Artesano Del Tobacco

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AJ Fernandez to Distribute Viva La Vida Cigars

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Miami, FL, September 12, 2019– AJ Fernandez will not only manufacture Viva La Vida cigars, but also distribute the brand as well.  Former New York City cigar retailers Billy and Gus Fakih released the brand in March and have now agreed to use AJ Fernandez’ sales force across the country. Billy and Gus will actively remain running daily operations which includes store visits, events and overall brand management.

Viva La Vida comes in five sizes, Robusto, Toro, Torpedo, Gran Toro and Diadema Fina.  The cigars range in price from $10.50 to $14.50 before taxes.

“I have known Billy and Gus since I launched the San Lotano brand,” says A.J. Fernandez, “and they were one of the first and best supporters while operating the Cigar Inn in New York City. We maintained a great relationship since then, after they sold the store. I’m proud to not only call them business associates but great friends as well.”

Viva La Vida is draped by a silky smooth Habano Oscuro 2000 wrapper, which is accentuated by a Corojo 99 binder and Criollo 98 filler tobaccos, all from AJ’s farms in Nicaragua.

Billy Fakih thus explains “Our friendship with Abdel started from the early years of San Lotano cigars, when he visited our cigar shop ‘New York Cigar Inn’ in Manhattan back in 2010. The friendship grew throughout the years and it was based on a simple thing called trust. What attracted us to Abdel was not only the great cigars he blends and creates, but also how loyal, humble and disciplined he is which reflects in his cigars.

Gus Fakih adds “The relationship we created with AJ on a business and a personal level is special, and I’m so proud and excited to call AJ a real brother and a humble human, down to earth with a big heart, a great addition to our family.
Looking forward to growing our business relationship to much higher levels with one of the best in the industry.”

 

Through a fusion of inherited techniques and learned patience, AJ has developed proprietary tobacco grown from the most prized seeds harvested exclusively on his family farms.  Perhaps the most essential quality of an AJ Fernandez cigar is not tangible. It is passion and discipline that motivates AJ to produce world renown premium cigars. The motivation that flows and radiates from AJ are contagious and palatable throughout all the artisans who hone their craft and skills under his hands-on tutelage throughout Nicaragua.  All these attributes stem from humble beginnings in San Luis, Pinar del Rio, Cuba where the Fernandez family heritage began.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Frank Santos at 786.800.5329 or email  Frankie@AJFcigars.com.

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Two Brothers and the Road to Viva La Vida Cigars

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Center: Billy and Gus Fakih. Photos courtesy of John DeMato Productions (www.johndemato.com)

“Family” is a cherished value in the world of cigars. Families preserve the hard work that the founder put into building the business, and give next generation an opportunity to leave their mark.  Thus, as a family member of a cigar family, you need to pick something to learn be it operations, sales, blending, or farming.  The process is arduous, process laden and handling all of the elements is tough! Given the importance of family to the industry, it makes sense that brothers Billy and Gus Fakih entered the cigar industry together with the launch of Artesano Del Tobacco.

The two started their journey into cigars back in 1990 down in Greenwich Village with a store called Zig Zag.  I used to walk through Washington Square Park in 1990 and I can assure you Zig Zag was a good name choice for a tobacconist located at the convoluted intersection that was W4th and 6th Ave.

Locals found in the brothers an inviting and knowledgeable entryway into cigars, which at the time had taken off like a rocket nationwide. The Fakih’s immediately bred loyalty from customers, providing exceptional product selection and a high-level retail experience.

A few decades later, the two brothers, moved uptown and opened Cigar Inn on 71st street with their brother Bass. Under the management of Billy, Bass, and Gus, the lounge took off. It was so successful, in fact, that the brothers soon opened another location on 54th st.  Both these locations gave smokers in these heavy residential areas access to an upscale but inviting environment that appealed to high rolling businessmen, blue collar workers, and retirees all the same. The moment a customer walked through the doors, staff was ready to help them find that genuine love of cigars and not feel the wall of snobbery that other Manhattan stores might exude.

I remember thinking that they could have added another 5000 feet to the lounge after the popularity soared even further.  A few years later, the brothers sold the lounges to Casa de Montecristo for an undisclosed amount, and it seemed like the brothers were out of the industry for good.

And really, you might expect anyone to lose that passion for the industry even after a lot of success. But the Fakihs continued to love both the business and the cigar smokers themselves. Thus, more than two decades after opening their first shop, Billy and Gus are at the helm of Artesano Del Tobacco and in turn the inaugural blend Viva la Vida which is a combined effort by the brothers and the esteemed AJ Fernandez.

Always attentive. Billy and Gus Fakih speaking with an enthusiast at the March 14 launch at The Carnegie Club in New York City. Photo cred: John DeMato Productions

The Viva La Vida blend launched in New York City at The Carnegie Club on March 14th.  Matthias Clock, Founder of Fine Tobacco NYC, had hinted to me how great this cigar and the night was going to be (reviewed by him for this site here).  Who could have known how right he was!  I have never seen a first-offering cigar received with as much love as the Viva La Vida.

Viva La Vida is rolled in five sizes, from the standard robusto up to a limited edition diadema size. It’s a full-flavored, medium-bodied Nicaraguan puro made with a combination of a Habano Oscuro 2000 wrapper, Criojo 99 binder, and Criojo 98 filler. All are chosen from Tabacalera Fernandez by the Fakih’s and Fernandez.

The Viva La Vida in robusto size

The tobacco has a fantastic taste, exuding incredible flavors and quickly making loyal fans.  Remember when you first started smoking and you found that perfect place to finally light up and half way through you said, “this is the life.”  You never stopped loving that cigar…right?   This is that cigar.  I don’t want to ever catch myself saying anything like this but I will.  This is a cigar I would choose if I was forced to choose only one cigar to smoke for the rest of my life.  Complex yet even, flavorful but not horribly spiced up.  There are only a couple of others out there and you can feel free to message me on Facebook for that list.

Back to Billy and Gus. I think their path to blending makes sense.  After years in the business, they have all the relationships and they know what they love.  Working with A.J. was a brilliant move, too. He would never let a blend of his go down a rabbit hole, and his generosity as a craftsman shows in how damn good the cigar is.

There is one final aspect about the Brothers Fakih that I admire: they are real New Yorkers.  They live in my home boro of Queens (also home to the worst airport in NYC!), and their personalities are warm and genuine just like all New Yorkers.  Also, they are in this to win it.  Class and patience wins the race in the cigar world and they exude both.

My advice? Get your hands on several of these (one is not enough, you’ll see).  I wouldn’t be surprised if, given the hype, this cigar becomes much more scarce soon.

Viva La Vida Cigar Review

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Viva La Vida Cigar Review

If you smoke cigars and live in New York City (or travel there), you know about Cigar Inn. Founded by Billy, Gus, and Bass Fakih, the shop was home to the official “Cigar Aficionado Lounge” and one of the most well-stocked humidors in New York City. The lounge was considered by many (including me) to be the cultural capital of cigars on the East Coast. But earlier this decade, the brothers sold the lounge and moved on.

Fast forward a few years, and Billy and Gus Fakih have reinvented themselves as the masterminds behind Artesano Del Tobacco, their new cigar brand. Their first blend: Viva La Vida, a Nicaraguan puro blended by AJ Fernandez.  I had the privilege of helping to launch this cigar in New York City at The Carnegie Club, and was impressed by the early pre-release blends I smoked.

So today we review the fully released Viva La Vida from Artesano Del Tobacco. I’m going to do my best to be unbiased!

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Viva La Vida Robusto
  • Wrapper: Habano Oscuro 2000
  • Binder: Corojo 99
  • Filler: Criollo 98
  • Size: 5 x 50 robusto

Viva La Vida Cigar Review

Appearance and Construction

From a branding standpoint, Viva La Vida doesn’t have a hard time standing out in the crowd (which is a very good thing for retail sales). The dark Habano Oscuro 2000 wrapper is just about flawless, but what’s most surprising is just how much weight the cigar has in my hand. I can tell that it’s been packed with a lot of tobacco, definitely more than average.

Almost as surprising is that on the four samples I smoked for this review, all of them had a perfect or near-perfect draw. The cold draw brings forth notes of light spices, cocoa, and a wood that reminds me of the forest back in Oregon.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

As I light the cigar, Viva La Vida kicks off with rich medium-bodied smoke showcasing chocolate, assorted nuts, wood, hints of cinnamon, finely ground black pepper, and floral perfume. The buttery nuttiness really makes itself known mostly in the aroma which is just marvelous. The smoke is tremendously sweet as it hits the palate (rare for even sweet cigars). The draw as well is perfect and produces torrents of flavorful smoke. The retrohale is rich but smooth, summoning charred wood and more chocolate. It’s a pretty great lift off for Viva La Vida, and that’s only the first ten minutes!

At an inch in, the burn has developed a bit of waviness which corrects itself roughly five minutes later, and the ash drops. The spice on the palate begins to hit the nose a bit before dropping off, and the flavor palette settles on mostly sweet, with a slight savory character.

Viva La Vida Cigar Review

As the cigar nears halfway, the wood note steals the spotlight, with the spice and sweet chocolate playing supporting roles. The cigar is still performing excellently in terms of construction and smoke production–and the smoke is remarkably cool.

As the Viva La Vida enters the final third, the milk chocolate note shifts toward semi sweet dark chocolate and espresso, adding an enjoyable bitterness to the experience. Meanwhile, a maple syrup note has emerged, layering nicely on top of light baking spices and black pepper. It’s only in the final inch that the black pepper really takes the reigns and becomes prominent, with a bit of harshness entering in. Both body and strength increase substantially, pushing the last part of the cigar close to full in terms of body and strength.

Conclusion

Well what can I say? The Viva La Vida proves itself to be an inaugural blend from Arteseno del Tobacco that’s damn near impossible not to enjoy. I also think that the Robusto is simply the perfect size for this blend — I just can’t imagine it being improved.

Besides a great sweet profile of chocolate, wood, and nuts, I love how the spice and pepper play thoroughly supporting roles throughout, instead of dominating the profile as they do on so many other blends.

I highly recommend seeking this cigar out at a tobacconist near you.

Final Rating: 93

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