Tobacco Business

[ 28 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER | 21 ] attention of such a big company like Tabacalera USA, let alone work with them on a project like this. Nodal got his meeting and pitched his dream, not knowing it would lead to much more in the future. In 2017, Nodal was named Tabacalera USA’s head of product capa- bility. In this role, Nodal was tasked with doing what he had been doing for years: developing prod- ucts and bringing that attention to detail to Tabacalera USA’s vast portfolio of cigar brands. Two years ago, his role expanded, and he also took on the responsibility of overseeing Altadis U.S.A.’s con- sumer marketing efforts. Today, under the leadership of Estades, Nodal is responsible for bringing innovative ideas and blends to the company’s iconic portfolio and expanding the scope of the com- pany’s overall vision and goals. “The vision is something I take very seriously,” he says. “It’s very scary sometimes, but the amazing amount of great people, knowl- edge and professional team we have has allowed us to introduce products that have been very well received.” In addition to bringing his experience with cigar blending to his current role, Nodal is also playing out his dream of being part of an orchestra every day at Tabacalera USA. However, instead of making music, he and his symphony of players are mak- ing great cigars. “When you play by yourself, you can control the tempo. You can play whatever tempo you want at that moment, and you can even improvise,” he says. “When you are in a smaller quartet or ensem- ble, obviously you have to be in sync and connected to others and follow the music. It doesn’t matter how good one person can be or how good you can play an instru- ment. What is important is how the whole ensemble sounds. That requires synchronization. That requires listening to the others and working together. At Tabacalera USA, as part of the bigger company, I found an amazing group of individuals proving, once again, that it’s not about what we do individually but what we do together.” Having the support of a larger company has helped Nodal create and develop many great products in recent years, but it hasn’t changed his view of boutique cigars and their value. Even though there are now products Nodal works with that aren’t necessarily boutique, he still approaches every blend and product with a very specific adult con- sumer in mind, and he approaches every product launch and blend with a focused, smaller approach. Nodal acknowledges that there are some big, well-known brands in Tabacalera USA’s arsenal, including Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and H. Upmann, but there are still many releases from Tabacalera USA that require a boutique approach. “We have a huge portfolio of brands we are expanding and innovating, like Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua and the Montecristo Epic 12 Vintage. But then we have a portfolio of brands that perhaps are not as well known, like Trinidad or Onyx and Saint Luis Rey, which recently released the Carenas, a tribute to the Port of Havana,” Nodal explains. He continues, “This is some- thing that we’ve put a lot of work and emphasis into. We’re devel- oping these brands with what you could call ‘a boutique-type of approach’—a small quantity and a tremendous amount of tobacco flavors and aromas that are not normally part of our larger port- folio. These brands allow us to be creative and to really innovate. That’s why I say that ‘boutique’ doesn’t have to mean a small com- pany. From my point of view, and this is very personal, ‘boutique’ is a philosophy that we are apply- ing not only through our biggest brand like the Montecristo but also to these more unknown or lesser-known products, which are also becoming very successful.” Nodal hopes more people work- ing with cigars begin viewing boutique as being more of a philosophy than a term used to differentiate between production quality and quantity. “Every single cigar that you put out is a boutique cigar,” he says. “Why? Because it’s made by hand, and you put a tremendous amount of attention and dedication into the cigar. That, I believe, is what boutique is: the philosophy of best cigars.” Boutique is a philosophy that we are applying not only through our biggest brand like the Montecristo but also to these more unknown or lesser-known products. – Rafael Nodal