From a life of poverty, Orlin Portillo has made an impressive climb up the job ladder.
The Favorite Wrapper
What makes the cigar manufactures and smokers of the world praise the ecuadorean wrapper? Take a trip with Cigar Journal to a country made to grow wrapper and you might just find out why.
New York by the clock
Even though there are fewer and fewer places to smoke in New York the community is growing. Cigar event-planner and founder of Fine Tobacco NYC, Matthias Clock, takes us to his favorite spots in the big apple.
The Brangelina of cigars
It was not love at first sight. Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars and Janny García of My Father Cigars had known each other and worked together for many years when they realized they were more than “just” friends and business partners. That was in 2009 … or was it 2010?
The wrapper specialists from Ecuador
With a few tobacco seeds sown into his belt and 50 Dollars that his brother had given him, Angel Oliva took the boat to Tampa. This was going to be the start of a better life, and the Oliva Tobacco Company.
Es perfecto!: The García family
Unlike other family companies in the cigar industry today, the kids of the next generation at My Family aren’t there to take over. Thy were there from the start.
Pete Johnson: Old-school
After 15 years of Cigar making, Pete Johnson is writing songs he hasn’t written for a while, and finding his way back to the sense of tobacco tradition and simplicity that was once the foundation of Tatuaje Cigars. He’s also dressing better.
“We’re picky”
De Los Reyes Cigars is bringing its cigar saga to Europe. In 2019, the company will hit different European countries to establish itself in what it perceives to be a very important market.
Cigarface: José Blanco
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.


