Blackbird Cigars

Can't Clip My Wings — The adage is Jonás Santana's signature catchphrase, the mantra that guides his entire life and, by extension, his vibrant new cigar brand: Blackbird Cigar Company. As a first-generation cigar maker, Santana wasn't privileged to draw from long-standing family experience. He took flight by working his way up from an entry-level job at a cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, where he befriended the company's master blender. Santana came in early every morning to work with his mentor, learning cigar making and sampling raw leaf to develop his palate. When Santana was promoted to sales, he began to see an opportunity to change the industry, to streamline and uncomplicate the market, and appeal to a growing new demographic of young cigar smokers.

Together with his brother and former mentor, Santana launched Blackbird Cigar Company, which operates out of its own factory in the Dominican Republic and handles its own distribution from its headquarters in Hialeah, Florida. Santana sources all of his tobaccos from the revered Jochy Blanco — a fourth-generation tobacco grower and CEO of Tabacalera Palma in Santiago, Tamboril — and has stockpiled select leaf to ensure consistency between production runs.

Blackbird's portfolio is straightforward and streamlined, focusing on the finest possible version of a cigar without distractions. Every cigar in Blackbird's lineup is named after a type of bird and embellished with bold artwork and memorable color palettes. Santana has limited the number of vitolas available for each blend as well, and each cigar uses only a few specially selected varietals, maintaining attention on the quality of each individual leaf.

Whether you're looking for a light-bodied smoke to start your morning or a post-feast digestif, there's a Blackbird cigar for you. The company also offers an impressive sampler pack comprising all six of its core blends in Robusto size for easy sampling of the entire Blackbird portfolio.