For boutique cigar brands, getting off the ground is a slow, arduous, expensive, and risky endeavor. Success rates are on par with restaurants, with many cigar startups shuttering their doors after just a few brief years in business.

But every so often you encounter a boutique brand with the financial backing and blending roots to make it big. And few have seen such a rapid level of success as West Tampa Tobacco Co.

Since its inception less than two years back, this boutique cigar brand has built an impressive following, and a name for itself as one of the top new names in the stogie biz. This was due in part to West Tampa Red securing a spot in the Top 25 Cigars of 2023.

The man behind this small cigar company's success is Mr. Rick Rodriguez. A cat of Cuban descent, who spent much of his youth in (you got it) West Tampa. 

Inspired by stories of his grandparents, and the glory days of cigar production in Cuba, as well as the rich rolling history of Tampa itself, Rodriguez set to learning as much as he could about the tobacco business. Eventually, this led him to an apprenticeship underneath none other than Benji Menendez of General Cigar. This was accompanied by fermentation training under none other than Ernesto Perez-Carrillo of EP Carrillo Cigars fame, where even more mentorship was passed down to the talented younger master blender. 

Impressed by this backstory, and looking to add some West Tampa Tobacco Co. products to our ever-growing Klaro Cigars portfolio, we put in an order at the 2024 PCA Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada a few weeks back.

While the boss filled out order forms and secured shipping dates, I buddied up with Ricky for some on-camera shenanigans, and to hear a little bit of backstory about his creations. This included info on a super secret upcoming offering called Circle of Life, which is supposedly landing sometime in May. So stay tuned for more on that beauty of a premium cigar blend...

West Tampa Tobacco Company White

[Buy 5-Pack]

West Tampa White offers notes of spice, earth, and vanilla. Its pink-hued habano wrapper covers an Ecuadorian habano binder and a Nicaraguan filler trifecta from Pueblo Nuevo, Ometepe, and Jalapa. Handmade in Nicaragua at the Garmendia Cigar Co. factory, the West Tampa White provides a flavorful, medium-strength smoking indulgence that is intended to appease a plethora of palates at a moderate price point. 

West Tampa Tobacco Company Black

[Buy 5-Pack]

The Black line from West Tampa Tobacco Co. takes a totally different spin on the exact same blend as the White but gives the habano wrapper some far more serious fermentation action. Matured to the point of perfection, the West Tampa Black has far more of a darker depth and comes filled with rich Estelí ligero leaf and Condega viso tobacco.

West Tampa Tobacco Company Red

[Buy 5-Pack]

West Tampa's Red is the company’s third and strongest full-time release. A bold core of chocolate is apparent from the first puff to the last, and it is backed by layers of hickory, nutmeg, leather, and a malty mocha finish.

Composed of extra-aged tobaccos from Nicaragua within, and a Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper on the outside, it's easy to see why the West Tampa Red took #25 Best Cigar of the Year at Cigar Aficionado in 2023.