First Look
A look at the newest cigars. If you have a cigar most of us haven't seen yet, send us a regular photo, digital photo or scan of a photo and we'll include the cigar on this page. Contact the News Editor for details.
Defiance: Xikar
Dear XIKAR Friend,
For over ten years, we have worked diligently
to bring you the best
thing to happen to cigars since fire. During that time, we've come to know many
of the world's finest cigar makers - and taste their best
creations.
When it came time to create XIKAR's first cigar, we knew that the cigar maker had to share our obsession of a quality product from start to finish. Our treasure hunt began to find just that maker & that perfect cigar to smoke morning, noon or night. We are proud to say that the search is over. Defiance™ Cigars, handmade by our great friends Jesus Fuego & Tobacos, S.A., are truly a treasure to enjoy this summer:
Now get a taste of YOUR new favorite cigar...on us!! From the rave reviews, we know you won't be disappointed.
Sincerely,
Kurt Van Keppel
President
|
FREE DEFIANCE CIGAR!
 Print off this voucher History, Heritage & Quality Our great friend Jesus Fuego brings immense history, heritage &
quality to the cigars he creates.  Born & raised on one of 4 farms in the renowned Pinar Del Rio region of Cuba, (links to Wikipedia.com) Jesus learned how to
grow, age, blend and roll the best tobaccos to make best cigars. Years
later, he left his homeland to create many cigar blends you enjoy today. Jesus now owns and operates his own cigar enterprise JFuego and makes Defiance
Cigars for XIKAR. Jesus Fuego's talent for creating great tasting cigars makes him a
rising star among today's tobacco blenders. To read more about him, his
philosophy on cigars and what life was like growing up in the business, click here. Photos: (Top) Jesus Fuego, Scott A. and Nestor Placencia Sr. discuss fermentation options in a curing barn in Honduras. (Bottom) a supervisor inspects cigars during production. During the RTDA, Cigar Weekly met with representatives of the company.
Xikar, the cutlery company is admired for
their innovative cigar cutters. Andy O'Dwyer spoke to us for a moment
telling us about their new cigar, and the program that accompanies it.
The cigar line is called "Defiance."
This year's Defiance is definitely only Phase 1. It's rolled by Jesus Fuego who previously worked for Nestor Plasencia and more recently Rocky Patel. The Defiance is Xikar's way of "putting their money where their mouth is" as 5% of all proceeds from sales will go to statewide coalitions in the state where the cigar is sold. That state coalition will hopefully begin to work politically in that state to fight smoking bans and tobacco taxes. Xikar is tying this to a centralized website for all their retailers in order to keep track of what's going into each state's coalition's coffers and keep up-to-date with the effort. It is hoped that Phase 2 will incorporate other brands of cigars, with Padron being mentioned as a contributor for next year. Defiance is presented with a double band (a large Defiance band and a smaller band with the brand of cigar, this year's version, and one bearing the Xikar brand). These are rolled in Nicaragua in 4 sizes. Andy O'Dwyer stated that "this can't just be marketing, it has to be a concerted, sustained effort." |
New Generations Making Timeless Creations
Defiance Cigar blender, Jesus Fuego.
On our quest to find the finest cigars, every road led to Jesus Fuego. His rich heritage - a fifth generation Cuban tobacco grower and expert blender, has resulted in this perfectly balanced cigar. Smooth and rich, has an incredibly luxurious Cuban seed shade grown Criollo wrapper aged 4 years. Enjoy!
Jesus Fuego: History, Heritage & Mastery
On our quest to find the finest cigars, every road led to Jesus Fuego.
- 5th Generation Cuban tobacco grower & expert blender
- Grew up and mastered cigar production in the world cradle of renowned tobaccos: Pinar Del Rio, Cuba
- Taught Agronomy (post harvesting aging & blending) in Cuban universities
- Currently blends some of the finest cigars available today
BE DEFIANT.
Guardian Instigator Renegade Sentry