Paris Smokeasy || Cigar of the month
April starts with pranks, hoaxes, and fun with April Fools’ Day! For this month’s Cigar Club smoke, there was no joking around on our cigar selection of the month. The Smokeasy invited a Fort Worth-based cigar company to be our guest and to present us with their line for the first time at Rigby’s. The only fools involved with this event were the ones who couldn’t make it!
Ohana Nui Cigars is a company that falls into the Boutique category of cigars. There is no official definition of what a “Boutique Cigar” is. It is a term commonly used for cigar companies that are newer or that don’t produce millions of cigars each year. It is also a highly debated definition as some compare “Premium” to “Boutique” as if there is a difference. Some say a boutique is a high-quality blend or rare batch of aged leaves done in a limited run. The fight for shelf space in a cigar lounge humidor for the boutique companies is similar to how the micro-breweries compete against the established big-name beer companies. It does not mean one is better than the other. It means you have many options to try depending on your mood, the pairing, or just wanting to try something new, which is what our cigar club is all about.
We welcomed Holly Anderson Flores, the managing partner of Ohana Nui Cigars and her significant other, Ryan Frank Rodriguez – one of the Co-Owners of Ohana Nui, to present us with the selection of the night, tell us about their labels, and the history behind their cigars. Ryan owns Familia Rodriguez Tobacos LLC which includes Ohana Cigars, Tejas Y Ohana and Left Hand Cigars labels, and he blends and distributes Time Out Cigars. Ryan started in the tobacco world working in cigar shops, as a sales rep for cigar companies, and as a cigar broker. One day his father told him instead of selling cigars for other people, you should make your own. With his contacts in the cigar industry, they traveled to Nicaragua and in 2014 started Ohana Cigars where the journey began to where he is now. When Holly and Ryan met in 2012, she had never smoked cigars. Ryan says nowadays, she smokes more than he does and has become extremely educated in the tobacco world with a phenomenal palate.
Their website says “Ohana Nui is Hawaiian for “Big Family.” It’s a name that recognizes the merging of operations between two families. Madison Money (owner of 262 Cigars and Co-Owner of Ohana Nui) and Ryan Rodriguez (owner of Ohana Cigars). Like Ohana, father and son founded 262, and we wanted to pay homage to that. We believe Ohana Nui exemplifies the spirit of camaraderie, sisterhood, brotherhood, friendship and family.” The two companies merged in 2022 forming Ohana Nui Cigars.
April’s cigar was the Ohana Nui Pulse Maduro Toro in a box-pressed 6” x 52-gauge. A medium-full-bodied smoke. It has a Mexican San Andres Wrapper, a Nicaraguan Binder, and a Nicaraguan Filler. It features both a closed foot as well as a pigtail cap. It received the #3 Best Cigar of 2023 with Leaf n Grain and a 94 rating with Stogie Press. The comments from members were very good, will add to my favorites; pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed this stick; Solid cigar; great stick all the way around; smoked a Padron Maduro just before & was very comparable; and my favorite so far. With 64 people present it received a Redneck Ratin of 92 out of 100. Our Vice-President of the club, David “Bulleit” Cox, said this is the most consistent rating he has ever seen on a cigar by our members.
We welcomed aka Swamp Thing Joel Mueller‘s big brother Ryan Mueller to the club this month as well.
Our sponsor for the night was James Shanahan with Townsend Fox LLC. They are a General Contracting company specializing in residential remodels, new construction, and outdoor living spaces. It is a Hero Owned business as James is a former Law Enforcement Officer.
To finish out this article and staying with the tag line…..you would be a fool not to try one of these cigars!
Written by JD Marrs
Hosted by Rigby’s Cigars & Lounge
Photo Cred: Rigby’s
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TownsendFox LLC