Birth of a New Cigar: Flor de Jardin

From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

How do new brands start? What makes someone want to bring a new brand to market in the face of more than 1,000 already there?

Flor de Jardin made its first commercial splash at last week’s National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) exposition in Las Vegas. Owner Michael Makens was busy at the booth, welcoming buyers and handing out samples of his new line.

It’s only the beginning of the business, but it was also the culmination of three years of work since Makens fell head over heels for a cigar he tried at a tiny factory in Danli, Honduras. “Everything about that first experience was amazing. It was and still is the best cigar I have ever smoked.”

He bought two bundles and promised to keep in touch with his new friends. Three years later, his Flor de Jardin brand was on the show floor in Las Vegas and being sampled by retailers who can bring his cigar to the public.

The line comes in five sizes, featuring natural-shade wrappers from Ecuador or maduro wrappers from Nicaragua:

> Churchill: 7 inches by 48 ring;

> Corona: 6 1/2 x 42;

> Lancero: 7 1/2 x 38;

> Robusto: 5 x 50, and

> Torpedo: 6 1/2 x 52.

All sizes use a Nicaraguan-grown binder and filler leaves from Honduras and Nicaragua. The strength is mild-to-medium for the natural-shade wrappers, but more medium-bodied for the maduro-wrapped editions. They are aimed at the top half of the market and retail for between $6-12 per stick, depending on size.

For starters, Makens has placed Flor de Jardin in fine dining establishments in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, close to his Bedford, Texas headquarters. With the NATO show as a springboard, let’s see if his passion intersects with the interests of smokers nationwide. For now, he’s concentrating on the production of cigars which showcase the mellow taste he remembers from his three-years-ago trip to Honduras. “I will only produce as many cigars as I can and still guarantee the quality.”

Posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2005 at 10:42 am.