As the Cigar Journal slogan says ”every cigar tells a story”, and in the case of Oscar Valladares nothing could be more true. From the start his cigars have had a background story, most often connected to the Mayan history. At InterTabac he brought his newest creation, Altar Q to Europe.
“I use tobacco from the Copán region in Honduras, and during the Mayan era there was a temple for the kings,” he says. “Every king built his temple on top of the other and in total there are 16 kings. So the box is a replica of an altar at the ruins of Copán called Altar Q.”
The kings are featured on the sides and in the box there are 16 cigars, one for each king and all with different bands.”
The cigar comes in a Toro size. It has Honduran filler and binder with an Ecuadorean Sumatra wrapper.
But that’s not his only new cigar. At the IPCPR this year he also came out with two cigars for the US market, Superfly and Wild Hunter. The latter comes in Toro size with Honduran wrapper, either Natural or Oscuro.
“I have my warehouse in Texas now, and I have a lot of friends there who like hunting,” he says. “Since I also like hunting I thought I’d create a cigar for that purpose. It also comes in a beautiful box covered in camouflage colored fabric.”
Superfly comes in three sizes, Super Corona, Toro and Super Gordo, and it was created more on a whim.
“Before the FDA rules came into effect a couple of years ago everybody was trying to register brand names to get on the market. I listen to music, like blues and soul, and when I saw the name of that song I thought why not?”
The box is made in true 70s pimp style, with the inside part of the lid covered in purple velvet.
“I realize I talk a lot about the design, but it’s actually a great cigar as well,” he laughs. “It’s the first time I’ve combined Honduran, Nicaragua and Dominican filler. The idea is just to have something unique. I want my brands to have a story, and some stores have actually been organizing 70s themed events for this cigar. After all, there are a lot of customers who reminisce about that era.”
