The Cigar World
Excerpt from the book by
Carlos was just seven years old when he secretly stole a Breva from his father, Arturo Fuente. Company founder Arturo, a Cuban exile, rolled cigars in his house using tobacco imported from Cuba until the trade embargo. His son Carlos transferred the production plant to Nicaragua until the Sandinista Revolution. Carlos Fuente fled the country for his safety, losing absolutely everything he had invested in Nicaragua. The family started again in 1980 in the Dominican Republic – this time successfully. Today, cigars from Chateau de la Fuente have acquired cult status, and Carlos Jr “Carlito” is President of Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cía and is one of the best-known and most respected representatives in the industry. He is never seen without his hallmark cigar and hat. In Carlos Fuente Jr’s words, “You must run the cigar business with your heart, not with a pencil and paper. You have to have a lot of passion.”
It is with this approach that the Fuente family has achieved globally recognized cigar perfection. The family’s heart is also in the right place: they established a charity located on Chateau de la Fuente, called the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation. The Fuente Fuente Opus X is one of the most famous Tubos in the world, followed by the Chateau Fuente series and the Arturo Fuente Hemingway series. They are all of high-quality and have distinct characteristics. In 1995, Forbes magazine wrote: “The Fuentes produce cigars in the Dominican Republic that Castro himself would envy.”
The Cigar World Book
Luxury, exclusivity, status―for centuries, the cigar has been a symbol for the special and extraordinary. Cigar smoking, which began over 2,000 years ago with the Maya, is experiencing a huge renaissance today. The cigar is a recreational luxury item in high demand, a combination of craftsmanship and tradition with a cult following that is hard to top. Connoisseur and cigar expert Cosima Aichholzer is one of the world’s leading authorities on cigars. There isn’t a cigar lounge in the world she hasn’t travelled to, or a brand that she hasn’t personally tested. In this standard reference work for all cigar experts and fans, the sophisticated Austrian provides authoritative answers to questions about the cigar’s history, production process, where tobacco for cigars is grown, how to buy and store cigars, and much more. Let us take you on an exciting and fascinating journey into the world of cigars. Learn more about the countries they come from, the raw materials that go into them, the craftsmanship involved in making them, and the world’s most beautiful cigar lounges, all shown in captivating pictures. Take a look at exclusive accessories, custom-made humidors, luxurious lighters, and many other items. So sit back, light up a cigar with celebrity fellow smokers, and peruse entertaining interviews that include tidbits like the cigar that Arnold Schwarzenegger finds unforgettable.