George Rico "The Mind"

[Stogie]

George Rico "The Mind"
By: Daniel Lopez
Editor: Sibyl Spencer-Hilton

Throughout your life you meet many people that teach you things. Some teach you more than you expect and I have to say, without a doubt, this is the case with George Rico and the time I spent time with him in Honduras and Nicaragua.
With a shaved head and distinctive arrowhead goatee, George Rico, of Gran Habano cigars, is truely a person with much to teach about living life. Let me caution you, if you expect to keep up with George, be ready for a crash course in his two true passions of family and cigars. I say family because George taught me how a close family can work together and have fun as well. George is very fortunate to be at a point in his life where working hard in close quarters with his family for so many years has paid off way beyond any monetary numbers.

I finally had a chance to put a face with a voice after talking with George for almost six months about cigars. The Houston RTDA (Retail Tobacco Dealers Association) would set the stage for good things to come.

The day before RTDA at Robusto's cigar shop in Katy, Texas I was introduced to George and his father, Guillermo Rico. Guillermo seemed very comfortable and along with the crowd he was enjoying a nice 3 Siglos. Now, you have to remember Gran Habano’s 3 Siglos brand cigars have flavors and complexity beyond what most cigar pallets can handle. You see the flavors, aromas, and finish just keep hitting you over and over again. We spoke more and he told me that he likes to do projects that challenge him and that seems to keep his skills sharpened.

At one point during our conversation that evening, I shared what I had learned from creating CigarLive. George asked me which topics CigarLive members talk about most. I told him one topic on CigarLive that continually arises, is discussion about how powerful a cigar is and just out of curiosity, I asked him if it was possible to create a blend so flavorful that it hits you with intense flavor and complexity without a knock-down strength. George and I talked more about the possibilities of creating a new cigar for CigarLive.com. We both enjoyed our conversation and agreed to see each other at RTDA.

Of course when you are taking orders for some of the hottest cigars out you are going to be very busy. For this reason I had noticed George was tied up most of the time at RTDA but in visiting with him on the last night of the show we made plans to meet at the lobby bar and have a drink for further discussion. A few drinks later, and George and I were exchanging ideas and brainstorming developing a new blend. One thing I knew is that I have no idea how to make a blend. I simply asked George questions to find out if certain things were actually possible in blending. Some questions I asked George he would immediately pause, and then take it on as a personal challenge. I was beginning to see if anyone could blend the type of cigar I had in mind, it was going to be George Rico. It was rewarding talking with George and tossing around ideas, but when, in the course of our conversation he invited me to Honduras to see the blending process I thought "Did he just say what I think he said?" Enthusiastically, I accepted in near disbelief.

As weeks went on after the RTDA I was pretty busy with the growth of CigarLive.com and I was spending more and more time in trying to pursue different avenues to expose CigarLive.com to more people. I started working with photographers and models to put together a basis for a foundation of advertisement that would be very classy but ride the edge a bit. There is a fine line and I wanted us to be right on that line.

In early October I spoke with George and found he still wanted to move forward with his project. I still could not believe I was going to be involved, but I knew it was a great opportunity for me to learn. Juggling our busy schedules, we planned my visit for November 26th.

George told me to meet him in Honduras and to not worry about anything - someone would pick me up. I have to admit I had never used my passport and I was a bit unsure about visiting another country but George’s personality gives you the feeling there is nothing to worry about. I knew it was time to get my stuff packed and get to Honduras.

Day 1

November 26th I fly from Houston heading into the unknown hoping I remembered everything I need. With half my wardrobe in a giant suitcase, I barely met the 50 pound checked bag limit. Now, remember, I am Hispanic, however, I do not speak Spanish fluently, so I am hoping my imposing size keeps me from being an easy target for people thinking it is funny I only speak English. A couple of hours into the flight we hit some bumps and I am reminded what I have been told about landing in Honduras. It was quite an adventure. As we approach the airstrip, the pilot begins banking hard lefts and the plane looses altitude so we are flying so low I see inside houses. We clear a few power lines by what seemed like inches, and landed with the brakes on stopping 300 feet from the end of the runway.

When I reach the crowd of people waiting at the exit, I see a young, clean-cut man holding a sign with my name. I walk up to him and he introduces himself as Eldher, General Manager of the Gran Habano farms. Eldher is George’s cousin and is very soft spoken, but also seems to have a calming affect on everyone around him.
While we wait for George’s flight to arrive, Eldher and I went to a restaurant in Tegucigalpa where I had the best churrasco steak I have ever eaten. I also met George’s cousin, Sergio, who is the go-to-guy in Honduras for Gran Habano. Sergio is in college and handles anything that needs to be taken care of for the Gran Habano team. Before I know it, it is time to pick up George at the airport and I am feeling totally comfortable with Eldher and already enjoying my stay.

George makes his way through the exit, Louis Vuitton bag over his shoulder, and tells me he is ready to start the project. We make our way out of the airport and begin driving to Danli, Honduras. As dusk hits, we travel down winding roads with Eldher, "Mario Andretti", at the wheel. Honduras has few traffic laws, and the ones they have are not followed. Eldher has mastered the art of a blind curve pass on a winding road so you hardly get scared at all. As we drive through the night, we talk about different ideas for the new cigar blend and how it will look. I ask George how some of the sizes and shapes of his cigars got their names which leads to George quickly to deciding against our initial idea of creating a box pressed torpedo.
He explains how he wants the blend to have a new shape and unique name. George explains that the shape must be different and instantly the name of the shape becomes " La Revolucion". The new cigar is already coming together.



We make our way to a beautiful house with all the amenities of home but landscaped as a tropical rain forest. It is time to smoke some cigars and a 3 Siglos sounds like a perfect way to start. As George and I smoke, we talk about the blending process and what is ahead in the days to come. George says that during blending there is no telling how many different cigars we will smoke to get the perfect blend. We eat and discuss with Eldher and Karina about what the blend will consist of. Eldher explains how you can change the fertilizer contents to change the tobacco. Karina is the Manager of the factory in Honduras and works with Eldher to adjust the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content depending on what she tastes in the tobacco. Karina has a palette truly like no other female in the country. As the night goes on, we talk about the country around us and what to expect to see the next day.

Day2

November 27th in Danli, Honduras I wake up to sounds of morning wildlife outside my bedroom window. Today is the day I have been looking forward to and I do not want to miss anything. Eldher drives George and I to the factory in Danli. We reach Danli and make our way along a side road leading to the entrance of the factory, GR Tabacaleras Unidas. The factory was founded in 1995 by Guillermo and George Rico and became much more than just a father-son business. Everything in the factory is done with family pride and Rico family members are employed throughout the organization. Family pride is present immediately when the gate open, as the road goes from dirt to concrete and an armed guard waves at George. The factory is an impressive brick compound with parking in the center and the bustle of employees walking from building to building as if it is a small city. Getting around the factory takes time because each building is huge.

The first thing I learn about is how after the tobacco leaves are brought from the curing barns in the fields of Gran Habano, they are sorted, wetted, and placed into pilones - bunches of tobacco leaves stacked for fermenting. Watching the workers arrange the pilones is fascinating and, in fact, it seems like each set of leaves is intended to be in a certain place. The pilones are monitored very carefully. The temperature rises to a certain point and may maintain that consistency until the time it is ready to be flipped. Then, the whole process of arranging the leaves happens again in another area. As the pilones sit, they give off toxins released during fermentation. This is just one step in the fermentation process after the leaves arrive from the barns.



As we walk through buildings filled with pilones, I notice a strong smell of ammonia. To George, the smell is familiar, but to me, it is pretty intense and makes my eyes water. We enter another room with trays of tobacco curing on areas stacked like crates. The smell is so intense I have to step out. When I return, George explains ovens are located below us. I could not believe how overwhelming the ammonia smell was to me. I wonder "am I really such a wimp that a little ammonia bothers me?" I conclude the answer is yes because no one else in the room even noticed.
As we walk, George is smoking his own personal Lancero his rollers made just for him. George tells me to get ready for a treat and I think as long as it is out of the room with the ammonia I am happy to see it.

Every Cigar Enthusiasts Dream

As we enter a giant room through double doors, I am greeted by the amazing smell of well-aged tobacco and never-ending shelves of cigars. George explains the room houses over 2 million cigars! As we walk through the room, my nose picks up smell after smell, I notice the feeling of perfect humidity and the aroma soaks into my clothes. It is like being in an art museum only you can touch the art work. Cabs of 50 cigars fill the endless rows labeled with the year, size, and type of cigar. George points out vitola after vitola of different blends. Being in that room changed how I look at my humidors at home. As I searched the room for a place to sit I remember thinking to myself, "I can not believe I am here".

The next building has tables with piles of tobacco. We watch as women sort tobacco into piles according to color. The finer looking tobacco is used as wrappers and is sent to another area to be tied into tobacco bales. Filler and binder tobacco is also sorted and sent for baling. We watch as the tobacco is placed in wooden boxes with breakaway sides, then pressed to one third its original size. George says the bales are placed in another area to age or to sell. The amount of tobacco that GR Tabacaleras processes is way beyond what you might imagine. For the most part, the public is not aware of how big they actually are, and George is low-key about it. His family is very proud of the tobacco they grow and the cigars they produce. George gets his hands dirty everyday to ensure all procedures are done properly. I notice George greets each and every worker and I can see they know they are part of the Gran Habano family. I was surprised that George takes such a hands-on approach to teaching me the process.



On to the rolling room … You may have seen rolling room pictures or videos on the internet or on TV, but seeing it in person is completely different. We walk to the front of the rolling room and George explains the best rollers sit in the front. I get a quick introduction to his best rollers and then we walk up and down the aisles as George inspects production.



A worker walks up carrying some Lanceros – one of George’s favorites. I watch on as the rollers’ hands move in a specific motion each time. Later, I watch the rollers from George's office as one of the rollers on the back row actually roll to the rhythm of the music playing over the speakers. The rollers are modern day tobacco craftsmen and these highly skilled rollers will stay with the Gran Habano family. The bell rings and workers move outside to the enjoy the cool breezes. Although the this tabacalera has an onsite cafeteria, George tells me we will have lunch at his uncle's house.

At the house of Reynaldo we are treated to lunch by George's aunt and we have a meal fit for a king. Reynaldo is George's uncle and he is the master carpenter for the Gran Habano factory. Chicken and yuka are today’s treat. With a full belly and ready to get to work. George and I head back to the factory to get started on the blend.

Lights, Camera, Action

One thing we decided when we started talking about this cigar is that we would share the entire process of making a cigar with CigarLive.com members which is more meaningful than telling members a new cigar is coming. We want to show concept to reality and document the whole process. One thing that we are blessed with is a community of cigar smokers who have ideas about what they want in a cigar. As CigarLive.com has developed, I have created in my mind the perfect cigar and that cigar is what I will challenge George to blend.
I told George my taste in cigars will change as the years go on so we decide to change the blend of Live every year. We determine to really focus our efforts in a single cigar since there will be only one blend and size per year. I also explain that keeping production small makes it special and will make a special cigar every year. Who knows, maybe next years cigar will be a Lancero or Robusto. Live 2008 will have a unique size called La Revolucion which will be based on a Figurado. I explain to George that I want people in New York to be smoking the same cigar as people in California. With one size and blend I can assure this and that is what I really want. I tell George that when I created CigarLive.com there was a dream that has not been fulfilled yet. I want people to get together at events and I would like to attend these events. Since traveling and promoting CigarLive.com is very costly the selling of this cigar will give me a chance to get out to different cities around the United States. I do not plan on CigarLive.com standing still. I want it to be always moving forward. George explains he really wants to make this a special cigar for us.

We get started by video taping the concept of LIVE by Gran Habano and how we came up with the idea for the look of the products simple packaging. You do not smoke the box but we will do a few things to make it a bit different. At this time Reynaldo the master carpenter is working on the box in the Gran Habano box factory and at the same time a branding iron is being welded for use in branding the top of the box with the word "LIVE".



Next we make our way down to an area of the factory that George has set up to film the making of our blends with plenty of light and finished with cedar walls for a nice video area. He has a two person team of rollers and their tables brought into the area so that we can capture the bunching and rolling of the cigars on video as we talk about the prospective blends. George starts from the beginning with an explanation of tobacco that we will work with for the blends that have all been pulled from the pilones right there at the factory. George goes on to explain to the audience that it may take five to 50 tries to get the perfect blend and we will work on it until it is perfect. After hours of filming we have four different blends with 10 cigars of each ready to try.

Since there are no molds made for the size and shape of cigar we chose the roller forms a prototype in the traditional way of using newspaper as a mold. This is definitely some work that only strong fingers can handle as the roller forms a perfect torpedo. As the evening is upon us George explains some of the family is coming over to the house tonight to eat with us and smoke the blends. You see this is a family cigar factory and family will smoke with us tonight.

Ready to Smoke

We are back at the house and it is time for relaxing and smoking. George, Eldher, Karina, and I fire up a few of the blends as we wait for more of the family to arrive. We start with blend number one and I quickly realize this is going to be difficult. The difficult part is going to be picking out the small differences in the blends. Out of the four blends they will all be of excellent quality and construction so how do you choose? I notice that George is smoking very slowly which is different than how he smokes throughout the day. I can tell he is concentrating on each aspect of the cigar. This is not going to be a fast process and George isn’t in a hurry.

I too concentrate on smoking while I listen to George. He explains how his passion for cigars is something he takes very seriously. He tells me that in the late 90s they had a small blue house and they started with four rollers. He says "The roof leaked but it was ours and that is all that mattered to my father". George remembers back to those days and what it took to get to the current level. He and his father built the business little by little but they had two things they believed in: a good product and pride in what they made. A few years later they bought the land where the factory sits now and built everything brick by brick. Yes, they even poured their own bricks one by one. He talks about how he takes pride in his work because they worked so hard for years and he cherishes the Gran Habano name.

Family arrives and gather to talk about the blends. Karina, the factory manager, has a superb pallet and can pick out the smallest changes in the blends. She quickly picks out things in the cigars that I do not realize are there such as a small kick in the throat. Explaining how the cigar develops as time goes on, I realize that she is much more than just a manager. Throughout the trip I see she is key to quality at the factory, and has a strict eye for perfection. Nothing gets by her and no cigar leaves with out here approval.

We work our way to the third blend and my tongue and pallet are feeling flavor everywhere. At this point dinner is ready. As members of the family sit around the table the laughter and complete happiness reminds me of my family at home. The difference is I see my family all together once a year and George works with his family every day. I have never seen family so happy to be around each other.

Blend number one was great until I had blend number two. Then, I liked blend two but blend three was better. Ok, so do you see a pattern here? It is all good stuff so I ask George how do you pick one? George explains you will know it when you smoke it. Now we are on blend four and it is rocking me pretty hard with full flavor. I look over and Karina is back to blowing it out her nose like nothing. Eldher is smoking his blend three and talking about the front half of his tongue. I look to George and he is still concentrating on blend three. I tell him that blend four is much stronger and that it is full body indeed. We talk more about how strength is important but the flavor is what I want more than anything in a cigar.



As time goes on George makes his way to blend four and is about a third of the way in it when he starts talking about blend five and six. He explains his idea for blend number five and six and how he will tackle the flavor profile more. At this point I can hardly keep my eyes open and a nice shower and warm bed is sounding pretty good. I fight to stay awake and keep my eyes open as the last of the visitors say good night.

Day 3

Day 3 started bright and early as George and I head to the factory to work on blend five and six. A great breakfast of huevos revueltos and arepas ensures a successful day. After breakfast, Karina brings the next blends. George and I sit down to smoke blend five when George notices the wrapper is not what he picked. We remove half of the wrapper at the bottom to smoke only the filler and binder and get an idea of what the blend is like without the wrapper. I really felt that this was a lot like blend number one. Today is the day George plans to take me to one of his fields and to a processing facility so we pack up a few essentials, such as water and blend six for the road.



As I wait for George to take care of some factory business, I start to smoke blend number six. Right from the start I love the smoke and flavor. Could this be the cigar? Could this be the one? I notice the wrapper feels like velvet and as I smoke it, an inner white ring is in the center of the ash.



The burn is perfect with a black burn line and a perfectly packed ash. Ok, here is the test: I want to see if when I ashed, the cone would be evident. I touch the ash tray and am happy to see a perfect cone on the tip of the cigar. A sure sign this cigar was burning perfectly inside and out and I am freakin’ loving it.



Eldher, George and I head down the road toward the border between Honduras and Nicaragua as we all smoke blend six together. As we travel I realize I was smoking something like I had never smoked before. This cigar is strong but I am not sweating or feeling it in my stomach. Instead, gradually, I take a longer time between inhaling the smoke and notice my jaw is feeling it. Imagine a flavor so strong and perfect that it hits you in the jaw. As we reach the border George says he feels the cigar is pretty full too. Why is this cigar not giving me the usual light headed feeling of a strong cigar? Why am I feeling it in the jaw? We continue to smoke as we make our way into Nicaragua.

Nicaragua

As we pass through the country George continues explaining every part of the country to me. It seems that George knows not only what is current in the world around him as he explains the history of the land and people of Nicaragua. I realize that getting a chance to interact one on one with someone like George is a treat.



As we make a stop at a small store we grab chips and a soda and George explains how Coke Cola is made from pure cane sugar which is why it tastes better. Everywhere we go George tells me about how the valleys were gouged out by floods caused by hurricanes and the devastation that followed. He gives me true insight on the war that filled the streets of Nicaragua and I realize in the United States it was something I didn’t learn much about. He talks about the war and I see how much he cares about the people of Nicaragua and he wants to explain to you why. George is not just a person passing through the countries where he has traveled but he soaks up everything like a sponge for knowledge. You can talk to him about anything at all and he is curious - not just in the overall subject, but for the intricate details about the subject. His mind never rests and it is evident that the attention to detail is carried out in his work. He is going to make Live a great cigar.

Guacamaya Nursery

As we see field after field of tobacco we pull off the main highway onto a side road. We approach the nursery called Guacamaya Nursery which is the Spanish name for a toucan. This state-of-the-art nursery has modern day technology combined with traditional ways of planting to ensure little loss - if any at all - in the small plants they grow. Each small pod includes a single seed grown in the nursery and then transplanted into the field when it gets to a specific size.



We approach a concrete slab with the seedlings that will be grown at that nursery. Teams of women check the containers and ensure only one plant is growing in each so each seedling has a strong start in life. I meet Oswaldo, the manager of the nursery, and Celio, one of George's nursery foreman. I take a few pictures as George explains the process of ensuring each seedling gets the right amount of water and nutrition. The sprinklers kick on and I snap a few pictures of the nursery team.



Tobacco barns are located at the back of the nursery past another concrete slab poured for another nursery house. You can tell from the new buildings at each facility that Gran Habano is always moving forward and constantly maintains the level excellence of their product. We tour the barns and I look over and see beans. George explains they grow beans in some of the fields.



I look around at the mountains and feel the perfect weather which gives me a refreshing sensation and feel so grateful for this experience. The barns that house the crops of the upcoming season are simply amazing. Right now they are empty and the tobacco is already in Jalapa - next destination on our trip.

Jalapa, Nicaragua

We leave the nursery and make our way to a warehouse facility of Gran Habano located in Jalapa, Nicaragua. Now, before I tell you about the warehouse in Jalapa, I must tell you about my new favorite meal. Chicken Chimole is a treat that George had brought to us. This is a meal I will never forget. We tour the warehouses and walk through more processing buildings filled with pilones of tobacco. Tobacco and more tobacco …. were does it end? We notice one of the trucks is about to leave so I take some quick pictures with George before it leaves.



Next, we head out to the patio and sit in rocking chairs. I decide to do a quick audio clip with George. Oswaldo sits down and makes himself comfortable and I notice he had a pretty cool new gun. As most of the men in the world, guys love guns and Oswaldo and George are not new to the latest in gun technology. The STEYR M-A1 is the new pistol of choice and with 15+1 rounds it will get the job done. Oswaldo removes the clip and checks the chamber before we pass the gun around for a closer look. Only when Oswaldo has the gun back in his possession does he put the clip back in the gun. Gun safety is very important and these guys know every detail about the guns they own. One thing I notice are the adjustable sights for windage, which are pretty cool. George lights up another cigar and we leave the facility to head back to Danli, Honduras.



Leaving Nicaragua

The music is loud as we make our way down winding roads headed back to Honduras. We encounter a giant tarantula in the road during the drive and take care of it with the vehicle we are in. Night in Nicaragua is a cool as we take a detour to see a town George wants me to see. Teotecacinte, Nicaragua is one of the most amazing places in Nicaragua. The architecture of the town takes you back to long ago. George explains how the houses have giant courtyards inside and that the mayor lives close to the church. Everyone is out at night and the music fits the mood as we make our way down the streets and out of the city. We cross a small "Lemon Bridge". George tells me they are called "Lemon Bridges" because they only work sometimes. At least they are only one lane wide, right?

Last night in Honduras

We head back to the house and discuss blend 6 again along the way. I tell George that I love the cigar because it is full of flavor. He explains that it now has flavor but it needs complexity. He says that he will work on it but that we need to blend further. George doesn’t care if it takes five blends or fifty – the cigar must be perfect for the family name. The discussions about the blend continue. So much effort for a single blend! George explains since we are blending a smaller size cigar, he will modify the blend for the ring gauge and size we pick after it is done. More changes will then need to be made to give the full experience when smoking the shape of the cigar. The size "La Revolucion" is a new size so George plans to order the molds for it. We talk about plans to finish but we are weeks away from the factory closing for the holidays. Plans to come back to Honduras will be made when the factory opens again. In the mean time I will go back to Houston and work on getting the videos edited of our first session of blending.

In the morning we wake up and make our way to the airport to drop off George. I thank George with a hearty man hug as I feel like he is a brother. My flight back to Houston is a few hours after his so Eldher and Karina take me to a five star Hotel for breakfast with Sergio.



We take a few pictures of the three together with Eldher wearing a traditional columbian hat. I plan to stay in touch with them and I explain that I will create the videos in a way that will hopefully give CigarLive members a true sense of family and the way Gran Habano treated me like part of their family. I will never forget this experience.



I make my flight back to Houston and stay in touch with George over the next few weeks. The holidays pass and we make arrangements for our second trip. Time to go back and finish the project. I look to bring you into the next phase of blending when I return from my next trip.

Thank you George Rico and the Gran Habano Family for treating me to a few day in your family.

[vicegrips.ceo.]

stogie, great insight into the forging of a new blend. thank you for including your afterthoughts and overall summary of the process that you and george rico went through to make live. it only enhances my appreciation and need to try this cigar.

keep doing what you are doing,
matt

[Bigfoot]

A great story, thanks for sharing!!

[Rowdymon-cl]

Dude that's just awesome...

I'm excited for you and at the same time, excited for all of us...

Thanks for the look into a couple of days with a Cigar Family.

[sofaman]

Stogie, thanks for sharing this great experance with us. I cant wait to try the (LIVE)

[ER Doc]

Great story, Stogie. Thanks for giving us a little more insight into your trip and the development of "Live". So frickin' cool!

[jitzy]

This really is a great exciting time for cigar live thanks for sharing this experiance with all of us.

[kass]

Man, I need to read all that when I'm not so drunk!!

[Stogie]

I really can not thank the editor enough. I had a pretty roughly written story and she polished it up perfectly.

Editor: Sibyl Spencer-Hilton "Tekeeladude's Wife"

[Rowdymon-cl]

Originally Posted by Stogie

I really can not thank the editor enough. I had a pretty roughly written story and she polished it up perfectly.

Editor: Sibyl Spencer-Hilton "Tekeeladude's Wife"

Awesome...thanks Sibyl...

Now the question on everyone's minds...

When can we expect these to be available?

*grin*

[Matt257]

Thanks for sharing your experience. sounds like you had a great time. It must have been amazing

[cybervee-cl]

Wow. What an awesome experience. Thanks for sharing it so vividly.

[koapoorpeople]

Quality time with quality people.
I really enjoyed reading about your trip to Gran Habano Cigars
It is easy to forget all of the handwork that goes into making a quality product, you go to your local B&M grab a stick and sit back and enjoy it, there is a lot more to it.

It sounds like you were welcomed into the home of an A1 guy, and thanks for taking me along for the trip!

[Stogie]

Originally Posted by koapoorpeople

Quality time with quality people.
I really enjoyed reading about your trip to Gran Habano Cigars
It is easy to forget all of the handwork that goes into making a quality product, you go to your local B&M grab a stick and sit back and enjoy it, there is a lot more to it.

It sounds like you were welcomed into the home of an A1 guy, and thanks for taking me along for the trip!

Yes George welcomed me but you see he treats each and every person at the factory like his family. For this reason the workers really take pride in what they do.

I am going back this week and I plan to try to get some video of the making of some of his other cigars. I spoke with him yesterday and we might try to do a walk through of the factory on video.

[kass]

Great write up Stogie! Thanks for sharing.