CWNews
Jose Blanco leaves La Aurora
June 15, 2011
Frank Seltzer (Mowee)
Contributing Editor
Legendary sales director and master blender José Blanco is leaving La Aurora effective Wednesday June 15th. The 61-year-old Blanco officially has retired after 29 years with the company. He is known across the country as the most visible face of La Aurora, doing events at stores throughout the U-S including his highly acclaimed blending seminars to help educate the palate of cigar smokers. Blanco would always ask “What have you learned?” and even the most serious smokers would always find something new.
Blanco, a huge NY Yankees fan from his days growing up in New York while his family was in exile from the Dominican Republic, says, “The number 61 has always had a special meaning to me. In 1961, Roger Marris hit 61 home runs to break Babe Ruth’s single season record. As a young boy and Yankee fan, that was huge. 1961 also marked the end of the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic and allowed me and my family to return to Santiago. Now that I am 61, it seemed to be a natural time to make a transition.”
While his father was not in the cigar business during his exile in the U-S and upon the family’s return to Santiago in 1961, young José hung around with his cousin Jochi at his uncle’s farm and cigar factory. Blanco had his first cigar at age 14 from his uncle’s Tamboril factory even though his father said he would have to wait until he was 16. During the late 60s, José moved back to New York for college, but the lure of good jobs soon took him away from school life.
By 1974, he moved back to the Dominican Republic to work as a salesman for a rum maker.
6 years later, Blanco joined Grupo León Jimenes to help sell its new beer. He moved up within the company to become manager of Presidente beer and Marlboro cigarettes –even though he remained loyal to cigars and never smoked cigarettes.
When Guillermo León took over the company’s cigar operations, La Aurora, he asked José to help with tasting panels because he knew of Blanco’s love for cigars and his terrific palate. Eventually in 1999, Blanco moved over to La Aurora in 1999 as sales director, a position he has held ever since.
When asked about his future plans, Blanco says he will be going to the IPCPR in Las Vegas next month to present his blending seminar as scheduled and spend some time in the La Aurora booth. Then he intends to take a nice long vacation…but after that? Who knows? Blanco says he will still be involved in the cigar business because it is in his blood.
