Cigar Weekly

CigarWeekly: What brands are you currently producing?

Luis Sanchez: La Tradicion Cubana, La Tradicion Cubana Deluxe Anniversary Series, Sabor Cubano and Las Memorias Cubana.

CW: What makes La Tradicion Cubana cigars "special?" Do you have a signature style?

LS: We believe La Tradicion Cubana cigars are special because we adhere to the traditional art of cigar making. The "unique" process used by us dates back to the glory days of Cuban cigar making. We think our torpedo is our signature style. It has been our top seller from day one.

CW: What effect do you think that anti-smoking campaigns are having on Cigar sales?

LS: On our part we haven't seen any negative effect, we are actually ahead of '04 sales.

CW: Are you seeing growth in the domestic market?

LS: Most definitely yes!!!

CW: What is the best cigar you have ever smoked?

LS: I found tucked away in our humidor one of the original Lanceros boxes from '95. These cigars have been aging for almost ten years and I would say this is one of the best cigars I have ever smoked.

CW: What do you enjoy most about the cigar industry?

LS: What I enjoy most about our industry is the opportunity afforded to meet the needs of the avid cigar smoker. We continuously strive to produce a quality cigar that will satisfy the most discriminating cigar smoker.

CW: What new cigars have you introduced recently?

LS: We just introduced La Tradicion Cubana Deluxe Anniversary Series, commemorating the tenth anniversary of La Tradicion Cubana line.

CW: Has the internet helped in the growth of your business? What percentages of your sales are online vs. store bought?

LS: The internet has helped as far as getting brand recognition. Most of our sales are through tobacco shops, hotels and golf coursers.

CW: What does the future hold for La Tradicion Cubana cigars?

LS: Increased sales and maintaining our quality values.

CW: If the time comes, would you roll cigars with Cuban tobacco?

LS: Yes, we are already using Cuban-seed, so Cuban tobacco would only add to our philosophy of cigars rolled in the Cuban tradition.

Member Questions

ElkTwin: Is it hard to find and keep quality torcedors in Miami?

LS: Not really, you just have to know where to look. For example: We use a government- sponsored agency that places newly arrived Cuban cigar rollers.

ElkTwin: Any plans to expand capacity and/or move offshore like some others?

LS: We are always in the process of expansion. Moving offshore could be in our plans in the near future.

ElkTwin: As one of the last small independent operations, what's it like to compete against the big outfits like El Credito and Perdomo?

LS: Tradition, quality and customer loyalty keep us competitive against the big outfits.

ElkTwin: Why have you not been able to "discover" any pre-embargo tobacco bales in an unused warehouse in New Jersey? Are you just not looking?

LS: We are not really looking and most of those warehouses are "really" unused/empty.

ElkTwin: Any plans for a perfecto shape in the near future?

LS: Not really. We have been concentrating on new blends and not so much on new shapes.

solomr2: Hello Luis from Phil and the South Florida Herfers. At our last herf he brought out some new very large ring gauge cigars, I believe the line is called Las Memorias. So my first couple of questions are related to that;

solomr2: How are these fat ring gauges selling compared to smaller ring gauges?

LS: These "fat" ring gauges are selling very well. It seems this is the new trend.

solomr2: Do you sense demand or a trend away from small ring towards thicker ring cigars?

LS: The experienced cigar smoker is craving something more-thus the larger ring size

solomr2: Do you outsource any of the rolling, or is it all done in-house?

LS: All done in-house by expert Cuban tabaqueros.

solomr2: What role do you personally play in the blending, rolling and quality control within the La Tradicion operation?

LS: La Tradicion Cubana is a well-maintained operation. We have a master blender, quality control personnel and they all work together with me in our goal to produce the best cigar you can smoke.

solomr2: I'm assuming you buy your tobacco from other suppliers rather than growing/cultivating his own. I think you have a mix of Dom, Nic, Hond and Ecuador, which covers a great deal of ground. So where do you buy from currently (Oliva, Fuente, Torano,...?), and where and what type of tobacco do you anticipate diversifying into in the future? Is there a sungrown in the future?

LS: Our suppliers include but not limited to :ASP, Oliva, Mendez and Palmas - as to insure we can obtain the best quality leaves available. We are currently developing a new stronger more full-bodied line, which will be our "First" with a name in English rather than Spanish. But not to worry our tradition will still be evident in this new line.

CW: Thank you Luis for taking the time to answer our questions.