Cigar Weekly Interview with Don Benigno

July, 2005-- Don Benigno learned the art of hand rolling cigars as a child with his father and uncles. His grandfather, who was born in 1871, opened a small tobacco shop at the age of 29 and produced a cigar caled CENIZA. Living in a time of world crisis, all of his children, including 14 sons, spent their days going to school then working at the shop. By the age of ten they were all proficient in the art of hand rolling cigars.

Like his grandfather, his father and uncles all had their own craftsman cigar shops or worked at the main tobacco factories of Cuba: H.Upman, Corona and Partagas, among others. With the beginning of Fidel Castro´s government, all the little shops were closed and the cigar rollers concentrated in the big factories.

In 1997, at age 45, Don Benigno moved to Costa Rica and was received with a warm welcome. He established himself in the city of San Jose where he registered the brand Don Benigno and started a small cigar production. Fourteen months later his wife and two younger children arrived from Cuba. With a totally craftsman shop, Don Benigno works on a little handmade production that gives a special meaning to his cigars.

He still yearns for the land that saw him grow up: Pinar del Sol, land of the best tobacco in the world.

CigarWeekly: Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us.

How many vitolas are you currently producing?

DB: We produce 19 different Vitolas that are categorized by the degree of aroma and strength. We produce 600 cigars daily. Thats Approximately 150 thousand a year.

CW: What is unique about Don Benigno Cigars? Do you have a signature style?

DB: The main characteristic of Don Benigno Cigars is the little production we have that allow us to have a quality control on each cigar. With the purpose of being rigorous on the production, we weight every cigar and there are daily tastes for quality. Don Benigno tobacco is stored in West Indian Cedar boxes before going to production. Our product is pure, natural tobacco. Prove of this pureness is that I smoke between 15 and 20 cigars a day.

CW: What effect do you think the lifting of the trade embargo on Cuba would have on Cigar sales?

DB: There will be more sales and the America market will recover. Cuba will have to produce more cigars, which they are prepare to handle with the big amount of raw material with the best quality in the world and generations of cigar rollers.

CW: Would you use Cuban tobacco if it was available to you?

DB: Of course I would.

CW: What is your view of the future of the domestic cigar market?

DB: Long term it is a selected market. There are boom times were everyone smokes cigars, but is not the future. The future of the Cigar is to be smoked by experts, a selected market. The Cigar is not to smoke for vice, it is an act of meditation; an invitation to meditate. The Cigar is not a mass product, it is for the people that feels the pleasure on every cigar.

CW: Have you recently introduced any new cigars?

DB: The Petit Robusto. That is a little bit shorter that the regular Robusto. It has 102 mm.

CW: Besides your website, can Don Benigno Cigars be found at local cigar shops?

DB: Don Benigno Cigars can be found at www.DonBenigno.com. We are currently expanding our market to local shops around the US to have the cigars available to our customers much easier. We are working drop Shipping with some small shops while the market grow, But we have a long way on targeting all main cities and states.

CW: What does the future hold for Don Benigno Cigars?

DB: To keep improving our quality. Have our cigar more accessible in local cigar shops. Make Don Benigno a Cigar that the customer knows that is not going to fail and will leave every person satisfied.

CW: What blends of tobacco do you use in your cigars?

DB: In the interior three blends: one to give strength, other for the aroma and the other one for the combustion. All this perfectly rolled in a bunch to give the form of the Cigar. Then a very fine leaf, known as capa is used to give the final touch.

CW: What types of wrappers are you using in your current line?

DB: We use the best wrapper that can be found in the Caribbean. We use West Indian cedar boxes in all of our presentations of 25 cigars and 10 cigars. We also have displays of cardboard boxes for 15 units and 50 units.

CW: Do you outsource any of your production? What role do you play in the creation of your cigars?

DB: I manage the entire operation and I participate daily on it. I do not contact any part of the production. Our Cedar boxes are produced in a craftsman shop of ours.

CW: Where do you see the market for premium cigars in the next five years?

DB: In the entire world there are cigar smokers and all are equally important. I se the premium cigars with a big market portion. The smokers with good taste knows how to select the cigars and the good tobacco, and this is why Don Benigno has had success in the premium cigar market.

CW: If you had a chance to smoke a cigar with one person, who would that be?

DB: It is very pleasant to smoke with a friend. Each conversation becomes very pleasant when there is affinity enjoying a good cigar.

CW: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.