Paradiso or San Cristobal as known in the USA is born from an extensive Cuban tradition at the hands of celebrated cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia. Known today as simply “Pepin,” Garcia began rolling cigars at the age of eleven in Cuba where he rose to prominence as a master cigar-maker over the course of a distinguished, decades-long career. Pepin immigrated to the U.S. in the early 2000s.

With the help of his family, Pepin began reshaping his destiny as a maker of high-end premium cigars for the U.S. market by establishing a handful of smaller boutique brands in Miami’s Little Havana district. Pepin’s medium to full-bodied blends were drawn from potent but enticing Nicaraguan tobaccos. In them, he found a genuine reflection of Cuban cigars, and with them, he captured the attention of cigar lovers and critics everywhere.

Pepin’s emergence as a maker of premium Nicaraguan cigars is owed to an ever-present collaboration with his son, Jaime Garcia. Together, the father-and-son cigar-makers discovered a strong, mutual bond with Robert Levin and Sathya Levin, the father-and-son owners of the iconic Ashton brand.

The two families developed a relationship in the early 2000s when the Levins began to explore the potential of expanding their brand portfolio with a focus on Nicaraguan cigars. Upon meeting the Garcias, the Levins were immensely impressed by Pepin and Jaime’s passion for tobacco and their talent as first-class cigar-makers.

The Levins invited the Garcias to blend a series of prototype cigars. A natural synergy between both families emerged. In 2006, they forged a partnership and christened their new endeavor, San Cristobal, a registered U.S. trademark held by the Levins since the 1980s.

San Cristobal officially launched in 2007. Since its inception, the brand has been regarded for a number of highly rated, high-profile releases that exemplify Pepin’s finest work and a shared commitment between the Garcias and the Levins to produce the finest cigars in the world.

Today, the brand’s versatile portfolio pays homage to an unrivaled Garcia family legacy rooted in tradition and dedication to the craft of cigar making. Pepin and Jaime influence every San Cristobal cigar with an unwavering regard for cultivating, aging, and blending fine tobacco to achieve an evolution of taste and aroma that began generations ago. Savor a journey of determination, revival, and distinction from San Cristobal.

Papagayo XXL

Tobacco Origins

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