Hopes and plans

I had a chance to check the current production at the factories in addition to supervising the new cigar that will be released during the next International Cigar Show (IPCPR) in New Orleans this coming August.

The new cigar is a Dominican Puro. The filler is all Dominican Cuban Seed as well as the binder. The wrapper is also Dominican grown Havano seed. I am very exited about this blend, since all the tobacco is from the same tobacco farm. I have worked on this blend for nearly 3 years, making sure that the blend reflected the characteristics that I was looking for, full body, with strength, but well balanced and multi dimensional. After many samples and many combinations, I am happy to report that this cigar does not only meet all the characteristics that I was looking for but exceeded them.

Sometimes we smoke a cigar and forget all the work that it takes to make not only the actual production of the cigars, but the creation of the blend. This work starts many years before the cigar gets to the market. It is a very interesting process but a very difficult one. It starts by identifying the tobaccos that generally have the characteristics that we are looking for, and then we start the blending process. We get the primary tobacco and make changes in the percentages of the blend, until we have what we are looking for. It may take many blends. Sometimes we have to go back and start the process again. The key is not to settle, and to continue the process until we have the final blend that meets (or exceeds) our expectation.

During my trip to Honduras and Nicaragua, I started the process of preparing another blend to be released in the next 2 years. One from Honduras using a blend of tobacco from Central America (Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua) and in Nicaragua, I am starting to prepare a blend of only Nicaraguan tobacco with tobaccos grown in different geographical areas of Nicaragua including Esteli, Condega and Jalapa.

This is a very long but rewarding process, and although there are no guarantees that the blend will be successful, at least I know that I try to use all the things that I learned from my father, grandfather and other family members.