A premium cigars Artilce for Your Viewing
Camacho Cigars Interview

Camacho Cigars, makers of premium handmade cigars, such as the highly rated Baccarat The Game & Baccarat Casino Vintage Selection, Camacho and La Fontana started out as a humble operation over 25 years ago;

Today they have grown to become a successful, vertically integrated company based in Miami, Florida. They grow their own tobacco, manufacture their own cigars and boxes, and handle their own distribution. Camacho Cigars manufactures 16 cigar names, seven of which are their own labels.

Cigar Review: Could you tell me about the history of the Eiroa Family in relation to the cigar business?

Christian Eiroa: Our story is very similar to most others that had to leave Cuba. My grandfather grew tobacco in Cuba. In doing so, he built a great relationship with the Oliva family (the tobacco people, not the cigar people). They were based in Tampa. My father left Cuba in 1959 and joined the army to participate in the Bay of Pigs invasion. He then served in Korea. Once finished, he went back to Tampa where he secured a job at Perfecto Garcia. When the Embargo was to commence, Angel Oliva offered my father to go to Honduras and try to grow tobacco. At this time, tobacco was being grown in many areas because the leaf brokers needed to find new sources of tobacco. After the first crop, my father decided to go on his own. Eventually, he had close to 2,000 acres where he grew tobacco in. Some in partnerships, some by himself. As time went on, he got into making cigars for others and in the mid - 80's he purchased the Baccarat "The Game" brand and in the mid 90's, Camacho.

Cigar Review: How important are cigars to the Eiroa Family?

Christian Eiroa: Growing tobacco and making cigars is all we have ever done! I grew up in the farms, worked in the factories since I was about 7 yrs. old over the summers. We love this business. What we love most is the creation of something so enjoyable that started with one small seed. It truly is amazing. You should come down to see us so you can witness it all yourselves. Yes, this is an invitation, you are welcome to come on any of the trips we program. All you have to do is cover your travel expenses and a couple of other incidental fees. How and when did you get involved in the family business? June 28th, 1995. Soon after I finished my master's degree and felt ready to go down to Honduras, I did. I guess I always knew that this is what I would end up doing. If there were a narrator, he would be saying: "It was Christian's destiny".

Cigar Review: Have the increased amount of hurricanes in the past year and a half hurt the your tobacco crops?

Christian Eiroa: Most of the time they do not run into our growing season. They do cause us to lose seed beds and they do delay the starting time. Nothing crucial, fortunately.

Cigar Review: Is business good for the Camacho brand right now?

Christian Eiroa: Yes, we just finished launching three great items: The Camacho Coyolar (Black), the Legend - ario and the Camacho Time campaign is under way. Camacho identifies our company so much that as of 11 / 01 / 05, we have changed our name to "Camacho Cigars". What is your perspective on the current status of the Cigar Industry? I think that the cigars being offered today in the U.S. are some of the best, ever, anywhere. Although most of the companies today are very traditional we love to see how the market is evolving. This only makes us want to keep pushing to see how much we can influence consumers' tastes. Does this make any sense? Because we were always following tradition, we were careful about not moving away from it. Today, this has become part of the fun. If you had time to interview some old - timers, guys who have been smoking for 20 + years, they might tell you just that. They might tell you how much they love the fact that the choices are available. The industry is solid and steady.

Cigar Review: Do you think the TV advertisements from truth.com have hurt or actually helped the tobacco industry?

Christian Eiroa: This is a good question. California once issued a report during the 90's to try to dissuade people from smoking cigars. However, the results only helped us. The results were:

The higher your education level and the higher your income, the more you smoked cigars and less you smoked cigarettes. The lower your education and the lower your income, the more you smoked cigarettes. I guess what I am trying to say is that a person who decides to make cigar smoking his hobby, does so knowing that this is not the healthiest of hobbies. They also know that their risks for addiction are much less. With this in mind, I think the answer would have to be "they have neither hurt nor helped". Those campaigns cater cigarette smokers more than they do cigar smokers.

Cigar Review: The recent talk is that we are heading into a new cigar boom, do you think we are headed that way?

Christian Eiroa: There has been talk about this for some time. The numbers do not agree with it, though. Consumption in our industry has remained steady with low single digit increased for the past 3 years. Those who feel the increases may be retailers who have had competitors close shop and us smaller cigar companies who have grown at the expense of some now defunct manufacturers and / or bigger companies.

Cigar Review: Do some lines sell more than others for Camacho Cigars? If so Which?

Christian Eiroa: Yes, our bread and butter: Baccarat "The Game".

Cigar Review: Can you tell us about what is being called "Camacho Black", your new line?

The Camacho Coyolar is a cigar made 100 % with the tobacco from the farm with the same name. It's a smaller property but has been my father's favorite farm for 40 years. We only used it to grow filler but this Coyolar seed actually yielded some beautiful wrapper. The cigars are much stronger than we anticipated so we have been letting them sit for longer periods of time. We are very happy with this cigar, especially since we have been able to make it with the tobacco from that farm.

Cigar Review: Are there going to be any new Cigars added to your lineup? If so could you tell us about the future plans of Camacho Cigars?

Christian Eiroa: Yes, the Legend-ario which has just been launched and next year there may be a surprise or two which I do not wish to talk about just yet.

Cigar Review: Do you have a favorite smoke from the Camacho Cigar lineup?

Christian Eiroa: The Camacho SLR Rothschild mad., the Legend-ario and the Diploma. Those are my three favorites.

http://www.camachocigars.com/

Find more information about premium cigars on http://www.cigar-review.com

About the Author

Patrick is a roving reporter for http://www.cigar-review.com

premium cigars Products we recommend
The Journey of the Havana Cigar

The Journey of the Havana Cigar

Cigar Bands : Temporis Series (Temporis)

Cigar Bands : Temporis Series (Temporis)
Aimed at the cigar aesthete or those admirers of "puros", as they are proudly revered in Cuba, this book gives the history and evolution of the cigar band. During the 19th century, when gentlemen wore white gloves at social gatherings, tobacco often left dirty stains on their hands. Therefore, they insisted that their suppliers cover a portion of the cigar with a protective layer. And, the cigar band was born. These bands became the armorial signet of manhood. A mark of social status and of beauty, many artists began lending their talent to the creation of these commemorative symbols. This collection of bands tells the story of the last 150 years, from the general of the War of Secession, the Presidents of the United States of America to the delicate flowers reproduced by craftsmen.

The Art of Fine Cigars

How to Select and Enjoy Premium Cigars

Headlines on premium cigars
Full Year Report 2007 - Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung)

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:33:08 GMT

Full Year Report 2007
Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung), Germany - Feb 20, 2008
Excluding the impact of acquisitions, sales in local currencies were unchanged for premium cigars in the US, while mass market cigars in the US and European ...