From La Aurora to Joya de Nicaragua, from his own company to EPC Cigar Co. and about 900 lectures on Tobacco in between, José Blanco not only lives and breathes tobacco himself, he teaches others to do it, too.
The Cigar Authority – A Podcast about Cigars
Every Saturday, the podcast The Cigar Authority rea ches 23,000 viewers around the globe, even if the show hosts sometimes compare cigars to Twinkies. Or maybe because of that …
Cigar Places: Hotell Havanna, Sweden
There are not many restaurants in Sweden where you can just sit down and smoke. Lase Diding opened the Hotell Havanna in Varberg and fulfilled his dream, his own Cuba in his hometown.
Hand Rolled – A Film About Cigars
Jesse Mariut and Steve Gherebean are both cigar passionados and they worked on Hand Rolled: A Film about Cigars, for three years.
Plasencia Cigars: The 5th Generation of Family Business
The story of Plasencia Cigars starts, as so many other cigar stories, in Cuba during the 1800s. It’s a story of a fifth-generation family business that is one of the most respected on the scene. It’s a story of hardship, two revolutions, a disastrous mold attack, but also of persistence, conviction and innovation.
The Next Generation: Tony Gomez
He startet the morning after he graduated, was “thrown to the wolves” by his father, and moved to the Dominican Republik at the age of 25 to become vice president. Tony Gomez is at La Flor Dominicana to stay.
A Cigar For Kings
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…
Tatuaje revives the Mexican Experiment
A few years ago Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars created a cigar called Tatuaje Mexican Experiment. Now it’s time for the sequel, ME II (pronounced metoo; no connection). “Mexican Experiment was my first try with the San Andrés wrapper and it was made in a very small amount,” he says. “Since it’s easier to bring…
Valladares starts Cigar Safari in Honduras
Oscar Valladares way in to the cigar business was as a bus driver for Rocky Patel. Now he’s going back to his roots by organizing Honduras first Cigar & Coffee Safari. “I’ve had a lot of people asking me about how I come up with my ideas, how I make this and that, so I…
OLIVA: Limited V Melanio and V Maduro worldwide
In September J. Cortèz & Oliva announced the release of their new Serie V Melanio Limitada 2019 on the global market. The Diadema Edition comes in boxes of ten, but unlike the original this limited edition is round with a conical head and not box-pressed. According to Brian J. Shapiro, director of international sales, the…
The Collector
Makram Salha is not only a passionate cigar smoker; he probably has one of the largest private collections of vintage cigars in the world. And it all started with wine. “My father used to take me to wine auctions in the UK, teaching me about wines and prices. Every now and then they put cigars…
Smoking jacket creates awareness for Oliva’s school in Nicaragua
In order to raise money for their school in Nicaragua J. Cortèz & Oliva created a raffle where everyone choosing to donate had the chance to win a smoking jacket. “The jacket is in the same color as the limited edition of Oliva Melanio 2019 and inside it we made a design with that label,”…
