Ace Prime cigars were founded in 2019 by three friends: Tiago Splitter (yes, the NBA player who got a ring with the Spurs), Luciano Meirelles (a sommelier and blender with many years of international business experience), and Don Eradio Pichardo (a master blender drawing on multi-generational Cuban tobacco expertise).
At the outset, they describe the Ace Prime cigars approach as, “growing (or sourcing) the very best tobacco; ensuring the most delicate processing and aging; developing an exceptional level of skilled manufacturing; and investing in the people and local communities.” Standard stuff for premium cigar companies to say – time will tell if they can reach their goals, but we’ll be cheering them on all the way.
The main production facility for Ace Prime cigars is Tabacalera Pichardo, found in Estelí, Nicaragua. This will come as no surprise, as Nicaragua has become one of the major centers of the modern cigar industry, if not THE center. There they create the company’s flagship brands, which initially are comprised of Fiat Lux, The Sergeant, MXS, Luciano, and Pichardo. These are distributed in partnership with Crowned Heads, a Nashville-based cigar company made up of former CAO team members that always keep things rockin’.
The story of the Ace Prime cigars company really dates back to 2009. Meirelles was working as an international political consultant on a project to help the Dominican Republic get tax relief on cigar exports. He came into contact with Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, and through this connection met Pichardo, who had a cigar factory in Nicaragua. A decade later, the Ace Prime cigars brand would formally launch, but the roots of the core partnership started years before.
Tobacco for Ace Prime cigars comes from a variety of locations – wrapper leaf is grown in Ecuador, including Corojo ’98 and ’99, criollo 2012, Sumatra, and a proprietary Connecticut seed hybrid. The Nicaraguan farms grow filler tobacco, and another leaf is brought in through partners abroad in Peru and Costa Rica. We expect outstanding flavors from the old school tobacco experts, but also are seeing that this brand has a healthy love of sports thanks to relationships with Splitter, Dominique Wilkins, and former baseball player Adrián González.
Keep your eye on this team – they’ve got the pedigree to make some fine smoke.
Please browse our selection of Ace Prime cigars at your leisure.
