Retailers turned makers. After more than twenty years behind the counter, brothers Billy and Gus Fakih launched Artesano del Tabaco to build the bold, full-bodied Nicaraguan cigars they always wanted to sell, crafted in Estelí with master blender AJ Fernandez. Home of Viva La Vida and El Pulpo.
Brothers Billy and Gus Fakih spent over twenty years in premium cigar retail before stepping to the other side of the counter. In 2019 they launched Artesano del Tabaco with Viva La Vida, a bold debut blended with master AJ Fernandez.
Handmade in Estelí, Nicaragua, the house has built a fast reputation for rich, dense, full-bodied smokes, anchored by Viva La Vida and the octopus-banded El Pulpo, blended over years with AJ Fernandez at his San Lotano factory.
Step into our walk-in humidor in The Woodlands to explore Viva La Vida and El Pulpo, and ask our staff for a recommendation.
