CigarSnob_1014 - page 2

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Cigar Snob
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sept / oct 2014
Casa Cuba
doble seis
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
ecuador
$ 9.84 - $ 11.25
COUNTRY:
WRAPPER:
BINDER:
FILLER:
PRICE:
Fuente has owned the casa cuba brand for so many
years. Why was the brand never really brought to
market earlier?
Casa Cuba was a brand that my father bought way back
during the early days of the embargo. The gentleman
who owned the brand and a small factory, was very
good friends with my grandfather. He was very old
and his children were not interested in the business,
so my father bought the brand.
I have to tell you, it was one of my all-time favorite
labels. It was an old-world label with beautiful illustra-
tions. It represented the fusion of Cuba and America—
Lady Liberty on one side and the goddess of the Siboney
(native Cuban tribe) on the other. It represented a lot to
me as a young man and that label was very important,
so we saved it. It was particularly important in the ‘70s,
when my grandfather always said, “When we go back
to Cuba…” So that was a brand that I saved thinking
that we would be back in Cuba someday making that
brand. And time goes by; my grandfather passed away
in 1973 and the situation in Cuba remains the same.
so what changed? Why did you decide that now
would be a good time to release it?
One day, a couple of years ago, I get to the factory and
I see some boxes that were put together with cigars in
them being prepared to be shipped. So I asked what
these cigars were and why they were packaged. They
told me they were shipping to our headquarters in
Tampa so the sales team could see them because they
were going to be distributed. I said “What the F is this?!”
It turns out that my father had gotten one cigar maker
for each of four sizes. And over the last year and a
half he had this little private project that he had been
working on and making cigars and setting them aside
in the aging rooms. He did all this without me being
aware and wanted to release the cigar for the 100th
anniversary. I stopped it. I was not happy with the label
or the packaging, and I thought it was not the right time.
Now, so many people had tried the cigar and kept
telling me how amazing it was, and how it was my
father’s pet project, and how he’s 79 years old… I
finally asked him, “Dad, why didn’t you tell me?” And
he said, “Because all these years I’ve been letting you
do this, but I want you to know that the old man is still
the one that steers the horse and he still can blend.”
And he made an amazing blend.
What is different about your dad’s style of blending?
It’s the way that was taught to him by his father. It’s
old-school blending, which favors complexity, balance,
and flavor. It’s a cigar that, when you get to the end
of it, you want to light another one. It fills you and
satisfies you, but doesn’t hurt you. It’s enjoyable. He
said he wanted to go back to blending and make that
cigar because he saw everything going the other way
and he wanted to do something different. We now joke
around about his project, but he still doesn’t tell me the
blend. When I ask him about it he just kind of smirks and
laughs. And you know what? People really like it. And it
is different than any other Fuente, but it’s still Fuente.
It’s amazing that, after so many premium brands and
sub-brands and lines, we could still continue to make so
many different flavors that are all Fuente. It just proves
again that my father, who is my hero, is the greatest.
If I’ve accomplished anything in this life, it’s because
my father has taught me. And he still outperforms me
every day; there’s no question about it.
AVAILABLE IN 4 SIZES
CHOCOLATE
SWEET
SPICE
EARTH
NUT
WOOD
CREAM
COffEE
TOP 3 SHOWN
Doble Cinco
(5 x 50)
Doble Seis
(6 x 50)
Doble Tres
(5 1/2 x 44)
Carlos Fuente, Jr.
President
Arturo Fuente Cigar Company
1 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
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