Luis Tiant of El Tiante Cigars

Posted by toasted on Jan 28, 2010 in Interviews | 7 comments

Today Luis Tiant joins us for a talk. Luis is the founder of El Tiante Cigars, the producer of the 23  Series line and the La Leyenda. Luis is a former Major League Baseball pitcher known for his unique pitching delivery, comeback ability, and for always having a lit cigar in the clubhouse. He spent most of his career with the Red Sox, but also played for the Indians, Twins, Yankees, Pirates, and Angels. A three time All-Star, Luis pitched four consecutive shut-outs at one point in his career and posted a season ERA of 1.60 in 1968. Luis finished his career with a record of 229-172, an ERA of 3.30, and 2416 total strikeouts. His major league career lasted from 1964-1982.

After his baseball career ended, he engaged in coaching and other various activities but didn’t decide to formally launch his Series 23 cigar line until 2005.

We are happy to have Luis with us today. We have given away some of these great smokes in the past and have a few more to give away in the future. You can learn more about El Tiante Cigars on their website.

Questions About You:

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Maianao, Cuba

Where do you currently live?
I now currently live in Southborough, Massachusetts

When did you first get introduced to the joy of cigars?
When I was seventeen years old, I smoked my very first cigar after signing my first professional baseball contract.

What is it you most enjoy about a great cigar?
It makes me feel good, like a million dollars. It is a pleasure to smoke a cigar with good people. You talk about life and what’s going on in the world. Good people, good conversation, and a good cigar lead to a great day.

What are some of your favorite smokes?
I smoke everything because I need to find out what people are smoking these days and how it stacks up to my own cigar line.  My favorite smoke is the El Tiante 23 Series Habano. It’s a light bodied cigar that you can smoke all day long, but with flavor. To me the construction of a cigar is the most important thing, flavor is next. When I was smoking cigars from Cuba in my generation, they were light and flavorful, totally different then what’s on the market today. The 23 Series Habano reminds me of that time. Nice cedar and earthy flavors that can be enjoyed by everyone.

How many cigars do you smoke a day?
Not enough!

How would you describe your palette?
I have a mild to medium bodied flavor palette. The strength of a cigar isn’t as important to me as the construction and flavor. I love to enjoy cigars in everything that I do. If I am smoking a cigar that has no flavor and is so strong that it kicks my butt, it ruins that experience. I welcome all types of flavors such as earth, pepper, chocolate, and spice.

Questions About the Industry:

How did you get involved in the cigar industry?
Well, for the people who know who I am, that’s an easy question to answer. In my life, I have always been known for two things, baseball and cigars. I would smoke in the locker room, in the club house, in the shower, everywhere because of my love for cigars. I always heard from people, “Hey Luis, you should come out with your own cigar.” I was never approached by a manufacturer, so I decided to do it on my own. About twelve years ago my son Luis and I tried it out, but the factory making the cigars couldn’t keep the quality up with the production, so we ceased operations.  Then in 2005 my son Daniel and his friend Kevin Anderson, along with myself, contracted Victor Calvo of Tabacalera Tambor in Nicaragua to start making my own personal blends. Since then everything has been great.

When did you first begin blending your own cigars? How has that process evolved for you?
Well, pretty much since 2005, when we started working with Tabacalera Tambor. It’s an art and a science. It is fascinating work. You just don’t throw filler, binder and a wrapper on a cigar and market it. The more lines we come out with and the more blends we experiment with, the more we learn about the characteristics of certain tobacco.

What is it you enjoy most about the cigar industry?
I love everything about it. Smoking cigars with people who love to smoke cigars, working with the factory, doing in-store events. It’s the greatest industry out there.

Where did the idea come from to begin your own blend? Who helped you through this process?
Well like I said, since 2005 we have been working with Victor Calvo of Tabacalera Tambor and they have helped guide us through the processes of the industry. We are learning new things everyday through Victor and it has been a pleasure working with him. I think even the greatest blenders in the world are still learning things everyday; it’s that type of industry.

Was there some trial and error involved in the blending process? Can you explain that a bit for us?
Well, different tobaccos take on different characteristics when blended together. And of course there are endless combinations. We try and use tobacco that we are familiar with. We do sometimes go out of our comfort zone, but using tobacco that we are familiar with makes the process a little easier.

How do you explain the concept behind the El Tiante line of cigars?
That’s a great question. People immediately think that because of the name on the cigar that it must be a gimmick. Well I can tell you it’s not.  This is a real cigar made in a real factory, rolled by hand, and made from the finest tobaccos. I am making cigars that have my name on it for everyone to enjoy. I want everyone to enjoy an El Tiante Cigar, no matter what your budget is, or what your palate is like.  I have to make the best cigar I can. People recognize me wherever I go. The last thing I would want them to say is “Hey Luis, your cigars stink!” This is such a passion of mine that it would break my heart to hear someone say that. We have had great ratings on our blends. Smoke magazine gave us a 9.0 and a 9.1 on our blends. Also Stogie Guys have given us 4 and 4 ½ out of 5 stogies on our blends as well. This is not a hobby for me but a passion.

Are you working on any new blends for the future?
We are always working on new blends. In fact, we are working on something big in the near future that I am sure the entire industry will read about soon. But for now my lips are sealed.

Describe the perfect day for you.
A perfect day for me would probably involve all of the following: my family, cigars, golf, cigars, Cuban coffee, cigars, food, cigars, a stop at the local Brick and Mortar, cigars. Something like that.

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?
Sure

• El Tiante 23 Series Habano- Light bodied cigar made with a Nicaraguan wrapper from Jalapa. The binder is Indonesian and all the filler is Nicaraguan. This is my go to cigar. It is light and earthy with that Nicaraguan pepper flavor. It is easy to smoke. Most of the time I can’t have just one. I wanted to create a cigar that would be light enough for new smokers, but have plenty of flavor for those who have been smoking for years.

• El Tiante 23 Series Corojo- Medium bodied, full flavored cigar with our secret Corojo wrapper. The binder is from Ecuador and all the fillers are from Nicaragua. In fact, half the filler is all Ligero. This cigar was challenging to blend because of all the Ligero we used in the filler. I think this cigar is one that could stack up there with some of the best blends on the market today.  This cigar was blended with the fuller bodied smokers in mind.

• La Leyenda- This means “the legend” in Spanish. It is a tribute to my pitching performance in 1968. This was a bit of a surprise to me. My son, Daniel and his business partner Kevin Anderson came up with this blend and debuted it at the IPCPR trade show in New Orleans. It’s a medium bodied cigar full of sweet spice and chocolate flavors. It is made with a limited wrapper grown in Ecuador from Sumatra seed. The binder is Habano Nicaraguan and the fillers are from Nicaragua and Honduras. All the ligero is Nicaragua (from 3 different growing regions), and the seco is from Honduras. This cigar has been a hit in the stores that are currently selling it.

All the tobacco we use in our cigars range from the wrapper being no less than 3 years old to binder and filler no less than 2 years old. Most of our wrappers are aged 5 years. Once the cigars are rolled we age them for a minimum of 90 days so that all the flavors have a chance to come together.

Is there a particular region you prefer when selecting a tobacco for your cigars?
No, but I tend to really like tobacco growing in the Jalapa region of Nicaragua. It tastes sweet. It’s a real good tobacco.

What are the conditions you look for when working on a blend?
Consistency and quality. Those are a must.

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?
Well, what we do at El Tiante Cigars is come up with a cigar that fits into my life. I like to think that our cigars tell a story. The 23 Series was named for me wearing the jersey number 23. The Leyenda is a tribute to the 1968 pitching season. Once that is complete we come up with band and box ideas. Next we blend, and blend, and blend, till we come up with a cigar that I feel is a great cigar. Then we wait till it’s ready to be smoked by everyone. We get it into our sales reps hands and they go to their clients and show them what’s new. We do the best to market it and to keep the quality and consistency at a high level.

Why do you think people like your blends so much?
I think people like our blends because they are different. They don’t taste like any other cigar. They are unique, in a great way.  They are consistent from cigar to cigar which is a tribute to the factory. When people ask me to compare my cigars to another brand, I say that I can’t. I tell them to give it a try and see what they think.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Matt, thanks for the interview. It has been a pleasure to share with you information about my passion and my company. I wish you the best of luck in everything you do. Thank You.