Salvador Carbajal Rodriguez and his 'Hoyo de Mena' (farm) Pinar del Rio

Salvador Carbajal Rodriguez (Tobacco Grower) San Luis, Pinar del Rio

                 I met Salvador around 2006 and have been friends with him ever since. He is a 'salt of the earth' kind of guy who's main concern in life is the care of his fields. Once he got to know me he's made me feel like part of the family and I see him being gracious with others whenever I'm visiting and he has guests. I've watched his family grow and he even gave me the honor of appearing at my wedding last year. It has been an privilege to call him a friend and hope I can for many more years to come.
                  Salvador is 70 years old and his farm has been in the family's hands for generations, it will go to his son when he retires. He has two children, a boy and a girl, a third child, another boy, died about 6 years ago in an accident. He's been married to the same woman since 1967. He has an interest in mechanics but only insomuch as he uses the knowledge to help him on the farm and keep his mind occupied. He has 4 Curing Barns with a capacity for approx 3,850,000 leaves. My visits this past October & November showed no plants in the ground yet....I thank Felipe, Anibal, Dallas and Emzo for the photos they've allowed me to use. The Cuban Government has been promoting the Pinar del Rio area over the last few years and with that came 'La Ruta del Tabaco'....The Tobacco Route. Cuba recognizes the fact that their tobacco is rated the best in the world by experts and enthusiasts around the globe....so why not profit from it in the tourism department. The area of Pinar del Rio already gets a great deal of tourism from aficionados wanting to discover the origin of the cigars they smoke but officials are after the masses that want to see something other than beaches and colonial cities. It's part of their attempt to divert tourism outside of the usual places of interest. Tours can be arranged to transverse a swath of the Tobacco Growing Region of Cuba and visit several points of interest, Salvador's farm now being one of them. He completed his Ranchon last year to be able to tend to visitors and I saw that this year his farm has taken off and become much more popular and well known than the previous year. With a capacity for about 100 guests, it was looking quite empty last year while he waited for the tourist to come. However, this year is a different story, they're actually busy.....and he deserves to benefit from the new program the government has started up.
                 Although Salvador was nominated in 2002 for the 'Habano's Man of The Year' award, he's never let the idea of fame enter his mind. He only wishes to tend to his farm and support his now extended family. He is as humble as they come, considering the quality of leaf he produces.




PS.....soon he will have rooms to rent out on his farm as well so enthusiasts will be able to take part in the full experience....I can't wait.

Courtesy of Felipe 

Courtesy of Felipe 

Courtesy of Felipe 

Courtesy of Felipe 

Courtesy of Felipe 

Courtesy of Dallas

Courtesy of Dallas

Courtesy of Dallas

Courtesy of Emzo

Courtesy of Felipe

Courtesy of Anibal

Courtesy of Felipe

G121 (Lounge Cafe & Humidor Store) by Angel Miranda in Centro Habana

                 I couldn't tell you where or when I met Angel (before this posting) but it seems like I've know him forever. The first time I saw Angel's creations was at the Partagas Encuentro in November 2014 and I would have met him shortly afterwards. I had to refer to my stockpile of pictures to determine that. He is a very likable human being who is very easy to get along with. I always found myself gravitating towards him and conversing at length both in his native tongue and English. Often the conversations revolved around his work and what projects he had lined up for the future. When I met him I was invited to visit his showroom which was in the Miramar district at that time....I was never able to make it there. However, recently he moved his showroom to a more central location in the old part of the city and has created a sort of club for friends and possible clients.
                 Here's a little background on the man.....Angel Miranda Battle was born on June 10, 1965, is married and has 2 children. He is a Telecommunication Engineer by trade and worked in that field for 10 years. Around the time of the "Periodo Especial" in Cuba, during the 90's, Angel decided to change profession and in 2002 entered the Cigar World. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea because he didn't smoke cigars....yet. However, he wasn't working at the time and this was the opportunity that presented itself....he needed to find something as soon as possible. He remembered that he enjoyed working on the Tobacco Plantations when the school sent students there for 45 days at a time....he had done this once a year over a span of 7 years. Long ago it was mandatory for students to be sent to a farm for a length of time to toughen you up and to have an understanding of what life was like in rural Cuba. He had forgotten how magical the Cigar World was and soon after making his decision began educating himself by reading about the topic, drinking coffee and smoking cigars. He determined that he too could be part of that history by creating different humidors which at the time were still being designed in the pre-revolution manner. It wasn't easy changing how people perceived a humidor should be but through humble beginnings in 2003 he introduced the Laser Engraving Machine for the top of the Selección Robusto y Selección Pirámide boxes. Soon afterwards came designs for San Cristóbal de La Habana, Romeo and Julieta and the Maduro 5....etc. During this time he discovered that Cigar Producers didn't want to sell humidors with a modern design and that the people within the industry didn't understand art even though art and cigars have always gone hand in hand. So in 2009 he decided to found his own company to produce Collector, Art and Design Humidors. The road to independence and the introduction of new ideas is not an easy task when you want to make a difference in a traditional market. Five years after meeting him in the Partagas Shop, after his humidors have been presented in Art Galleries, Fairs, Exhibitions and several LCDHs around Havana, he decided to open his store “Galiano 121”. This is a place where he can receive & entertain clients & friends only. It's not be a place to sell his products nor is it a public space. It's a place where he can design and show new projects while sharing good times with friends over Cigars, Coffee, Rum and Cuban Art. New projects are in the works every year like the recent "Limited Edition L´Abuelo", commemorating the 100 Anniversary of Don Alejandro Robaina for the Italian market....only 10 made. And the "Limited Edition 25th Anniversary of Partagás LCDH", commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Partagás LCDH cigar shop in Havana....only 25 made. Both of these humidors were presented at the Habanos Festival in Havana this year. At the moment he's working on the Limited Edition 500th Anniversary of San Cristobal de La Habana City which will be presented in November 2019.
                 He is not alone in his pursuit and is always mentioning that this is a joint effort among designers, engineers and himself. However, I have yet to meet these people and in my writings or in talking with others I always use only Angel's name when referring to the principals involved in this endeavour. A couple of the pictures below were sent to me by Angel and Thank You Dave Anderson for allowing me to use a few of the pics you took while we were visiting that day.









G121
Lounge Cafe & Humidor Store
Calle Galiano #121 e/Animas y Trocadero
Centro Habana, Havana
+(535) 296 6870
+(537) 860 3257

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