Fratello Lunar Cameroon Toro (Single Loose Cigar)

• Length: 152mm
• Gauge: 50
• Flavour: Medium to Full
• Dominican
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cameroon
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Nicaraguan & US

Fratello Lunar Cameroon Cigars Some cigar boxes are designed to look distinguished on a mahogany shelf. Others arrive looking as though they've just landed from Cape Canaveral. Fratello Lunar Cameroon belongs firmly in the second camp, and I must say, it's rather refreshing.

Fratello has always been an interesting name in the cigar trade. Founded by Omar de Frias, a former NASA employee, the company has a rather unusual connection to space exploration. Where most cigar manufacturers take inspiration from old tobacco plantations, Fratello occasionally looks a little further afield. About 240,000 miles further, in this case.

The Lunar Cameroon is presented in a splendidly eccentric box modelled on a lunar spacecraft. Its angular white and black exterior, yellow detailing and little technical illustrations give it the appearance of something that ought to have a mission controller and a countdown clock.

Lift the upper section and the cigars are revealed inside, individually wrapped in cellophane. It's an imaginative presentation, and one that makes a considerable impression when the box is opened.

The cigar itself is rather more traditional, which is reassuring. Beneath the space-age packaging sits a handsome, medium-brown Cameroon-wrapped cigar, displaying the natural texture and fine veins of the tobacco leaf.

Cameroon wrapper tobacco has long enjoyed a distinguished reputation among cigar makers. It's particularly associated with a delicate aromatic character and a distinctive natural sweetness, often accompanied by woody and gently spicy qualities. Naturally, the finished character depends upon the complete blend, but Cameroon leaf is certainly an interesting starting point.

The band is another attractive detail. Rather than the usual heraldic crests and gold scrollwork, Fratello has chosen an iridescent, silvery design featuring a stylised moon, complete with crater-like markings. As the light catches it, the colours shift across the surface.

I rather like that contrast between the traditional cigar and its thoroughly modern presentation. It's a reminder that there's still room for a bit of imagination in an industry where some packaging designs have barely changed since Queen Victoria was on the throne.

There's a story behind this one, too. Omar de Frias spent years working at NASA before entering the cigar business, and the Lunar presentation draws upon that earlier chapter of his career. It's a more personal connection than the usual marketing department invention.

The Lunar Cameroon makes an especially interesting addition to a collection, both for its unusual display box and for the opportunity to explore a Cameroon-wrapped cigar from a contemporary boutique manufacturer.

A cigar with its sights set on the moon. Though if you ask me, getting Scarborough Council to repair a pothole would be a more ambitious mission.