The term icon is one that at times gets used a bit too liberally in certain fields, often applied for current stars with hit products as opposed to those who have accumulated a sizable body of work that when coupled with their longevity puts them at a level above and beyond their peers. One such person in the cigar industry who deserves the term icon is Benjamin “Benji” Menendez, who has been a part of the business for well over six decades, beginning his career alongside his father in Cuba and recently concluding, at least formally, with the announcement of his retirement from General Cigar Company. News of Menendez’ retirement came in early December 2013, with A Cigar Smoker’s Journal being the first one to report the story. Menendez’s father was the managing partner of Menendez, Garcia y Cia. in Cuba, the owners of the H. Upmann factory and the makers of Montecristo. He left the island in 1960 after the revolution and began a journey through the cigar industry that would take him to Altadis USA, Phillip Morris and General Cigar Co. In 2009, the latter of those three companies produced what may be his most recognizable work in humidors today, the ...
↧