Tobacco Business

[ 24 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER | 21 ] known for its flavored cigars, those products were beginning to appeal to niches rather than larger segments of cigar smokers. It was discov- ered that many cigar smokers were seeking value and that, overall, the cigar industry was changing. Nodal came across another realization: that there was a growing need for more boutique-like cigar products and cigars that were produced in small batches rather than in the mass quantities that had become the industry norm. The first product Nodal worked on after this realization was Swag, a cigar produced with the help of José “Jochi” Blanco and Tabacalera Palma, locat- ed in the Dominican Republic. Nodal and Bischoff wanted to create something that would be viewed as boutique, with a more controlled production run. This, at the time, was uncommon, but it was the right direction for Nodal and his company. Swag Puro Dominicano was a new concept, and it was one of the first projects Nodal and his team worked on from the ground up and approached with a sense of exploration. “We just wanted a good cigar. So that was definitely one of the first,” Nodal explains. Blending, something Nodal is known for today, didn’t come natu- rally. He learned how to blend by making a lot of mistakes, he says. “The process of innovation is about making mistakes, about trying new things that have not been tried before, with new tobacco and new combinations. That is what blending is to me,” he explains. “It is very similar to music because, at the end of the day, what are we trying to do? Create cigars? Yes. But more importantly, we’re trying to create new experiences and a new moment for the adult consumer.” The moment Nodal and his partners began focusing on making cigars that they liked rather than cigars they thought people want- ed, things began to change for the better. “That was something that showed me that you always go with your gut feeling,” he says. “We make cigars for us, and I’m very glad that people like them.” Nodal and his team began concentrating on creating different fla- vors and different types of cigars, experimentation that eventually led to the creation of Aging Room Cigars. In 2011, Aging Room’s first release was the Aging Room Small Batch M356, a cigar whose blend was based on that of the original Swag release. Aging Room M356 was a Dominican puro made up of Cuban-seed Dominican tobaccos. Unlike Swag’s release, Aging Room M356’s tobaccos underwent a bit more aging, making the cigar’s blend bolder and more complex. This release got the company the attention and traction it needed in the market, and it also taught the brand’s owners that focusing on creating blends for adult consumers who had an interest in unique tobaccos was the right move. To reflect the change, Nodal and his partners settled on a new name for their company: Boutique Blends. With Aging Room Small Batch M356 produced with the idea of it being a limited-run product, Nodal continued on his innovative spree with the release of Aging Room F55. This cigar differed from M356 in that it used less ligero in its blend while still containing Dominican tobaccos contained with a Sumatran wrapper. Though these were As a musician, Nodal has always had dreams of being part of a large orchestra. Those dreams came true in 2017 as he joined the Tabacalera USA, becoming a member of a business that operates as an orchestra, with many players all working toward the goal of creating a piece of work to be enjoyed by cigar enthusiasts across the world.