A TALE OF 2 CIGAR FAMILIES

Fuente and Padrón, two of the most lauded cigar companies in the world, have joined together on a special project

- DAVID SAVONA

Like so many great ideas, the plan to combine the cigarmaking talents of the Fuente and Padrón families began over whisky and cigars. Carlos Fuente Jr., the man who runs Arturo Fuente, was visiting the Miami office of Jorge Padrón, his friend and competitor. It was early in 2020, and the two men lit up cigars. After the Scotch was poured, the two raised their glasses in honor of their fathers, men who had died not so long before, men who had run Fuente and Padrón before their sons.

As they spoke, an unusual idea was born: what if these two companies worked together to make cigars honoring their fathers, cigars that would be sold in the same box, the two names joined for the first time in history?

“We discussed Jorge blending a cigar in honor of my father, out of respect and gratitude,” says Fuente Jr. “And I was going to make a cigar that Mr. José Orlando Padrón would like.”

It was a curious move, two rival companies, each a leader in the world of fine cigars, working together on a project that would bear both of their names. Coke doesn’t share the stage with Pepsi; Porsche and BMW don’t do joint projects; Rolex doesn’t make a watch with Patek Philippe.

“There’s not a lot of people I’d put my trust in to honor my father with a cigar,” says Jorge Padrón. “Everything we do revolves around maintaining the integrity of our families and our names. That’s the key.” He pauses. “Knowing Carlos as long as I have, I know that I’m in great hands. I’m in great hands, and I know my dad’s in great hands. We both understand the importance of respect in this business.”