原文2019年1月刊登在CA杂志

拉斐尔·诺达尔2014年推出老化室1号纸盒雪茄时，他使用了1999年到2001年期间多米尼加共和国种植的古巴种子烟叶来调配烟叶混合，如今他转向了尼加拉瓜烟叶来调配新产品。

2号纸盒雪茄的特点是使用了普拉森西亚家族在尼加拉瓜奥梅特佩岛种植的烟草，并且经过了多年发酵。

拉斐尔·诺达尔如今是美国烟草的产品能力主管，他介绍说，这种烟草带有浓郁的香气和独特的甜味，他刚尝到这款罕见的烟草，就知道是可以用来调配一款新的烟叶混合。就像作曲家为一支管弦乐队和某个特定乐器创作一支协奏曲那样。

奥梅特佩是位于尼加拉瓜湖旁边的一个火山岛，种植着少量烟草。由于火山土壤富含营养，烟叶带有特殊的甜味和泥土味。

这个新品是委托普拉森西亚雪茄厂生产的，全尼加拉瓜烟叶卷制。茄套和大部分茄芯烟叶是奥梅特佩烟叶，其余的烟叶来自埃斯特利地区、贾拉帕地区。

雪茄有三个尺寸。C大调，54环径，5.75英寸。B小调，52环径，5英寸。格兰德，60环径，6英寸。每盒20支装。售价从每支11.5美元到12.5美元不等。

去年，老化室雪茄的产品线被分为四类。2号纸盒属于专业路线类别。

目前老化室雪茄是由美国烟草旗下的阿塔迪斯烟草公司经销，美国烟草是帝国烟草公司控股的。2017年，拉斐尔·诺达尔将老化室品牌卖给阿塔迪斯公司后，就开始为阿塔迪斯公司工作。

When Rafael Nodal released Aging Room Bin No. 1 in 2014, he blended it around Cuban-seed tobaccos harvested in the Dominican Republic from 1999 to 2001. Now, Nodal is turning to Nicaragua.

Set to come out in March, Aging Room Small Batch Bin No. 2 is based around aged tobacco grown by the Plasencias in Nicaragua from the volcanic soils of Ometepe.

“This tobacco has a great aroma and a unique, sweet, earthy taste,” says Nodal, brand owner and head of product capability for Tabacalera USA. According to Nodal, the blending process for Bin No. 2 started nearly a year ago after he tried some of the Ometepe tobacco in Nestor Plasencia’s inventory.

Ometepe is a volcanic island near Lake Nicaragua where a small amount of tobacco is grown. The nutrient-rich volcanic soil is known to give the tobacco a sweet, earthy taste, although the area is not as widely used as the other three major Nicaraguan growing regions: Condega, Jalapa and Estelí.

“As soon as I tasted this rare tobacco, I knew it had to be the start of a blend,” Nodal says. “Just like a composer creates a concerto for orchestra and a specific instrument.”

Made at Plasencia Cigars S.A. in Nicaragua, the cigars contain only Nicaraguan leaf. The binder, however, is from Ometepe, as is most of the filler. The rest of the tobacco is from Estelí and Jalapa.

Aging Room Small Batch Bin No. 2 comes in three sizes: C Major, measuring 5 3/4 inches by 54 ring gauge; B Minor, at 5 by 52; and Grande, 6 by 60. All are packaged in 20-count boxes. The cigars will range in price from $11.50 to $12.50 each.

Last year, the Aging Room portfolio was consolidated and divided into four categories. Bin No. 2 falls under Aging Room’s Specialty Line category.

While Nodal owns the brand, it is distributed by Altadis U.S.A., a subsidiary of Tabacalera USA, which is owned by Imperial Brands PLC. Altadis began distributing Aging Room after Nodal began working for the company in 2017.