PRODUCT PROFILE
september/october 2013
86
TOBACCO BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
Introducing Azan
Roberto Pelayo Duran is introducing his newest venture: “Roberto Duran Cigars.” Ro-
berto Pelayo Duran began his life’s work in his homeland of Havana, Cuba supervising
cigar manufacturing, then went on to assemble and manage distribution of all Cuban
cigar brands for Asia and Canada for The Pacific Cigar Company Ltd. Most recently,
he contributed to the new global brand marketing strategy for Dunhill Cigars as a
consultant. Roberto is now introducing a brand of cigars that offers the same quality,
construction and detail of those he supervised while in Cuba.
Roberto Duran’s first release, “Azan,” holds a unique chapter in Cuban cigar history.
Azan is the only Cuban cigar brand founded by Chinese immigrants. In 1928, Kwan
Ben Sen (Domingo Azan) and his brothers started producing handmade cigars in
Manicaragua, a province of Villa Clara in Cuba, and built one of the most successful
tobacco brands in the center region of Cuba. “We are fortunate to revitalize Azan as
the great-granddaughter of Domingo Azan, Maria Isabel Alvarez Azan, stands proudly
with the Roberto Duran team,” says Duran.
The Azan cigar brand offers two lines, White and Burgundy, with the White being
the premium of the two. The White premium line features a long filler that combines
specially selected leaves from Jalapa and Estelí in Nicaragua and from Matafina in
Brazil. The wrapper is a very fine Ecuadorian corojo, which contributes to a distinc-
tively sweet, medium-flavored cigar. The Burgundy line is a medium-taste cigar fea-
turing a selection of the finest tobaccos from Nicaragua wrapped in a naturally me-
dium, dark brown wrapper from Ecuador.
A Reasonable Red
Red Value Pipe Blend is the full-flavor blend
in the new VPB family of tobaccos from
Daughters & Ryan, Inc. The VPB series rep-
resents a full range of pipe tobaccos and
the Red VPB was developed to give adult
customers a choice of a quality, full-flavor
tobacco for a reasonable price. The Red
VPB is available in 8-ounce and 16-ounce
bags, as well as in 5-pound and 25-pound
bulk packaging in Red (full-bodied), Blue
(smooth blend), Green (cool blend) and Yel-
low (Oriental style, bulk only). D&R Tobacco
offers a 100 percent product guarantee on
VPB and maintains a reputation for deliver-
inghighquality tobaccos for the lowest pric-
es possible. D&R Tobacco, 919-284-2058,
