There are some incredible heroes within the cigar industry. Some are typical big hitters well-known by many, but others aren’t in the spotlight. These geniuses deserve to be shouted about, and we’re here to bring light to those incredible heroes you may be missing out on.

As a smoker, you may have experienced some of the most delicious and premium cigar blends out there without having an idea of who is the artists behind the blend.

When we’re talking about unsung heroes, we mean those who might be behind the scenes but still contributed to the success of other premium cigar brands and didn’t take the credit they deserved.

We discussed some of our favorite unsung heroes in episode 160 of The Long Ash podcast. We want to discuss it with our Blending Room audience and bring light to those who started with nothing and grew an empire dedicated to pleasing your palate.

Famous worldwide for some of the top-rated offerings and exceptional smokes, Arturo Fuente Cigars has a fantastic back story. The company began in 1912 and Carlito Fuente is a third generation cigar maker, and the president of A. Fuente & Co. Carlito is also a chairman and visionary of Arturo Fuente and played a vital role in the transformation of the brand.

Carlito expanded A. Fuente & Company from a tiny company in Ybor City, Florida, into one of the world’s most famous premium hand-rolled cigar manufacturers, with multiple operations around the globe.

He has resurrected some of the best cigars in the industry and trained modern cigar rollers to create  the old shapes and sizes of cigars. This expert craftsmanship has created some of his generation’s most extraordinary cigar art.

Carlito co-founded the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation in 2001, which the United Nations recognizes as a model community in the Dominican Republic for social responsibility.

The foundation has funded the creation of a 23-acre campus K-12 school that boasts various advantageous amenities. These include a community kitchen, medical and dental clinics, sports facilities, and an organic farm and fishery. The foundation also aided with local infrastructure improvements for the region around Chateau de la Fuente, serving over 5,000 families in the area.

Carlos also established the Fuente Family Foundation to continue the family’s charitable activities in the U.S. The foundation significantly supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Dan Marino Foundation for Autistic Children, and many more charities within the U.S.

Famous worldwide for its consistently top-rated offerings and exceptional tobaccos, Arturo Fuente cigars are the preferred brand for fans who expect only the best from their cigars. With such a rich history as a family of cigar makers and charitable contributions, we feel Arturo Fuente and his cigar company deserves more recognition.

Drew Estate Cigars was founded by Johnathan Drew and Marvin Samel in 1996. This dynamic duo opened a small cigar stand in the heart of the World Trade Center.

A major cigar boom bubbled in the 1990s, and Drew Estate Cigars was looking for inspiration. In 1998, Jonathan traveled to Nicaragua to learn about the business of cigar making.

When Drew returned from Nicaragua in 1999, he brought something that would change the cigar landscape forever — ACID Cigars. At the time, flavored cigars were seen as covering up the flavors of poor tobacco, but the ACID line set out to change that perception and succeeded.

Today, ACID boasts an incredible portfolio of colorful blends and is a best-selling brand. After the success of ACID, 2007 saw the release of the traditionally styled and always in-demand cigar Liga Privada No. 9.

This cigar is a buttery smooth, full-bodied smoke that offers tasty notes of earth, chocolate, black pepper, cinnamon, and sweet cream. This delightful cigar is a cult classic and won the palates of seasoned fans nationwide, boosting Drew Estate into one of the top-selling premium cigars.

The varied Drew Estate cigars portfolio carries a smoke to please the palate of any cigar lover, and the incredible work of Jonathan Drew has pushed the brand to be one of the top-rated in the industry.

Pete Johnson grew up in the cigar industry and puffed on his first premium cigar during his early days of playing in a band. After this, Pete made friendships with excellent cigar makers and launched a cigar brand named Tatuaje.

It all started at Gus’ Smoke Shop. Pete worked part-time on Sundays in the shop’s humidor and carefully mixed the pipe tobacco. Simple working on Sundays turned into a full-time job within six months, and Pete was the chief cigar buyer. He explored cigars through taste, smell, and sense, and learned more about Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran blends.

After a while, Pete left this job and stayed out of the retail business for six months. During this time, he explored cigar shops and factories and tried to manufacture his own cigar, but couldn’t find someone to make the brand.

Later down the line, in 1996, The Grand Havana Room experienced an issue with their humidor, and Pete got into a conversation with Stan Shuster, who had plans to open stores. After meeting Pete, he decided to bring him in for his expertise.

In Los Angeles in April 2003, Pete met with José Garcia, who they called Pepin. They discussed cigars and Cuba. At some point, Pete went to get a Cuban out of his cigar humidor stash, and that is how it all began.

The first batch of cigars was 50 boxes of each size. Pete was able to sell them in the Grand Havana clubs in June. At this point in time, it was just a hobby, but by 2006, Pete realized he would need to do this full-time.

Tatuaje is one of the most popular cigar brands in America, established over ten years ago. Manufactured at the famous My Father Cigar factory in Nicaragua, these premium smokers are not ones you want to miss out on.

This incredible lineup boasts countless 90-plus rated tobacco blends and carries an award-winning reputation from medium to full-bodied offerings such as the Reserva, Miami, Havana VI, and more.

Pete Johnson had a mission to create a boutique cigar that would cater to the refined palate of today’s cigar enthusiasts. And he successfully did just that! We think that’s something that deserves more recognition from across the industry.

Manuel Quesada is a prominent figure in the cigar industry known for his expertise in crafting premium cigars.

He opened his Matasa facility in 1974 with just one roller and began its journey to success with Quesada Cigars. Forty years later, the Quesada family continues to flourish, manufacturing some of the finest handmade cigars in the world.

Manuel passed down his passion for tobacco to his daughters, who work alongside him to create new and exciting blends for the market.

The Quesada family have a long history in the cigar business. Their involvement in tobacco cultivation and cigar manufacturing gave Manuel a strong foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.

Manuel started his cigar journey at ground level. He learned the art of cigar making by apprenticing with experienced rollers and tobacco experts and, since then, has quietly been building his business.

Manuel and his family established Quesada Cigars, a well-respected brand. They have developed a wide range of cigar lines, each known for its unique flavor profiles and exceptional quality.

He is known for experimenting with different tobacco blends, fermentation processes, and aging methods to create cigars that provide excellent balance, tradition, and innovation.

The proud manufacturer of big brands like Romeo y Julieta, Casa Blanca, and plenty more, Manuel has watched his cigar production triple during the past five years into an incredible success with little recognition.

Plasencia Cigars are loved by many for their extensive portfolio of top-notch blends. The brand sources the best tobaccos, grown exclusively on farms throughout Honduras and Nicaragua.

The brand founder, Nestor Plascencia, is considered one of the most influential within the premium cigar industry.

Plascencia grows his own tobacco, rolls premium cigars, and has been the inspiration for other large cigar brands, including Rocky Patel, Gurkha, and Alec Bradley.

Nestor, his son, and his family are also responsible for some top-rated creations that have been expertly handcrafted under their marque.

This lineup of top-rated creations includes five award-winning blends, Reserva Original, Alma del Campo, Alma Fuerte, Alma del Fuego, and Cosecha 146. All lines boast a delicious, rich, and unique Cuban-style flavor, offering a range of bodied smokes.

This brand of cigars is known as one of the world’s biggest tobacco growers and manufacturers. Plasencia released Alma Fuerte as the first significant cigar to get the brand’s name out there, and this medium-bodied cigar features a unique blend of Plasencia’s top-shelf, best-aged tobaccos.