It may not have been anything too special. Hell, for lots of guys, their first cigar was something you get over the counter at a gas station, and it somehow sparked a lifelong love affair with quality tobacco. But before we ever get our own stick to puff on, a lot of us experienced cigars second hand thanks to dads, uncles, granddads, mechanics, teamsters, or even old-school tattoo artists who toasted one up and sat back to blow a cloud or two.
So it was for Warped founder Kyle Gellis, who learned all about cigars from his dad, Ronald.
Kyle was just about 6 when he remembers grabbing a cigar for dad after work, carefully cutting the head, and handing it over so it could be lit and enjoyed. Ronald Gellis would sometimes describe what he liked about the cigar, especially when it had a nice classic Cuban flavor profile. That restrained spice and balanced aroma would be the one that stuck with Kyle as he grew up. When he eventually got handed a cigar of his own, a Montecristo Habano No. 2, he knew it was love.
The rich, intriguing smoke just couldn’t be denied. Cigars were something special.
Kyle went off to college but before he had reached senior year, he was getting his own cigar company off the ground with the help of the cigar masters at the El Titan de Bronze factory in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. His father had planted seeds that were finally ready to bloom.
Now we have the Warped Don Reynaldo cigar to pay homage to the man behind the man, the father who ignited a love of tobacco that would last a lifetime.
The blend itself was meant to be a hybrid of Don Reynaldo’s two favorite Cuban cigars. But since Cuban tobacco isn’t available in the States, this one had to recreate the best of the base cigars using different leaves. There’s a Dominican Corojo wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and then a long-filler blend using Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. The smoke is medium-bodied, and has a fantastic classic profile built around cedar, but also offers peppercorn, cream, and a touch of barnyard for a perfectly natural note that fits quite well with the others.
These cigars, in true Cuban style, are rolled by torcedores from Cuba at El Titan de Bronze who are skilled at entubado bunching and application of triple caps. The effect is to bring things as close to Cuban as possible without breaking federal regulations.
The Don Reynaldo blend was once a limited edition, but like the bond between father and son, this one is truly reliable and is now part of regular production.
Please browse our selection of Warped Don Reynaldo cigars at your leisure.
