As the 2026 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show approached, word came that Christian Eiroa would be working with Altadis U.S.A. to produce the Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary. On the surface, this was quite a surprising announcement to many, but when you peel the onion, there is history between Christian and this brand. It’s history that is now coming back to life with this project, and the tobaccos Christian used in this blend. The brand also holds a special place for Christian.
The Eiroa – Saint Luis Rey Connection
“This really was the brand that got away” – Christian Eiroa
Saint Luis Rey is a brand with roots in Cuba. However, the trademark was acquired in the U.S. by Max Rohr Imports. In 1996, the Honduran version of Saint Luis Rey made its debut, coinciding with Christian stepping into the business. Having previously worked on the original blend of Saint Luis Rey, Christian’s expertise contributed to the cigar’s impressive rise in popularity.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a series of acquisitions took place. Eventually, the company that came to be known as Altadis took over the Honduran version of Saint Luis Rey. Benji Menendez, who was with Altadis at the time, broke the news to Christian that Altadis wanted to produce the brand. While Christian was no longer producing Saint Luis Rey, the blend he produced became the foundation for what he did at Camacho.
Christian would eventually sell Camacho and form C.L.E. Cigar Company. He recently had a chance to develop the Saint Luis Rey Eiroa 30th Anniversary. This was a very deep and meaningful project for him considering his own personal journey in the cigar business. Christian talks about his journey and history with the Saint Luis Rey brand in this video below (recorded at the Baltimore Miami Hotel)
The Pinareño Seed
While the cigar honors 30 Years of the Honduran Saint Luis Rey brand, Eiroa reached back to the past and put his own modern spin on this cigar. Over the past couple of years, Eiroa has been working on tobaccos, working with a seed varietal called Pinareño. The seed is being cultivated in both Honduras and Colombia, where Eiroa now has a farm. The SLR Eiroa 30th Anniversary blend features a Colombian Pinareño varietal wrapper paired with a Honduran Corojo binder. The filler is a blend of Corojo and Pinareño tobaccos. The Eiroa family is synonymous with authentic Corojo. They played a big part in reviving it over 25 years ago. Now Christian is doing the same with Piñareno.
Corojo and Piñareno are considered incredibly flavorful tobaccos, but they share a common problem – they are susceptible to blue mold. The Eiroas used some first-generation Piñareno seeds from Cuba, but had not grown it since 1979, when blue mold swept through Honduras. While hybridized seeds are often used now with Corojo, Christian feels it does not have the same flavor as working with the original seeds.
In the video below, Christian talks about the Pinareño seed:
Best Practices
The Eiroas have worked hard on establishing agricultural best practices. These have helped them get better yields from crops with the heirloom Corojo and Piñareno seeds. In addition, the Eiroas have been pioneers in many innovative practices such as Bayer’s CropScience program. CropScience is a program of best practices for agriculture and manufacturing that promotes concepts such as environmental sustainability, crop safety, bio-friendly pesticides, industrial safety, and biosecurity.
Visiting the company farms involves going through a disinfectant station before entering. One thing in the video above that Christian talked about was the importance of clean water for crop building. When you talk to Christian or his brother Justo (who runs JRE Tobacco Co), whether about CropScience or water, you know this is an integral part of the best practices of the Eiroa operations.
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The product delivered by Eiroa to Altadis is unmistakably Christian Eiroa. Not only does the blend of Pinareño and Corojo have his signature, but the paper sleeves replacing the cellophane are there. If you know Christian, you will know his disdain for cellophane.
I got the sense Christian’s return to Saint Luis Rey for Altadis is notone-and-done.e The C.L.E. and Altadis teams seem very satisfied working together. The gut feel is this is the first of more to come.
Media Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
