Jason Wood, founder of Outcast Cigars, didn’t enter the cigar industry as an expert, a blender, or even a cigar smoker. He had never smoked a cigar until he began working at Miami Cigar with his father-in-law, Nestor Miranda. From there, he set out to learn every aspect of the business, from sales and customer service to time spent in the factory. Wood learned the ins and outs of the cigar industry and gained just enough knowledge to make him “dangerous enough.” He spoke with Cigar Life Guy about his dizzying first cigar experience, the fun he’s having with Outcast Cigars, and why, when it comes to blending, he stays out of the way.
First Premium Cigar Experience
Cigar Life Guy: Tell me about your first premium cigar experience.
Jason Wood: That’s a funny one. I have to go back a bit. I’ve been with Miami Cigar since 2009. It’s my in-laws’ company. They started it in 1989, so I came in about seventeen years ago. When I came in, I had no cigar experience. I spoke to my father-in-law and told him I was down for the challenge, but I wanted to work every single step and every department. That way, when I reached the level I am at now, I would know what all the employees were doing. The good, the bad, and how to make that position successful. I wanted to be able to know what I was talking about (laughs). My father-in-law said, “Alright, let’s do that.”
When I got to Miami Cigar, I’d never smoked a cigar before. My father-in-law’s second-floor office has a badass, old-school Al Pacino-smoking lounge (laughs). Dark furniture, shitty lighting, but that’s how it is up there. Basically, that’s where they have their meeting and where the guys go to smoke their cigars.
I went up there on my first day. I’ve never even cut a cigar or smoked a cigar. I let the first couple of days go by. Then, I was staying late trying to learn as much as I could, and he told me to close the office when I was done.
Everybody leaves, and I see my chance. I’ve seen them cutting cigars and lighting cigars, so I thought, I’m going to do this. I grabbed a cigar. I cut the cigar and light it, and after about five minutes, I’m on another planet (laughs). This thing had me dizzy.
I called my wife and told her that I smoked my first cigar. She said, “What’s wrong? Which one did you smoke?” I had no idea. It was just one I was attracted to, so I just grabbed it and smoked it. She told me, “Alright, just take your time. Drink water and come home later.”
So I was drunk off the cigar. The next morning, I realized it was a 601 Blue, which was a box-pressed Brazilian maduro. I smoked that, and it put me on my ass.
To this day, it was one of the most memorable moments because it showed me that it’s important to get the right cigar in the right person’s hands at the right time. I love that cigar now, but back then it definitely wasn’t the cigar for me. Full-bodied, way too spicy for what I was ready for. I’ll always remember it because it was my indoctrination to cigars. Seventeen years later, I’m still enjoying cigars. I had no other option. To the newer smokers, when they do grab the wrong cigar, you hear people say, “I hate cigars. I had a horrible experience”. Usually, the reason that happens is that they received the wrong cigar.
The Cigar Journey and the Outcast Brand
Cigar Life Guy: Your website states that Outcast Cigars are “built for those who defy the norm and embrace the journey less traveled.” Tell us about your cigar journey. How did you get involved in the cigar business?
Jason Wood: My in-laws got me into the business. Doing each stage, I was able to learn the ins and outs of the industry. I started in warehousing. When I learned the dynamics of that, I got into sales. Then, I worked in a territory for about a year and a half.
I did some accounting and customer service, worked in the factory for a couple of months, and got a little taste of everything. I compare it to the movie Billy Madison, when he goes back to school and does each grade (laughs). It’s kind of like what I did: going through each step along the way to gain some knowledge of each position in our company. In a way, the smoking experience was similar. I started with lighter cigars, trying to understand them. I read a lot and smoked with people who know way more than I do and always will. That was how I tried to grasp as much information as I could. You have to be around people who know what’s going on.
I’m not a tobacco farmer or a blender, but I have enough information to be dangerous enough to know what I’m talking about. At the same time, I never consider myself a tobacco expert.
Cigar Life Guy: Outcast Cigars has some unique branding. How do you want the cigar world to perceive your brand?
Jason Wood: The Outcast brand is the first brand that I’ve had full control of and could do things out of the box. I focus on what interests me and what draws consumers in. The main reason we went with a name like “Outcast” was the blending process. We use black cavendish pipe tobacco in the blend. Because of that, it makes it a little bit different. In fact, it makes it similar to aromatics, but not aromatic because of the infusion, but aromatic because of the pipe tobacco we use.
So I have a blend that’s an outcast, and then I thought, how do I make the branding feel different, and the feel of the brand be an outcast within our portfolio and the industry? We went with brighter colors and younger designers as well. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, and we just brought it to life. Moving forward, anything related to the blends, merch or promotional items will always be a little outside the box. We like pushing the limit a little to give the consumers what they’re looking for. In my opinion, they’re looking for something a little different. Cigars are awesome. Cigars should be fun. Sometimes we get too technical with it. We get a little stuck up or stuck in that same lane. With Outcast, I can have fun.
We get outside the box. We’re trying different pipe tobaccos now for different limited runs or full-on runs that we’ll do in the future. We like bringing different elements to the cigar game. That’s my main thing about the brand. At the same time, it’s a fun, clean smoking experience. You can smoke any time of day. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a mild, medium, or full-bodied smoker. There’s a time for this cigar in any smoker’s day, just because it is so clean. Plus, it’s a palate cleanser. It has interesting notes that some other cigars do not, and the aromatics are amazing without being overpowering.
Cigar Life Guy: The Outcast tagline is “Be Unique. Be yourself. Be an Outcast.” What does being an outcast mean to you, and how does being an outcast fit the mold of a cigar smoker?
Jason Wood: I touched on that in the last question, but it’s about blazing your own path. Being a trailblazer and not disrespecting tradition, but not worrying about having to stay within that lane. You can get outside of it and do other things you find interesting and fun. As a person, I put myself out there and show what I like and find interesting, as well as what I think the consumers will like. It’s risky. You don’t know what people are going to expect. At the end of the day, I go with my gut, and what I think is fun and something a consumer can get behind and enjoy.
The Cigar Community
Cigar Life Guy: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your own cigar line?
Jason Wood: At the end of the day, it’s “if you’re not the chef, stay out of the kitchen.” We learned that right away. In 2009, we released my father-in-law’s cigar, the Nestor Miranda Special Selection. We partnered with Jaime and Pepin at My Father Cigars. They worked on a great blend for us. One was a Connecticut wrapper, and the other was a Habano wrapper. We hit the market running. It had a great price point and great quality. Everything was in line with what it needed to be. Great cigar makers behind the cigar and a showman in front of the product, my father-in-law. Together, it was the perfect combination. It hit, and it started running from day one.
So what did we do for an encore? In 2010, La Aurora came out with a cigar — they were our partner in the Dominican Republic- that got the highest rated cigar in Cigar Aficionado, which was the Cien Años.
We have this win in the Dominican, Nestor’s win, and a cigar maker in Esteli who’s a badass. Let’s take that wrapper, which was what the Cien Años was known for, to Pepin and have him make the cigar for us. It’s a home run. We got the home run maker. We got the badass wrapper.
He wasn’t so excited about it. We were thinking maybe he doesn’t understand how big the cigar was. It was #2 on Cigar Aficionado’s list. That’s the one. We had to use it, and he was a little hesitant, but he said, “If you guys want it, you’re the owner of the brand, we’ll do it.” Then, fast forward six months, and the cigar isn’t selling. We got back to the factory, and he asked how things were going.
The Special Selections were still killing it, but the Nestor Miranda Dominicano just never took off and never started running at the pace that the other one did. He looked at us and said, “I kind of warned you guys that I didn’t want to use that wrapper.” I looked at Nestor and thought, “We just got into this guy’s kitchen.” We brought him ingredients to make this cigar, which is not what we do. We’re not tobacco growers or blenders. That experience taught me early in my career not to step into the chef’s kitchen.
Let the chef do what they have to do. You can share your recommendations for the strength and flavor profile you’re looking for. You can tell them where you want it to fit in the industry and work on samples with them, but I’ll never bring them a specific tobacco again and insist they use it in my blend. That’s not our forte. That’s not what we do. I love to enjoy food. I don’t know how to cook, so I’m going to stay out of the kitchen.
Cigar Life Guy: What is your favorite aspect of the cigar community?
Jason Wood: It’s the relationships that you build. Being able to travel throughout the United States, go into any cigar lounge, and share that common love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re white, black, Asian, male, female, old, young, if they have the love of the leaf. From there, so many different conversations can start from that. Meeting and hanging out and always being accepted, I think, is super cool. Few other industries let you travel anywhere and feel instantly accepted in any cigar — heavy lounge or setting you walk into.
Passion Beyond Cigars
Cigar Life Guy: What is one of your passions outside of cigars? What would people not know about you?
Jason Wood: My biggest pastime outside of cigars is spending time with my family. We love to travel. We love to go on vacations. My kids have all either graduated from college or are currently in college. They’re not living in the house with us, so having them around is the best time for my wife and me. Because of that, we love traveling and going places with them, enjoying different experiences, and having a good time. At Miami Cigar & Co., we live by the “One Life” philosophy. Living that One Life mentality is what my father-in-law brought to us. You never know when your time on earth is up, so enjoy every moment. So, have as many “One Life” experiences as you can have.
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Photo credit: Miami Cigar Co.