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Mike Argenti of Berger & Argenti Premium Cigars

Today we interview Mike Argenti of Berger & Argenti Premium Cigars. Mike and his brother Al have been very kind to Toasted Foot, through providing review samples, hosting contests, and agreeing to join us today.

Mike gives great details on the process of creating a new blend, from concept to final product, and gives us a great peak into the day to day processes of owning a cigar company.

So, let’s all welcome Mike!

Questions About You:

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Northvale, NJ and lived there until I was 11 years old, when my family moved to Hollywood, FL.

Where do you currently live?
Miami Lakes, FL.

When did you first get introduced to the joy of cigars?
I borrowed a Dutch Masters Palma from my Dad’s work truck. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I threw up 3 times (laughs).

What is it you enjoy about a great cigar?
First and foremost, I enjoy the flavor, and its strength and complexity. Then I appreciate the quality of the materials-the wrapper, binder and filler-and how they interact with each other. Then I look at the objective points-and they are almost too long to list, but I’ll try:

First its aesthetics and by that I mean mainly the wrapper–its color and its consistency…its vein structure and texture…its sheen or lack of it, etc.

Then I examine the cigar’s construction: is it the correct weight for the size I’m smoking? Does it have the proper number of wrapper turns for the size? Is the quality of the tuck cut (at the foot) clean? Are there any soft or hard areas down the barrel of the cigar? How is the head/cap made?  Is the head mounted or does the flag just drape over the crown? Is the cigar properly hydrated? How does it burn? How long is the ash? Is it dense or flakey? What is the color of the ash?  When it falls off, is the ember conical or flat?

Finally, I examine the cigar band and corollary packaging and deconstruct that as well.

What are some of your favorite smokes?
Obviously I prefer my cigars. The cigars I make are like my children, you’re not suppose to have favorites but if I were to choose I would say Berger & Argenti ENTUBAR, then CLASICO, EXILE,  EXILE WIRED and El Rey del Mundo OLVIDADOS.  From other manufacturers, I’ve enjoyed many but I’d have to list the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic and El Rey del Mundo Flor de Llanesa as cigars I’ve enjoyed for many years. More recently, I’ve got to mention Drew Estates’ Liga Privada and Cuban Crafter’s J.L. Salazar are outstanding cigars as well.

How many cigars do you smoke a day?
It depends if I’m developing a new brand or not. If I’m developing a brand, I’ll smoke 10 to 15 cigars a day, usually 3 or 4 at a time.  If it’s just an ordinary day, I typically smoke two or three cigars.

How would you describe your palette?
I prefer stronger, fuller bodied cigars but there needs to be harmony and complexity within the blend. There have been quite a few cigars released recently that are super strong but lacking any sort of complexity…I find them one dimensional and I don’t enjoy them.  But it really depends on what I’m up for at the time.  I enjoy mild to medium bodied cigars as well, it just depends on what my appetite calls for at the time.

Questions About the Industry:

How did you get involved in the cigar industry?
It’s a long story, but I’ll try. I was working as a Combat Systems Weapons Engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Code 4C31) in Port Hueneme, CA acting as the Technical Supervisor of a multi-level combat system document called CSOSS which is used to initialize, de-energize, casualty reconfigure, and train on the AEGIS Combat System found aboard CG-47 Class (USS Ticonderoga) Cruisers and DDG-51 Class (USS Arleigh Burke) Destroyers. I also was involved in a number of Combat Ship Systems Qualification Tests (CSSQTs) and ship building trials (A through C).

To make a long story a little bit shorter…I shot a lot of Standard Missiles, SM 1 and 2 through block 4. I also worked with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) on a number of projects as well. It was during this period that I met my youngest sister Janine’s husband, who was an air traffic controller at Miami Center, Nick Perdomo.

We were making our own cigars out of a house in Hialeah, Florida initially then we moved to a small bodega on Flagler St. in Miami.  Concurrently, we opened and closed a 9000 sq ft. factory in Ybor City. We were struggling the entire time, digging the proverbial hole to China, when we had two strokes of luck.  First, Cigar Insider rated Perdomo Reserve X its highest score for a non Cuban cigar in 1997 and also included a copy of CI with every subscriber of Cigar Aficionado (the magazine). CI was not available online at that time and, because it had no advertisers, it looked like the Consumer Reports of cigars. The other fortuitous event was Nick Perdomo Sr., may God bless his wonderful soul, went to Esteli, Nicaragua and helped us open a 1500 sq. ft. cigar factory in 1999. We finally could get our costs, primarily labor, in check.

When did you first begin blending your own cigars?
From Day One since I’ve been in the business, which is over 16 years ago.  I remember begging Savino de la Portilla (Pure Leaf Tobacco) for half a bale of Dominican filler or Sumatra Wrapper.  Tobacco was very scarce in the mid 90’s. Really good material with age on it was virtually impossible to find. I’m constantly experimenting with material and I enjoy it immensely.

What is it you enjoy most about the cigar industry?
I guess the retailers and consumers especially. I get a thrill out of meeting people who really enjoy my cigars and the knowledge that I have of how that cigar evolved from an idea into a viable product that is consistent from year to year.

Where did the idea come from to begin your own blend? Who helped you through this process?
Initially it was out of sheer necessity. I’m constantly experimenting with different materials. From cultivation through pre-industry to aging. I am blessed to be working with, in my humble opinion, the best tobacco grower in the world, Henry (Kiki) Berger of Tabacalera Esteli. He has the best farm in Nicaragua and does all of his pre-industry (selecting, curing and aging) as well. Together, we are doing some incredible things in Esteli! I’ve been developing and blending cigars a long time, but I would never have come to appreciate it if it weren’t for people like the Oliva family, the Perez family of ASP, Lew Rothman, Savino de la Portilla, Angel Alisade, Gonzalo Fuente, Frank Llaneza and Omar Ortez who took the time to encourage and help me.

 

Was there some trial and error involved in the blending process?
Sure. It’s a challenge from crop to crop (harvest) on a macro level. On a micro level, you have to ensure that material is properly distributed on a daily basis amongst the rollers to ensure consistency of blend. It very challenging and you’ve got to be on top of your blend constantly. Blending is dynamic and constantly evolving…the blending process never ends.

 

How do you explain the concept behind Berger & Argenti line of cigars? They all seem to place a high emphasis on being set apart from what others do?
I really enjoy collaborating with Henry (Kiki). As previously stated, I believe Kiki is currently the best tobacco man in the industry. Coupled with the strengths of my brother Albert and myself, I believe we make a formidable team. Our company’s goal is to provide our customers with cigars that are of exceptional quality and value. Fundamentally, we believe in acknowledging and maintaining the time honored traditions of cigar making–and to work even harder on improving those cherished processes by introducing new and exciting blends and designs.

Are you working on any new blends in the future?
I am constantly working on new, and refining existing blends. We’re currently working on a new project that I’m really excited about, but it’s just not quite completed yet. I promise to share it with you once it’s completed. Maybe we can debut it on your site!

 

Describe the perfect day for you?
The perfect day for me is the first day a finished box comes out of the factory of a new cigar line. It’s the culmination of many months…even years…of hard work, not only by me but by many people, coming to fruition at a single moment. I get a tremendous sense of satisfaction and achievement on those days.

Questions about the Cigars:

You have several different blends. Would you briefly describe each of these blends for us and the original idea behind each of them?
ENTUBAR: Filler, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic; Binder, Nicaragua; Wrapper, Ecuador (Desflorado). The cigar line is a tribute to the time-honored Cuban cigar making technique called ENTUBAR. Each deeply aged leaf is rolled into itself creating delicate scrolls of rich flavorful tobacco. The ENTUBAR scrolls are firmly bunched, creating a superior cigar of exceptional complexity and draw.

What’s immediately evident to a cigar smoker upon first seeing an ENTUBAR cigar is the ligero scroll (bunch); its 22/64” in diameter and it extends 3/8” beyond the trimmed foot of the cigar. This method of making this cigar line is extremely time consuming and labor intensive, but it produces what I think a perfect cigar should be…a cigar of unparalleled flavor and complexity…an effortless draw…a perfect conical burn and ash.  In all my years in the business, it’s the best cigar I’ve ever been associated with.

CLASICO: Filler, Nicaragua; Binder, Dominican Republic; Wrapper, Ecuador (Desflorado). CLASICO is a more traditional cigar line then ENTUBAR, but is a tremendous cigar in its own right. It comes in four sizes and is tastefully packaged in boxes of twenty. The Desflorado wrapper used for CLASICO is classified as DB (Dark Brown).

The seed is a Connecticut hybrid grown in Ecuador. What’s unusual about this material is the way in which it is harvested and cured. The Desflorado leaves happen to be the corona leaves, the 6^th priming of the plant (at the top). During the harvest the lower primings are removed sequentially (1^st through 5^th), then the 6^th priming (Desflorado) leaves are harvested by stalk-cutting the entire plant. The stalk w/leaves are then taken to the curing barn to “set color” for 4 – 6 weeks. Then the Desflorado leaves (3-4 per plant) are removed from the stalk, sorted for color, size and thickness and arranged in a pilon or bulk where the material will ferment for upwards to a year. Then the material is baled and is allowed to rest for another two to three years before it’s made into a cigar.  This wrapper is the perfect finish to the Nicaraguan filler blend with a Corojo binder.

Is there a particular region you prefer when selecting tobacco for your cigars?
I think Nicaragua produces the finest filler tobaccos in the word, especially the material from Tabacalera Esteli. Consistently, Henry (Kiki) produces tremendous material year in and year out. The La Pequeña farm owned by ASP, directly across the Pan American Highway from Tabacalera Esteli, also produces really good filler as well. They both do not rotate their crops with any other plants. There’s something very special about the soil in that particular area of Esteli that makes it far superior, in my opinion, to anywhere else in Nicaragua. There are other very good farms in a number of countries that grow a wide variety of filler, binder and wrapper that are really good too.

What are the conditions you look for when working on a blend?
The materials (filler, binder, and wrapper) need to work in harmony with each other in an effort to achieve my original concept of what the cigar should be. I will sometimes progress from my original intent if I discover something distinct during the process. Just as important as the blend is the availability of the material that constitutes the blend. How much do I have and how much can I get (need to produce) so I can replicate the blend for years to come.

How do you bring a cigar from initial concept to production and into the hands of retailers-what is that process like, step by step?
It takes a very, very very long time. Depending on what type of cigar you’re making and how it’s going to be made: Cigars (materials/blending/sizes/aging), Packaging (bands, vistas, and boxes), Marketing (ads, point of sale material, price lists, and order forms) Distribution (brick and mortar shops/regional distributors/catalogs/internet), Sales (in house/independent), and the list goes on and on.

It takes years from concept to completed product. It’s a tremendous amount of work. Certain cigar lines have taken me in excess of 4 years to bring to market. I believe ENTUBAR is the culmination of my entire time in this industry so theoretically it’s taken me 16 years to develop.

Why do people like your blends so much?
I honestly believe that people can get a sense of our passion and commitment in every cigar we make. I think that’s why our cigars do so well.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I’d just like to thank Jed and Matt at Toasted Foot for this opportunity to talk about what we at Berger & Argenti hold near and dear to our hearts and that’s our families, employees and our cigars!