Cigar birthdays in October 2022. Like every month we celebrate some of the people in the cigar industry. If we miss anybody on our calendar, please let us know and we will add him or her. Here are the birthdays for October 2022.
THE BIRTHDAYS
October 3: Steven Ysidron starts the cigar birthdays in October list. Owner and founder of Epicurean Cigars. His Cuban heritage is one of the reasons why he ended up in the cigar industry. He started making cigars with his father and the Fuente family in the late 1980s. But Ysidron created a taste for Nicaraguan tobacco as well, so he started making cigars there in 1999. And that would ultimately turn into Epicurean cigars. All the Epicurean cigars are small-batch releases.
October 5: Patrick Nikiema. The founder and owner of Lyon cigars, a brand with a strong African connection. Made with the preceded flavor profile of many African cigar enthusiasts.
October 6: Graig Rossi. Co-founder of La Barba Cigars. The boutique brand La Barba was founded in 2010. After too many cigars, bourbons, and ideas, Bellatto and Graig Rossi decided to go for it. To create a boutique brand that brought an unprecedented product. Unique, with a focus on being fun, approachable, and comfortable. And for that, they went to the Dominican Republic. They approached Tabacalera William Ventura to create small batch cigars for them. And for the name, they chose La Barba, the beard.
October 7: Jason Wood. Vice President of Miami Cigar & Company. The husband of Tatiana Miranda from Tatiana Cigars. Miami Cigar & Co is the distributor for Tatiana, Toscano, La Aurora, and Don Lino cigars in the United States. And the owner of the Don Lino and Nestor Miranda cigar brands.
October 8: Jake Nobles. The man behind the Honduran cigar brand Duke Cigars. Made in collaboration with Kafie 1901 cigars. A brand with a strong Texas touch and feel due to the heritage of Nobles.
October 8 : Nestor Andres Plasencia. If you could name one company the king of cigar families, it would be the Plasencia family. They grow more premium tobacco than anybody else and make millions of cigars for their Plasencia brands, for big names such as Rocky Patel, and many small brands.
October 10: Pedro Jose Gomez Rodriguez. A spokesperson for Drew Estate. A proud Nicaraguan, who climbed up. From the streets of Estelí to one of the faces of Drew Estate. And even represented Nicaragua and the cigar industry in a speech for Congress
October 13: Heiko Poerz. The man behind the luxury brand HENK, known for its travel accessories. And for the Henk Maori cigars, made in Esteli, at the A.J. Fernandez factory. But don’t forget the HENK gin. HENK is everywhere when it comes to luxury items.
October 16: Nicholas Perdomo III. The son of Nick Perdomo, and national director of sales for Perdomo cigars. Born and raised with tobacco in his veins, he’s following the footsteps of his grandfather and his father. With Nicholas Perdomo III as a successor, Nick Perdomo can retire without worry when he feels it’s time to do so.
October 16: Kurt Joachim Brandt. A German national who lives and makes cigars in Costa Rica. His Isthmus brand is available in several European countries. Isthmus Cigars celebrates 20 years this year.
October 18: Cynthia Fuente. The one and only First Lady of Cigars. Very much involved in the family business with her brother Carlos ‘Carlito’ and one of the most prolific female cigar smokers in the world. A very kind, knowledgeable lady who deserves her title as First Lady like no other.
October 20: Kurt Kendall. The man behind the 7-20-4 cigar brand. In 2006, Kendall revived the old brand with its roots in New England. 7-20-4 combines his passion for tobacco and his passion for tobacco history. From a house blend to his retail shops to a nationwide and praised brand, 7-20-4 is a success.
October 22: Nirka Reyes, the current president of De Los Reyes cigars. Nirka represents the Reyes family as the sixth generation in the tobacco industry. The Reyes family grows tobacco and rolls cigars at their De Los Reyes cigar factory in the Dominican Republic.
October 24: Jose ‘Don Pepin’ Garcia. The living legend who won’t acknowledge that title. That’s what a modest man he is. But a true legend in the tobacco industry nonetheless. Both in Cuba, Nicaragua, and the United States. He’s on the Cigar Inspectors Industry Legends list
October 26: Tom Lazuka. The former Davidoff sales rep turned cigar manufacturer is turning another leaf on October 26. And he’s probably doing that with a couple of straight jackets and an Asylum 13 Ogre. From the day Lazuka and Eiroa launched their Asylum Cigars, they have been a hit in stores around the world.
October 27: Jose Blanco. The man, the myth, the legend. Born in a tobacco family. His father grew tobacco and his uncle had a cigar factory. And Jose smoked his first cigar at the age of 15. Yet he only entered the cigar business as a professional at the age of 50. With La Aurora, Joya de Nicaragua, Senorial, E.P. Carrillo under the belt, Blanco is now working with Carlito Fuente at Arturo Fuente Cigars. Read our interview with Jose Blanco.
October 28: Albert Montserrat. President of Cigar Rings. The company that is responsible for a lot of the art we see when smoking a cigar. With printing machinery in both the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
October 31: George Rico. When you say his name, you say Gran Habano. The Rico family is the family behind this Honduran cigar brand. Gran Habano is around since 2003, but the Rico family tradition in tobacco goes back four generations.
