Tabacalera Falto, Inc. - La Garita Cigar Co. & Falto Cigars

La Garita Cigar Company, Inc. began its operations a little more than thirteen years ago, while I was studying at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. It all started when I bought and sold cigars to many different persons, including some restaurants and other establishments. All the while, I was and still am, an avid consumer and passionate of what true cigar smokers call: “The Leaf.” During that time, I came to the conclusion that I had tasted so many different cigars that I could make one according to my own personal taste. With the access that I had in Washington, DC, I visited the Embassy of the Dominican Republic and asked for a list of all major manufacturers of cigars established there (most cigars available in the US, and the best at the time, came from the Dominican Republic). Also, with the help of some friends in the tobacco industry, I arranged appointments and meetings with some of the most important manufacturers in the Mecca of Dominican cigars: Santiago de los Caballeros in the Cibao Valley of the Dominican Republic.
After visiting a number of factories, I met with Manuel J. Inoa, the Production Coordinator for La Aurora, S.A. (makers of La Aurora and León Jimenes cigars). When I met with the group from La Aurora, they accepted my ideas, and most importantly my views of what a cigar bearing my name should be, with much enthusiasm.
First of all, I wanted to choose the different tobacco blends for my cigars and decided they should be made in very small quantities. Such small quantities would insure a strict quality control, of which La Aurora was already distinguished for. Finally, I wanted to meet and know my torcedores at a personal level, the men that would be hand crafting my cigars. They accepted, and now I make all my cigars in La Aurora. S.A.; the oldest cigar manufacturer in the Dominican Republic, founded in 1903. That is how the Falto brand of premium hand made cigars began.
I got into the business in a very difficult time for the industry. The infamous “Cigar Boom” was in full blast. There were shortages of tobacco and rollers, which they found working with some “businessmen” that wanted to earn some quick money, among other things. Even Guillermo León, the President of La Aurora, explained to me the situation, but with great passion and dedication I went forth. Nowadays, and since the first day, I personally know my rollers by first name and choose all my blends.
All my cigars are manufactured in La Aurora and come in different sizes and blends, which are:
1. Falto (two sizes: Robusto and Lonsdale [boxes of 25 cigars each]);
2. Falto Reserva Especial (R.E.) Tres Luises* (two sizes: Petit Belicoso and a Panatela that I named Ballibo, which was my paternal grandfather’s nickname [boxes of 10 cigars each]);
3. Falto Perla Reserva Seleccionada (one size: Petit Corona [boxes of 25 cigars each]);
4. Falto Prominente Gran Reserva Especial (one size: Perfecto [figurado/boxes of 25 cigars each]);
5. Falto Legado (one size: Corona Gorda [boxes of 25 cigars each);
6. Falto Invicto (one size: Belicoso [boxes of 26]);
7. La Garita Cigar Company (LGCC) Delirio “Cabinet Selection” (one size: Lonsdale [boxes of 10 cigars each]);
8. El Josco “Jincho” (one size: Robusto [boxes of 25]); and
9. Tabacalera Falto, Inc. "Selección Especial" (one size: Corona Gorda [bundles of 24]).
The production size of Falto Cigars do not surpass one hundred sixty (160) boxes for the cigars that come in boxes of 25; meaning only four thousand (4000) cigars per annual production. And, two hundred fifty (250) boxes of the cigars that come in boxes of 10; meaning two thousand five hundred (2500) cigars per annual production. It is truly an Ultra Boutique Premium Handmade Cigar brand that is produced in extremely small quantities; something unheard of in the industry.
On July 16, 1995, the first order of my cigars arrived to the shores of Puerto Rico. During that time, I only made two lines: Falto (already mentioned) and El Josco (which I discontinued in 1999 and reintroducing it in late 2008 with only one run of 2000 cigars). My friends from La Aurora say that I should be celebrating more years in the business, because of all the time that I spent over there, learning all about the growing of tobacco, the different leaves and strains, processes and the manufacturing of cigars. Since the beginning, I am the only one that sell, distribute and represent my cigars. Sometimes, I say to myself, that I smoke more than what I sell. It remains a passion for me. La Garita was a journey that I started more than a decade ago and it will hopefully continue for many more and expand beyond Puerto Rico. Just recently, I started distribution throughout selected tobacconists in the United States .
In this business, you learn many new things along the way. The cigar world is unique, with rules to follow. Things and techniques of how to cut a cigar, how to hold it, how to light it, how to smoke it, how to taste it, among many other things. I have so many memories, stories and moments that I have experienced while smoking cigars, since nothing accompanies a cigar better than a good conversation with friends while having an excellent cup of coffee.