A year ago, Artesano Del Tobacco—the parent of the Viva La Vida brand—asked its fans what new vitolas it should add to its Viva La Vida Connecticut line.
The top two vote-getters were a Churchill and lancero. In July, the new Viva La Vida Connecticut Churchill shipped to stores, while the new lancero is expected to arrive before the end of the year.
This week, the company has upped the ante.
In an email to its Club 500 members, a fan club, the company says that for the first time ever, there will be a Viva La Vida line outside of Nicaragua. To date, the various Viva La Vida blends have been made by AJ Fernandez. Those blends will remain at the factory, but a new line will come from a new factory.
“With A.J. Fernandez’s blessing and support, we are exploring the possibility of creating a second line of Viva La Vida outside of Nicaragua,” said the company in an email. “Before we make this important decision, we want the people who know and love Viva La Vida the most to be part of it — our Club 500 family. So, where should the next Viva La Vida be made?”
The company has asked the members to vote on which factory it should work with for the new line, giving people eight options to choose from:
- Casa Carrillo (Dominican Republic)
- Fábrica de Puros Aladino at Las Lomas Jamastran (Honduras)
- Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L. (Honduras)
- IGM Cigars (Costa Rica)
- TABACALERA LA iSLA (Dominican Republic)
- Tabacalera Palma (Dominican Republic)
- Tabacos de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
- Tabacos de Oriente (Honduras)
“The original Viva La Vida will continue to be made in Nicaragua with A.J. Fernandez. This is about creating a new chapter and a second Viva La Vida line, while respecting the heritage, identity, and spirit of the brand.”
Update (Oct. 22, 2026) — Artesano Del Tobacco has announced the results of the survey, based on responses from 703 people.
Country:
- Honduras — 51.9 percent
- Dominican Republic — 30 percent
- Costa Rica — 18.1 percent
Top Factory Honduras:
- Tabacos de Oriente — 69.9 percent
- Fábrica de Puros Aladino at Las Lomas Jamastran (Honduras) — 24.9 percent
- Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L. — 5.2 percent
Top Factory Dominican Republic
- TABACALERA LA iSLA — 59.2 percent
- Casa Carrillo — 26.1 percent
- Tabacalera Palma — 14. 7 percent
Top Factory Costa Rica
- Tabacos de Costa Rica — 57.7 percent
- IGM Cigars — 42.3 percent
Update (Oct. 22, 2026) — Added results. This post was originally published on Oct. 7.
Overall Score
