PCA Magazine Winter 2020

There’s a cigar, a 24-karat cigar! What do we do with it? Do we frame it, do wemount it, do we smoke it, do we eat it? So that was it. I made the TonyMontana style cigar, and I thought that was the end of the story.” By his own telling, Marshall had no interest inmarketing the gold leaf wrapped cigar. He did research the toxicity of gold, whether it could be ingested, and found that it could be safely eaten with no adverse effects. He then developed amethod of hand-applying the gold leaf, one leaf at a time, utilizing a natural substance to adhere it to the wrapper leaf of the cigar. But he never felt it was a commercially viable product. And then, as fate would have it, during the 2011 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show, noted author and connoisseur extraordinaire RickHacker was visiting the Daniel Marshall booth. Hacker is known for his articles on cigars and spirits appearing in lifestyle publications, including The Robb Report . He happened to notice the 24-karat Golden Torpedo on display, along with the Scarface humidor, and askedMarshall, “What is that?”Marshall responded: “Rick that’s nothing, don’t write about that, don’t talk about it. That is just decoration to go inside the Scarface humidor. Please, look at this solid sterling silver humidor. This is something I’m really proud of. Would you consider that for the Robb Report?” But Hacker was smitten by the golden cigar, offering to do a story on the silver humidor for a future issue. He asked if he could “borrow” one of the cigars, show it to his doctor, and with his approval smoke one. Marshall adds, “Two weeks later he came back with the news that I was going to be in a full-page editorial in The Robb Report titled ‘Rolled Gold.’” WhenMarshall asked if Hacker had been able to smoke the cigar, asMarshall himself had never smoked one, Hacker replied, “Daniel, themost amazing thing is that it leaves a pure golden ash!” As a result of that article Marshall had inquiries from around the globe, wanting to report on his Golden Cigar, featuring it in both cigar and lifestylemagazines such as Playboy , Maxim , GQ , Luxury Magazine , Jewelry and others. AsMarshall himself says, “It’s a jewel of a cigar. It’s cigar jewelry.” Since then, the cigar has become a cultural touchstone, enjoyed by personalities likeNick Jonas andDemi Lovato, rapped about by hip-hopmegastar Cam’ron in his song “Golden Baby.” It even played a starring role in Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee , with guest comedian SteveHarvey. Harvey personally endorsed the cigar in a video, emphasizing that this is what he smokes with each of his sons when they come of cigar smoking age. The cigar’s popularity has not waned, withMarshall stating that “we’re always backordered. Right nowwe have a backlog of 700 gold cigars. I cannot make enough of them. They’re released on allocation tomy distributors.” He adds, “I do itmyself. I roll the cigars in gold, and then I sign the cabinets. I do it in the evenings to relax. It’smymeditation, my joy andmy passion.” When asked why he thinks he’s received somany celebrity endorsements, Marshall waxes philosophical. “Celebrities, or people with means, know quality, and they appreciate quality,” he says. “They want quality in their lives, and they want to deliver quality in everything that they do. They want to buy the best, to be associated with the best, and they will get behind products that they truly believe in. But it’s not just celebrities. People fromall walks of life enjoy the Golden Cigar. It’s the ultimate celebration cigar.” It’s been said you can’t argue with success. As long as that maximholds true, Daniel Marshall will continue to succeed, bringing joy and celebration to people’s lives, one golden cigar at a time. PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG WINTER 2020 | PCA The Magazine 53