis Rey Carenas Ultramar.
