Canadian cigar lovers have a new Dominican name to discover. TioLeo Cigars will begin shipping to Canadian retailers this August from distributor Tabac Arsenal. The partnership gives Canadians access to new boutique cigars shaped by a family that has lived with the leaf across generations, from cultivation and aging through to blending and production.
While TioLeo is new to the market, the family behind it is anything but. The Reyes family has cultivated tobacco in the Dominican Republic for generations, with its history tracing back to the founding of Flor de Los Reyes in 1916 in Navarrete, a small town in the Cibao Valley.
Six generations later, Flor de Los Reyes remains based in Navarrete, and the Reyes family has grown into one of the Dominican Republic’s largest tobacco growers.
Pronounced ‘Tee-oh LAY-Oh’ and meaning ‘Uncle Leo’ in Spanish, the brand was founded by Fabiola Saval Reyes as a tribute to her uncle, Leonardo Reyes. For more than 50 years and across a lifetime of harvests, Leonardo has dedicated himself to tobacco cultivation, quietly supplying leaf to some of the world’s most renowned cigar houses.
TioLeo will launch in Canada with two collections. The Original Blend will be offered in three sizes: Original (Toro, 6 x 50), Founder’s Cut (Robusto, 5 x 50) and First Flame (Petit Edmundo, 4 x 52).
The Secretos de Valle (Secrets of the Land) collection will also feature three sizes: Secretos de Valle (Toro, 6 x 50), Confidencial (Robusto, 5 x 50) and Pacto Silente (Petit Edmundo, 4 x 52).
For Canadians, TioLeo offers an opportunity to experience the fruit of six generations of Dominican expertise.
After decades of quietly cultivating tobacco for others, “Uncle Leo” is finally stepping into a spotlight of his own, through a project brought to life by a loving niece eager to pay tribute to his remarkable legacy. “For most of his life, my uncle’s tobacco travelled the world under other names,” says founder Fabiola Saval Reyes. “TioLeo is the first cigar that finally carries his own.”
