Last week I got to visit one of my all-time, favorite places, New York City. My trips to NYC are always fabulous and inspiring, but this trip was extra special because I had the honor of debuting the Artesanos Retro Especialé at Club Macanudo.
I co-hosted this special event along with another team of luxury brand innovators – Giuseppe Aquila, Joel Blumburg and Bryan Hulser of Montegrappa, Italy’s most revered manufacturer of fine writing instruments. The Artesanos Retro Especialé was introduced along side of Montegrappa’s latest innovation, “Chaos”, the artisan crafted pen designed by brand ambassador and film legend Sylvester Stallone. It was truly a great evening and the perfect pairing of handmade craftsmanship. I invite you to browse through our photos posted in the gallery section on this site.
On behalf of Team La Gloria, I would like to extend a special thank you to Mauricio and the staff at Club Macanudo for making all of our guests feel especially welcome and at home. Always a pleasure working with those guys, they are a true class act.
Sending out a big high five to Liberty Tobacco in San Diego, one of our California stops on the Artesanos Retro Especialé Tour. Going strong after 35 years, Liberty Tobacco has been a long-time La Gloria Cubana enthusiast from the start and we appreciate it. Watch the video below to see Michael and owner Charlie talking about this Californian institution.
Last week at the Big Smoke in Vegas, Michael and Yuri got an incredible surprise from the 10th Mountain Division – authentic uniforms with a Team La Gloria arm patch and their names embroidered onto the jacket. La Gloria Cubana and the team couldn’t be more honored to receive these special gifts, and we look forward to supporting these brave men and women for as long as they need our support. Thank you, 10th Mountain Division, for all you do.
It’s week three of the Artesanos Retro Especialé tour. We’re wrapping up our California leg (good-bye warm weather!) and moving on to Michigan and some great mid-West spots. You would think at this point it might get a bit tiring, but we can honestly say it continues to be amazing. One of the most rewarding parts of a major tour like this is that we get to stop and talk personally with so many of our fans that come out to support us. We love to hear your opinions, stories and memories of La Gloria Cubana. Like Jim Sutton, a Montana fan that came out to show us some love at the Las Vegas Big Smoke last week.
“Mr. Giannini,
I wanted to thank you for everything General Cigar did for the Big Smoke. My wife and I attended for the first time this year. While we have enjoyed smoking cigars for some time now, your session on rolling one was eye opening. Cigars are truly a work of art and we have gained a lot of respect for the art form.
Thanks again, I am glad I could give you some fodder for your talk.
Sincerely,
Jim Sutton”
Thanks Jim – we love you, Bro!
We weren’t, but we were impressed when we got to see the former Harlem Globetrotter is action. Now part owner of Casa Della Cosa in California, he took us on a short tour of the Member’s Lounge – and showed us some of his sweet moves. And we got it on film (of course!).
Our favorite body-builder blogger recently got his hands on a Artesanos Retro Especiale Club and loved it. Check out the review here – and go get one for yourself, already!
Yes, it’s that time of year again. The Northwestern leaves start to change, the surfers keep on surfing the Cali waves, and Big Smoke heads to Vegas. As always, Michael La Gloria Cubana had a fabulous time meeting our fans and challenging them to a good old-fashioned rolling contest. Check out the pics here and book your hotel for next year’s.
This past week saw a lot of traveling for the Retro – the tour made two stops in Illinois as well as Colorado and New Mexico. Along the way Michael met a ton of fans, took a ton of pics, and of course stopped off for some famous sites and eats in each city. Check out our photo albums now posted in our photo galleries.
Good etiquette dictates you never toot your own horn. But we’re sure you’ll forgive us – the reviews are still rolling in for the Artesanos Retro Especiale` and we can’t help but be proud of ourselves. If you haven’t gotten a chance to try our latest creation, check out these great reviews. Hopefully they’ll be the inspiration to get you out to try one for yourself.
