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Clint Aaron of 262 Cigars

Today we are joined by Clint Aaron of 262 Cigars. Clint is one of three partners that run 262, who’s first release was the Paradigm (review). Clint talks in detail about the process of taking a cigar from concept to consumption, so everyone welcome him aboard! We’ll also be giving away a box of 262 Paradigm’s in April, so be on the lookout for that!

Questions About You:

Where did you grow up?
Born and raised in Greenwood, IN (just south of Indianapolis)

Where do you currently live?
Lynchburg, VA

When did you first get introduced to the joy of cigars?
The summer after my freshman year of college. It was an Ashton Corona. I remember using a golf tee for a punch and a BIC lighter to light it. I had no idea what I was doing, had no idea what a “flavor profile” was, had no clue how to pick up on the different nuances within the cigar, and couldn’t tell you anything else about the cigar. But what I can tell you was that the camaraderie that ensued lasted a lifetime.

What is it you most enjoy about a great cigar?
I love the care and love that is poured into the cigar. Non-cigar smokers see cigars as nasty, but I see the art and beauty in the cigars. From the transplanting of the sprouts, to the selection of the leaf, to the final construction. There are so many hands that touch the cigar throughout the process, and it’s awesome to step back and realize that you’re smoking a masterpiece.

What are some of your favorite smokes?
Right now I’m on a heavy rotation of Cabaiguan Guapos RX, Illusione CG4, 262 Paradigm, Arganese Maduro Presidente, Alec Bradley MAXX, and the Alec Bradley Prensado. My all time favorite cigar is the Padron 1964 Exclusivo.

How many cigars do you smoke a day?
1-3

How would you describe your palette?
I prefer a medium bodied/medium strength cigar. I look for cigars that are slightly sweet, have some coffee or mocha undertones, a floral presence, or some cedar.

Describe the perfect day for you.
Wake up. Work out.  Have a few cups of locally roasted coffee along with some breakfast. Light up a cigar. Work on the car (I’m a huge car buff, and I’m currently restoring a 944). Check emails. Make phone calls. Fire up another cigar after lunch. Have a cup of afternoon coffee. Do some more office work. Get the grill warmed up for the bratwurst. Relax with my wife over a cigar and glass of wine or port. That’s the ideal daily routine.

A perfect day would go something like this…Wake up. Drink coffee. Eat breakfast.  Get on a boat in Cabo with some friends and do some fishing. Smoke some cigars.  Come in after catching a few fish. Eat said fish. Smoke a couple cigars and get ready to do it all again the next day.

Questions About the Industry:

How did you get involved in the cigar industry?
I’ve been passionate about cigars since my first cigar after my freshman year at college. I got a degree in finance and got sick of trying to climb the corporate ladder, so I decided to pursue a career in something that I’m passionate about.

When did you first begin blending your own cigars? How has that process evolved for you?
We started planning and assembling a team back in 2008. The blending started in spring of 2009. The process is still fairly new to us, but we are always looking for new combinations of flavors.

What is it you enjoy most about the cigar industry?
I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. Cigars bring people together from all types of backgrounds. If I’m walking down the street and see somebody smoking a cigar, we automatically have something in common. It doesn’t matter how different our social backgrounds may be, we each appreciate the art of cigars. My wife knows that if we see somebody smoking a cigar while we’re out, then a 10-15 conversation is to follow.

Questions About the Company:

There has been some talk online about the name of your company. Was 262 the original company name, or did you first attempt to name your company something else?
We first started out as Revolution Cigars. We did our due diligence (or so we thought) before we chose the name.  We checked with the patent and trademark office and didn’t come across Revolution Cigars. It wasn’t until we searched for the Spanish translation that we ran into issues. After meeting with a trademark attorney, he advised us to find a different name. This phone call came on my way down to Florida to meet with Alan Rubin and the rest of the crew at Alec Bradley.

We had designed everything around the name “Revolution Cigars.” I was pretty bummed, but we soldiered on. The entire time on the plane I was jotting down names and designs and marketing ideas. I wanted to keep it close to something revolutionary, and nothing was jumping off the page at me. I thought back to the reason why we wanted to use the name Revolution Cigars in the first place, so 262 (February 1962) seemed logical (I actually like 262 better than Revolution!). In February of 1962, JFK signed the finalized Cuban trade embargo, henceforth banning Cuban cigars.  Right before he signed the embargo, he had Pierre Salinger go to Cuba and bring back 1,000 of his favorite cigars; H. Upmann Petit Coronas.  This act is the very type of thing that upsets most cigar enthusiasts. To many cigar smokers this was the start of over-regulating by the government. Today we continue to see this with SCHIP, smoking bans, egregious OTP tax, etc.

Who all is involved in 262?
There are three partners in the company. Jerry is the customer service/sales guru, Mike is the marketing/website/design master, and I take care of the accounting.

Where would you like to see 262 in five years time? Ten years?
In five years we would like to have 2-3 more blends. Within 10 years we would like to be considered as one of the big hitters in the industry. Throughout the life of 262 we would like to be on the leading edge of fighting for the rights of cigar smokers everywhere.

Questions About the Cigars:

Where did the idea come from to begin your own blend? Who helped you through this process?
I’ve always wanted to be involved in the cigar industry in some capacity. Several B&M’s have their house brand, and I was always intrigued at the process. I’ve wanted to own a B&M for years now and wanted to have my house brand as well. Finding a building that is smoke friendly is tough these days so I put the B&M on the back burner for a couple of months and started pursuing a private label brand.  I called a handful of manufacturers and decided on Alec Bradley. I love the program that they offer for the exclusive label projects.

How has your relationship been with Alec Bradley?
It’s been beyond phenomenal. Alan Rubin and Ralph Montero have a knack for blending great cigars, and they have a passion that oozes from their pores. I felt like family from the first time I called and spoke with Lori Bond. We’ve been told several times that they are here for us and will answer any questions we have. It’s been a great company to have in our corner.

Was there some trial and error in the blending process? Can you explain that a bit?
Yes.  We put together a flavor profile sheet and submitted it to Alec Bradley. After the initial sheet was submitted, we spoke with Ralph at AB about the details of the blend. They came back from Central America with six different blends for us to try based on our profile sheets. There was a cigar that we really fell in love with, but the burn was extremely inconsistent and kept running. We went to the drawing board and tried a different wrapper to see if that would help. Nothing seemed to work, so Ralph said that he didn’t feel comfortable with allowing us to use that blend.

It’s been stricken from the books, as they say. The neat thing about Alec Bradley’s private label program is the exclusivity. They offer an exclusive label program, not a private label program. This gives us more control during the blend selection process.  The blends that we chose are unique to us. No other company can use this blend for their cigars.

How do you feel the Paradigm is set apart from what other blenders and companies are releasing?
The Paradigm starts off like no other cigar I’ve smoked. Let me start off by saying that everybody’s palate is different, but for me it’s crisp and refreshing with notes of citrus. It seems that a lot of the companies and blenders are leaning toward heavy, strong cigars that are very spicy and peppery. The Paradigm has the citrus notes and notes of coffee and dark chocolate with faint hints of cedar and a bit of earthiness during the middle of the cigar.

Would you briefly describe the Paradigm for us and the original idea behind it?
We were originally going to launch 3 lines at once, but then at the eleventh hour we decided to only launch one. The Paradigm was the logical choice because it provided a cigar that was the middle of the road.

Are you working on any new blends for the future? Are you working with any other companies?
We are currently working on two new blends. Alec Bradley will be with us on these two blends. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag too much, but one will be a mild cigar with a Nicaraguan Habano Rosado Wrapper and fillers from Mexico, The Dominican, and Nicaragua. It’s very toasty and grassy. The other blend is a full bodied, full strength cigar that is still very much in the works. We understand that not everybody will like our cigars, but we want to offer strength profiles and varieties that everybody can choose from.

Is there a particular region you prefer when selecting a tobacco for your cigars?
Not really. I enjoy Brazilian Mata Fina and Indonesian Sumatra wrappers and fillers from Mexico, Jalapa, and Esteli. I typically don’t like Dominican tobacco.

What are the conditions you look for when working on a blend?
Burn is very important to me. I love a cigar that you can put down for 10 minutes and pick back up and start right where you left off. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve sat down with a cigar and had it go out while I was drawing regularly. I love being able to light a cigar once and smoke it down to the nub. I also look for flavors that go well together. My favorite part of the Paradigm is the marriage of the coffee and dark chocolate.

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?
We start by selecting flavor notes that we would like to see in the cigar. From there we sample the different blends to decide which one we want to put into production. During this time there are a lot of emails and phone calls flying around about what we like or don’t like about the cigar. This is also where any construction/burn issues are addressed. Jerry is usually at AB speaking with Ralph about twice a week during this process. After the blend is finalized, we choose the sizes. Throughout this entire process Mike is usually working on box design, lid inserts, and cigar bands. The lid inserts and cigar bands are shipped down to the factory once they are completed.

There’s about a 6 week turnaround time from the time we place the order with AB. This is when we start strategizing our sales approach. Once the cigars are complete we send samples to our sales reps to take out to the retailers. Some retailers are hesitant to bring in a new cigar, while others are excited about a new product and can’t wait to bring us in for an event.

Why do you think people like your blends so much?
I’m not sure…I’d like to think it’s because it’s something new and refreshing. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people saying they’ve never had a cigar like the Paradigm. They love the uniqueness. Blending aside, I think people like the cigar so much because we are a company they can stand behind. We’re just three guys that love cigars and don’t love the government regulations that are being imposed on a daily basis.