In 2024, Fratello released a cigar named Vice Versa with a unique premise: it could be smoked from either end, with the flavor changing depending on which end you smoked. Starting today, a new blend from the company utilizing the same concept is on its way to stores.
Smooth and Strong is a 7 x 52 vitola made with an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering an Indonesian binder and filler tobaccos grown in Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. The cigar is capped at both ends—a piece of darker tobacco indicates the stronger end, while a piece of lighter tobacco indicates the milder, smoother end—and the proportions of tobacco are different for each end. The cigars are made at the La Aurora Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.
Each cigar has an MSRP of $17, and it is packaged in six-pack cartons, with five packs to a box. For 2026, a total of 12,000 cigars are being shipped, though Fratello says that it should be an annual release going forward.
The Vice Versa that Fratello released in 2023 was also a 7 x 52 vitola, but it was made with an Ecuadorian HVA wrapper over an Indonesian binder and filler tobaccos grown in Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. That cigar ended up being a one-time release..
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Fratello
Fratello Smooth And Strong
La Aurora Cigar Factory
