Juan de León, 1901 Papuro’s Master Blender

Juan de León was born in Tamboril, province of Santiago, Dominican Republic, where since childhood he was always surrounded by tobacco leaves learning the art of cigar making, and once an adult, that of blending. Now he has 30 years of experience in the industry and four leading his own company.

In the tobacco factory that bears his name, the mission is clear: to take the ideas and memories of customers to achieve a blend that represents them. In this way, he took the history of Marcos Pérez, CEO of 1901 Papuro, and transformed the essence of the grandfather into a set of tobacco leaves that create reminiscences with every puff.

The creation process of the brand’s main line took more than three months; time during which, through a process of trial and error, Juan worked on a balanced cigar that would provide different sensations when smoking each of the selected formats.

He explains that adapting a family story to a cigar is based on the descriptions of the smoking experience being sought, and the Master Blender’s job is to identify the origin of these sensations in the different varieties of leaves to be used.

“Grandpa Papuro had his personal tastes, and from there come the flavors and aromas that are described today in three available formats,” he says.

The Robusto gives off a pleasant flavor to the palate, very smooth; the Toro is stronger, with notes of pepper in the nose, with a slight, vein-like dryness that is felt, and the Torpedo is stronger, with aromas and notes that linger in the nose and mouth.

For Juan de León, when a Master Blender finishes his work, the satisfaction is enormous. “It’s something like being a parent, with that desire to go out and show off the new creation to the world, because balancing the tobaccos, placing them in the right position, and obtaining the right color of the ash is the result of hard work.”

While there is a great responsibility to the workers of Tabacalera Juan de León and their families, the main responsibility is the reputation of the private brands produced there, because if someone smokes a bad cigar, they will be disappointed. And as in the case of 1901 Papuro, that’s where their biggest commitment lies.