A Chat with Justo Eiroa: Why JRE Tobacco Uses Only Authentic Corojo

We sat down with Justo Eiroa of JRE Tobacco to talk about why his family has dedicated their entire operation to authentic Corojo — the original Cuban seed that started the premium cigar industry. In this conversation, Justo explains how three generations of the Eiroa family have kept this tobacco alive, from his father Julio’s first tobacco barn in Central America to today’s crop-to-shop Aladino line, and why they refuse to switch to easier-to-grow hybrid alternatives. The Eiroa Family: From Cuba to Honduras The Eiroa story begins in Pinar del Río, Cuba — the heartland of premium tobacco. Justo’s father, Julio R. Eiroa, was a tobacco grower there during what many consider the golden era of Cuban cigars (1947–1961). When the Cuban embargo hit, Julio left Cuba and built the first tobacco barn in Central America in 1961, settling in