At the 2013 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show there was a crowd of people constantly surrounding a corner of the larger House of Emilio. In it was a brand many had never heard of, a face we didn’t recognize, a factory we couldn’t pinpoint on a map, but a ton of intrigue. It was the Guayacan booth featuring Noel Rojas. What separated—and still separates—Rojas from the rest of the House of Emilio brands is that he owns and operates his own factory, Tabacalera Aromas de Jalapa. While there is nothing wrong with having someone else make your cigars, there’s always something a bit different about the people who chose to do it their own. It’s a bit crazy, a bit prideful, but in the end, whether they are smaller and newer like Rojas—or larger and older—you can always tell when you meet someone who runs a factory. This portrait was taken Addison, Texas using a Canon 5D Mark III and a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens set at f/2.8. The shutter speed was 1/750 second at ISO 200. The only source of light was the sun, which was almost directly behind Rojas and in front of the camera. The photograph was color ...
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