PCA Magazine Show Issue 2021

24 PCA The Magazine | SHOW 2021 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG The Blend travel toward the East, the place where the sun rises, the place of light, the place of knowledge. This cigar offers a mediumblend with tobacco from four countries to remind the brethren that we all must travel (at least in our minds) from the four corners of the universe to seek the light. Veiled Prophet A degree of an appendant body in Freemasonry called the Grotto, one that seeks a higher spiritual level while still enjoying life. The Veiled Prophet is a full-bodied cigar, rich in flavor with an exotic Brazilian wrapper. Its boldness reminds us to be steadfast in our beliefs even while we are having fun. Grand Architect As Freemasons we call our supreme being the Grand Architect, the one who designed the world and the seas. This is a very complex cigar signifying as much. Its blue-colored box and band reminds us of heaven, and that we should constantly remember our infinite creator. Unity This cigar is dedicated to our GrandMaster 2020 Gregory Scott, who stressed the need to foster Unity among all human beings regardless of nationality, color, or religion. The Unity is a medium-bodied cigar, again to remind us that we are all equal and we should all be on a level with one another. Curamus [See appended review.] This cigar is dedicated to our new GrandMaster Robert V. Monacelli. His theme for the year: “We care for each other.” After some research, Kashouty and his wife, Romy, found that the word Curamus is Latin for “we care for each other,” and also a wordmeaning “cure.” The Curamus is a full-bodied cigar emphasizing the impetus that we do our utmost to care for each other, and defend each other. It is the first cigar produced for Hiram& Solomon at the PDR factory in the Dominican Republic. Live2Serve A cigar dedicated to the charity Cigars for Warriors, with the pledge that proceeds will go to our soldiers. All Hiram& Solomon cigars (except the last two in the line) are made at the Plasencia factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Curamus and the Live2Serve are rolled at the PDR factory in the Dominican Republic. Kashouty says that, at the beginning, he himself did the art work for most of the cigar bands and boxes, “the old-fashioned way— hand-drawing, finding pictures, cutting them in pieces with scissors and gluing them on a paper, and finally sending them to graphic designers for final rendering.” More recently he has been getting help fromMason brethren who send himpictures for inspiration, and he adds, “For the last two years my wife, Romy, has been helping, along with our son Sergio, who is a product engineer.” Kashouty adds, “My wife and partner Romy is the biggest help that anyone can have. Sergio designs some of the art, but most of the work is done by my wife andmyself.” Romy puts it this way: “We are the janitors and the CEO of the company. We both travel together all the time. In fact, as we speak to you in this interview, we are in a hotel room in California.” This year promises to become only more hectic, as Kashouty is now in the process of building new office and warehouse facilities in Pennsylvania. He takes pride in his company’s growth, but he also gets joy from the blessings that it brings to others. “Charity is a core teaching in Freemasons, so we incorporated that in our mission at Hiram& Solomon Cigars. Proceeds from sales helpmany charities (bothMasonic and non-Masonic), including the Shriners Hospitals, Children’s Dyslexia Centers, the Coast Guard andmany community- based causes. And we feel very strongly about our work for Cigars for Warriors. All of the profits from our Live2Serve line go toward their program supporting our soldiers all over the world.” Robert Crandall, manager of Smokin’ Bear Cigars in Steamburg, New York, says working with Hiram& Solomon is always a pleasure. “We have always had good customer service fromHiram& Solomon. They started production close to the time we opened this store, and they were one of the first cigar companies we brought in who were not one of the major manufacturers. We met Fouad during our first anniversary sale. He came out and spent three days with us, so we are on very familiar terms.” Crandall adds, “In terms of service, being able to reach them, place orders, or handle any issues, they have been excellent. Back orders have been few. Also, the Hiram& Solomon cigars have been very good sellers. Even if viewed as perhaps a product targeted to Masons, I’d have to say that truly the brand is not aMason-only niche kind of thing. Good cigars are good cigars, and these sell very well.” Says Kashouty: “The basic purpose of Freemasonry is to make goodmen better—better fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, friends, and also better citizens. We seek to strengthen a man’s character, improving his moral and spiritual outlook and broadening his mental horizons. Freemasons live by the principles of brotherly love, relief and truth. And there is a tradition of Masonic brethren smoking cigars before, during, and after meetings.” It was in this atmosphere that the dreamwas born of creating, not just any cigar, but a cigar brand that could carry the Masonic symbol, not only to match the caliber of excellence for which the brethren themselves strive, but also to make such cigars available for anyone to enjoy, Mason and non-Mason alike. Merchants need not be Masons to offer their customers this intriguing brand. Visit hiramandsolomoncigars.com and inquire about opening an account.