My 2007 Cigar Brand That I Wasn't Able to Launch

I have been a cigar smoker since 1986, puffing my first stogie inside a radio station i was interning in. Having been given 5 or 6 cigars bearing the Presidential Seal of Ferdinand Marcos by my boss, hotshot DJ Louie Dizon, and having been part of the anti-Marcos struggle, I proceeded to treat the cigars as my personal trophies of the struggle against a dictator. Without the benefit of a cigar cutter or even a puncher, Louie taught me how to "punch" holes using a match stick.  So, we lit up, and puffed, and puffed, while "on board" at primetime.  What I could not forget from that first cigar was that the

 one I lit up was producing a film of oil on my lips, much like what you would have if you ate a plateful of homestyle pinoy spaghetti.    Now, after 24 years of smoking a range of cigar brands including some of the famous ones from Cuba, I have NOT YET COME ACROSS ANOTHER CIGAR THAT PRODUCED A FILM OF OIL.  Never.   Now here is the sad part.  of that clutch of cigars, I remember smoking 3, giving another 1 or 2 away, and just keeping 1 for souvenir in a drawer that is now in my parent's house in Bulacan.  I do not think it is still there anymore. Those cigars are priceless now for two reasons:  quality, and historical value.

Ever since 2005, I have been thinking about launching my own brand, but with the leaves imported and rolled for me by a third party.  The brand whose taste I wanted to emulate was the original "Double Happiness", which was, for all intents and purposes, a Philippine brand manufactured for an American company.   Naturally, I wanted the manufacturer to make a batch for me, but the situation was more of "chicken and egg", or "is this supposed to come before that"?  I had trouble designing the bands, (the one which goes around the cigar) but the bigger trouble was finding a printer who could just do "one-offs" for me.  The printer of Manila Cigars (cigars in their own test tubes)  could print it for me, but their minimum run is 100,000 cigar bands.  I only needed 1,000.  To simplify the inventory, I had wanted to issue just one size, which was the ROBUSTO.  at that time, my favorite size was the robusto, as I had not yet been exposed to the torpedo and pyramid.  All three sizes, robusto, torpedo & pyramid, are "fat" cigars, but the robusto is strait, versus the other two which had a tapered head.  Tapered heads give you the choice of adjusting the resistance or "drag" of the cigar.  

In hindsight, I would have opted for a FAT ROBUSTO, which was exactly like a robusto, only fatter and an inch shorter.  Fat robustos are not rolled in the Philippines, and it is difficult to find an imported one.  Fat Robustos burn faster (about 20 minutes, since they are shorter) than regular robustos which burn for about 30 minutes.  Hence, my subname "Media Hora".  Fat robustos would be my choice today because of 2 reasons:  1) the shorter burning time is more for the "trial" cigar smokers, so they do not become impatient waiting for the cigar experience to end.  2) the "fat & squat" look of the cigars resembles the "gangster" look, and maybe what people remember cigars to look like.

The photo is the first print of my ill-fated brand, Camara Estates.  The profile is of Don Pedro Camara, patriarch of the clan.  The cigar band was supposed to be printed with gold stamp.

This is the second cigar band design which was a much simpler option without the gold foil and the photographic printing.  The choice of green was to set it apart from the traditional brands, as the popular band color was principally red or some variant thereof.  The cigars are all "HECHO A MANO", meaning all hand made.  Premium cigars have to be hand rolled, with little or no mechanical intervention so as to keep its positioning in the top-end chain.

So, what happened to it all?  There were 3 factors which prevented the launching of my cigar brand.  First was the venture capital I was intending to raise.  Second was the legislation and implementation of the advertising ban on tobacco products, which would have hit me hard.  Third, were my endorsers.  If you remember, 2007 was an election year.  I supported 7 candidates who were "sure win" by anyone's analysis.  At least 4 of those 7 had already agreed to endorse my brand, and the appropriate advertising shoot was already completed.  None of those big names won, and the project went down.

Two months ago, while cleaning out my drawers, I chanced upon those two photographs.  I remembered this ill-fated venture that only a handful of people knew.  I think its about time that everyone else should get to hear about my cigar brand.  The one I failed to launch.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles

August 30, 2010

The Chows I've Come Across

Hello everyone.

this is the first time im posting an announcement on an article currently in progress.  these are short snippets of encounters i have had with chows, or their owners, through the years.  some will be funny (because of the eccentricities of the owners themselves) and some may move you to tears (due to how emotional and single-minded the chows can be when they get upset).   these stories i have long-wanted to write and share (actually since 2001) but originally intended it to be released as a short companion book.  that possibility seems so distant now.

should you like to contribute (assuming you didnt know ive heard about your chow... hehehe) please feel free to tell us a little about your story through the comments portion below this blog.  

Ill be sitting down later tonight and probably the whole of tomorrow to work on this.  I just have to do a series of lectures today starting at 8:30am, until 7pm tonight.

regards,

Paul Yan

The Will Of The Wind

THE WILL OF THE WIND

I spent half my life, trying to change the way things were;

and half my life, trying to make them stay the same again..

about five years ago, a fellow consultant at First Data Corp. asked me if I had to give up anything when I met my wife. We were having our usual after-lunch round table discussions with a third consultant who was also a Diliman alumnus. I thought about it for a few minutes before I gave my answer. I said, “my window seat”. Both of them stared at me in amazement and I gave a short explanation.

I said, “ever since the first time I travelled to singapore in 1987, I have always had a window seat. I loved gazing out through the window, and just staring far far away, at the view.  And when I met my wife, I wanted her to enjoy it like I did, even though I knew that in the process I would never have that pleasure for myself again. I knew I was willing to give up my seat by the window for her, for the rest of my life”. For me it was a very simple answer. My two fellow consultants were probably waiting to hear something more dramatic or romantic like giving up heaven or earth, or smoking & drinking, or a huge inheritance or turning my back on my family. But since I basically had none of those, and since early on I knew that I was willing to give up everything for her, the most tangible thing I gave up is my spot in the sun, by the window.

And boy did we travel. Each chance we'd get, we'd fly off to somewhere. Where exactly wasn't as important as that we were travelling and doing the things we wanted to do together. So it was hong kong, singapore, bangkok, shanghai, beijing, cebu, boracay, busuanga, petaling jaya, and wherever else our tickets took us. Each trip had its own share of joys, pains, fights, and food trips. And with each one, I willingly sat on seat B instead of seat A.

Now, I have a chance to sit beside the window again. But after contentedly giving it up for 17 years, I don't think I want it anymore. I never wanted it back anyway.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles

June 30, 5:12 am

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as you very well already know, our condo is up for sale.  The United States of America, which has been the source of most of our bread and butter, has been in recession for nearly two years.  The wellspring has dried up. The Condo has to go, and as soon as possible.  We will need your help.

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about the song.  When I first heard it, this was in the early part of 1994 or thereabouts, I actually got teary eyed.  the first parts of the lyrics summed up the personal crisis I was going through at that time.  My family had just practically lost nearly everything, and the only bright spot on the horizon was that three of us had restarted into promising new careers.  In a year, we were able to pull off a 180degree turnaround.  There was actually another song from the era, titled "You Were There", which also elicited the same teary-eyed reaction each time i'd hear it.  I associated that song with my wife, who I had met fairly recently then, because she was my inspiration through those trying times.  When I wrote this piece 5 weeks ago, I had also just gone through deja vu.  the main difference was that there was absolutely no bright spot on the horizon at all.  No clear options, and no wellspring of resources to pursue anything at all, even self-made options.  It took 5 weeks for me to decide to put this post up, it being so personal and probably not too easy for the context to be picked up.  now it is up.  and the horizon is still as dark as a never-ending storm.