PCA Magazine Fall 2019

PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 | PCA The Magazine 31 smoking my cigars. It was an interesting connection, as if this was meant to be.” The past two to three years sawMeirelles and Splitter solidi fy a partnership, which focused on brand production and eventually U.S. distribution. H aving spent two seasons playing for the Atlanta Hawks, Splitter formed a close friendship with Dominique Wilkins, who was later invited to create his own blend for the MXS series, and who later this year will release the Dominique Wilkins cigar, which will be distributed by A.C.E. Prime. The factory has continued to gro w and now cultivates its o wn fields of tobacco in Nicaragua and in Ecua dor. While the number of workers can v ary seasonally, currently the factory em ploys 97 rollers and produces two and a h alf million cigars annually. With his 10 years of ex perience, and mentorship from some of the industry’s top tabaqueros , Meirelles has developed a complex yet nuanced approach to blending a cigar. He expounds on his theory of blending: “A blend is always created to provoke an experience. That experience will vary according to the food and drink you ingest prior to smoking …. Blending is like the art of creating different experiences. No one can create a cigar properly if he can only create one single taste profile …. I really believe in the diversity of experiences …. I love a floral smoke with a high acidity to pair with a good aged cheese and an IPA beer, or sometimes I love a bold, creamy, well-aged tobacco with low acidity and a high quantity of magnesium like Ometepe, combined with the sweet Habano Criollo from Jalapa.” Asked about his own taste preferences he opines, “My taste preference is a good cigar. Give me an experience. Provide me with a good smoke, something that will provoke feelings and sensations.” More specifically, Meirelles adds: “Now, it’s impossible to build flavor just using seco . You need at least some viso to produce taste. Usually when someone tells me he likes only strong cigars, I offer a medium-mild, full of flavor. When someone asks me for a mild cigar, I offer a well-aged rounded cigar with triple ligero . I love to contribute to opening people’s minds to new things.” Considering the wide range of new lines A.C.E. Prime introduced at the show, Meirelles is well on his way to accomplishing that goal. LUCKY SALES, INC. 3 CRAFTSMAN COURT GREER, SC 29651 864-801-1788 1-800-428-1462 FAX: 864-334-0041 [email protected] john@luckysales. et www.luckysales.net M4 WHOLESALE 555 PLATE DRIVE, SUITE 6 EAST DUN DEE, ILLINOIS 60118-2465 312-324-0091 [email protected] m www.m4wholesale.com PHILLIPS & KING INTERNATIO NAL 5449 ENDEAVOUR COURT MOORPARK, CA 93021 TEL: 800-532-4427 FAX: 805-531-8896 PhillipsAndKing.com LIGHTERS Phillips & King carries the largest selection of lighters and lighter accessories including; torches, disposables, Zippo and table top lighters. We c rry pric poi ts from value to ultra-premium and have a variety of displays to merchandise these at the retail level. Lighters 4th Generation Lighter Leash Bic PK Guardsman Colibri Vector Comoy’s Voodoo Djeep S.T. Dupont Fasfil Tommy Bahama Firebird Xikar Jetline Zippo We’ll be back ! The Sans Expo andVenetian July 10-14, 2020 Don’t forget to mark your calendar 2020 dates are set ACE Prime’s lineup of cigars includes M.X.S, Luciano, The Traveler and Pichardo Reserva.