IN SANTIAGO FOR PRO CIGAR FESTIVAL ‘10, by Gary J. Arzt
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 5:14AM Santiago, Dominican Republic…16 February…I arrived in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, 14 February, Valentine’s Day, but there was no love! This is “Cigar Country,” and you can’t smoke in the airport!
I bumped into Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and his son Ernie III as well as ‘TJ’ Reilly, Manolo Quesada’s nephew and one of Manolo’s “young ones”- the group of six that is composed of his two daughters, Pachy & Raquel; his nephew and niece, Hostos and Esther, his nephew Jose Manuel “Blondie” Bermudez and TJ – the fifth generation. I tagged along with TJ as a delightful young Dominican woman waltzed us through Immigration and Customs – the privilege of ‘personages’ and wound up outside in minutes, looking for my name on a placard held by a driver sent by ProCigar, As there were five others that he was waiting for, I accepted TJ’s offer of a lift to Gran Almirante hotel.
During the ride to the hotel I tried to learn who the new Quesada cigar, Tributo (tribute), honours. No luck, TJ’s lips were sealed. The event at the MATASA factory Friday would reveal all. Nothing would be said before that.
Bah humbug…I’d get the information out of the girls on Tuesday.
I checked in and sadly noted all the “No Smoking” signs in the public areas of the hotel. “You can smoke by the pool and in the ‘smoking area’ in the parking garage downstairs, as well as in your room,” Jonathan the front desk clerk told me. Delightful. And this is “Cigar Country.”
Monday I did absolutely nothing! In fact I didn’t get out of bed until 4:00 PM. Not sleeping; just staying in bed. Sending and answering e-mails; reading, watching a movie and the news. I went down to eat; came back and did the same thing. Oh, I spoke to Ernie III about seeing them on Tuesday; and I got an e-mail from Yaniv Levy of Crown David, the maker of a fairly new, very fine brand, Cuban Stock. Yan is in Santiago to visit his factory. The exchange resulted in an appointment for breakfast in the hotel at 7:00 AM Tuesday.
I arrived for breakfast and was delighted to see Pepin and Jaime Garcia…in town to purchase Connecticut Broadleaf from Universal tobacco dealers). Soon, Frank Seltzer, the writer, consultant and cigar connoisseur appeared for breakfast. If I didn’t recognize Frank, I would have known him by his trademark blue shorts and Hawaiian shirt! I have always wondered if he has a dozen of the same faded shirt, or he washes it in the sink each night.
Yan appeared; we had breakfast and chatted with Frank.
Yan invited me to join him at his factory, on the premises of Jose Paiewonsky e Hijos C. por A. I met the younger Jose Paiewonsky, and had a brief conversation regarding my friendship with another branch of his family that settled in the U. S. Virgin Islands.
The Paiewonsky company produces coffee, honey and cacao. Yan occupies a second floor. We smoked a long perfecta, as Yan remembered my preference for narrower ring gauge cigars.
After a tour of the faculty and a couple of demi tasse cups of excellent coffee, I was sent off with a package of the same cigars, coffee, a bottle of honey and a small bag of cacao for my friend Bernie Schaked of Schakolad Chocolate Factory stores. Bernie buys his cacao in Ecuador and Peru, and I thought this might interest him; as would the cigars.
Jose provided me with a driver to take me to the Zona Franca No. 1, where the Perez-Carrillos have their new factory – E. P. Carrillo.
I found Yunior Torres, the manager, in his office with two Dominican guests. Yunior instantly pulled another chair into his office; but I chose not to intrude. Rather, I intruded on the Ernestos, father and son, who were with…Pepin and Jaime Garcia and a posse of three from Universal! Also present was a young tobacconist, Christian Hutson, from Springfield, MO (1334 E. Battlefield, Springfield, MO 65804 – 800.626.2971 – http://www.justforhim.com/). The shop is called Just For Him. A combination tobacconist and haberdasher.
Coffee, conversation, cigars ensued for a couple of hours – time flies when you’re having fun and with good friends and new friends.
When Pepin and the Universal crew went downstairs with the Perez-Carrillos, Chris and I, anticipating the Carrillo’s immediate return, stayed in Ernesto’s office talking. We took a look, out the window of the second floor office at the factory floor, and saw the whole group around the rolling tables. Pepin was doing something he always does, talking to the rollers and teaching them.
Take a look at the photos…this was an historic moment. Perhaps the greatest cigar maker of the 21st century, Pepin Garcia, in the factory of one of the greatest cigar blenders, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, sitting at a rolling table, applying the wrapper to a few cigars, and talking nonstop to a young female roller, and she was hardly intimidated.
These people don’t read Cigar Aficionado and ‘go on the blogs and web sites’ so, they really didn’t know who he was. But, they surely knew he knew what he was talking about!
The fabulous interlude ended and the Universal/Garcia party went on their way. The Perez-Carrillos and I left for lunch with Yunior Torres. A nerve shattering ride in Dominican traffic (I thought if you have driven in Rome you’ve experienced it all – forget it!), brought us to an Italian restaurant and market. The food was terrific
Lunch over, we got back in the car, took our life in our hands and headed back to the Zona Franca, where I said my ‘good byes’ to Ernesto, Ernie and Yunior, as they dropped me at MATASA…the home of Fonseca and the new Quesada cigars.
The only stop I missed during the day was a visit to Litto Gomez’s La Flor Dominicana. I would hardly be missed. Litto had customers in from Chicago, and was expecting David Savona of Cigar Aficionado. .
I was delighted to see the 5th Generation and we jousted for about an hour and a half, as I tried to extract the information, and a Tributo, from them. No dice! Their lips were sealed, and they threatened me with bodily harm if I persisted!
Coffee was served, a cigar was smoked. A cigar they are ‘considering’ producing. We spoke about the events in the forthcoming (It would start in Santiago on Wednesday, the 17th) festival.
They were all headed for Camp David Ranch, a great hotel on a mountain overlooking Santiago. One of its claims to fame is they don’t stop you from smoking!
Blondie drove me back to the hotel where I registered for the festival; got my ‘goodie bag’ and greeted Henkie Kelner, Monika Kelner Reyes, Catherine Llibre, Catherine Kelner, Melissa Lister, Micelle Marcellino, Alberto Montserrat of Cigar Bands, Jonathan Drew and Steve Saka of Drew Estate, Ron Melendi of De La Concha in NYC, Thor Nielsen of Cigar Press, David Savona and Barry Abrams of Cigar Aficionado, Jose Blanco of La Auroura and Pete Johnson of Tatuaje (here to visit Alberto) and numerous other people. And, of course, the ubiquitous Jose Manuel Valentine, La Aurora’s man of all work. I’ve left out dozens. But, then, some blogger objects to me naming names in my column. Perhaps I should have said “…and greeted X, Y, W, P, A, C, D.
Talk about meeting and greeting old friends; it was forty minutes before I headed for my room to smoke, shower, shave and dress for the evening.
The evening’s event was a dinner party at Michelle and Guillermo Leon’s home. We arrived amid a light rain, which Guillermo managed to have stopped in short order. There’s hardly anything the Leons can’t get done in the DR!
I don’t think I know anyone, anywhere that enjoys offering the hospitality of his home as much as Guillermo. He was all smiles; all night surrounded by friends, old and new, his beautiful children and beautiful wife.
Presidente beer and Barceló Imperial rum were a large presence as were some excellent, unidentified cigars. I asked Guillermo what they were and he replied, “Algo.” Algo means ‘something’ in Spanish, and these cigars were indeed something! I hope to learn more in due time. I am interviewing Guillermo Thursday.
Around 11:00 PM Pepin Garcia’s vivacious daughter Janny Garcia appeared with Miami’s famous Berta Bravo, The Guyabera Lady, and Jason Wood of Miami Cigar & Company. They had come directly from the airport.
The buffet dinner, drinks and entertainment went on from 8 until around 12 when it started to break up. Colin Ganley and I, along with Pete Johnson headed up to Camp David, with Amoury Abreu of La Aurora, where Michael Herklots, the General Manager of Davidoff of Geneva in New York, was holding court.
I don’t really know what time Jonathan Drew announced that he and Steve Saka were returning the Almirante, but Pete Johnson, Colin Ganley and I climbed aboard.
And so it is, at 5:41 AM Wednesday morning, I am writing this opening report about what looks to be another great Pro Cigar Festival.
Reader Comments (1)
gary,
It sounds like a great time and I'm sorry to have not made the trip. I was in the midst of hiring a new sales guy.