Earlier this year, a new cigar line began to arrive on retailer shelves in Europe—La Estancia. There’s simply little in its name that makes the cigar exciting, but the who and the what are an entirely different case. La Estancia is a brand created by the Meerapfel family, one of the most storied names in the global cigar business, and the cigar is a hybrid: part Cuban, part non-Cuban. Ever since the embargo on Cuban products began on 1962, cigar makers have wondered what will happen when the embargo ends. As decades have passed and the tobacco-growing operations in other countries has advanced, more focus has turned to the idea of pairing the uniqueness of Cuban tobacco with the flavors and styles of other tobaccos from other nations—something currently not offered by Cuba’s Habanos S.A. The Meerapfels are not the first, they are not even the only ones offering a cigar with both Cuban and non-Cuban tobacco, but they are good candidates for being the first ones to succeed. In the U.S., those that recognize the Dutch name know it because of CETAC SA, the company responsible for producing the highest-quality African Cameroon tobacco. In Europe, the growing abilities of the ...
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