Esteban Carreras Cigar Co. has announced a rebranding of its cigar line “Taken from the Hand of the Devil,” which will now be called “Taken from the Hand of the Dictator.” The name change, according to the company, is intended to better reflect the incredible story of Gonzalo Puentes and his team of freedom fighters. Puentes, who currently oversees Esteban Carreras’ factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, has a history that dates back to his time working for the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture. In the early 1990s, Puentes was part of a team that developed a “near-perfect corojo seed” through a process of positive selection, choosing seeds only from the best plants.

However, instead of handing over the seeds to the Cuban government as expected, the seeds were smuggled out of Cuba. Some of those seeds made their way to Nicaragua, where the tobacco for the “Taken from the Hand of the Dictator” blends is grown. The original line was introduced in 2022, with a Maduro version added in 2023. Both blends feature Nicaraguan tobacco and a corojo-seed wrapper, a testament to the high-quality tobacco that resulted from Puentes’ work.

Craig Cunningham, owner of Esteban Carreras, explained the reasoning behind the rebranding: “The name ‘Taken from the Hand of the Devil’ was a placeholder, meant to evoke the clandestine nature of the operation. However, ‘Taken from the Hand of the Dictator’ more accurately reflects the historical context and pays tribute to the individuals who sacrificed so much to preserve this extraordinary tobacco.”

In addition to historical accuracy, another factor contributed to the name change. In March, Urban Wolf Management, LLC—headed by Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars—filed a lawsuit against Esteban Carreras Cigar Co., alleging that “Taken From the Devil’s Hand” infringed on its trademark “The Devil’s Hand.” Urban Wolf applied for the trademark in May 2021 and was granted the rights in August 2022. Last month, both parties informed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida that the dispute had been settled.

With the renaming, Esteban Carreras aims to honour the legacy of Puentes and his team while continuing to offer high-quality cigars made from Nicaraguan-grown corojo tobacco.