Episode 138
The Cigar I'd Never Smoke | Abe Flores | PDR Cigars | Box Press Ep. 138
Protect the flavor and character of boutique cigars like PDR with Boveda. Click here to get emails: https://hubs.la/Q01BLsBF0
Does the size of a cigar matter? Sure does for PDR founder Abe Flores. Find out if he prefers fatter stogies versus shorter, slimmer cigars. Then get cigar recommendations from this award-winning master blender.
Looking for an accessible Cubanesque cigar? PDR (Puro Dominican Republic) blends Cuban traditions with boutique modern manufacturing . The cigar makers employ a complex tobacco rolling technique that originated in Cuba called “entubado.” The cigar roller rolls each filler leaf into a straw shape to fit a greater number of filler leaves into a PDR cigar, which results in amazing air flow.
PDR's Flores talks with Boveda's Drew Emmer about protecting the condition of cigars at PCA 2024, the preeminent event for premium cigar and pipe industry.
00:00 This is Box Press
01:58 To buy instruments, I was selling cigars on the side
03:36 Abe Flores already knew tech and marketing, needed to learn cigars
04:23 Pinar del Rio, Cuba is where tobacco seeds are from
06:41 #1 PDR cigar: El Criollito
07:37 For My Humidor I Use Boveda
08:43 Boveda maintains the perfect humidity for cigars
10:00 Bad humidor, no Boveda is very bad for cigars
10:14 What's your favorite cigar?
10:31 PDR 10th Anniversary Millefleurs Corona cigar
11:06 Pepin Black Lancero cigar and 601 Green cigar
11:25 Fuente Añejo Shark cigar
What is Boveda? Master blenders recommend Boveda 2-way humidity control to protect cigars you store. Boveda preserves the flavor and character of premium cigars by keeping them at ideal humidity. Boveda humidor packets prevent cigars from drying out and mold growth. With Boveda in your humidor, you'll enjoy full flavor and a perfect smoke from every cigar.
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Transcript
- [Drew Emmer] I know
you've been a long time
Speaker:friend of Boveda.
Speaker:How long has it been happening?
Speaker:Where did this begin?
Speaker:Can you give me a frame of reference?
Speaker:I don't know your story.
Speaker:- [Abe Flores] I mean, I started,
Speaker:there was a company called Tinder Box.
Speaker:You've probably heard of the Tinder Box.
Speaker:So, Tinder Box at one point
had about 400 locations.
Speaker:They're a big franchise company.
Speaker:Way, way before that, my
grandfather grew tobacco.
Speaker:He lived in the D.R.
Speaker:Everybody in my family smoked cigars.
Speaker:Andullo, grow your own stuff.
Speaker:And tobacco has always been
in my family's heritage
Speaker:all my life.
Speaker:So, I came to United States
when I was 13 years old.
Speaker:I went to Salem, Massachusetts.
Speaker:I don't know if you know where that is.
Speaker:- [Emmer] I do.
Speaker:- [Flores] They, you know,
hang some witches, I think,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:(Interviewer laughs)
Speaker:- [Emmer] Best known
for having a hard time
Speaker:with some witches back in the day.
Speaker:- [Flores] Yeah, very, very hard time.
Speaker:(Interviewer chuckles)
Speaker:- [Emmer] It just didn't quite fit in.
Speaker:- [Flores] Eh, could have been, you know.
Speaker:Could have been the LSD
in the wine or something.
Speaker:- [Emmer] It could've been.
Speaker:- [Flores] They were freaking.
Speaker:There's so many stories about that time
Speaker:that you know, probably was
like the wine or the water
Speaker:had some sort of, you know, bacteria
Speaker:that made people hallucinate or whatever.
Speaker:But, that town, I grew up there,
went to high school there,
Speaker:middle school and high school.
Speaker:Most of my friends are from,
Speaker:I still am friends with
who are from Salem,
Speaker:to be honest with you.
Speaker:And then I went to school at,
Speaker:I wanted to become a
musician, full-time musician.
Speaker:I did a lot of music programs at Berklee
Speaker:and the conservatory.
Speaker:I played cello and I had played bass
Speaker:in a lot of bands and stuff.
Speaker:So, to feed some of the...
Speaker:To buy instruments, I was
selling cigars on the side
Speaker:to friends of mine and to, you know,
Speaker:because I was doing like
the beginning of the boom,
Speaker:you know, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Speaker:- [Emmer] And you got a connection.
Speaker:- [Flores] Yeah.
Speaker:And everybody's like,
oh, you're Dominican?
Speaker:Can you gimme cigars?
Speaker:Like, yeah.
Speaker:So, I'll call my cousin,
he will send me boxes.
Speaker:And I made extra money that way.
Speaker:So, I went to school,
Speaker:I went to a small school
in Andover, Massachusetts
Speaker:called Merrimack College.
Speaker:I first wanted to study like, medicine.
Speaker:And then, that was the beginning
of like the dot-com boom.
Speaker:So, I switched from medicine to MIS,
Speaker:computer science and
marketing for programming.
Speaker:And that was what got me going.
Speaker:When I got out of there,
Speaker:I was working for one software company
Speaker:and I just got tired of the whole,
Speaker:like, the high tech
industry just fluctuates,
Speaker:goes up and down.
Speaker:Like, one day is really good,
Speaker:- [Emmer] Right.
- [Flores] One's bad,
Speaker:and then you're outta work.
Speaker:But always, like, tobacco is a steady,
Speaker:alcohol is always steady,
Speaker:and I wanted to get into tobacco business.
Speaker:I applied for a job,
Speaker:and I was trying to
get to the D.R. to work
Speaker:to learn everything about cigars.
Speaker:And I couldn't, you know,
Speaker:I called La Aurora,
they didn't pay enough.
Speaker:It was like 200 bucks a month.
Speaker:I was like, what are you talking about?
Speaker:I make like way more building websites.
Speaker:It's like, no, no, no, no.
Speaker:So, these guys put an ad, I moved down.
Speaker:I came in as they were
launching an online site.
Speaker:And they needed somebody to organize
Speaker:their warehouse and the distribution.
Speaker:And I got the job.
Speaker:And that's really what
founded PDR in the beginning
Speaker:because they taught me, you
know, I already knew high tech,
Speaker:I already knew marketing,
Speaker:but I got all the foundation from them.
Speaker:Because I started designing
bands, designing boxes,
Speaker:doing my own private
label for the company.
Speaker:And eventually, I realized like,
I could do this for myself.
Speaker:And that was kind of like the building,
Speaker:stepping stone for me to
get into cigar industry,
Speaker:for building my own brand.
Speaker:I already did brands for them,
Speaker:worked for them for many years.
Speaker:And I eventually, I met these guys.
Speaker:They had a little factory in New Orleans,
Speaker:and a little factory in the D.R.
Speaker:They were Dominicans, they
wanted somebody to help them.
Speaker:And they offered me a partnership.
Speaker:And that's how PDR started,
Speaker:like in 2006, 2007.
Speaker:- [Emmer] So, that was
the beginning of PDR.
Speaker:- [Flores] It used to
be called Pinar del Rio.
Speaker:So, Pinar del Rio.
Speaker:So, it's very, when Pinar
del Rio is original Cuba
Speaker:where all the tobacco
seeds from making cigars
Speaker:come from in Cuba.
Speaker:- [Emmer] Sure.
Speaker:- [Flores] So, everybody
talks about Pinar.
Speaker:Pinar del Rio is the
west side of the island
Speaker:where most of the best
tobaccos grown out of Cuba.
Speaker:So, it was like an homage to that.
Speaker:And that's how we launched Pinar del Rio.
Speaker:Eventually, I think it
was New Orleans: Speaker:or 2000, yeah, 2000 something.
Speaker:I changed.
Speaker:I didn't change, I launched PDR 1878.
Speaker:In 1878 was the year where Pinar del Rio
Speaker:was founded in Cuba.
Speaker:And if you actually see
their seal, it'll say: Speaker:So, I wanted something more quicker,
Speaker:easier for people to pronounce.
Speaker:And that's where PDR came from.
Speaker:- [Emmer] Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker:- [Flores] Yeah.
Speaker:- [Emmer] And then, since
then it's grown to be,
Speaker:- [Flores] Now it's grown to be,
Speaker:I don't even talk about Pinar del Rio.
Speaker:I say, if you notice
the logo has like a P,
Speaker:and the DR is like, kind of combine.
Speaker:So, now I tell them it's
Puro Dominican Republic now.
Speaker:So, it's now PDR stands
for just now for me it's,
Speaker:I try to push the Dominican
Republic more now than ever.
Speaker:- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- [Flores] When we started,
Speaker:we had one concept.
Speaker:Now, it's about more of a global appeal.
Speaker:I mean, that's the reason
you see me, you know,
Speaker:like you guys, we're all over the world.
Speaker:Boveda's all over the world.
Speaker:And, I don't just sell in United States.
Speaker:I sell in a lot of countries
in Europe and in Asia.
Speaker:So, now I look at PDR as
more of a global brand,
Speaker:a global presence.
Speaker:And we can't say Pinar del Rio.
Speaker:So, now I tell people it's just,
Speaker:- [Emmer] PDR.
- [Flores] PDR.
Speaker:- [Emmer] PDR.
- [Flores] PDR.
Speaker:- [Interviewer] And if anybody
gets specific about it,
Speaker:it's Puro Dominican Republic.
Speaker:It's beautiful.
Speaker:And how many different, can
you tell us, do you make?
Speaker:How many different, how many generations
Speaker:of this creative journey
have you been on over the,
Speaker:- [Flores] We started with the PDR 1878.
Speaker:We've revamped it many times.
Speaker:Now, it's called PDR Santiago.
Speaker:Then we got the [PDR 1878 Roast] Cafe.
Speaker:We have a line called El Criollito,
Speaker:that is pretty much our number one SKU
Speaker:that we sell globally.
Speaker:It was a line that really to
go after the Cuban market.
Speaker:Tastes very close to a Bolivar.
Speaker:That was developed by me
and 10 of the best retailers
Speaker:in Spain to go after that market
Speaker:with a good price point, a good flavor.
Speaker:Then, you know, 10th
Anniversary, that's very well.
Speaker:And then we launched the 18th Anniversary.
Speaker:So we have a lot of,
Speaker:I try to reduce as much as possible.
Speaker:We do half Coronas, Puritos
in tins, that sells a lot.
Speaker:So, we're not, we don't,
Speaker:we're not producing as much
Speaker:as I used to produce back in 2014,
Speaker:because I don't do as
many private labels now.
Speaker:- [Emmer] Right.
Speaker:- [Flores] I do less,
less, less for other people
Speaker:and more and more for me.
Speaker:And that's what I've been
focusing on the last year.
Speaker:- [Emmer] So you've been a part of the,
Speaker:For My Humidor promotion
with Boveda for years.
Speaker:Your face is typically on the wall.
Speaker:- [Flores] Oh, when I
get the right picture.
Speaker:(Flores laughs)
Speaker:- [Emmer] Yeah.
Speaker:No, well, you had, you went through
Speaker:some changes and that's great.
Speaker:So, the relationship has been
one of preserving quality,
Speaker:one of getting your finished
product to the consumer
Speaker:at the level of quality that you expect.
Speaker:- [Flores] The right percentage
of humidity to the cigar.
Speaker:So, the thing is, when you're selling to,
Speaker:all over the world, you
know, you're selling to Asia,
Speaker:you're selling to Europe,
you're selling to Spain,
Speaker:you're sending to United States.
Speaker:You know, like we are in Las Vegas,
Speaker:the humidity is like none.
Speaker:Like I'm all dry and stuff like that.
Speaker:So, imagine if you're doing that
Speaker:and you're shipping cigars from the D.R.,
Speaker:where the Dominican Republic
has a very high humidity.
Speaker:- [Emmer] Yep.
Speaker:- [Flores] Then you send it to Las Vegas
Speaker:where it has no humidity.
Speaker:The cigar is gonna get a shock.
Speaker:So, the great thing about
Boveda is it just maintains
Speaker:in that box at least, until it gets open,
Speaker:the perfect humidity level
for that cigar at all times.
Speaker:Anywhere you ship it, it's gonna maintain
Speaker:until you take it out.
Speaker:Once you take it out,
then you leave it out,
Speaker:something else happens.
Speaker:But, at least when it leaves my factory,
Speaker:it meets all the right conditions
Speaker:of burn, flavor, everything.
Speaker:The cigar is not gonna be too wet,
Speaker:and it's not gonna be too dry.
Speaker:It's gonna burn perfectly.
Speaker:If a cigars too wet,
it's not gonna burn well.
Speaker:If a cigars too dry, the
wrapper's gonna crack,
Speaker:it's gonna taste bitter,
it's not gonna have
Speaker:the right condition of the blend that I,
Speaker:the way I made that cigar and what I--
Speaker:- [Emmer] Even the cigars
sitting in the ashtray
Speaker:at the show, for an hour or two,
Speaker:if you pick it up and relight
it, it's a different cigar.
Speaker:- [Flores] Changed, completely.
Speaker:- [Emmer] It's a different cigar.
Speaker:- [Flores] So the great
thing about Boveda,
Speaker:it maintains at least the essence
Speaker:of what the cigar needs to be
when it leaves the factory.
Speaker:And the consumer, once they
open up the box and smoke it,
Speaker:and light it, they're like, oh, okay.
Speaker:They're gonna understand
what I'm trying to,
Speaker:what flavor I'm trying to bring
Speaker:across to them in that cigar.
Speaker:After that, I can't control, you know?
Speaker:If they put it in a bad
humidor with no Boveda inside
Speaker:and the thing dries out,
Speaker:then I can't control anything
after that, you know?
Speaker:So...
Speaker:But that's a good thing about Boveda.
Speaker:You know, I wish more people used it.
Speaker:(Flores chuckles)
Speaker:- [Emmer] Well, thank you for that.
Speaker:So, I gotta ask you,
what's your favorite cigar?
Speaker:- [Flores] That I make?
Speaker:- [Emmer] Yeah.
Speaker:Favorite cigar that you make and favorite,
Speaker:who else in the room are you crazy about?
Speaker:- [Flores] Hm...
Speaker:- [Emmer] Start with yours.
Speaker:Of your releases, what's
your favorite cigar?
Speaker:- [Flores] For me, the 10th
Anniversary Millefleurs
Speaker:is a cigar I've been smoking a lot lately.
Speaker:It's a Corona 5x42.
Speaker:I usually don't smoke big cigars.
Speaker:I don't like 6x60s or anything like that.
Speaker:- [Emmer] Right.
Speaker:- [Flores] You would
never see me with that.
Speaker:You'll see me with Robustos and Toros
Speaker:and that's what I like.
Speaker:I think it is the right combination
Speaker:of wrapper, binder, filler for me.
Speaker:But the Millefleurs for me is perfect.
Speaker:I can smoke that all day.
Speaker:I have no issues with it.
Speaker:For somebody else...
Speaker:You know, it varies.
Speaker:I like, well, my all-time
favorite cigar that,
Speaker:it was like a Pepin Black
Lancero that we're talking about.
Speaker:If I had that cigar now,
that one and a 601 Green,
Speaker:back in the day, that was
like chocolate for me.
Speaker:And a Fuente Añejo Shark, that was,
Speaker:- [Emmer] Hm.
Speaker:- [Flores] Yeah.
Speaker:I had a box of those like
still from like 10 years ago.
Speaker:I think I got two left.
Speaker:I just smoke very,
Speaker:(laughter)
Speaker:The right occasion.
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:You know.
Speaker:- [Emmer] Well, and
we're pretty sentimental
Speaker:about anything Fuente
because of the role he played
Speaker:with helping Sean [Knutsen]
and Tim [Swail] get on the map.
Speaker:I mean, he was the
first real believer, so.
Speaker:- [Flores] Yeah.
Speaker:We owe him one.
Speaker:- [Interviewer] We owe a
lot to Carlito [Fuente].
Speaker:- [Flores] He was the first one
Speaker:putting the pouches in the boxes.
Speaker:- [Emmer] And he wasn't bashful about
Speaker:telling other people why he was doing it.
Speaker:And a lot of people listened to him.
Speaker:- [Flores] Now, it blew up everywhere.
Speaker:Everybody now,
Speaker:- [Emmer] It blew up everywhere, yeah.
Speaker:- [Flores] Now everybody believes in it.
Speaker:- [Emmer] And it helps for
us to have you on our team.
Speaker:- [Flores] Oh, thank you.
Speaker:- [Emmer] To be a part of our family.
Speaker:- [Flores] I appreciate it.
Speaker:- [Emmer] We really appreciate you.
Speaker:- [Flores] Thank you.
Speaker:- [Interviewer] Yeah.
Speaker:- [Flores] Thank you for having me.
Speaker:- [Interviewer] It's great to see you.
Speaker:- [Flores] Yeah, great to see you too.
Speaker:- [Interviewer] Thanks
for sitting down with us.
Speaker:Appreciate it, man.
