On the heels of PCA, we could sit down with Terence Reilly of Aganorsa Leaf Cigars to catch up with him on how his team did at the hottest cigar convention. Two big sellers for Aganorsa that were also the most talked about were the 10 x 100 JFR Lunatic and the Aganorsa Leaf Rare Leaf Maduro. Most of the consumers had no idea how to react to buying the 10 x 100 cigar. Most of them bought it just to have this rare size in their collection.

With Limited Edition cigars selling in small quantities, the problem is that they sell out so quickly, then consumers will take their business elsewhere. On average, Aganorsa will send their product to 120 to 150 retailers across the world. This allows Aganorsa to utilize the limited quantities the factory produces while maintaining their product to last longer over time.

Reilly stated that when they first came up with the concept for the Aganorsa Leaf Rare Leaf Maduro, their goal was to create a solution to the limited edition problem currently going on in the industry. So Terence and Aganorsa decided to make them an extension of the Rare Leaf line in Maduro.

With Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo 98 and 99 making up the binder and filler, the wrapper is where the San Andres Maduro comes into play. A reputation is already building so far for the Rare Leaf Maduro. It’s one of the strongest lines Aganorsa has ever produced, so avid Aganorsa Leaf consumers may not be used to the full-bodied tasting notes and flavors the Rare Leaf Maduro provides.

Next, Nick and Terence discussed any of the issues or difficulties Aganorsa Leaf may have came across while they re-branded from “Casa Fernandez” back in 2018. Terence stated that there were so many cigar lines and brands with “Casa” or “Fernandez” in them, that they lost in the shuffle. Aganorsa’s new logo of a flexing arm holding tobacco leaves, it’s become a symbol of their new identity in the last five years. Reilly believes the logo will stand and catch the eyes of many consumers who shop in-store, and online.

Finally, to wrap up the episode, Nick asked Terence about the new Validation series/trend that he’s started for Aganorsa. It started off as a joke between Terence and Eduardo Fernandez. While they were doing Quality Control of their new product, Fernandez and Reilly took it upon themselves to “Validate” their new product. Reilly didn’t want it to come off too gimmicky, however, he’s had a lot of fun with the term, and so have the loyal Aganorsa Leaf fans.

“I saw online the other day of one of our consumers telling his wife he couldn’t mow the lawn just yet, he’s ‘validating’ the Rare Leaf Reserve right now”, Reilly said. “It’s nice to see our fans and consumers using Validation in the right way in their everyday lives. 

The Validation Cigar line is one of Aganorsa’s budget-friendly core lines that ranges between $9 and $10 per stick. They chose to go that route of pricing because Reilly states “You have to be cognizant of the consumer and what they’re looking for in a cigar”. 

You can watch the full interview above, where our very own Nick Libretti interviews him. Below, you can get to know Terence Reilly a little bit more by watching “8 Questions with Terence” right now!