R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I was reading a couple of articles last night and I discovered an interesting article. Among all the political downfall and societal turbulence of anti smoking campaigns I was reading that even still, cigar lounges and swanky cigar friendly bars are on the rise. This is a testament of that basic American spirit of freedom and entrepreneurship.

For example, one of the articles published by Miami New Times talks about how two sisters, Yvonne and Yvette Rodriguez, started Miami’s first Afro-Cuban, woman-owned cigar business. The two sisters took a visit to one of Cubas cigar factories and found that most of the workers deveining the leaves and rolling the cigars are Afro-Cuban women. Yvette says after opening the cigar shop “As women in a male-driven industry, it was more of a shock to the men when we would walk into a cigar shop,” Yvette says. “I embrace the shock.”

This example is a testimony that even though the FDA is trying to shut the cigar industry down, our community stays strong and continues to build and thrive. It’s encouraging to read about this knowing that we as cigar connoisseurs are here to stay!