A handmade cigar is far more than just something to smoke
It is a form of art. When you walk into a cigar lounge and pick a cigar off the shelf, you’re not simply buying tobacco—you’re buying a handcrafted piece of art. That cigar represents anywhere from two to five years of work before it ever reaches your hands. In many cases, if you consider the age of the tobacco itself, that journey is even longer. To truly appreciate a premium cigar, you have to understand how incredibly difficult it is to create the same experience year after year. Consistency is one of the greatest achievements in cigar making.
Think about the food we eat
A chef buys steaks from a butcher. Every steak is different. Some have more marbling, some less. If the chef simply cooked each steak without seasoning, every one would taste slightly different. So what does the chef do? He adds salt, pepper, butter, herbs, and other ingredients to create balance. Those ingredients allow every dish leaving his kitchen to deliver the same experience. Whether you order that steak on a Monday or a Saturday, in January or in July, you expect it to taste exactly the same. The same principle applies to fish, chicken, pasta, or even a simple salad. The chef controls the ingredients to create consistency.
But cigars are different. A cigar maker cannot add salt, pepper, butter, or spices to tobacco. The only ingredients are the tobacco leaves themselves—and time. To me, the cigar maker is the engineer. Fermentation is the true chef. During fermentation, time transforms the tobacco. It develops sweetness, removes harshness, builds aroma, and creates complexity. A master cigar maker understands that fermentation cannot be rushed. It must be respected. Time is the one ingredient no one can buy. You can purchase the finest tobacco in the world, but you cannot purchase years of proper aging. You cannot shortcut fermentation. You cannot force patience. In the cigar world, time is an ingredient just as important as the wrapper, binder, and filler. In fact, it may be the most valuable ingredient of all.
Every great cigar maker learns this lesson early in their journey: patience isn’t optional—it’s essential.
That is why every premium handmade cigar carries a story. It is a story of craftsmanship, knowledge, respect for nature, and above all, respect for time.
And that’s what you’re truly buying when you light a premium cigar—not just tobacco, but years of dedication transformed into a work of art.
Billy & Gus Fakih. 2026
