JR Ultimate
DiscontinuedJR Ultimate is one of the oldest surviving private-label house brands in the American cigar retail market, first produced in 1976 and built into one of JR Cigars' most trusted and long-running product lines. The brand was developed by Lew Rothman, the founder of 800-JR Cigar, as an affordable alternative to premium Honduran cigars, and it has consistently used aged Honduran long-filler tobacco as its core. The standard blend uses a Connecticut Broadleaf binder over Honduran filler, with wrapper choices spanning natural Ecuadorian Connecticut shade, Connecticut Broadleaf maduro, and Connecticut machine-made options across the full vitola range. The result is a mild-to-medium cigar in the natural expressions and a fuller-bodied smoke in the maduro, both built on genuine long-filler Honduran tobacco at a bundle price that undercuts virtually everything of comparable construction.
The database captures 35 vitola entries across all wrapper styles and production tiers, from the compact Petit Corona up through the massive 8.5 x 52 President, including natural, maduro (M), and machine-made (MM) versions of many sizes. A select grouping of vitolas carries the "Cabinet" designation for slightly more refined packaging. The JR Ultimate won multiple gold medals at international cigar competitions and has remained a benchmark for what a value Honduran handmade can be at its price point.