C.L.E. Cigars
“Cigars tell us stories, so I want to tell stories about cigars” Christian Eiroa
The C.L.E. Cigar story began two decades ago when Christian Eiroa, a Honduran cigar and aviation enthusiast who had been immersed in tobacco since childhood, launched Camacho Corojo cigars in the 2000s. The famous Camacho company became the strongest brand in Honduras, producing over 17 million cigars in 1997.
Eiroa's transformation of Camacho's farm and premises into a clean and organized space, which set it apart, attracted the attention of Davidoff. After selling Camacho Cigars to Davidoff in 2008, Christian Eiroa decided to create his own brand, C.L.E. Cigar, in 2012.
Thanks to both traditional and innovative manufacturing methods, as well as the quality of the cigars, the brand quickly became a great success. It is also renowned for its exclusive use of Corojo tobacco, grown in Honduras and offering a rich flavor and distinctive aroma.
Today, Eiroa is one of the world's most technologically advanced tobacco farms. In fact, it was certified in 2007 by Bayer CropScience, the agricultural arm of the major pharmaceutical company, which ensures compliance with hygiene and environmental standards. The farm is in the Jamastran valley, home to some of the region's finest leaves.
The C.L.E. factory is in Danlí, some 25 kilometers from the farm.
The C.L.E. cigar factory is a Danli landmark, as it was originally one of two theaters owned by Antonio Kafati, Christian Eiroa's grandfather. The building has been renovated for the first time since the theater opened in 1975 and transformed into the Aladino cigar factory, where Eiroa cigars are made.
The rollers use the cigar-making technique perfected by the Eiroa family, guaranteeing impeccable construction, combustion, and blending.
The manufacturing process is just the final step in a process that began five years before the very first cigar was rolled. The tobacco itself is truly the key ingredient, having been grown and fermented specifically for this blend in Eiroa cigars.
C.L.E. also looks after the well-being of its craftsmen, providing on-site doctors to meet their health needs. In this way, C.L.E. cigars can offer its customers quality cigars made with passion and expertise.
Exclusive interview with Christian Eiroa at Grauer Cigar Lounge on May 25, 2023
We had the pleasure of meeting and having an interview with Christian Eiroa before his C.L.E. and Eiroa tasting event at our place.
Before getting started, Christian invited us to taste a special cigar: the Asylum Sensorium 1118. These numbers are a dedication to his mother, who was born on November 18. The cigar is a Honduran puro with authentic Corojo and original Piñareno in the filler.
Christian Eiroa defines himself as a storyteller and appreciates the tradition and history surrounding the world of cigars. His aim is to create new things using what has always existed, and to offer a unique experience to his customers.
According to Christian Eiroa, the history of a cigar is a narrative. He explains that each element - the soil in which the tobacco grows, the combustion and the ashes - all tells a fascinating story. That's why taste and experience are personal.
He also insisted on not being into outsourcing production or creating brands for others, except in very special cases.
Christian Eiroa's parents met in Honduras. His mother is the daughter of the town's only Palestinian. His father Julio Eiroa is a strong-willed Cuban. He suffered a plane crash in 1977 that left him paralyzed, and prompted the family to move to Tampa, close to American medical facilities.
Christian speaks also French! As he says, “my French is a French of a 12-year-old boy”, since he followed primary school in France.
In 1984, he returned to Honduras, but went on to study at a military academy in Georgia, USA, where he attended high school and university. Although he did not initially wish to work with his father, he finally began collaborating with him in June 1996.
It was in October of the same year, while working at Philippe Schuster in Germany, that he saw a Cohiba for the first time.
Christian Eiroa tells us that he attaches great importance to every stage in the production of his cigars, and to attention to detail. Priming, which consists of shucking and fermenting the tobacco for 16 to 18 months, is essential for obtaining quality flavors. It's a harvesting method that removes individual leaves from the tobacco as they mature, rather than removing all the leaves at once.
His favorite cigar, the Eiroa Dark, is produced in small quantities, with only 33,000 to 40,000 units.
Christian Eiroa's cigar production continues to grow. In 2022, he reached a production of 3.7 million, but he estimates that by 2023, he will be able to produce up to 6.5 million cigars. To ensure the quality and protection of his products during transport, he implements meticulous packaging, with particular attention paid to the foot of the cigar with a porous paper to ensure the marriage between the cigars in the box.
He also explains why he produced cigars in box-pressed format for the brand's 20th and 25th anniversaries: they offer a more visually appealing appearance thanks to their rectangular shape and help retain the cigar's color.
Christian concludes: "When I create a cigar, I imagine an aficionado enjoying it in a timeless setting, where attention to detail is paramount. It's a moment of communion and communication with the cigar. I've finally found it, and it's here at House of Grauer. If you don't mind, I'd love to come back with my marketing director for some inspiration for our next creation!"
To find out more about the world of EIROA and the history of the brand, we'd be delighted to welcome you to our walk-in humidor, where you'll find our selection of the brand's special production cigars, as well its regular production sizes.
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