Tell us about your long history with cigars. What’s your story?
Well, I got hired at a Cigar Factory 11 years ago and back then I didn’t know anything about cigars. I did not know where this was taking me so, I told myself: You need to learn because you never know what can happen. By having that in mind, I started to become a close friend with the Master Blender of the same factory. He told me, if you really want to learn, you have to come to the factory one hour before your shift and I will take you seriously.
So, he taught me how to roll cigars and at the same time to smoke puros to develop my palate. The owners of that company also wanted to see what I was capable of since I had my degree in Marketing. They bought me tickets to the US and every time I traveled, I was always bringing back new customers until one day they asked me if I wanted to move to Miami to take care of the distribution center. During that time, I was the one receiving containers (loading & unloading with no help), doing the sales & events, traveling, invoicing, charging, etc (everything you can imagine lol).
But even though I was very tired, I learned that no matter where you work… life is a tuition that teaches you if you pay attention.
A couple years later, I had visited a lot of shops and was able to understand what was missing in the industry and what was missing for the company that I worked for. I put together my first idea to refresh the company, but it didn’t get their attention (which is fair as everyone has their own way of doing things).
Two years later, we had a conflict that is already in the past but back then was very sour. I resigned and moved forward with the same project I showed them. My brother came on board with me as he felt confident with the idea and began contributing to the project.
Blackbird was created to be a fresh brand that every single person that feels young inside will follow.
When working on blends for Blackbird, what is your methodology? What are you looking for?
Blackbird was created to be DIFFERENT from the other Dominican Cigars. That is why we don’t use our last name or any Dominican word, etc. We just wanted to be different.
Even if we are making cigars in the Dominican Republic, we don’t need to taste the same. There are so many good brands from the D.R. that we respect, but we need to be different.
We were also looking for a cigar that every single person can enjoy. We understand that you may not like every cigar from a certain brand, but we can at least have 2 or 3 brands that you might like.
If you were to describe the Blackbird portfolio to someone who hasn’t smoked them yet, what would you tell them about each of your cigars?
If you want a morning smoke and don’t want to have the tobacco taste the entire day, you have to smoke the Finch. This can also be your go ahead if you like mild cigars.
If you enjoy coffee, you have to try the Jackdaw. Something that I can say, it won’t be your grandpa’s Connecticut! It has some kick to it.
Are you looking for a sweet finish? You should try the Rook. Not too sweet, but the Rook has hints of sweetness. And trust me, if you like Whiskey, this is the one.
If you are looking for a smoke that changes in every third, Unkind is for you. The way we blended this cigar was to be anything but a boring smoke. It’s a medium smoke that you might think is full-bodied. If you like cheese or BBQ, you will love this cigar. Also, you will be happy smoking this cigar after you know the story behind.
This cigar was called the Raven until we had a call from a lawyer that was very UNKIND with me because he wanted me to change the name and… we named the UNKIND after him. It also means a Flock of Ravens. No hard feelings to the lawyer, he was just doing his job.
Looking for peppery, full-bodied smoke? Well, you can’t go wrong with the Crow! That San Andres wrapper is perfect for everything we use in the filler.
Cuco is for when you are looking for a bold smoke but without the pepper. It’s also the closest to a Dominican Puro. We created this Blend after a lot of requests.
Talk to us about the Blackbird Factory in the Dominican Republic. How important is it to have your own factory to control the quality of cigars being produced?
It depends on your goals. Maybe you want to be a company that only wants to tell the supplier what they need, and you just want to focus on sales. But we saw the opportunity in a factory. Entrepreneurs aren’t born, they are created after situations.
Quality is VERY important for us because cigars are not a need. So, we truly understand that you are investing in a cigar for relaxation, to hang out with friends and even sometimes to treat yourself after a great day of work.
Having your own factory is a BIG commitment but by having it, you can make sure that everything is going in the right direction to please your customers.
What do you consider your greatest strengths?
- Marketing.
- Sales.
- Make the industry look fun.
- I am a good listener.
How would you pair each of your cigars to maximize the experience?
Jackdaw: Coffee
Finch: Coffee
Rook: Whiskey
Unkind: Churrasco, Picahna, Carente
Crow: Rum & Goat Cheese
Cuco: Whiskey & Rum
What can fans of Blackbird expect in the next 12-18 months?
Factory tours in our new factory in the Dominican Republic!
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