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Jon Simons of Warfighter Tobacco Co. is Having Fun

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Jon Simons tasted his first premium cigar as a teenager and after eight and half years as Vice President of Warfighter Tobacco Co has never stopped learning. He and his partners are all ex-military and today’s warfighter remains their primary focus. Simons spoke to Cigar Life Guy about the company’s recent rebranding, the similarities between the military and the cigar community, and how the Warfighter Cigar Co. is here to stay.

First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Jon Simons: This one might get me in a little trouble (laughs). My first premium cigar experience was when I was thirteen or fourteen years old. It was my good buddy’s older brother and he drove a Buick Grand National. I thought that was the coolest car in the world at the time. I remember he said he was going to the local cigar shop to get some cigars and asked us if we wanted any. So we scrounged together our dollar bills and quarters and gave him some cash. We had no idea what we were getting. He ended up getting me a Montecristo. I don’t even remember the actual cigar, but I remember the brand. So we sat in his driveway right next to his Buick Grand National and I smoked the cigar.  I had no idea if it was good or bad or if I did it right(laughs). That was my first experience with a premium cigar. I obviously didn’t learn anything until probably my early twenties. Then I realized there’s more than just a cigar. There are all these different sizes and different regions where the tobacco is grown. That’s when I started to figure it out.

The Military and Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: How did you get into the cigar industry? Aside from being ex-military, what did you do before and how does it help inform what you do with Warfighter Tobacco Co.?

Jon Simons: We were all military guys, but immediately before we started Warfighter Scott owned a gun store. I was working there with him and we were selling retail cigars. This was just to supplement the gun store because a lot of “gun guys” are “cigar guys”. That gave us more knowledge from the retail side of it. We looked at all the brands we carried- what they did great and what they didn’t do. We incorporated a lot of that into what we do now- packaging, how it displays, UPCs, and all that kind of stuff. Before that, I dabbled in a whole bunch of different industries trying to figure out what I actually wanted to do. Throughout the whole course of everything I’ve done in my life, I’ve learned bits and pieces from each different industry I was in and brought that into cigars as well.

Cigar Life Guy: You have a great rapport with your partners. How is the camaraderie of the military similar to the cigar community?

Jon Simons: It’s actually very close. The reason I say that it’s close is that you can walk into a cigar lounge, not know anybody there, and within ten minutes you could be cracking jokes. People are talking trash back and forth. None of it is malicious. It’s more about having a really good time. In the military, it’s similar to that. You don’t really know who you’re talking to at first, but after ten minutes you’re joking together. So it’s a direct correlation.

Warfighter Branding and Portfolio

Cigar Life Guy: You are a proud veteran-owned company. What do you want the cigar community to know about you and your products?

Jon Simons: We created a new sign that we’re sending out to all of our shops. The sign itself says, “Probably the best cigars”(laughs). We focus on getting the highest quality tobacco we can get to put out the best blends that we can do, but we also like to have fun with it. If you can’t have fun with what you do, what’s the point of doing it?

Cigar Life Guy: You have distinct branding. How do you want consumers to perceive your brand?

Jon Simons: The easiest way is what we put on the website when we started the company. We’re not heroes, but we got to serve with some of them. We got to stand on the shadows of giants. We could have named it “Scott Jansen Cigars”  or “Jon Simons Cigars” or whatever, but we wanted to build something that was bigger than us. That’s why it’s “Warfighter Tobacco”. Today’s warfighter is the focus of everything that we want. Whether it’s them using that cigar to break that barrier and be able to open that conversation, and that way talk with other people and feel a sense of community. Also some of the charity stuff that we do. We help out the active duty guys and the veterans. So in both senses that’s the essence of what our company is.

Cigar Life Guy: Tell Us a little about the Warfighter Tobacco Co. portfolio.

Jon Simons: Right now we technically have nine blends that are out. We had ten, but we are rebranding one of them right now. Hopefully, that will be out by the end of this year if not next year.

Outside of that, we have what we call our Field and Garrison lines. That’s our core six different blends of cigars.  In the Field line, we have a 5×6 Field Connecticut, a 7.62 Field Sumatra, and a .50 Cal Field Maduro which is more of a medium-bodied maduro. On the Garrison side, we have a Corojo, a Rosado, and an Oscuro Maduro. That Oscuro is going to be our boldest cigar. Out of our offerings, it’s the boldest. Then we do specialty cigars. We just released a cigar called The Night Shift which has gone over phenomenally. It has very different flavor notes than anything we’ve ever done. We put a little Candela ring on the cap of the cigar as a little homage to the green glow of the night vision. We have our Victory Cigar which is a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper with Nicaraguan filler. That’s our super premium. It retails for $17.76 because that’s the price of freedom. The last one we call The Dumpster Fire Cigar. We believe in truth in marketing (laughs). So our Dumpster Fire is our version of a Cuban sandwich. We use the trimmings from our core line. We add a couple of long pieces- longer filler- inside to help with its construction and a nice Habano wrapper. It’s more of our everyday smoke or economic cigar or whatever you want to call it. It retails for about six dollars, but for a Cuban sandwich or mixed filler, it’s a phenomenal cigar. We have people tell us all the time how much they love it and I’m like, “Dude, if you smoke two back to back you might feel a little different” (laughs)

The Future of Warfighter and Cigar Accessories

Cigar Life Guy: Warfighter Tobacco Co. sells humidors, apparel, and accessories as well as cigars. What else can the cigar world expect from Warfighter in the future?

Jon Simons: We’re constantly working on new blends. We do have a rebranding in the works right now. We started about eight and a half years ago. We didn’t know what we didn’t know. Over time and learning, we realized our original band designs worked well, but they didn’t have all the information that we wanted on them. We did a slight redesign. We kept all the blends exactly the same. We didn’t change the tobacco blends or anything like that. We just changed the bands and the boxes. It’s a little more clarity for the consumer. Now it actually has the leaf on the band whereas before it was only on the box. The boxes have a little more information on them as well. We’re finalizing everything and they should start trickling out to dealers soon.

Cigar Life Guy: Anything else you would like the cigar world to know

Jon Simons: We’re not going anywhere (laughs). The cigar industry is really interesting. When we first started out and we were going to trade shows we had people that would ask, “How old are you guys?” This was our first year and then in our second year they would say “Ok, after year three come talk to us and we’ll start picking up your line.” They were like, “Cigar companies come and go. We don’t want to get behind a brand that isn’t going to be around.” At this last show, I was telling a retailer that it was our eighth year in business and he said, “Alright, two more years and it’ll be ten years in business and you’ll be an overnight success in this industry.”(laughs). We’re infants in the cigar world. Some companies have been around for 80, 100, 150 years. We’re eight and a half and have no plans on going anywhere. Being on the prior military side of everything, once we started going down the rathole and started learning about things that piqued our interest it was something we loved and wanted to keep doing. There isn’t anything that’s going to prevent us from learning and making the best product we can make.

Follow Jon on Instagram and check out the latest from Warfighter Tobacco Co. here.

photo credit: Jon Simons

Reinier Lorenzo holding a cigar

Reinier Lorenzo of HVC Cigars is Always Learning

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Growing up in Cuba, there is probably no avoiding the cigar culture, but Reinier Lorenzo, founder of HVC Cigars, studied medicine before he studied cigars. After nearly twenty years in the cigar business, Lorenzo continues to create new blends and pay homage to Havana City. He spoke to Cigar Life Guy about getting his start, the recipe of a perfect cigar, and his plans to keep HVC Cigars selling like pan caliente.

Reinier Lorenzo: First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Reinier Lorenzo: I was living in Havana, Cuba. I was probably around eighteen or nineteen, and it was the Cohiba Siglo VI. I wasn’t in the cigar business when I was in Cuba — I was in medical school. It was at a family friend’s party. The Cohiba Siglo VI came out around 2004, and a guy passed a box around. I knew nothing about cigars, but when I smoked it, I was like, “That feels good”! (laughs)

Cigar Culture and Blending the Perfect Cigar

Cigar Life Guy: You are originally from Cuba, so there was probably no escaping cigar culture, but tell us how you got your start and what drew you to the cigar industry and culture.

Reinier Lorenzo: When I left Cuba in 2008, my family worked for Tropical Tobacco in Miami. In 2009, the owner of Aganorsa (Eduardo Fernandez) invited me to Nicaragua. He showed me the process and what they do with the cigars from start to finish. That was the moment that grabbed me. When something makes you say,  “This is incredible.” Little by little, you have something inside of you. I stopped and said, ”I must do something because I enjoy this so much.” That’s when I started my business, HVC Cigars, in 2011.

Cigar Life Guy: What should the average cigar smoker know about blending? How can it help them appreciate a premium cigar?

Reinier Lorenzo: People have to know. For example, I love to cook, right? When you cook, you have a recipe. If you don’t have a recipe, making a really good dish would be impossible. Cigars are the same thing. It’s a recipe. It’s not just putting in tobacco because you want to put in tobacco. You have to know the family and the leaf. You have to know what farm gives you more flavor. When you have the perfect recipe for a cigar, you get a cigar that’s really, really good. When you know the tobacco for a blend, you get a winner. You have to know tobacco, and that takes years. I was blessed and fortunate to be around guys with much experience. I was always learning.

Keeping Cigar Tradition Alive

Cigar Life Guy: Why is keeping the cigar tradition alive vital, and how do you merge it with new ideas and blends?

Reinier Lorenzo: When you think about cigars, they are relaxing. Cigars are my business, but it’s really a leisurely thing you want to share with friends. You want to sit down. You want to have a drink, and you want to have a cigar. Let me relax. Let me have a conversation. That’s why I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life. When I started smoking, I started smoking cigars. It’s also the culture around cigars. Let me share it with friends. It’s a beautiful thing.

For the blending process– I don’t blend cigars for people. I blend cigars for myself. What I mean is when I blend a cigar, I’m looking for four things: flavor, balance, construction, and a clean finish. If you give me a cigar with those four characteristics, I will love it. How can I create something I don’t love? I always want to share something that I really enjoy. We came out with new packaging in the last year and a half. We were thinking about how to gain more attention in the humidors -humidors are like real estate.  The packaging is a minor detail for us as a new cigar company on the way up. You can have the best packaging in the world, but if the cigar is no good, people won’t rebuy it.

Reinier Lorenzo and HVC Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us about the HVC portfolio.

Reinier Lorenzo: We’ve been around for thirteen years now. Our cigars had to be attached to where I come from, Havana City. You can’t find a really mild cigar with our blends. Everything is medium or medium-full-bodied, rich with a lot of flavor- that’s the most important thing for me. It’s flavor. You give me something with flavor, I’ll be smoking all day long.

With our portfolio, many people said, “You’re crazy! How can you come out with ‘Hot Cake’?”. I said, “What do you mean? It’s going to be a hit”. That cigar got made because we owned the name “Pan Caliente.” When a product sells really fast in Cuba, they say, “That sells like pan Caliente (hot cake)”- selling like hot cakes. When I trademarked the Pan Caliente, we trademarked “Hot Cake” as well. That’s the best-selling cigar in our portfolio. People love it.

The other crazy product that we have is Black Friday. In 2015, I called my lawyer and asked if I could trademark “Black Friday.” The concept behind Black Friday is that I give you a unique product every year. We never replicate those blends.  It’s always a new blend in a new size. We sell that blend for less than ten dollars. So what does that mean? That’s my way of saying thank you to all the consumers and retailers who have supported us. It’s something so unique and so special at a great price point.

Reinier Lorenzo: Favorite Part of Cigar Life

Cigar Life Guy: What is your favorite aspect of cigar life?

Reinier Lorenzo: That’s a really good question. The most essential part of cigar life is the people around you- those with whom you share cigars. But sometimes I want to be by myself. I want to be intimate with the cigar. Just yesterday, I was smoking a Hot Cake Robusto by myself. I was enjoying that moment. It was a moment with just me and the cigar. I was paying attention to all of the flavors. All the beauty of making a cigar was there, right? There was nothing but me and the cigar.

As I said before, the other part is when I am with friends, conversing and sharing a cigar. It’s a beautiful moment as well.

The Future of HVC Cigars and Reinier Lorenzo

Cigar Life Guy: Anything else the cigar world should know, and what can we expect from HVC in the future?

Reinier Lorenzo: We are always working. There’s a new blend that we’re testing out, and we want to bring it out soon. For us, it’s always about working and improving. We try to put out the best we have. It’s a family business. When people buy HVC Cigars and say, “Hey, I love your blends,” To me, that’s the jackpot.

Follow Reinier and HVC Cigars on Instagram

Photo credit: HVC Cigars

Michael Herklots smoking a cigar

Michael Herklots is Hitting All the Right Notes

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Michael Herklots had worked in the cigar industry for over twenty years before launching the Ferio Tego Brand with business partner Brendon Scott in 2021. Herklots sees Ferio Tego as more than just cigar blends. It is a “philosophy rooted in values.” It’s no wonder the Ferio Tego (translated as “Strike and Defend”) brand uses an image from the Herklots’ coat of arms — Hercules battling the Hydra. Herklots talked with Cigar Life Guy about giving up the pursuit of music for cigars, his partnership with Scott, and having the good fortune of working in an industry he loves.

First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Michael Herklots: I enjoyed my first cigar in college. It was my first semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I was out for a walk with one of my roommates, and we passed a cigar bar, and he wanted to go in. Walking through that door would forever change me, but I didn’t know anything about it, nor was I interested in it then.

I tasted an Ashton classic. And it was a flavor and a medium I had never experienced. Despite my laser focus on pursuing music as a career, I was enamored. Cigars were my hobby, but one I couldn’t afford. So, I got a retail job at a mall kiosk selling cigars. That was around 1999. I’ve worked in the industry ever since.

Owning a Tobacco Business

Cigar Life Guy: You have been in the tobacco business for a long time. Why did you decide to start your own line of cigars?

Michael Herklots: I suppose after twenty-plus years of working in the industry, there was a clear opportunity to start something. I had created blends for about ten years, but now was an opportunity to author the work. As I spoke to friends in the industry, their encouragement to start a brand and a company was overwhelming. And we did.

Cigar Life Guy: You worked for a large tobacco corporation before starting your own company. What did you learn working with a huge company & how did that impact how you approached launching a startup?

Michael Herklots: My start in Boston was a tiny business. I spent nine years with Davidoff of Geneva, a global company that is still family-owned. After that, I spent nine years with Nat Sherman — most of that time working for the Sherman family. Then, there were the last three for Altria, a massive publicly traded company that had acquired Nat Sherman. So, I’ve learned a lot from all those experiences before the acquisition.

I learned quickly that the size of the business doesn’t matter. It still takes people working together and making decisions to get things done. No matter how “senior” or experienced someone may be or how much research and strategic planning goes into a decision. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. And that’s just life. Big and small businesses — all businesses require good people willing and able to do the work. And that can make a huge company feel like a family business.

Partnership and the Ferio Tego Brand

Cigar Life Guy: Describe your partnership with Brendon Scott.

Michael Herklots: Brendon and I worked together for almost ten years. We worked closely together for nearly ten years.  We respect each other, we trust each other, we like each other, and we have fun working together. After almost a decade of doing all that work together for a company, it was clear we could do all that work for ourselves and build something special together.

Cigar Life Guy: You use Hercules battling the Hydra in your design. How do you want consumers to see the Ferio Tego brand?

Michael Herklots: I hope Ferio Tego is meaningful. That instills feelings of joy and celebration but also of quality, consistency, inimitability, and value. It’s more than just a blend of flavors. Ferio Tego is a philosophy deeply rooted in values like transparency, honesty, and trust.

The Ferio Tego Portfolio

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us a little about the Ferio Tego portfolio.

Michael Herklots: Ferio Tego has three brands. Our flagship brand is our namesake, Ferio Tego. It is offered in two ways: as a set of annual limited releases, Elegancia and Generoso. Just like a winemaker may offer a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon — we offer two completely unique expressions. Yet, despite their differences in flavor, they share a commonality in a full, dense, creamy body.  Second- as a core blend called Summa. This blend is made consistently throughout the year and is offered in multiple formats. Once again, it is a completely unique blend compared to Elegancia and Generoso but shares the signature style of a round, mouth-filling body.

Then, under the halo of “Ferio Tego,” we have two additional brands, the Timeless Collection and the Metropolitan Selection. Timeless has four blends- each wonderfully complex and nuanced with deliberate development from beginning to end. Metropolitan has five blends that are quite traditional, old-world-style expressions of their country of manufacture in flavor. However, they are much more new-world and contemporary in their body and complexity compared to legacy blends still on the market.

Challenges Facing the Cigar Industry

Cigar Life Guy: What is the biggest challenge facing the cigar industry?

Michael Herklots: It’s tough to say the biggest. One that stands out is our inability to use the tools any other company or industry can, like social media and advertising. In addition, regulation, taxation, and new legislation are all high risks, especially with the introduction of some of these generational smoking ban bills that would lead to the complete elimination of our industry.

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Michael Herklots: I am very fortunate to make a living doing something I love. If you love our work, I would just ask one extra favor. Share your love for our work. Tell a friend. Post a photo. Put a box out at your next barbecue or backyard party. That simple, authentic endorsement permits others to love our brand before trying it.

Follow Michael on Instagram and check out the latest from Ferio Tego here.

photo credit: Michael Herklots

Wildfire Cigars Founder Jeremy McDonald

The Wild Backstory of Wildfire Cigars Founder Jeremy McDonald

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From breaking the no-smoking rules in the seminary to playing guitar in a band, Jeremy McDonald has lived the cigar life for nearly thirty years. After working for decades in cigar retail and as a sales rep, McDonald started Wildfire Cigars in the spirit of sitting around a campfire shooting the shit with a premium cigar. McDonald talked to Cigar Life Guy about not burning bridges, his aim to make Wildfire part of the next generation of great cigar brands, and how Wildfire saved him from burning out and met his need to be more expressive in the cigar industry.

Jeremy McDonald: First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Jeremy McDonald: The first premium cigar was not obviously the first cigar experience- the first cigar experience was a White Owl from 7-Eleven (laughs). The first premium was gifted to me. I was working at the Courtyard by Marriott, and one of the guys came in, and he smelled like cigars, and we started talking.

He tipped me, and he gave me a Henry Clay. So that was my first premium cigar, and it was in ’97. After that, I started finding cigar shops, but I didn’t know there was such a thing. I thought you just found cigars at liquor stores. I didn’t know there were shops for premium cigars.

Music and Religion Before Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: You tried being a musician and joined the seminary for a time before working in a retail shop. How did all those experiences and your time in a retail shop help inform starting your own cigar line?

Jeremy McDonald: When I was in the seminary, I was smoking cigars but had to hide them because it was against the rules. Working in retail opened my eyes to the passion of tobacco. Meeting guys like José Blanco and Benji Menendez – all these old school guys- the old guard of the industry.

Fortunately, I worked in a premium store, so it had events with all the bug guys. I loved cigars – this cigar and that cigar- and the smoking experience, but seeing these guys and their love for tobacco opened me up to the idea that this is a form of artistry.

Over the years, I made relationships with different manufacturers, reps, and consumers and learned from them. I loved it when a customer would come in and not know what they wanted, so I could curate the experience for them and tailor it to exactly what they wanted.  Regardless of what the cigar was. It was finding the right cigar for that person at that time. I loved that aspect of it.

When I got into working for different companies, I started thinking it would be cool to do this for myself. I could write a song on my guitar, write lyrics, and turn it into a complete thing, but I couldn’t do that with tobacco, and I wanted to. So it was a slow burn. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “I’m starting a brand.” It gradually got to the point where I was finished.

I accomplished what I wanted with Caldwell, and then I had to do something for myself. Starting my own brand was the next logical step. In 2001, when I started in the industry, I never thought it was a career (laughs). I’m a poster boy for the kid who doesn’t finish college and works in an industry long enough where you become good at it.

Cigar Life Guy: You also worked as a sales rep for C.L.E. Cigar Company. What’s the most important lesson you learned?

Jeremy McDonald: Another rep I was close with -even before I started- gave me some advice. He told me, “Don’t overpromise. Do what you say you’re going to do. Don’t give one guy something and give another guy a different deal. Be consistent, and you can have a career in this industry.”  I remember thinking, “That’s all it takes?”. He said, “You wouldn’t believe how many problems come just from those things.”  I carried that with me. So, not having any bridges burned with any of the companies I’ve worked with has been good.

Just be fair. Show up and do your job (laughs). It’s certainly not rocket science, but there’s still quite a bit of shit in this industry.

Jeremy McDonald: Starting Wildfire Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: You have a lot of experience within the cigar industry. What finally led to your decision to start your own line?

Jeremy McDonald: Around two years before I left Caldwell,  I had gotten to a point where I was burned out. I was getting offers to do the same thing- like lateral moves for more money- but I didn’t want to be that guy who bounced around from company to company. It’s like, “Oh, this is the greatest cigar ever!” and then you’re with the next company saying, “Oh, this is the greatest cigar ever!” that whole spiel.

So, I would try to create my brand or be totally out of the industry. I had conversations with Robert Caldwell about it, and he was supportive. If I could get funding, I would do it, and then I got funding, and I did. I didn’t want to do what I was doing anymore. I had lost the love. It was clocking in every day. Yeah, it was the cigar industry, but it was like any other industry. I needed to do something where I could be more expressive of myself. So I was going to do the cigars, or who the hell knows what else I would have done.

Inspiration for Wildfire Cigars and More

Cigar Life Guy: You clearly have a good sense of humor. What was the inspiration for the name Wildfire and your camp counselor video?

Jeremy McDonald: I knew that I wanted something based around a campfire, so the logo was designed before the name was there. I like to be outdoors and camp. It’s more so just the thought behind cigars. You’re sitting with someone. Whether you know them or not, sit long enough, and you’ll have a conversation.

My worldview completely changed from being in this industry. I grew up pretty sheltered with one train of thought. Most days, while working in retail, I just listened to the people. Where they came from or where they were going. Political views. Religion. All of it. It opened my eyes to a whole new world. Sure, there could be tension and arguments, but smoking a cigar was a great neutralizer. It didn’t matter where you came from, what you were into, or how much money you made. I loved that element, so I wanted to incorporate the concept of just sitting around the campfire shooting the shit.

I had another name I was pursuing that was more fitting to the campfire. Then, a shop opened, and I didn’t want to come out of the gates in litigation. I just changed it. I had it trademarked, but it wasn’t worth it. And I had a gentleman’s conversation, but it didn’t go well. So, I just told my lawyer, “Let them have it.” I’m in California, and I think the wildfires were going on then, so I said, “I like that“ (laughs). So I took the name. I trademarked it and went with it.

The Wildfire Portfolio & Building a Brand

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us a little about the Wildfire portfolio.

Jeremy McDonald: I launched with a Limited called The Single out of Joya de Nicaragua. My first core line was the Revivalist. Those were the first two to market, and then I went to another factory to diversify. I went to FTC  (Fabrica Centroamericana de Tabaco S.A.)- Cavalier’s factory. I’ve known these guys for years, so it was a natural fit. We had good chemistry there, so I’ve also done a few more things with them. I introduced Wanderer as the first core line out of there.

I started a three-part limited series. Now we’re on the second one. The first one was The Intro, and then at P.C.A. this year, I released The Hook, which is the second part. I released Artaois out of Joya de Nicaragua in July of last year. That was my second core line coming out of there.  Next year at P.C.A., I’ll introduce another core line from F.T.C.

I’m just going to work with as many factories as I can. It gives you the ability not to get boxed into certain tobaccos. It allows you to create new flavors and profiles. I like not being tied to one thing.

I also introduced the B-Side. It is The Intro, but I inverted the binder and wrapper. It’s a play having a single and then having the other side. I wanted to show how different a cigar can be when you just change nothing other than rearranging the components. It would be a lot cooler if The Single was still out. Then, people could make a comparison between A and B. I did that for the cigar nerd in me. The blend stands on its own, so even if people haven’t smoked The Single, they’d enjoy it.

Jeremy McDonald’s Long-Term Goals for Wildfire Cigars

Cigar Life Guy: What are your long-term goals for Wildfire?

Jeremy McDonald: Build a name and build a sustainable business. I want to be around. There are so many guys, mentors, and people I respect who are all getting older, and I want to be a part of carrying on the next generation of manufacturers and brands. I want to one day be a mainstay brand, a household name, and just be a part of what people smoke and enjoy.

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Jeremy McDonald: Enjoy what you smoke. I always encourage people to try stuff. Try my stuff. Try Foundations, Cavelier, and Black Label. There are so many different profiles and styles of cigars out there. There’s something for everybody. That’s the fun of it. You don’t want to eat the same meal daily, so it’s the same idea.

The longer I’m in this industry, the longer Wildfire is around, and the more cigars we have, the more options we’ll have for different styles and palates. Just enjoy it. It’s leaves rolled together(laughs). It’s more about the experience of cigars that I love- meeting new people, hearing their stories, and enjoying it over a cigar.

 

Follow Jeremy on Instagram and check out the latest from Wildfire Cigars here.

Photo credit: Wildfire Cigars

Kevin Shahan, of Cigar Prop, smoking a cigar.

More Than a Cigar Prop: Meet Kevin Shahan

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Cigar life began simply enough for Kevin Shahan — with dinner and a beer. Like many who take up cigar smoking, it evolved into a passion and the desire to know about cigars. As his website states, Shahan’s company, Cigar Prop, was “born out of necessity.”

While working as a mechanic, he needed a place to set his cigar. He built a cigar rest from leftover materials, and the rest, as they say, is history. He has been creating accessories and apparel ever since. Shahan talked to Cigar Life Guy about spreading the good word about cigars, remaining true to his blue-collar roots, and how every guest on his I’d Tap That Cigar Show is interesting.

First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Kevin Shahan: My first premium cigar experience was on April 22nd, 2015, at the Tobacco Locker in Port Charlotte, Florida. I was with Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars, and it was a dinner and cigar event.

I remember the exact date because it recently appeared on my Facebook Timehop. For $20, you get three cigars, dinner, and a craft beer tasting. Try and get all that now for $20.

At that point, I had been smoking cigars for a few years, but they were cheap cigars sold from one of those online magazines. You got a humidor and 50 cigars for $19.99. I had no idea what I was doing or smoking.

When I attended that Tatuaje event with Pete and heard him talk passionately about cigars, I wanted to learn everything about the business and every cigar I smoked.

The Accidental Inception of Cigar Prop

Cigar Life Guy: How did you get into the cigar industry? What did you do before, and how does it help inform what you do with Cigar Prop?

Kevin Shahan: I got into the cigar business through the cigar accessory business. I was working on my mini lathe one day, making some parts while smoking a cigar, and every time I set my cigar down, it kept rolling around. So, after making my part, I took the extra material in my lathe and made a little cigar rest. I would take that rest to my local cigar lounge with me, and after my buddies saw it, they wanted one, so I made a few extras. My wife Jessica (then girlfriend) encouraged me to make more and sell them, so I did.

After selling a few, I started a cigar review channel on YouTube to help promote myself in the cigar community.

What I did before the cigar industry is still what I do now — I’m a mechanic. But at one time, I did have a beard care company and also did beard product reviews on YouTube. Those reviews helped me hone my videography skills. So, when I started a cigar review channel, I knew what I was doing.

Why Cigar Prop Apparel Stands Out

Cigar Life Guy: What makes Cigar Prop apparel and accessories unique?

Kevin Shahan: Everything Cigar Prop makes is made in the USA. If we can’t make it here in the States, we don’t. That goes for our apparel as well. We source blank apparel made in the USA and purchase heat press graphics made in the USA.

Kevin Shahan’s Cigar Journey

Cigar Life Guy: Your slogan is “Cigar Prop is a brand, journey, a way of life.” What does that mean, and how do you want consumers to perceive your brand?

Kevin Shahan: Cigar Prop is a brand of quality products made by a cigar smoker for cigar smokers. The journey represents not only our journey through the cigar world but also your journey through the cigar world. You don’t have to take this journey alone. We are with you to help with cigars through reviews, knowledge, and resources to help you navigate the world of cigars.

The way of life is that of a regular cigar smoker. We aren’t fancy. We don’t talk down to new cigar smokers because you don’t know how to pronounce Arapiraca or Liger. And we don’t make expensive accessories that the average cigar smoker can’t afford. The way of life is that of a blue-collar cigar smoker.

Going Beyond Accessories

Cigar Life Guy: Have you considered expanding beyond apparel and accessories to a full line of cigars? If so, what would be true for you to think it seriously?

Kevin Shahan: Last year, we launched Trash Panda Cigars. We started selling vintage cigars and cigars made just for us by Sinistro and Espinosa.

Starting in 2024, we stopped selling vintage cigars and now focus on selling cigars made just for us. Trash Panda Cigars is still very small, but we plan to grow it into something more significant in the next few years.

Becoming a Cigar Influencer

Cigar Life Guy: You are also a cigar personality and influencer. What do you think is the most important thing to communicate about cigar culture?

Kevin Shahan: First, Juan Cancel of Protocol Cigars says I’m not an influencer; he prefers the term promoter. I don’t mind the term influencer because people listen to what I say, and my words can influence the buying decisions of those listening to or watching me.

Cigar culture takes no less than 300 pairs of hands to craft a cigar. The process begins with the person in the field harvesting tobacco. Then, it extends to the person behind the counter at your local brick-and-mortar selling you a cigar.

Your words can change the life of someone you have never met before. If a cigar isn’t in your wheelhouse, don’t bash the cigar online because your words can influence someone who may have never tried that cigar, and that’s not fair to every one of those 300 hands.

With that being said, if you enjoy a cigar, show some love to that company on social media because your words can influence someone else to try that cigar and get introduced to a brand they may have never heard of.

Behind the Scenes of Hosting a Cigar Show

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us about I’d Tap That Cigar Show. Who have been the most exciting guests so far, and why?

Kevin Shahan: My co-host, Kerr Viajante, and I love doing the I’d Tap That Cigar Show! Every week, we showcase a maker, a fellow influencer, or a brand owner and hear the story of their journey through the cigar world. We try not to ask the same questions that every other interviewer asks. We try to dive deep into how they became who they are in the cigar world.

Every guest is the most interesting! Who would have thought a show dedicated to Life Insurance would be fun? But when we had Dave Arlinghaus on, I had a blast!

The Future of Cigar Prop and Kevin Shahan

Cigar Life Guy: What else can we expect from you and Cigar Prop in the future?

Kevin Shahan: Cigar Prop will keep doing what we do best: bringing cigar smokers great products, reviews, and interviews.

 

Follow Kevin on Instagram, check out  I’d Tap That Cigar Show, and the latest from Cigar Prop.

Photo credit: Cigar Prop

Rick Rodriguez pictured next to several boxes of premium cigars.

Rick Rodriguez from West Tampa Tobacco Company Talks His Wild Ride with Cigars

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Rick Rodriguez worked at General Cigar for 25 years. He trained under Benji Menendez before starting West Tampa Tobacco Company in 2022 with Gus Martinez.

While Rodriguez has built an extensive and impressive (cigar life) resume, he didn’t smoke his first cigar until he was forty. He talked with Cigar Life Guy about that first-smoke experience, the importance of keeping stories and tradition alive, and why he isn’t worried about cigar life ending any time soon.

 

Rick Rodriguez First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Rick Rodriguez: That’s a great question. I have been interviewed a thousand times, and one of the questions I’ve always thought about is, “When did you smoke your first cigar?” Amazingly, no one asked that question. Therefore, I had my first cigar the day I interviewed to work for General Cigar.

Dave Bullock, now the president of sales for Rocky Patel, interviewed me. He heard my story about my grandmother and grandfather coming from Cuba to Tampa to roll cigars. He worked for Nestle and said, “Hey, you need to sell candy bars for us.” And I said, “I’m not selling candy bars. I’m happy with the carpet business.“

He called me back two years later and said, “I’m working for General Cigar now.” But I had yet to learn what or who General Cigar was. I had been in a tobacco shop maybe twice when I was thirteen. So I said, “Perfect, we’ll have dinner.”

We had dinner, and he explained he worked for General Cigar and that my territory would be in Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. And I said, “You know what? You got your guy. I’ll take the job.”

After dinner, we took a walk. We were in Ybor City, and we saw a cigar shop. I walked in and bought two cigars: a Macanudo Hyde Park and an 858 from Fuente. 

I gave him the Macanudo because he was a cigarette smoker, and he asked what I was smoking, and I told him, Fuente. He said, “In the future, only smoke their product when you get the job.” And I said, “I didn’t see any General Cigar.” Then he told me they own Macanudo, Cohiba, Hoya, Punch, and all these brands.

I knew all the brands he spoke of, but I thought they were all individual. So, my first cigar was an 858 in Ybor City, and I choked through that cigar. (Laughs).

Thank God I had felt a cold coming on at dinner, so I blamed my choking on the cold. He said, “It’s okay; you’re hired!” I received my first box of sample cigars the following Monday, and that’s the long story. I smoked my first cigar when I was forty years old.

 

Traditions in the Cigar Business

Cigar Life Guy: You worked for General Cigar Co. for 25 years. What’s it like starting your line?

Rick Rodriguez: Fascinating and very scary. I was very nervous about it. We knew what we were doing.

General Cigar teaches you everything about cigars. Without working for them for 25 years, there’s no way in hell I would have started West Tampa.

Because of their training, we knew we’d have a starting chance. Doors opened for us the day I announced, on May 2, 2022. We celebrated our second year this May.

I remember calling my first account and telling them I left General Cigar, and no questions were asked. It was, “Ricky, we’re in.” So, having that history and that trust was an asset. So it was terrifying, but we knew we had an upper hand.

 

A Look Back at Cigar Variety Evolution

Cigar Life Guy: You have been in the tobacco industry for a long time. What is your favorite aspect of the cigar business, and how has it changed over the years?

Rick Rodriguez: People. Travel is tiring, but when you can connect with people that is my favorite aspect. That has not changed.

If you look at cigars, there are many types, each varying in body, size, and brand, and I’ve seen that grow. But what I enjoy the most about cigar life is the people I meet, the people I have been friends with for twenty-five years, and the opportunities to share our stories.

 

Rick Rodriguez’s Biggest Cigar Industry Challenges

Cigar Life Guy: What is the cigar industry’s biggest challenge today?

Rick Rodriguez: Individual state taxes and the struggles with what we have to do with warning labels. Those are the scary things. As far as people enjoying cigars? The market is likely going to continue to grow. So, I see many younger people coming.

Tax and smoking bans in restaurants, bars, and sometimes shops… Those are the struggles I worry about. Other than that, I have no worries about tobacco, manufacturing, or consumers. I would not get Sara (Rogriguez’s daughter) into this business if I didn’t think it would be around for the next twenty years.

 

Building a Friendship

Cigar Life Guy: You partnered with Gus Martinez, another General Cigar Co. employee. What was that like, and how is it different being on the ownership end of the business?

Rick Rodriguez: I think we’re lucky. We grew not only a business relationship but a friendship along the way. We both worked at General Cigars but only had a little one-on-one communication. He was in the marketing, and I had my marketing guy.

When I saw Gus, we talked more about our families than we did cigars or business, so the friendship grew. When he said, “I would love to partner with you,” we knew the partnership would be magical because his kind of training was behind the scenes.

He can do the business and marketing sides; my side is the entertaining, the storytelling, the blending, and working with the factory. The perfect combination — a kind of yin and yang of a business partner worked for us.

 

Cigar Tradition and the Circle of Life

Cigar Life Guy: Your grandparents came to Tampa from Cuba in the 1950s as cigar rollers. What do you want the cigar world to know about this legacy, tradition, and its connection to your new line of cigars?

Rick Rodriguez: Don’t forget the stories. Once I finished training, I remember Benji Menendez said, “You think your job is to sell cigars for General? It isn’t. That’s the job of the salesman who will work with you. Your job is to keep these stories alive. Tell them about the history of General Cigars. Tell them the history of your family, your connection to Cuba, and why they moved to Tampa. Those stories connect to that cigar and connect to that fanbase.” You have no prayer if you have a cigar without a believable story.

Benji Menendez, who owned the H. Upmann Factory in Cuba, trained me. He sold cigars to Kennedy, so I understood the value of that.

Furthermore, these cigars are hand-rolled. So, there are no machines. As a result, the process is not something like seeing a car being put together in a factory by machines. So, connecting the stories, sharing those stories, and keeping the memory alive is so important.

 

Looking Forward with Rick Rodriguez

Cigar Life Guy: You introduced the Black, White, and Red cigars in your first year. What’s next for West Tampa Tobacco Company?

Rick Rodriguez: Circle of Life. We just introduced the new full-time line. We’ve been working on this project with Ernesto Perez-Carillo (EPC) for about six months. We need to ship it at the beginning of June. And we are very proud of this because it connects my kind of history, my story, and my journey in my tobacco life.

We chose Ernesto because he was the first person in the Hall of Fame to train me. I was trained by four Hall of Famers, but he was the first who took the time to train, and that’s why we connected.

He loved the story. There are three typical sizes that people will love: the Robusto, the Toro, and a 6×50. They range in price—without taxes—between 13 and 15 dollars.

 

The Final Wrap with Rick Rodriguez

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Rick Rodriguez: If you enjoy cigars, try our cigars! Enjoy our cigars. Even if you don’t smoke our cigars, please keep smoking cigars and loving this community of cigar smokers. It’s one of the only things you can do today in your life that will connect you to people.

You can go to restaurants or bars and meet one person, but go to any cigar shop and try not to meet five, six, or seven people. Our connection is impressive.

 

Follow Rick Rodriguez and West Tampa Tobacco Company on Instagram. Then, check out the latest from West Tampa Tobacco Company.

Photo Credit: WTTC

John Bateman of Mega Legend Cigars

John Bateman: Turning Crisis into Celebration with Mega Legend Cigars

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John Bateman — JB to friends — is relatively new to the cigar industry, but the owner of Mega Legend Cigars is poised to make a splash by sticking to his plan. Driven by a family tragedy, Bateman is determined to become legendary in the cigar world. He talked with Cigar Life Guy about sacrifice, fake Cubans, his unique “aromatized” blends, and bringing the cigar life to The Gambia, a small country in West Africa.

John Bateman’s First Premium Cigar Experience

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

John Bateman: Thanks for having me; I go by JB, or, as my friends call me, Legend and Owner of Mega Legend Cigars.

My first premium cigar experience came 17 years ago on board my first cruise. Several college football teammates and I were invited to attend one of our boys’ weddings on Carnival Crusie Line. We stumbled upon a very classy cigar lounge on board. The bartender seemed to know exactly how to point us in the right direction for a smoke. He initially offered a Macanudo cigar, stating it was a mild choice and suitable for beginners. Since I never told him I was a beginner, I puffed out my chest and asked, “What do you have that’s not for a beginner?” (Laughs). He handed me a Gurkha Bourbon. I liked the tube it came in, so I indulged. I choked halfway through the stick but lived to talk about it.

Getting Started in The Cigar Industry

Cigar Life Guy: How did you get involved in the cigar industry? What did you do before, and how does it help inform what you do now?

John Bateman: I got involved in the cigar industry through traveling. About three years after my first cigar experience, I was visiting Tamarindo, Costa Rica. A guy on the street approached me and sold me a box of fake Cohiba No. 5. I had no idea they were fake. So, I bought the entire box of 25 for $200. I brought it home and shared it with all my boys, bragging I had authentic Cubans (Laughs). One of my friend’s father got a hold of one of my so-called “authentic Cohiba” and asked me where I got it. He proceeded to scold me on how it was not at all authentic. I decided to investigate, research, and begin my own line.

Before owning my own line of cigars, I owned a restaurant and a home Healthcare business. Both required a serious level of tough skin and resilience, which helped shape my dedication to Mega Legend Cigars.

Cigar Life Guy: What is the biggest challenge of being a start-up in an industry with so many large brands?

John Bateman: This is a great question. There are so many challenges. If I had to narrow it down to the biggest ones, I would have to say believing in your plan, creating a niche, and sticking to it no matter what.

With so many brands that have been doing this for generations, it’s been helpful for me to remain a student, always willing to learn and take notes while always paying my respect to the guys who have done what I’m trying to do.

The Mega Legend Portfolio

Cigar Life Guy: You describe your cigars as “aromatized” rather than infused. Can you explain the process and the differences a bit more?

John Bateman: Absolutely. Aromatizing is simply a process through which I put my cigars, giving off a desired and pleasant aroma to the leaf as I smoke it while avoiding the sweet taste you smell. The aromas range from hazelnut to creme brulee and mocha, but they are always distinct from infused. These are medium—to full-body premium cigars, leaving your palate craving the next!

Cigar Life Guy: Can you tell us about your cigar portfolio?

John Bateman: So, the Mega Legend cigar has displayed as many as six faces in lounges and stores across the U.S. and internationally. Currently, I’m only carrying three cigars.

I have a Robusto with a Connecticut wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and Brazilian-Dominican filler, a Lancero with an Ecuadorian wrapper, Ecuadorian binder, and Dominican-Nicaraguan-Peruvian filler, and my latest is a Toro Double Ligero with a Havana Wrapper, Mexican binder, and Cuban-Dominican-Pennsylvanian filler. My factory is working on my very first 70-gauge, which will be available by June 2024. Mega Legend Cigars are hand-rolled in the mountains of Puriscal, Costa Rica. Our fields are in Ecuador.

John Bateman on Family Tragedy

Cigar Life Guy: Your mantra is “Don’t be ordinary…be legendary.” What does that mean to you?

John Bateman: Well, this is a bit of a sensitive subject. Three years ago, my nephew, who was more like a son to me, treated my sons — his cousins — as brothers. A group of guys wanted to jump on one of my sons. So, my nephew put himself in the middle as a mediator. As he talked to the group of guys, he also inserted himself into the middle of the situation “literally.” The perpetrator pulled out a gun and aimed it at my son. My nephew then moved into the path of the gun to block my son from being shot, and he took a bullet to the neck, which ended his life.

I will forever feel responsible for this. So when I started my brand, I came up with the phrase, “Why be Ordinary When You Can Be Legendary?” In my book, my nephew displayed the ultimate meaning of sacrifice and will forever be a Legend. So, in my everyday life, I’m reminded that you can be ordinary and there is nothing special about that, or you can be selfless, do for others, and be Legendary in your own right.

John Bateman Brings Cigar Life to The Gambia

Cigar Life Guy: What does the future look like for Mega Legend?

John Bateman: The future is looking very bright. I opened a restaurant and cigar lounge and purchased property in The Gambia, a country in West Africa. I also host and sponsor a cigar concert a few times yearly in Kennesaw, Georgia. You can catch live bands, amazing vocalists, food trucks, and cigars!

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

John Bateman: We covered all there is to know about Mega Legend. However, I have been working on a massive historical event for the last nine months. I have arranged the very first-ever cigar week in The Gambia. This is a nine-day event that I have been working extremely hard to bring together on the west coast of Africa.

For the past two years, I have been traveling there and bringing my cigars to those who enjoy them. They have been supporting my product, and in return, I wanted to deliver a week of excitement they will never forget. So, on May 11-19, 2024, I will host, facilitate, and welcome over 100 people to participate in this fantastic cigar week in West Africa.

 

Follow JB and Mega Legend on Instagram.

Photo credit: Mega Legend Cigars

Lee Marsh of Stolen Throne Cigars

Stolen Throne Cigars: Interview with Lee Marsh

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Lee Marsh, the founder of Stolen Throne Cigars, was a prolific cigar smoker long before he started making them. Now, he’s making a name for himself and the Stolen Throne line by doing things his way. Marsh talks about the recent premium cigar victory over the FDA, connecting with the consumer, and the importance of not rushing anything when making cigars and cigar life.

The First Premium Smoke

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Lee Marsh: That’s funny. I don’t remember my first premium cigar experience, but I was probably about fifteen the first time I had a quality cigar -meaning a handmade cigar. My uncle was in the Marine Corps and brought some back for me. We were hanging around when he gave me my first cigar. I remember the first premium cigar brand that piqued my interest. I also remember what I enjoyed about cigars and started the journey. It was the original Camacho Corojos when the Aurora family was still making Camacho. I vividly remember my first Corojo, and it was instantaneously one of those times when you have a cigar and say, “This is different.” It started from there.

Lighting a Fire: Getting Started in the Cigar Business

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us how you started in the cigar industry. What did you do before, and how does it help inform what you do with your current business?

Lee Marsh: I’ve always been a consumer. I’ve been a passionate cigar smoker for years. I was working in compliance and tech, and I traveled a lot. So, I spent a lot of free time in cigar shops and cigar lounges around the world. It kind of just grew. And the first time I visited a farm in the Dominican Republic, it subconsciously lit a fire in me. I just kept coming into conversations that if I made cigars, I would do this or that. And finally, it was a “Shit or get off the pot” situation. So I went all in. I met with Noel (Rojas) through a couple of mutual acquaintances, like Island Jim, and we just hit it off immediately. A week later, I was down in Nicaragua, and we started the ball rolling on what would become the Crook of the Crown.

Stolen Throne Cigars: Doing Things Their Way

Cigar Life Guy: Stolen Throne is an evocative name. How did you come up with it, and what’s the meaning behind it?

Lee Marsh: That was the hardest part about getting the company going. The Crook (of the Crown) was well before we had a name. But naming the company and the brand was difficult because I didn’t want something that I had to fake or pretend. I wanted it to be authentic and transparent about who we were and what we wanted to represent. It’s rooted in the sense of making your place at the table — doing things your way. The Waylon Jennings style, like outlaws and being a badass. It’s about doing the things you want to do. 

Cigar Life Guy: You released the limited edition Phantom Queen at last year’s PCA and the Yorktown Fleet line in 2023. When people smoke your cigars, what do you want them to associate with your brand?

Lee Marsh: Realistically, when you smoke a Stolen Throne Cigar, you’re on our journey of tobacco with us. I’m a first-generation cigar maker, so you’re experiencing all my thoughts, hopes, aspirations, and passion when you smoke every cigar. I think what many people don’t realize about us is that you can tell from our portfolio that we’ve been on the market for four years. We only have four blends in two sizes. We take our time. Everything is done with a hundred percent of our effort and passion. And when you sit back and smoke our cigars, you’re on that journey with us. We’ve been out for four years, coming up on five years with mainly The Crook of the Crown, which is still surreal to me, to be honest.

Cigar Life Guy: Stolen Throne recently took over distribution for Ed Reed’s ER line. What was that collaboration like?

Lee Marsh: It’s one of those things that grew out of a friendship. Ed and I have been friends for a while. We met at a Ravens game back when he was smoking a Crook of the Crown. He spoke to me about getting into the business. He was passionate about cigars. So, I took him to task. I was like, “I’ll help you, but if you want to be another celebrity with a name on a cigar,” I’m not your guy. But that’s not what he’s about at all. He’s passionate about the culture and everything that goes into a premium cigar. He’s an avid smoker and super into what he’s doing. So when they got into the process and needed a little help navigating, they reached out to me, and our distribution grew from there.

Challenges in the Industry

Cigar Life Guy: What is the biggest challenge the cigar industry faces today?

Lee Marsh: I think it’s like anything else: The rising cost of living. The lifestyle is not inexpensive. It’s one of those things where people have limited disposable income.

I would say the FDA, but that was struck down today, which is awesome. For now, anyway. It’s like anything else when you’re a luxury aspect of someone’s life. For most, it’s not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. I know I smoke ten cigars a day usually, probably half that before I started making cigars. But it’s a part of our life. Like everything else, the rising cost of living is a potential threat.

Cigar Life Guy: What’s next for Stolen Throne?

Lee Marsh: Hopefully, we chug along and do everything we want as far as continuing to push passion and quality products. People always ask, “What do you plan to do in five years?” Well, I hope I’m still making cigars (laughs). That’s the plan — Keep doing what we’re doing, continue to improve, and push our envelope to reach our true potential.

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Lee Marsh: We’re super grateful. It’s been a whirlwind for four years. We’re grateful for the support we received nationwide and internationally. For us, the consumer always comes first, along with the retailer. They go side by side. It’s overwhelming when you hear retailers who already work with us telling other retailers, “Hey, you gotta do business with these people.” Most of our growth over our first three or four years has been consumers supporting the brand and telling retailers, “Hey, you gotta bring this cigar in.”

Follow Lee on Instagram and find out the latest from Stolen Throne Cigars here.

Photo credit: Stolen Throne Cigars

Greg Free of Fortaleza y Libre Cigars

Greg Free of Fortaleza y Libre Cigars Interview

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From the first premium cigar he smoked in a Maryland swamp to blending his first Lancero, Greg Free, founder of Fuerte y Libre Cigars, has been living free, smoking strong, and enjoying cigar life. Free talks to Cigar Life Guy about his ever-growing cigar portfolio, the upcoming name change of his company, and his favorite part of the cigar industry camaraderie.

First Premium Smoke for Greg Free

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Greg Free: In 1992, I purchased a new home next to a protected wetland in Frederick, Maryland. I thought it was a very fancy park, not the swamp that it turned out to be. So I never went outside. One of my neighbors who I became friends with, asked, “Why aren’t you ever going outside?” And I said, “There are mosquitos everywhere.” He suggested I try smoking a cigar. He handed me a Baccarat, and I smoked Baccarat for three years. At one point, he went on vacation, and I had to go out and cigar shop myself and pay for a cigar. I was just amazed by how many cigars were in that shop. My entire world exploded at that point.

Getting Started

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us how you got started in the cigar industry. What else did you do before, and how does it help inform what you do with your current business?

Greg Free: I live in Washington, D.C., and worked in government contracting for a couple of decades. I started in government contracting, doing recruiting and hiring to fill positions to support federal work. When I left, I was senior VP of the “people” side of government contractors, so program management, and recruiting. I was the facility security officer and was in charge of construction projects.

I left that two and a half years ago to do this full-time, but I started the company — really the foundation of it — in 2012. That’s when I started putting capital aside. In 2013, I started researching what I needed to do to become a tobacco importer from a federal perspective. 2019 was when we finally got cigars into the country, but I was working a full-time job during those six years.

On Smoking Strong and Living Free

Cigar Life Guy: Your motto is “Smoke Strong, Live Free.” Can you tell us more about what inspired it?

Greg Free: The company name inspired it. I wanted something that spoke to America, so I created the name in English first — “strong” and “free.” It seemed like a perfect statement for the country. Our strength is really how we get our freedom. And the flip side of that is my last name is Free, and I also smoked strong cigars, so it worked out. Then, I translated that to Fuerte y Libre to pay homage to Spanish culture. But ultimately, that’s why Carlito Fuente sued me for my trademark. The premise from their side was that Fuente and Fuerte sounded too similar and would create consumer confusion, which I don’t think is true, but it is what is. I wish they had trademarked the word because I would have never filed for the name. I don’t hold a grudge. It’s just business.

So, I’ll be changing my name. We just settled in May. I haven’t made an official announcement because part of the settlement was to get some time to change the name. It’s known within the cigar community. There will be a press release, but I’m waiting until the first cigar comes out with the new company name which will be Fortaleza y Libre. And that word also means “strength.” It’s used in the cigar industry to represent strength — the “Fortaleza” of a cigar. I wanted to keep that strong and free moniker to keep a hold of the company’s original premise.

The Greg Free Blending Process

Cigar Life Guy: You proudly grow your tobacco in the Tamboril region. Why is it essential even for the novice cigar smoker to understand all aspects that go into the construction of a premium cigar?

Greg Free:  Speaking about regions, all of our core tobacco, the Dominican tobacco, grows on one 40-hectare farm. I grew up on a farm. I went to college for horticulture. So, it was important that my core tobacco remained consistent from season to season and cigar batch to cigar batch. In the Dominican Republic, if you don’t have a tie to a farm like most small factories, you wind up going to the warehouse where you get what’s left.

It’s still going to be great Dominican tobacco, but it’s not going to be grown on the same soil using the same farming techniques, crop rotation, and the addition of any chemicals or fertilizers. The area’s distinct microclimate also plays a role. So we’re particular about where the core tobacco comes from, and it keeps our blends consistent since inception. Tomorrow’s new batch of Bodacious will taste the same as the blend we created four years ago.

I don’t know that the novice needs to understand the construction process, but I think they need to learn what they like. How you do that is by understanding your three or four typical tobaccos. So if a Ligero is in there, you need to know what impact that has on a cigar. What impact does a Nicaraguan Ligero have versus a Dominican Ligero? What an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper has that differs from a Connecticut shade wrapper. You’re learning the differences for your own purposes.

As a consumer, you go into a store and you know: I don’t like Connecticut shade, but I do like Ecuadorian Connecticut. Or I love Ligero, but I‘m not a fan of Nicaraguan Ligero. It’s a little too strong for me, but I do like a nice Dominican Ligero. It’s the same with fillers, binders, and other wrappers. It’s a function. For example, you may love chicken but only in a particular Italian sauce (laughs). When you go into an Italian restaurant, you decide “This is what I want.” It’s a similar idea at a cigar store. You’re going in, looking at the menu, and picking what you know you like.

Cigar Portfolio Mentionables

Cigar Life Guy: You have created a variety of blends since Bodacious in 2018. Tell us a little more about your cigar portfolio.

Greg Free: The foundation of the name is strong and free. I was smoking really strong cigars when I started blending. It turns out there’s a lot more flavor in the medium range. So when we came out with our first couple of lines, we were in that medium range.

The core of the Bodacious and the Bushwacker is a delicious Dominican Pilato Cubana tobacco. There’s no Ligero in there. We’re not trying to amp them up. We’re just using the wrapper combinations for added variety. They’re both medium cigars. There are two different wrapper choices in the first two lines of both.

After we settled those, we got ourselves in some shops, and COVID hit. I wanted to come out with something full-bodied. So, I started working on a full-body blend, which became the first true blend I developed. I settled in the medium-full range because it tasted good, and I didn’t want to mess with it anymore. That was the Midnight Bender. The next line I wanted a Connecticut wrapper, but I didn’t want it to be a mild cigar. It had to be something I could enjoy.

The core of that is another blend I created. It has a double Dominican Ligero. It has a Mexican San Andres wrapper leaf blended into the filler. So it has a fuller body and a full-strength core surrounded by Dominican binder and Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. It looks like a mild cigar, smokes like a medium, but has the flavor of a full. It’s our best-selling blend, and it’s a really creative, complex blend that goes with anything. I smoke more of them than anything in my portfolio, not because it’s my favorite, but because I always have them with me. I never know what I’m going to be doing, and I always try to match my cigar with my activity, whether it’s drinking, walking, mowing the lawn, or whatever. The Sun Country covers a lot of bases for me.

After the Sun Country, I wanted to come out with an anniversary stick. We create all of our test blends in a 6 x 50 Toro, which is a little unique in the industry. Most people use Coronas for that, but that’s how I started. So I know how it works for me. When we started testing different vitolas, we got to a boxed press, and that blend spoke to me. The flavors really jumped when it went into a box-pressed. That was our first and only box-pressed the Segundo Viento (Second Wind).

Then we waited a couple of years because I wanted a true mild. Then it becomes about rounding out the line. The true mild took me two years until I finally came out with what I would call a three on a scale of 1-10 in strength and body. I couldn’t do a true mild because I just couldn’t smoke it, so it’s just Dominican filler and binder, an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. But that wrapper brings a little spice, so it’s more than a plain grassy Connecticut wrapper. It’s got a little something that keeps me interested. I’m not putting out anything, and I’m not smoking (laughs).

The final thing in the line is we needed a true full. We’ve got a true full. It’s been in the aging room since January. Now it’s a matter of just getting bands produced. So these are going to have some good age on them. The core of the blend is the first-generation Cuban seed planted on our farm three years ago. (The Intimidator)

I don’t intend to be one of those companies that crank out new blends every three months. It’s really just what makes sense for the line. I want to create legacy lines as opposed to short-run limited editions.

Cigar Pairing with Greg Free

Cigar Life Guy: Pairing cigars with spirits is an integral aspect of cigar life for many smokers, and you often highlight this with your cigar line. What are some of your favorite pairings?

Greg Free: It’s interesting. I never had a cigar with coffee until I was on my first factory visit in 2018. My interpreter — you would think with a Panamanian wife, I could speak enough Spanish to get along. I understand it, but not speak it. So, I had an interpreter, and he asked me what kind of cigar I had with my coffee. I told him I never had a cigar with coffee, and he told me I was crazy.

I drink my coffee with cream and it’s a great experience to have coffee and a cigar. Unfortunately, days don’t line up very often where it makes sense for me to get up and have a cigar with coffee, so I don’t do it often, but it’s probably my favorite.

On the spirits’ side, I’m a low-proof bourbon guy. Anything under 90-proof is in my wheelhouse. All of your classic stuff. My favorite is Eagle Rare; It’s a ten-year bourbon. I go for something smooth and low-proof because I’m drinking whiskey while smoking cigars, always in combination. And I genuinely want to experience the cigar more than the whiskey. Eagle Rare kind of sits in the background. It’s not so hot that it’s competing with the cigars, it’s just adding to it.

Favorite Part of the Cigar Industry

Cigar Life Guy: What is your favorite part of the cigar industry?

Greg Free: The camaraderie amongst other brands and brand owners. I’d estimate 90% of the people I’ve met in the industry will help you with anything. It’s a unique industry. In government contracting, everything is a secret. No one tells you anything. Then, you enter an industry where people tell you what they pay per pound for tobacco. How much they pay their rollers — who receive piece rates — the dollars and cents information and where they think the best tobacco comes from for their wrappers. They even share their specific recipes. It doesn’t happen in other industries … like the restaurant industry. And it certainly doesn’t happen in government contracting. I guarantee you that Hershey’s hasn’t released their chocolate recipe to Mars. The cigar industry is unique, and that’s my favorite part.

News and Upcoming Events

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Greg Free: I guess the only thing we haven’t referenced is my upcoming event. I am coming out with an event exclusive to Lonsdale. I’ve wanted to come out with a Lancero for a long time. It’s a tough cigar to roll and challenging to get the blending right, and it’s one I haven’t been able to accomplish until now. But I am coming out with a Lonsdale that’s going to be a unique blend to the lineup. We’re calling it the Tahonta. After all, famous rodeo bulls inspire all the cigar names.

 

Follow Greg on Instagram and check out the latest from Fortaleza y Libre here.

Photo credit: Greg Free

Howard Gumbs Jr. of Howard G Cigars

Howard Gumbs Jr. of Howard G Cigars: Interview

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Entrepreneur Howard Gumbs Jr. has never balked at a challenge, and after launching Howard G Cigars amidst the pandemic, he has never looked back. A true brother of the leaf, Howard is building his legacy with the All-Pro Series and his newest line, The Perfect Round. Howard talks to Cigar Life Guy about his start in the industry, smoking with Avo Uvezian, and the best part about cigar life — forging lasting relationships while enjoying a premium cigar.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: First Premium Smoke

Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: I’ve been smoking cigars for sixteen years. The very first cigar I smoked was Rocky Patel Decade 1990. I was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was with a gentleman named Duncan, a cousin of a business partner, and I remember smoking that at a place called Twigs, and that was my first time smoking a premium — a Rocky Patel.

Learning the Cigar Life

Cigar Life Guy: Tell us how you got started in the cigar industry. What did you do before, and how does it help inform what you do with your current business?

Howard Gumbs Jr.: I got in the cigar business differently here in Orlando. I had the privilege and honor of smoking a few days a week with Avo Uvezian. So, I’m in the cigar business because of Avo. One day, we sat outside together, and he said, “Howard, you should be in the cigar business.” 

And I said, “Why do you say that, Papa,” and he said, “Because you love the people like I love the people.” It was a shocking thing. He believed me. About six or seven months after that, a buddy of mine said the same thing that Avo said. He had a brother who owned fifty percent of a factory. So, it went from mindset to putting it into action.

As far as business, I’ve always been an entrepreneur. I have multiple companies. The cigars started from that relationship, but it’s the same mindset as other businesses. It transferred to the cigar business because of all of the connections.

Cigar Community and Cigar Culture

Cigar Life Guy: You have stressed the connections you can make while sharing a premium cigar. What makes the cigar community and cigar culture so unique?

Howard Gumbs Jr: What makes it special is we have something in common. Typically, you’re not in a rush when you’re smoking a cigar. You’re gonna sit down, you’re gonna cut it, you’re gonna light it. You’re going to have a beverage with it. 

Enjoy that time. You have forty-five minutes to an hour and a half where you’re relaxing. You’re not worrying about what happened at work, you’re not worrying about business, you’re not worrying about any other issues, but you’re just enjoying that cigar. 

Many people I meet talk about the moment they get off work and the excitement just to come and smoke their cigars and socialize for an hour and a half. That is one of the things I associate with the cigar life. Also, you must always find out who you’re sitting down with. One of the things with the cigar community is you need to know who in the world you’re sitting next to. There are a lot of times I’ve had Fortune 500 CEOs sitting next to a janitor. We’re all smoking cigars. The one thing that we have in common is that leaf. No matter which cigar you’re smoking, we’re all sitting there enjoying it.

Launching During the COVID-19 pandemic

Cigar Life Guy: You started Howard G. Cigars in 2020 amidst the pandemic. What was that like? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Howard Gumbs Jr.: I only had a few challenges. What happened was the cigars were made in 2019. I wanted to release the cigar when I had the proper boxing. When the pandemic occurred and the world shut down, I was told, “Hey, there’s so many people stuck at home, why don’t you just get the cigars out?”

The cigars were ready, so I just got them out and put them in different packs of four. Then I looked at my database of personal friends — palates I trust, guys I know that they are serious smokers. So, I just took that time to send out the product. I sent out the product and asked for honest feedback. Take away friendship. Take away how you feel about me.

Nothing is going to hurt my feelings. If you hate it and think it’s trash, tell me it’s trash. Tell me if this cigar could be in your wheelhouse because you’re an experienced smoker. Those are the things that I did during the pandemic.

So, during 2020, when people were sitting at home, it launched us across the country just with friends. First, people said, “Hey, he said he was going to do something, and he actually did it,” and second, “The sticks were great!”. 87% of the feedback was exceptional. We knew we were on to something. From that point on, we decided to continue.

We take it seriously. So, we go to the shows where the large retailers are, to PCA. And we go there with the mentality that we’re in the game for the long haul. 

We’re going to keep on expanding and growing. Our goal is always to get better by one percent a day and continue to create and build on lasting relationships and great products like the legacy brands that have come before us.

The All-Pro Series with Howard Gumbs Jr.

Cigar Life Guy: You have cigars commemorating former NFL stars Leon Searcy and Ike Taylor. How did you forge those relationships, and what’s the story behind the collaboration?

Howard Gumbs Jr.: There’s not a significant story behind it. Those are my brothers. I already knew that Black Moses would become a series, and Magic Stick would also become a series.

I also knew I wanted to do an All-Pro series, but when I had the idea, I wanted to ensure that my athletes seriously smoked cigars. It wasn’t just guys who smoked a cigar when they had a child or who smoked because their team won a championship. 

I wanted somebody who appreciated and loved the cigar community. People smoke when the lights are not on, the cameras are not on, and nobody is looking. People that sit down and have a couple of sticks. That was my mindset.

So the first person I thought of was” Big Searc,” Leon Searcy. We smoked cigars together for years. Leon would come to my house, and in five hours of hanging out, seven cigars would magically disappear out of my humidor. He wasn’t taking cigars for souvenirs but smoking them (laughs). So I told him, “How about we do an All-Pro Series with Leon Searcy? You’ll be the first cigar in the All-Pro Line,” he said, “Howie, I love it!”. 

From there, we went through his favorite cigars, found his palate, and created the perfect cigar for him. Once he gave the seal of approval, we shot a video and went ahead and put it out on the market.

Ike Taylor was a little different. He was a Steelers legend. The Steelers have one of the biggest fan bases along with my Dallas Cowboys, so I wanted to gear it toward that. 

We went through forty different blends for Ike. Every time we narrowed it down, we realized Ike’s favorite wrapper was a Sumatran. So his blend is eighty percent Nicaraguan, but we added twenty percent Lancaster, PA tobacco because he is Steeler. So that was different.

Both cigars have been doing phenomenally well. We appreciated the love we received from Steelers Nation and the Jaguars because of Leon and his affiliation being a top fourteen Jaguar of all time.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: The Perfect Round

Cigar Life Guy: You recently released The Perfect Round. What’s next for Howard G. Cigars?

Howard Gumbs Jr.:  Perfect Round is our golf line. Here in Orlando, where I live, the amount of golf tournaments we’ve been at physically or sent products to has doubled nearly yearly. 

We have friends who play golf religiously. Some guys that out of 365 days, they’re playing a minimum of 200. That’s profound love. Tee time is typically seven, eight, or nine a.m., so we wanted to come out with a cigar to help you with the front nine and start your day. It’s a 52 by 7. It’s our first Dominican blend — very well-aged tobacco. The construction of the cigar is fantastic. But it’s a Connecticut Shade because we want you to start on the front nine with a milder cigar. Typically, you’re not drinking alcohol that early in the morning, so milder is best.

Once we get to the back nine, you tend to have had something to eat, and maybe you’ve had a spirit or two, so we wanted to strengthen the Back Nine. If you’re going to finish stronger on the back nine, we’re also giving you a more robust cigar. 

The Back Nine has a Habana wrapper but the same binder as the Front Nine. Put them together, and it’s an eighteen-count box — nine Front Nines and nine Back Nines.

That cigar has done exceptionally well. We sold out in pre-orders at PCA. The reviews from that cigar in our official launch last week were incredible. We’re excited about that. 

We’re excited about what we’re doing. Right now, we constantly have events lined up around the country. We’re just having a good time. Be on the lookout for things we’ll be bringing out.

Final Thoughts

Cigar Life Guy: Have we missed anything? Please tell us anything else you’d like the cigar world to know.

Howard Gumbs Jr.: We have our phrases at Howard G Cigars. “We got action.” is one. Another one is, “We’re slinging cigars,” and the last term is, “You want this smoke.”

 

Follow Howard on Instagram and check out the latest from Howard G Cigars here.

Photo credit: Howard G Cigars

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