editorials MARCH / APRIL 2018
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PERFECT PAIRINGS VILLIGER LA VENCEDORA / GENTLEMAN JACK In more ways than one, this classic American spirit had one cigar’s name all over it.
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PERFECT PAIRINGS YAYABO SERIES 04 THE ADMIRAL / THE TANK FREEDOM TOWER There’s a kegerator in our office. All hands on deck!
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SMOKE ON THE WATER
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BOAT GUIDE If you’ve ever mulled over the idea of buying a boat, but didn’t know where to start, we’ve got some suggestions for you.
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BOATING GEAR
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BOAT DRINKS
61
AGANORSA
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The cigar smoking boater’s guide to Miami. No matter where you dock, cigars are never far.
Make the most of your time on the water with gear that’ll keep your day safe and your beer cold.
A day on the water is a cause for celebration! Raise your glasses; we’ve got the booze for your cruise.
We went to Nicaragua to give you a closer look at the company behind some of the most distinctive tobacco in premium cigars — and the unusual story of the man who started it all.
Q&A WITH STEVE GHEREBEAN Steve Gherebean on the making of Hand Rolled, a documentary about premium cigars.
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features MARCH / APRIL 2018
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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
18
FEEDBACK
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WHAT’S BURNIN’
68
SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB
83
RATINGS
98
CRA UPDATE
LIFE’S A BEACH
100
TWITTER SCOREBOARD
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EVENT COVERAGE 104 PURO SABOR 108 PRO CIGAR 112 THE GREAT SMOKE 114 YAYABO 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY 116 ROCKY PATEL AT BURN 118 VICTOR CALVO AT CASABLANCA CIGAR LOUNGE
120 DAVIDOFF AT CASA DE MONTECRISTO BY PRIME
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MARCH / APRIL 2018
VO L . 1 0 IS SU E 2 www.cigarsnobmag.com PUBLISHER & EDITOR Erik Calviño SENIOR EDITOR Nicolás Antonio Jiménez COPY EDITOR Michael LaRocca SALES & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Oscar M. Calviño PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ivan Ocampo ART DIRECTOR Andy Astencio DIGITAL RETOUCHING SPECIALISTS Ramón Santana CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Florin Safner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Glynn Loope Lenny Rudow CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Benoliel Andy Astencio Ricardo Ruiz Dustin Eaton EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Jamilet Calviño Cover Photography by David Benoliel www.davidbenolielphotography.com Cover Model - Belu Bergagna Cigar Snob is published bi-monthly by Lockstock Publications, Inc. 1421-1 SW 107th Ave., #253 Miami, FL 33174-2509 Tel: 1 (786) 423-1015 Cigar Snob is a registered trademark of Lockstock Publications, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction in part or full without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Cigar Snob is printed in the U.S. Contents copyright 2006, Lockstock Publications, Inc. To subscribe, visit www.cigarsnobmag.com
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During my early teens, my spare time was split between playing sports, racing my dirt bike, and being on a boat with my stepdad. I remember the first seaworthy vessel he bought; I mention the fact that it was the “first seaworthy vessel” because there were several failed attempts at rehabilitating salvaged boats early on. That first seaworthy one was an 18-footer with a hull designed for lakes, but we went out to sea on this thing. I was about 13 or 14, but I’ll never forget the “you guys are nuts” looks we got from other boaters as we were heading out. As I remember it, conditions were less than ideal — drizzly, gray skies, wind gusts, and excessively choppy seas — but there we were, my stepdad, my brother Chuck and me heading out through Haulover Inlet. If you want to get a sense of what kind of recipe for disaster this was, search for “Haulover Inlet accident” in any search engine; it’s entry after entry of catastrophic failures and epic rescues. There are nastier inlets, to be sure, but Haulover is no joke, especially in an 18-foot lake boat. Thankfully we made it through and slowly graduated to bigger and better boats. That’s why putting together this issue was so much fun for me. We created a travel piece that gives you an almost step-by-step guide to boating your way through South Florida. The idea was to point you in the direction of cigar friendly places you could reach from the water, even if in some cases you’ll have to take a cab or Uber to the nearest cigar shop. We did this over the course of two days and we coordinated with some of our cigar industry friends to come along for the trip (p.33). Thanks to Miami Boat Charters (boatchartersmiami.net) for taking us around on the Seagar Life and to all of the restaurants and bars who hosted us. Special thanks to the Marriott Stanton South Beach (stantonsobe. com) for not only letting us stay there overnight for the travel story but for letting us shoot throughout the property for the photo shoot in this issue. The shoot, titled Life’s a Beach (p.68), features the sexy Argentine Belu Bergagna smoking the Nestor Miranda Collection (miamicigarandcompany.com). Additionally we enlisted the help of expert boating writer Lenny Rudow to give us the lowdown on some of the best new boats on the market (p.49) and Total Wine’s Pablo Estades for guidance on boat friendly drinks (p.58). Finally, our senior editor Nicolas Antonio Jimenez spent a few days with Eduardo Fernández and his team at Aganorsa in Nicaragua (no boats here, though). He came back with an amazing story about how Eduardo went from making a fortune in the pizza business to leading a world-class tobacco operation (p.61). We hope you enjoy this issue and would love to hear any feedback
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you may have about it. Send us an email at feedback@cigarsnobmag.com. As always, thank you for making us part of your cigar smoking ritual. Keep ‘em lit,
Erik Calviño ecalvino@cigarsnobmag.com
BLACK WORKS STUDIO RELEASES THE SUMATRA-WRAPPED S&R
product launches, retail promos and other special happenings under the “The 50 Days of Macanudo” banner. Visit macanudo.com/50 for more information. Also use that site to upload photos from events you attend and be entered into drawings for Macanudo merch.
SEEING (INSPIRADO) RED
Black Works Studio announced the release of S&R, a cigar made at the company’s Fábrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua. The product will only be available for a limited time at select retailers, according to a Black Label Trading press release. “S&R is an elegant smoke with complex flavors and a rich, refined finish. This cigar represents a lot of firsts for us,” said James Brown, creator of BLK WKS and partner at Fabrica Oveja Negra. “It is the first BLK WKS cigar to use Dominican tobacco, the first to be a softer medium profile and the first production cigar we have made with a Sumatra wrapper. I find the result to be a perfect combination.” S&R features a Sumatra wrapper with a pigtail cap, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. It’s available in two formats: a 6¾ x 42 Lancero and a 5½ x 46 Corona Gorda — both retailing for $9.50.
MACANUDO’S GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY General Cigar purchased the Temple Hall Cigar Factory in Kingston, Jamaica in 1968. And with it, the Macanudo brand, which was being made exclusively for the British market. So this year, General Cigar is celebrating its 50th year with the Macanudo brand with a slew of activities. There will be
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General Cigar is adding an extension to its popular Macanudo Inspirado line. The Macanudo Inspirado Red features an Ecuadorian Habano ligero wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos from Ometepe (aged 12 years) and Estelí (aged five years), as well as Honduran tobacco from Jamastrán (aged 10 years). “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Macanudo, we created Macanudo Inspirado Red to speak to the brand’s unique ability to adapt to the preferences of today’s cigar lovers. Nicaraguan cigars are hot right now,” said José de Castro, vice president of marketing for General Cigar’s Macanudo brand, in a press release. “With ‘Inspirado Red,’ we show how nimble the brand can be by introducing a unique, Nicaraguan-forward blend to the line, while highlighting the expertise of the torcederos from our cigar factory in Esteli.” Macanudo Inspirado Red, made at STG Esteli in Nicaragua, will be available in late March and come in three formats: a 5 x 50 box-pressed Robusto ($6.49), a 6 x 50 Toro ($6.69) and a 6 x 60 Gigante ($7.49).
SET YOUR LASER LIGHTERS TO “TOAST” Rocky Patel Premium Cigars’ recently announced it’s expanding its selection of branded lighters. Retailers have begun to receive Rocky Patel’s eight new varieties of Laser Lighters, which were unveiled at the IPCPR trade show in July 2017. The “laser” is actually part of the mechanism for triggering a single-flame torch.
After lifting the cap, you use your thumb to break a laser field in a recessed portion of the lighter, which gets the flame going until you close the cap again. Each of the eight new lighters is branded with the name of a popular Rocky Patel cigar line: Royale, Fifty-Five, Special Edition, Vintage 2006, Java Maduro, Java Latte, Java Mint, and Java Red. The lighters retail for $58 and come with lifetime warranties.
MOMBACHO MERCH The folks at Mombacho Cigars have launched an online merchandise store at mombachocigars.com/shop. It offers products like branded cigar accessories, caps and tshirts, but not any cigars. “The Mombacho Brand is growing,” said Robert Rasmussen, Brand Manager of Mombacho Cigars, in a press release. “One of our long term goals is for Mombacho Cigars to be a lifestyle brand and this store is a major step in that direction.” Mombacho has plans to expand its selection of merch. For the time being, the store only ships to the U.S. and Canada.
QUALITY IMPORTERS ACQUIRES XIKAR Quality Importers Trading Company has acquired XIKAR, making the new company the largest accessory supplier in premium cigars. “On behalf of the QI family of businesses,” said Quality Importers CEO Mike Giordano, “We are excited to announce the acquisition of XIKAR, Inc., which marks our largest and most impactful transaction since our inception 18 years ago.” “We at XIKAR are extremely pleased to partner with Mike Giordano and Michael Cellucci at QI to expand the global reach of both companies’ products and services,” said Xikar co-founder Kurt Van Keppel.
C I G A R S O F C H A R AC T E R
MU LTI- L AYE R E D B LEN DS AS CO M P LE X AS T H E M A N H I M S E L F
COM P L EX MAN · CO MP LE X B LENDS TO REFLECT SIR WINSTON’S LIFELONG PURSUIT OF TASTING THE WIDER WORLD, DAVIDOFF’S MASTER BLENDER CRAFTED FASCINATING BLENDS OF AGED NICARAGUAN, ECUADORIAN, MEXICAN AND DOMINICAN TOBACCOS. SO INTRIGUING. ON SO MANY LEVELS.
AVAILABLE AT AUTHORIZED DAVIDOFF DEALERS NATIONWIDE & DAVIDOFF OF GENEVA LOCATIONS MADISON AVE • 6TH AVE • BROOKFIELD • BUCKHEAD • HOUSTON • TAMPA • LAS VEGAS
DAVIDOFFGENEVA.COM
ROYAL AGIO CIGARS JOINS PROCIGAR Royal Agio Cigars, the company behind the Balmoral brand made in the Dominican Republic, announced that it has joined ProCigar, the trade group of Dominican cigar manufacturers which — among other things — hosts the ProCigar festival each year. The company participated as a “Gold sponsor” in that festival this past February. Agio is a family owned company that’s been around since 1904. Its global headquarters is in Duziel, Holland, but the company has been invested in the Dominican Republic since 1990. Its Dominican factory in San Pedro de Macoris produces machine-made and handmade cigars, including Añejo XO and Royal Selection. “We work with a very small, dedicated team to create our unique premium cigars. The carefully-selected pairs working for us in San Pedro de Macoris take great pride in handcrafting our cigars and are true artisans in the craft,” said Agio Caribbean Tobacco Company general manager Francisco Batista. “With Agio becoming an official member of ProCigar, I feel an even deeper connection to the local cigar community and I look forward to sharing knowledge and working more closely together with other manufacturers to help elevate what is already world-leading cigar quality.’’
ROCKY IN THE CUT A new v-cutter is on the way from Rocky Patel Premium Cigars and Colibri. The cutters, retailing for $59.99 on rockypatel.com, will bear the Rocky Patel brand name and be made available in three color combinations: white and red, black and orange, and black and palladium. The cutters will also be available as gift items with box purchases at Rocky Patel in-store events. Two additional patterns will be available exclusively at BURN by Rocky Patel cigar lounges.
CAMACHO RELEASES CANDELA-WRAPPED CIGAR Camacho announced the launch of Camacho Candela Robusto, which the brand says is “built on the chassis of our Original Corojo blend” of Honduran Corojo, but with a green candela wrapper. The cigar comes in one format — a 5 x 50 Robusto — and is manufactured in Danlí, Honduras. “We are extremely excited to bring back this unique and special release,” said Scott Kolesaire, senior brand manager at Davidoff of Geneva USA, in a press release. “The Camacho Candela arrives just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, so spark up this retro smoke and grab some green beer.” Camacho Candela will be available for a limited time, as production is limited to 3,000 boxes of 25. It’ll retail for $8.00 per cigar.
THOMPSON ACQUIRED BY SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO Thompson Cigar, the mail order cigar company based in Tampa, has been acquired by Scandinavian Tobacco Group, the publicly traded company that owns online retailer Cigars International as well as General Cigar (which manufactures brands like Macanudo, Cohiba, CAO and Toraño, to name just a few). The deal was reportedly worth $62 million.
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E XCE P T IONA L QUA L I T Y C OM E S W I T H AGE
Balmoral AĂąejo XO cigars are the result of an intensive blending process with exceptionally aged tobaccos: an AĂąejo blend crowned with a sungrown Arapiraca wrapper. After blending the cigar, it took another 6 months of aging to marry all its flavors. Let yourself be seduced by notes of cedar wood, cacao, spices and an underlying sweetness.
Torpedo Mk52 | Gran Toro | Rothschild Masivo | Corona | Petit Robusto FT
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www.balmoralcigars.com
Villiger La Vencedora Jack daniel’s Gentleman Jack Among the things that make Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey unique is the process of mellowing the spirit by letting it drip through 10 feet of sweet maple charcoal. In fact, the Jack Daniel’s distillery burns its own wood to create that charcoal for filtration. Years ago, we saw some of this process ourselves during a tour of their facility in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Even smoother than the core Jack Daniel’s line, though, is Gentleman Jack. This next-level whiskey goes through a second charcoal mellowing, making it even cleaner than the original. Receiving a bottle of Gentleman Jack as a gift is enough of a treat on its own, so when we pulled this bottle out of a package that arrived at our office recently, we were ready to celebrate. Then we realized there was more in the package: a box of Villiger La Vencedora, one of the Swiss company’s fuller bodied premium cigars. It was only then that we caught the fact that the bottle had been engraved with the name of the cigars. If only our mailman knew how happy he’d made us. We cracked open the bottle and readied our torches to dive into this pairing.
THE PAIRING Start with the La Vencedora and get about half an inch into it before you bring the Gentleman Jack into the picture. The cigar has excellent balance, with notes of coffee, cocoa, earth and pepper, with just a touch of toasted sugar. It’s medium-plus in strength, and about as big on flavor, with a thick, aromatic, leathery smoke and a wrapper that’ll leave a sweetness on your lips. In a lot of ways, the whiskey is similar, but its sweetness comes from that 80 percent corn mash. It won’t take much of this thick whiskey to coat your palate. Take it in in small sips — not only because you want to keep enjoying it along with your cigar without ending up on your ass. Observe the way the whiskey and cigar mingle over time, each one coming in just at the tail end of your experience with the other. They’re just similar enough that neither is overpowering, but different enough that, in those moments when you can feel them both, the pairing takes on an entirely new character that is related to but much more than the sum of its two parts. It’s like the Vencedora and the Gentleman were meant to be. LOCATION: Marriott Stanton South Beach (marriott.com) MAR / APR 2018 | CIGAR SNOB |
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1968 - 2018
ANIVERSARIO
Francisca ‘Panchita’ Gonzáles, Head of Quality Control, Founding Worker of Joya de Nicaragua and Grandmother of 9.
50 years ago, we pioneered an industry by crafting the first cigars to ever
come out of Nicaragua. Today, we are the most international brand of our country. We are thriving, like never before, thanks to our skillful and resilient people. For us, quality is not an obligation, it is our highest commitment. We are humbled and proud of 50 years of perserverance and success. There’s no better way to celebrate the first five decades of the Nicaraguan cigar industry, than to recognize the people behind it all. Gracias, Panchita.
#JOYA50 @joyacigars www.joyacigars.com
Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca
Chairman & Master Maker Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A.
Smoke on the Water
A guide to smoking your way through South Florida by boat. BY ERIK CALVIÑO / PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDY ASTENCIO
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: a portion of the Miami Beach skyline; Duffy’s Sports Grill; a statue outside Duffy’s; Cigar Cigar, a popular North Miami Beach cigar lounge on the map, all of day one was spent in and around Biscayne Bay and we never went out to sea. Today was to be different. The plan was to exit the bay through Government Cut, which is where the large cruise and cargo ships go out to sea, and head north along the beach. Then re-enter the Intracoastal Waterway at Haulover Inlet, where we’d keep heading north on the Intracoastal toward Hollywood and stop along the way to check out some cigar friendly spots and meet up with more cigar industry friends. Charlie brought an assortment of Yayabo Cigars, including the aptly named Admiral, a boxpressed, flavorful, medium to full strength blend. Released at the 2017 IPCPR trade show, the maritime-themed cigar has been an instant hit for Yayabo. In addition, he brought the Doña Diana and the Yayabo Renovation. He also brought along an unbanded petite corona that was calling my name. That little corona packed a pretty
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good punch. If the coffee and French toast had not done enough to wake me up, this thing certainly did. At this point we were cruising along the coastline just off Miami Beach at a pretty good speed and I was reminded of some things to consider before smoking cigars on boating excursions. If you plan to smoke cigars on a boat, don’t forget to pack a good torch and make sure it has a full tank of butane before going out; well-appointed cigar shops along the water are few and far between. We made it up to Haulover Inlet and entered the Intracoastal Waterway. We turned north past the Haulover sand bar. Just like the aforementioned Nixon Beach, this is another sand bar where boaters congregate on weekends. During low tide these sand bars are exposed and act as little temporary islands of fun. As much as I wanted to anchor here for a bit and jump in the water, we had planned to meet up with another cigar
industry friend at our next destination. We pulled up and docked at Duffy’s Sports Grill – North Miami Beach (duffysmvp.com). As we walked up to the outdoor seating area, Miguel Pinto and Victor Calvo, Jr., both of Victor Calvo Cigars (victorcalvocigars.com), were waiting for us at a large, shaded table with two pitchers of beer, one amber and one light. The cold beers and shade were heaven sent. As were the appetizers of sesame-crusted ahi tuna, crispy calamari, and mozzarella sticks. The menu at Duffy’s is just as varied as the appetizer order implies; it has elements of basic bar food like mozzarella sticks and potato skins alongside dishes that lean more upscale, like the ahi tuna or the lobster bisque. When a restaurant tries to be all things, they usually fall flat on their face, but Duffy’s has pulled that off without losing its identity as a sports bar. And the fact that they offer so much shaded, waterfront seating for
CIGARS & BOATS: PRO TIPS LIGHTERS Purpose built, outdoor lighters are ideal for boating. I like the Xikar Stratosphere II, Blazer CG-001, and the Vertigo Storm. These are singleflame torches that are wind-resistant and have durable covers that protect them from splashes. In the case of the Stratosphere and Vertigo, we’ve tested them by submerging them for 20 seconds and they both made it through (there’s a video titled “Cigar Snob Labs” on our YouTube channel). Or you can do what many others do; bring a cheap, tri-torch lighter that you don’t mind ruining and go to town.
CUTTERS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: from the bow of the Seagar Life; A sailboat on Biscayne Bay; Miguel Pinto, Charles López, and Erik Calviño on the way to Cigar Cigar cigar smokers means I’ll be back before long. The beer continued to flow and before long we were smoking again. This time Miguel handed out the Victor Calvo Cincuenta, sometimes called VC50, in the toro format. The pressed, medium strength cigar is covered with a beautiful, reddish brown wrapper. The smoke was rich and creamy and a good complement to the Founder’s All Day IPA I had switched to. Usually pairing an IPA with a cigar can be kind of dicey, but this IPA isn’t overly piney or citrusy and it allows the cigar’s rich, creamy pepper to balance it out. After lunch, we hopped into Miguel Pinto’s convertible and took a short ride over to his cigar shop in North Miami Beach, Cigar Cigar & Company (cigarcigarmiami.com). Miguel is one of the funniest guys you’ll meet in the cigar business and the interesting thing about his place was that the shop regulars were all sort of like him. From the moment we walked in, they were busting balls about the cameras, the magazine, the girls in the magazine, the boating attire we were in, the more fashionable attire Miguel was in … you name it, they ragged on it. We didn’t stop laughing from the moment we set foot in the place. As for the cigar lounge, it offers a comfortable space where you can work, watch TV, and drink (they offer beer and wine);
and the walk-in humidor is stocked with a great selection of mostly boutique cigar brands mixed in with some of the major brands that everyone recognizes. We could have stayed at Cigar Cigar the rest of the day, but we had to keep moving. Victor Calvo Jr. and Miguel graciously drove us back to Duffy’s and we set off on the next leg of the adventure. Back on the Seagar Life, I decided it was time to give the Yayabo Doña Diana its day in the sun as we kept heading north on the Intracoastal. The Doña Diana is a medium strength blend named after Diany Perez, the company’s owner. Working alongside her husband Alex, she manages the company’s tobacco growing operation while he heads up the cigar factory. Like so many of the vertically integrated cigar manufacturers, they started as tobacco growers and leaf brokers and 5 years ago decided to expand into cigar making. Today, they produce cigars under their own brands as well as making private-label cigars for several large distributors. We arrived at Diplomat Landing, which is the marina across from the Diplomat Resort on Hollywood Beach. We jumped off the boat and onto an Uber for a quick run to a couple more cigar shops. First up was Royal Cigars , located inside The Village at Gulfstream Park. This small
The Palió cutter is ideal for boats because the guillotine blade slides on plastic, not metal. The only metal in the cutter are the blades which can easily be cleaned to prevent corrosion. If you are a fan of the Xikar Xi and want to stay with it, bring the plastic version aboard as opposed to a metal one. For one, metal cutters are heavy and can damage the gelcoat of a boat when dropped. This will cost you money or enrage a charter boat captain. Second, the more you expose metal to saltwater, the harder it is to avoid corrosion. If you must bring a metal cutter along for the cruise, here’s a way to prevent corrosion. After a day on the water, I put a couple of drops of olive oil in the cutter’s release button opening and let it run through the interior of the cutter. Why olive oil and not WD-40 or 3-in-One oil? I use olive oil because I don’t want any of the harsh chemicals from the other oils to drip onto my cigar and eventually in my mouth, not to mention the strong smell that accompanies these oils. Plus there is never a shortage of olive oil in my home; I imagine other cooking oils will work just fine.
ASHTRAY If possible, bring along an ashtray can like the one made by Xikar. You can put it in one of the boat’s cup holders and use it as a windproof ashtray and cigar holder.
SMOKING When smoking cigars on a boat, be mindful of wind direction and your cigar; if you aim your cigar into the wind it’ll smoke itself before you know it. Remember that cigars are to be enjoyed in the right conditions. Trying to smoke a cigar while bouncing around on a speeding boat is just not that fun. Wait until you’re slow cruising or until you get to where you’re going.
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SPECIAL SECTION WHETHER YOU’RE FISHING, WATER SKIING OR JUST LOOKING TO SOAK UP SOME SUN, HERE’S OUR GUIDE TO BOATS, GEAR AND DRINKS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THE MOST OF A DAY ON THE WATER.
Sea Ray Sundancer Fly 400
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EDUARDO FERNÁNDEZ TOOK A PIZZA FORTUNE AND BECAME A WORLD-CLASS TOBACCO GROWER. NOW HE’S READY TO TAKE HIS CIGAR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. - BY NICOLÁS ANTONIO JIMÉNEZ / PHOTOS BY RICARDO RUIZ MAR / APR 2018 | CIGAR SNOB |
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MODEL
BELU BERGAGNA WILHELMINA MIAMI PHOTOGRAPHY
LIMITED EDITION www.limitededitionmanagement.com PRODUCTION
IVAN OCAMPO iocampo@cigarsnobmag.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
JAMILET CALVIÑO jcalvino@cigarsnobmag.com WARDROBE STYLIST
JENNA DEBRINO www.limitededitionmanagement.com ASSISTANT WARDROBE STYLIST
AMANDA MILLER HAIR AND MAKE-UP ARTIST
ADRIAN COELHO www.limitededitionmanagement.com LOCATION
MARRIOTT STANTON SOUTH BEACH www.marriott.com
PANTSUIT HALSTON Bloomingdale's Boca Raton
CIGARS NESTOR MIRANDA COLLECTION www.miamicigarandcompany.com
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tunity has been through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Under the previous President’s tenure, when these regulations were initiated, this very agency put in writing that if the FDA regulated cigars in the fashion proposed, 50 percent of the industry could be wiped out. Under the new management of the SBA, regional roundtables have been held throughout the nation, and the industry is using these forums to tell the story again.
Why the premium cigar political machine can never be turned off. The threat is permanent.
here are certain dates and benchmarks in the trilogy of the federal war on cigars that stand out. April 15, 2011 was the day the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act was introduced in Congress, which marked the first time the premium cigar industry went on offense to use the political process to protect itself against unprecedented bureaucratic threats. There was another such moment on February 27, 2018. On that winter day in Washington, D.C., premium cigar manufacturers and community tobacconists descended on the capital to tell the story of handmade cigars to the new leadership of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association joined forces once again, to convey the message once again, but to a new audience. Carlito Fuente, Robert Levin, Jorge Padrón, Rocky Patel, and tobacconists Craig Cass and Greg Zimmerman told this unique story after weeks of preparation; a story not of tobacco, smoke or legal intricacies, but one of passion, culture, small business, and a skilled sector of artisans who don’t deserve bureaucratic treatment of historic proportion. It’s about discerning adults, gathering in the sanctity of local shops, lounges, homes, on golf courses, at weddings, or to celebrate a momentous life event. It’s a story that doesn’t involve lawyers — it involves artists and local merchants. They left the meeting with relief that it was over, and yet, this was just the beginning — again. This is why the political machine can never be off. That same
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week, industry notables such as Litto Gómez and Bobby Newman again traveled to D.C. to continue the advocacy effort that began in 2011 — and that can never stop. The legislative initiative that began on that April day in 2011 has resulted in the development of a congressional coalition that heretofore never existed. While not a majority, to amass over 140 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 20 members of the U.S. Senate is a testament to the time, resources and commitment retail tobacconists, manufacturers and consumers have made to building a new political future for premium handmade cigars. They are our new voices of reason, and a platform for advocacy to the Administration and to bureaucracy. In fact, industry leaders have been “dropping everything” for one-day visits to Congress, in the effort to advance legislation calling for a premium handmade cigar exemption in this all-too-cumbersome political environment. But this is a threefront war — Congress, the President’s Administration, and the courts. Literally hundreds of meetings and briefings have taken place, and by my count, in recent weeks, there were over 20 hours of conference calls, hundreds of emails, grassroots calls and pleas to congressional offices, all to work toward the protection of the simple enjoyment of a great cigar. Sounds ridiculous, when you put it in this context. Let’s see — national security, decaying infrastructure, education, jobs and the economy … and enjoying cigars. It’s like that old SAT question, “Which one doesn’t fit?” While the industry awaits a court decision, the message has to be told and pleas have to be made in many more offices and agencies of our government. Of recent note, a wonderful oppor-
In Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, and more to come, community tobacconists and manufacturers have been appearing to provide testimony on the threatening nature these existing and proposed federal regulations can have on local cigar shops, many of which have been passed down from generation to generation. Manufacturers like Christian Eiroa have told the story, and boutique makers of small batch cigars will soon be testifying as well. Then, just of late, the FDA has initiated a new process, specifically to address the premium cigar regulatory approach. This too will be an opportunity to clarify the harm these rules will have. There will be a call for public comment on questions about what is truly a “premium cigar” (yes, our government is still grappling with that question), “usage patterns” of our cigar brethren, and whether premium cigars should be exempted from regulation. You can bet our detractors will be vocal on these matters, and our Cigar Voters will need to be equally as vocal. Groups such as CRA and IPCPR will be formalizing specific responses, but we will need “our public” to be as loud as the opposition. Company owners such as Dr. Gaby Kafie, M.D., of Kafie Cigars has already started preparing his response to such issues, from his professional perspective and as a cigar maker, to explain why premium cigars are different. Dozens will join him by going on the record. The point here is, the machine can never be turned off. As I once told a group of local retail tobacconists, “politics is now in your job description.” You see, the swamp of Washington is an ever-changing anomaly. While the entrenched bureaucracy never changes, the leadership of agencies and those seats in Congress are in a constant state of change. In seemingly constant election cycles, chronic staff turnover, and personal and special interest agendas, the threats will never truly go away, even if the industry wins (on any point) in the current environment. Because each election year (2018, 2020, and so on) can present an entirely new slate of challenges and opportunities to protect this passion we all share — a solemn moment, with a great cigar.
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EVENTS
RANCHO SANTANA
PURO SABOR FESTIVAL Nicaragua
The annual Nicaraguan cigar festival kicked off with attendees exploring Granada, then crossing over to the Pacific coast to enjoy the Rancho Santana beach resort, where they were treated to an equestrian show and dinner at an area museum. From the second day on, guests were in Estelí, where they were split into groups for visits to various cigar factories and farms (at companies like Joya de Nicaragua, Padrón, Oliva, Plasencia, and many more), in-factory lunches, cigar rolling lessons and factoryhosted dinners.
Cigars at the ready to greet guests at Rancho Santana
The third night of the festival ended with the famed “white party,” which included dinner, dancing and a tribute to the late José Orlando Padrón and Gilberto Oliva, Sr. Perhaps the biggest news of this festival was made during a lunch at the El Buen Vecino farm, where Carlito Fuente Jr. made an appearance and announced his plans for a new Estelí factory called La Bella y La Bestia. For information on the next Puro Sabor Festival, visit www.nicaraguancigarfestival.com. Guys just want to have fun.
Anielka Ortez Flores and Indiana Ortez
WELCOME DINNER AT MUSEO DEL CONVENTO DE SAN FRANCISCO
Fred Vandermarliere, Eduardo Sandino Aguilar, Jeff Nolen, María José “MJ” Morales, Mario López and Nick Zaglifa
Gastón and Aldo Rappaccioli
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The Dominicans were out in full force!
Lilibeth Sarmiento, Andre Carusio, Andre Milchteim, Branlis Infante, João Granado and Luís Omar González
Daniel Barrios, Alicia Montiel and David Kone
FIELD AND FACTORY TOURS
Liana Fuente, Manny Iriarte, Felix Mesa and Carlito Fuente
The professionals at work at Tabacalera Oliva
Fresh out of the Joya de Nicaragua factory tour
Learning how to roll
Blending his very own cigar
DINNERS
Fred and Guido Vandermarliere and Dr. Martínez Cuenca and Juan Martínez
Miguel Pinto, Victor Calvo and Anthony María
Laura and Claudio Sgroi
A.J. Fernández and Selim Hanono
Janny, María and Pepín García
Serge Lysak, Steve Gherebean and Jesse Mariut
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