With more Paul Stulac cigars arriving immeninently, I wanted to share an interview that Paul completed for us sharing his story. 

What led you to create Paul Stulac Cigars and put your name in the history books? 

A cliche perhaps but the truth is a love of cigars from a very young age. Bond villains smoking in casino's, the man with no name chewing on sticks that hopefully tasted better than they looked, McQueen smoking a leper’s cigar for survival in Papillon and books about great men like Churchill and Patton smoking cigars while determining destiny. All these things made cigars my destination. 

Skipping forward and getting into the biz came by way of puffing and pondering what the hell I would do while wandering life. I randomly said to my buddies "I'm going to get in the cigar biz" and in 1997 I did when I opened a mall kiosk with something like a dozen boxes of cigars and even more empty boxes. A few ups and down's later, I opened a shop/lounge in Halifax that ran till '16. The PS brand was launched in Vegas at the 2011 PCA and won 'Best New Exhibitor."

Now that you’ve had almost 15 years under your belt, what was the hardest thing about creating and maintaining the brand? And the most fun thing as well? 

Initially production and all that goes with it. Getting what you want is only possible when you find the right Master Blender you bond with. I found Guillermo Pena in 2013 at his little Miami factory and the sky was the limit from there. Last month he came to Halifax of all places with Ray (who along with his son Mikey) is our right-hand man in Miami. Coming from Nicaragua to Atlantic Canada to hang out is a testament to our relationship. It can't be done without great tobacco AND personalities blending perfectly together. The many relationships made are the fun part.

I have to know… how did you settle on the nomenclature for White Blinding Light and Red Screaming Sun? They both evoke emotion beautifully and could easily be talking about the phases of the sun during the same day. 

I love names! All of the great cigar names we grow up with mean something to someone whether it is the maker or the smoker. Let's be honest, anything can be named anything but, when meaning enters the equation, awesome things happen. I have always loved the philosophy that a higher power gives us things and we merely name them. Names are important and ridiculous at the same time.

It started with RSS being named while staring at a gorgeous sunset on a tobacco field in CT and having a 'cigar moment' and expressing it was a screaming sun. Add CT broadleaf to a cigar and put them in red boxes and Red Screaming Sun is born.

Searching for a pattern during a night of random music and deep into a bottle and hearing a somewhat awkward song that's lyrics say "white blinding light" and another is conceived. At that time, we made Black Midnight Fire which completed the phases you mentioned.

Deeper meaning came biblically via Genesis 32 with 'El Nuevo Comienzo' aka 'The New Beginning.’ I realized it was time for a new beginning and the struggle was within. It was time for a New Beginning.

No Dress Code came from visitors to the factory wanting naked wheels in the aging room as opposed to the dressed-up boxes in the sales area. I get it! Raw and simple in their birthplace and fancy ribbons and labels in shops. If you know you know. The newest and budget friendly addition to PSC is Post Script which is a stick for times like these where dollars matter. It is a sub six buck banger I was convinced could be made to punch way above its weight class. We all have a statement to make and by definition Post Script is an additional remark after your signature and this was something else I wanted to say. PS being an acronym was by coincidence and very convenient. 

What’s a day in the life of Paul Stulac like?

A hazy cloud of blue cigar smoke. 

If you were to describe your blends to someone that’s never smoked them before as if they were beverages, how would you describe them? 

I'm always hesitant to chat blends, pairings, and descriptive language. That is for the Katmans of the world fortunate enough to be born with a palate that can communicate with their gift of poetic prose and lay those thoughts on us via keyboard. Personal taste and preference are not for the maker to subconsciously plant IMO. Let your palate and heart determine if you're enjoying the cigar and the descriptives will come to mind.

Do you have a specific blending methodology when creating the next Paul Stulac blend? Anything that is off the table, or something that you prefer? 

No preconceptions. Genuity comes from within at the time. Sometimes inspiration for the blend comes from the title and sometimes vice versa but never by following the trend of the day. 

Consistency has been on my mind a lot lately and it seems like there’s been a shift in consumer behavior towards consistent performers. How do you approach consistency year after year? 

My favorite topic is consistency and construction because to me this is the most important part. Taste is subjective however every cigar should smoke like a cigar while keeping in mind it is a hand rolled deal. When you buy a bottle of spirits the flavor profile is subjective, but the cork must come out in order to appreciate what's inside and you have to trust what you buy a second time will evoke the same feelings you had the first time. We do this well!

What are three things that most people don’t know about you?

Hopefully the other questions answer this one. 

Not too many people are familiar with the Las Villas factory in Nicaragua. How did you decide to make it your home and what can you tell us about it? 

We found home from jump city and always operated from the perspective of home is where the heart is. A kid from Canada and a guy from Cuba making cigars in a Miami plaza then venturing off to Nicaragua. Hahaha... what could go wrong? PS and Las Villas are still here making great cigars 12 years later so you could say the decision made us. 

What can fans of Paul Stulac look forward to in the next 12-18 months? 

Great things with Small Batch! There'll never be tales of tobacco fields or claiming to have a 100-year tradition and there will never be pretenses. The rest is top secret! 

Thank you for the awesome questions and for PSC having a home inside the humidor of SmallBatchCigar.com.  

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