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Andrew Perelson

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Two Brothers and the Road to Viva La Vida Cigars

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Center: Billy and Gus Fakih. Photos courtesy of John DeMato Productions (www.johndemato.com)

“Family” is a cherished value in the world of cigars. Families preserve the hard work that the founder put into building the business, and give next generation an opportunity to leave their mark.  Thus, as a family member of a cigar family, you need to pick something to learn be it operations, sales, blending, or farming.  The process is arduous, process laden and handling all of the elements is tough! Given the importance of family to the industry, it makes sense that brothers Billy and Gus Fakih entered the cigar industry together with the launch of Artesano Del Tobacco.

The two started their journey into cigars back in 1990 down in Greenwich Village with a store called Zig Zag.  I used to walk through Washington Square Park in 1990 and I can assure you Zig Zag was a good name choice for a tobacconist located at the convoluted intersection that was W4th and 6th Ave.

Locals found in the brothers an inviting and knowledgeable entryway into cigars, which at the time had taken off like a rocket nationwide. The Fakih’s immediately bred loyalty from customers, providing exceptional product selection and a high-level retail experience.

A few decades later, the two brothers, moved uptown and opened Cigar Inn on 71st street with their brother Bass. Under the management of Billy, Bass, and Gus, the lounge took off. It was so successful, in fact, that the brothers soon opened another location on 54th st.  Both these locations gave smokers in these heavy residential areas access to an upscale but inviting environment that appealed to high rolling businessmen, blue collar workers, and retirees all the same. The moment a customer walked through the doors, staff was ready to help them find that genuine love of cigars and not feel the wall of snobbery that other Manhattan stores might exude.

I remember thinking that they could have added another 5000 feet to the lounge after the popularity soared even further.  A few years later, the brothers sold the lounges to Casa de Montecristo for an undisclosed amount, and it seemed like the brothers were out of the industry for good.

And really, you might expect anyone to lose that passion for the industry even after a lot of success. But the Fakihs continued to love both the business and the cigar smokers themselves. Thus, more than two decades after opening their first shop, Billy and Gus are at the helm of Artesano Del Tobacco and in turn the inaugural blend Viva la Vida which is a combined effort by the brothers and the esteemed AJ Fernandez.

Always attentive. Billy and Gus Fakih speaking with an enthusiast at the March 14 launch at The Carnegie Club in New York City. Photo cred: John DeMato Productions

The Viva La Vida blend launched in New York City at The Carnegie Club on March 14th.  Matthias Clock, Founder of Fine Tobacco NYC, had hinted to me how great this cigar and the night was going to be (reviewed by him for this site here).  Who could have known how right he was!  I have never seen a first-offering cigar received with as much love as the Viva La Vida.

Viva La Vida is rolled in five sizes, from the standard robusto up to a limited edition diadema size. It’s a full-flavored, medium-bodied Nicaraguan puro made with a combination of a Habano Oscuro 2000 wrapper, Criojo 99 binder, and Criojo 98 filler. All are chosen from Tabacalera Fernandez by the Fakih’s and Fernandez.

The Viva La Vida in robusto size

The tobacco has a fantastic taste, exuding incredible flavors and quickly making loyal fans.  Remember when you first started smoking and you found that perfect place to finally light up and half way through you said, “this is the life.”  You never stopped loving that cigar…right?   This is that cigar.  I don’t want to ever catch myself saying anything like this but I will.  This is a cigar I would choose if I was forced to choose only one cigar to smoke for the rest of my life.  Complex yet even, flavorful but not horribly spiced up.  There are only a couple of others out there and you can feel free to message me on Facebook for that list.

Back to Billy and Gus. I think their path to blending makes sense.  After years in the business, they have all the relationships and they know what they love.  Working with A.J. was a brilliant move, too. He would never let a blend of his go down a rabbit hole, and his generosity as a craftsman shows in how damn good the cigar is.

There is one final aspect about the Brothers Fakih that I admire: they are real New Yorkers.  They live in my home boro of Queens (also home to the worst airport in NYC!), and their personalities are warm and genuine just like all New Yorkers.  Also, they are in this to win it.  Class and patience wins the race in the cigar world and they exude both.

My advice? Get your hands on several of these (one is not enough, you’ll see).  I wouldn’t be surprised if, given the hype, this cigar becomes much more scarce soon.

Between the Leaves: Raymond Pages Raffo of Tabacalera AJ Fernandez

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The top dog gets all of the scraps.  For that reason, there is never going to be a shortage of homages to all the gentlemen and women who make up the upper echelon of the cigar industry.  They own the Tabacaleras, they are the blenders, their name is on the band, their evenings are vibrant and adventurous full of booze and cigars. They travel the globe, they get the fame, and we share in the bounty of their incredible work.

This group gets 99% of the typical articles and series that are produced in the industry. And why not?  How would one even begin to write about the underbelly, the realness, of the industry?  You’d have to embed yourself in a tabacalera or deep within a brand’s employee roster to find that proper individual who could represent the truly interesting aspects of the cigar industry.

I believe passionately that profiling the people behind-the-scenes in the industry would be more interesting than most celebrity spots and would broaden the everyday cigar lovers knowledge of the seed to shelf process.

That’s why I have been connecting with friends in the cigar industry on Facebook and Linkedin for many years. I go about it like this: first, I connect with certain avatars that illuminate the industry as a whole, and then connect with their connections throughout the value chain (sales, operations, etc). In those years, I’ve connected with a cadre of the most amazing people in the cigar industry, from top to bottom. From owners and sales professionals to marketers, blenders, and factory workers.

These are the people I am interested in.

More than travelling the world and having a cigar every day in a new location, what interests me is what goes on in the Tabacalera.  What’s the difference between good to great? And how do the pieces fit together? It’s not so easy to figure out. There is no step by step about what goes on, and when you do finally see something on a Tabacalera, it is from the “rich” perspective of being a distinguished guest sipping on rum in the shade.

Beyond that, my connections are mostly great personalities. Sadly, these friendships overall are not deep but I would say that more than most I have really made an effort to become someone who enjoys the nuances and interests of my Facebook friends and I comment more than most about the normal aspects of people’s lives.  I like it when A.J. shows him petting his horses and riding. I like the birthday parties for mom and the pictures of the early mornings in airports with the hair all in a miff. And I like the work.  Seeing the all the different leaves laid out and sorted through.  Taking in the piles of freshly rolled cigars on tables in climate controlled rooms.  That’s the stuff that interests me.  I spend the majority of my time handling extremely technical work in the transportation industry and spending time with my family.  I have found that the salt of the industry does the same!

The subject of our first profile is Raymond Pages Raffo.  I connected with him though Abdel Yusef Fernandez, Rafael Nodal, and Nick Melillo who each have a relationship with him.

Ray is employed in a trusted role as the Head of his Operation by A.J. Fernandez.  This is quite a responsibility for a young man like Ray, but he takes it very seriously and is tireless in his role.  Rafael and Nick find him as the point person on their creative pursuit of the finest Nicaraguan tobaccos from the fields of A.J. Fernandez and the warehouse. Judging by how they talk about him, it’s clear that they respect his knowledge and that they like him as a person.  This is his job for all who come to the factory. God, and what a job it is.

Ray at work #1 (1)

Ray is 25 and lives in Esteli.  Like many in this industry, he was born in Cuba where his parents grew tobacco when he was a young boy.  You ask how at 25 he slipped into this sweet role? Well, he happens to be A.J.’s brother in law! As the Operations Leader for AJ’s factory, Tabacalera Fernandez,  he’s the fellow that AJ trusts with selection of the tobacco and the sourcing of all part and ingredients.  He is one of the top two people overall!

Ray did not start out at the top. He started working in the factory at 18, quickly showed is dedication and skill, and became integral in supervision of the manufacturing process.  In describing what he does, he tells me that Abdel does all the blends and he does everything else including searching for the tobaccos for A.J. to try prior to choosing the blend.  He puts together what he calls the “tabscos” as he call them for A.J. to try before choosing the blends.  These are basic rolls that look like Backwoods Smokes from the pharmacy.  They are comprised completely of the same leaf and it allows blenders to get the taste of a specific part more fully.

Ray is also a bad ass.  If you look at the goings on of his day to day in his life, he smokes a giant strong cigar mostly something he is proud to have worked on.  He looks scary because he owns the smoke, nothing dainty from Ray! Also, because he works hard during the day, he smokes this giant cigar without much handling, so it’s in his mouth and then he is done. He is also a family man and likes the goings on at his home in Esteli with his kids.  He often BBQs with his friends and he is always a fixture around the goings on of A.J.’s social and family life.

I asked Ray what his favorite smokes are and unsurprisingly they are the ones he has worked on with pride from the Tabacalero.  The first being the Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez. This is a classic Cuban name and the Nicaraguan version is maybe better. According to lore, the brand was A.J.’s father’s favorite back in Cuba, so his send up was something he really worked hard on with Ray.  He also mentions in our communication how much he loves the H Upmann by A.J.  This certainly is a tough cigar to put out as Upmann has 170 years of greatness and you can’t just screw with that.  Also the Montecristo Nicaragua which has been tearing up the reviews as it was a collaboration with Rafael Nodal.  To say that A.J. and Rafael work well together is an understatement, and right behind them in their efforts is Ray.

I hope to visit Ray in Esteli and see him in action.  During which I would take part in one of his chicken BBQs!  At 25, Ray has the respect of all blenders and the trust of one of the best, Abdel Yusef.  He should be proud of his place in the process and I know that by the time he is 35 he will be doing ever more amazing things!

Note: this post is re-shared with permission by Kaplowitz Media. View the original post here.

La Hoja Cigar Co: Just the Right Size

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All photos courtesy of John DeMato photography

The latest event thrown by Fine Tobacco NYC utilized the secret sauce that Matthias Clock and team have perfected: a great pairing of a top rated cigar with whisky and fantastic music that surrounds the listener but does not stop conversation. On January 15th the pairing was La Hoja Cigar Co. 1962 and The Balvenie Single Malt Whisky (12 Year Doublewood and 14 year Caribbean Cask) along with jazz standards from the 1920’s-1940’s sung by Christi Gehrisch.

When Matthias Clock’s group throws an event, different personalities emerge.  From celebration to sioree, all are enjoyable and I look for what I call the bottom line of the personality of the evening.  In the case of the cigar maker La Hoja, it’s the satisfaction of smoking a great product that is truly boutique in that the company is not being dead set on the traditional national market that brands are typically after.  This from my perspective seems difficult.  Unlike a FinetobaccoNYC event, the cigar industry does not have a secret sauce to success.  That’s why there are typically three types of makers/blenders.

  1. The Legacy This is where family lineage goes back to Cuba, and the passion is in the blood and instilled in the family. They make because they must.  Examples (not a complete list): Fuente, Nodal, Carrillo, Perdomo, Plascencia, Pepin Garcia, Eiroa, and Fernandez.  These folks have farm to seed processes that are the foundation of their ability to meet the market.  The best of these offer their workers a family and loyal atmosphere.
  2. The Entrepreneur:An entrepreneur in the cigar business is someone who looks at the boutique business segment and sees paths to success in many forms. Typically they are also big personality who loves a crowd and a schmooze. A cigar entrepreneur creates brand strength and dominance through the balance of business knowledge and art.  They find partners and don’t typically have a farm to seed operation but there are big exceptions.  Examples:  Jonathan Drew, Robert Caldwell, Sam Leccia, Fred Rewey (in the past), Matt Booth, Pete Hassell Johnson, Skip Martin, Espinosa,and Alan Rubin.
  3. The Passion Player: This is the life-long lover of cigars who has found his or her way into the position to launch a line of cigars at a smaller scale and work hard to get the word out and to have retailers carry the cigars. The big question for these player is who to team with, who to manufacture with, and how far to spread the word.  Examples: Juan Cancel and Bill Ives of Cubariqueno (Protocol),  Dion Giolito (Illusione), Felix Assouline, Tim Wong, Mel Shah, Nate McIntyre, and Robert Holt (Southern Draw).

La Hoja’s approach to remaining small, nimble, and excellent combines all three personalities.  Hoja has the lineage and history, they use partnered farming operations in Dominican Republic, and they keenly know what it means to be profitable.  Additionally, Willie and Carlos Gomez, his partner, are big personalities and they can work a room. Lastly, they are not interested in extending their business outside of the Tri-State and have actually centered mostly on central and northern New Jersey.  This approach takes discipline. Unlike a mouse in the maze, Willie and Carlos hold true to the idea that their defined region is good enough.  He says proudly that a great year is selling 300 – 400 thousand cigars.  They are not looking to participate in every national show or consumer event outside of their sweet spot.  No CI Cigar Fest, no Big Smokes, but this approach allows them to clearly identify where they want to shine.

Willie Flores of La Hoja Cigars

La Hoja is pronounced La “Oh”ja.  Willie Flores, the owner, in our multiple conversations helped me understand that in the Spanish language the “H” is always silent. This was a big help because understanding how language is pronounced is not my strong suit. 1962 is significant in the full company name because 1962 was the year that the embargo for trade with Cuba was extended to cigars.

As described, like many of the great blenders there is a heritage for Willie Florez to his father, Carlos Flores who was a grower, blender, and manufacturer in Cuba before the embargo.  When the climate for export of tobacco became constrained and unappealing, many of these tobacco legends made arrangements to leave the island in 1965 and settle in Miami.  Carlos and his family, including Willie and Carlos (Willie’s brother) and their Mom spent time there and then moved to New Jersey.

In the late 80’s Willie and his brother Carlos partnered on two successful endeavors: a retail store named Hoboken Smoke Shop, and a cigar line called Flor de Florez which did well in the cigar boom of the early 1990s.  While Carlos left the industry, Willie has stuck with his passion the whole way.  The La Hoja Cigar Company 1962 is currently based out of Fort Lee, NJ.  Willie and partner Carlos Gomez runs the brand’s cigar store in Fort Lee called The Cigar Room where they have a branded La Hoja humidor.  I look forward to continuing to follow La Hoja’s quest for success in the niche they have chosen.  Their product is excellent and the variety is there to suit all palates.

Christi Gehrisch
Christi Gehrisch

This also holds true for Christi Gehrisch of the evening.  Her voice is elegant and worth a listen. Her music as she certainly has a loyal local following, and plays with popular local acts. She centralizes her efforts in NYC and specifically for some of the largest charities.  Also you can see her knowledge of the industry in action at Luca’s Jazz Corner on the Upper East Side where she curates the excellent evenings of jazz and standards.

The cigars paired very nicely with The Balvenie Whisky which is a Speyside whisky.  It’s such good stuff that, if I wasn’t trying to be as civilized as my fellow attendees, I might have swiped the Caribbean Cask bottle (mmm whisky) and hid in a corner sipping and smoking until 2am when they kicked me out.  The 12 year Doublewood is aged first in Oak and then in Sherry Casks to make an extra smooth albeit not smoky drink that is quite excellent.  The second whisky to be sampled is the Carribean Cask which is aged 14 years, with excellent rum cask influences. As always Carnegie employees work hard to keep drinks, food, and cigars lit.

What a great night.

To learn more about La Hoja Cigars, visit their facebook page here.

To book Christi Gehrisch for an event, contact her here.

RECAP: Second Annual “Sinatra’s Smokin’ Birthday Bash” Feat. Montecristo Cigars & Angel’s Envy Whiskey

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Charlie “Doc” Watson / Photos courtesy John A DeMato

On Wednesday December 12th, the Fine Tobacco NYC team and tri-state cigar enthusiasts celebrated Frank Sinatra’s 102nd birthday.  The event paired the Montecristo Nicaragua with Angel’s Envy Bourbon and Rye.  Needless to say, the paring pleased the large eclectic crowd and the music propelled the evening.  Matthias Clock and his team have really found the secret sauce with hosting these fantastic events.  Music, great cigars and spirits, and comfort all make it into the mix.

What makes a night like this special? It looks forward and back with equal effort.  Forward in that Altadis U.S.A. is really becoming a new innovator by pulling in the best blending talent with the most extensive stores of fine aged tobaccos.  Their newest offerings use new connections in Nicaragua and that, in combination with their famous warehouses in Dominican Republic, give them their ability to draw upon an incredible library of select tobaccos. In so doing, the group is successfully changing the older image of Upmann, Montecristo, and Romeo Y Juliet into something so much more.  Rafael Nodal’s team at Altadis U.S.A has become a work horse for high quality releases. He’s put the Grupo de Maestros for example into the drivers seat to bring several strong new blends to market.  Rafael can also be credited with bringing in A.J. Fernandez and Nestor Plascencia to gain access to new crops and superb craftsmanship.

The Montecristo Nicaragua Series highlighted during the event comes from AJ. Fernandez’s factory in Estelí. The blend is a masterpiece.  From the first light, all present felt the artisanship and high quality of this cigar. So it’s no wonder that the cigar was just named #10 on Cigar Afficionado’stop 25 list of 2018.  The pairing with the Port Barrel Bourbon from Angel’s Envy and their Rum barrel aged Rye was exceptional.  These events are posting a core group of regulars and have a high demand because it is easy to find a great seat, sink in, and listen to great jazz and popular music from a bygone era all while being able to converse and enjoy the celebration. Representing Altadis U.S.A. were two extremely knowledgable executives, Charlie “Doc” Watson, and Eddy Guerra.  Both are among the most travelled and give all lovers of the product personal attention from event beginning to end.

The evening featured music from the Stan Rubin Quartet in honor of Old Blue Eyes was spot on and expertly handled. The lead singer took on the difficult role of channeling the excessive talent required to pull this off for a well healed crowd, and he handled it beautifully.

Eddy Guerra with Charlie “Doc” Watson

As a little background, the namesake of the quartet, Stan Rubin,was quite the enterprising musician himself during the heyday of the big band era.  He went from his roots in New Rochelle to Princeton University where he formed a successful group that played jazz, swing, and Dixieland.  He toured to many of his friends colleges and universities and at one point was asked to play at a private party of the President of Victor Records and Vice President of NBC TV, Manny Sax.  At Manny’s place in NY was Academy Award winning actress Grace Kelly.  She accepted an offer to dance with Stan.  Later that year he saw she was marrying Prince Ranier of Monaco and decided to buck for a short spot playing the wedding before Louis Armstrong who was slotted.  In the end Armstrong did not play but to his surprise he was asked to play!  Stan received international fame as the only American who played.  From meager beginning a huge success he made a fantastic living doing something he loved.  A lot like Frank and his rise to fame.

Frank Sinatra was a local boy from Hoboken, NJ and he cut his teeth in the music industry in New York City first at Italian American Clubs and Bars and then in Tin Pan Alley (47th Street which is 10 blocks south of the Carnegie Club.)  Soon after he managed to get an in with big band greats Harry James and Tommy Dorsey and they gave him a go as their vocalist.  He was always a big attraction as teenage girls immediate took notice of his good looks, charm, and vocals.  His fans were called the bobby soxers and were the precursor to the screaming teenagers who really came to be known with the Beatles and all the way to today. 

Although life gave Frank some nice slow pitches he also found his share of struggles.  His type of music struggled as the bobby soxers settled down to suburban families when WWII was over.  He was close to calling it quits when he decided to go West to Las Vegas and take up residency in the famed Sands Casino.  Additionally he was not afraid to take risks when he felt like he was not a priority at Capitol Records he left in 1960 to form his own label, Reprise Records which became a success in itself.  What makes Frank an icon to me was his ability to light the night on fire with his Rat Pack.  As lovers of cigars we all know a smoke and a drink is best enjoyed with buddies and lady friends and no one could outlast these guys.  They were the Kings of the Strip.  I always feel a little like they must have when I attend a cigar event that comes off just perfectly (although I don’t go past 2AM usually).  Such was the event on December 12th.  Sharing in revelry is something I can chase any day of the week and it really is not enjoyed half as much as with good friends (when I can find space between family, sports, and activities of my own boys).

Franks ups and downs included doing a couple of really bad movies in Hollywood and then finding his way to From Here to Eternity in which he won Best Supporting Actor.  I see a pattern here of how he always pushed forward even if the path was uncertain.  Lastly he ended up divorcing his first wife for a chance with Ava Gardner which became tumultuous and did not last.  He always followed the fun sometimes to his detriment.

It would not be a good story about Frank, his buddies, loves, if it did not include a story about music and cigars.  As good stories sometimes do it may not be entirely factual and is based somewhat on legend, and it does not directly connect back to the wonderful offering that was shared on the 12th at the Club.  That said, the story goes that Avo Uzevian started out his career as an extremely talented international musician in Beirut and then made the big move to N.Y. where he applied and was accepted to the famed Julliard School of Music with piano as his instrument.  In the early 1960s he paired with Frank Sinatra to write songs and one of them was entitle Broken Guitar which morphed into the famed Strangers in the Night.  However, the song was basically published as the popular standard with no mention of Uzevian.  He was devastated and could not get justice so he ended up moving to Puerto Rico to continue performing and travelling but to also get his start in the cigar business.  So without Sinatra and team’s theft of Strangers in the Night there would not be Avo Cigars.

With all of this intertwined drama it is good to remember that all angles, the cigars, bourbon and rye, and music, start with hard work that have led each producer to be masters of their craft.  Put those things together like Fine Tobacco NYC and you have a great time for all involved.