In collaboration with the former NASA Deputy Center Director for Johnson Space Center, and founder of Intuitive Machines, Steve Altemus, Fratello Cigars announces the The Lunar. As part of Fratello’s 10th Anniversary celebration, two limited production blends will be “launched” from 10 select retailers. Intuitive Machines, which Altemus founded in 2013, develops the Nova-C lunar lander to transport payloads to the Moon, laying groundwork for human missions and lunar habitation. The first mission, IM-1, is set to launch this year as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
The Lunar project joins Fratellos’s other NASA-inspired exclusives, Navetta and Navetta Inverso. Made at the La Aurora factory in the Dominican Republic, the first of the two blends features a Connecticut Shade wrapper, Mexican binder, and a a combination of filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Cameroon. The second utilizes a Cameroon wrapper, Dominican binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the United States. Both blends are sold in 15-count packs for $14 (Connecticut) and $15 (Cameroon) each. In June, 175 Limited Edition Lunar humidors will be made available – each containing a third blend, 18 Dominican Puros rolled using tobacco aged for 6 years. Those cigars will sell for a suggested $25 each.
Fratello founder, and former NASA Analyst, Omar de Frias, explains that “I am incredibly honored to be part of this historic moment. When Steve approached me a few years ago to create a cigar to commemorate this momentous launch, I knew we were working on something truly special. The fact that the Fratello Brand will be reaching the moon is a moment of triumph for Fratello fans around the world. During my 12 years at NASA, successful missions were always celebrated with a premium cigar. This year, that celebratory cigar will be The Lunar,”
Altemus shares, “Capturing Intuitive Machines’ spirit of exploration in a brand on Earth is an exciting collaboration,” and adds, “This has been a unique and exciting experience, and Intuitive Machines is proud to be a part of creating a small piece of history.”