I wish I had heard certain things more often, I wish certain things were a matter of course and I wish more people acted in a similar way.
I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know anything more about Escobar cigars except that it started in 2018 and the names of the owners. There wasn’t much else to read online (if we brush from the actual cigars themselves). A clean company profile could be said to be found and some reviews. Of course I found Nas’ Instagram and David’s, but not Michael’s. (I must have scrolled past without realizing it was his).

When I looked at David’s Instagram, I saw the dog Sol-hunter. Sol-Hunter showed a side I didn’t expect when I tried to do some research on escobar cigars, which led to other conversations about life later in the interview. I’ll be honest, if more people acted in the same way as David and the Escobars when it comes to animals and people in countries that are seen as poorer, life would have been gilded for many more. I will go into these parts a little later in the article and I hope that if you do not act in a similar way today, take it to heart and do it as much as you can.

Before we continue, a short quote from David’s Instagram profile.

“Ever wonder if rescue dogs ever feel that they have finally found a home?”

This is the story behind Escobar cigars.

Throwing myself into deep water knowing that a great white shark with its “cute” sharp teeth could come and taste me like a small snack is something I could never imagine. If I don’t have a cage around me and lie safely in a pole, you rarely see me in swimming trunks. That is not the case for David Gomez and Michael McNaughton. During their childhood years about 3 hours north of San Francisco, David and Micael met while freediving and hunting for Abalone. Their interest in diving led them to a lifelong friendship and the beginning of what we know today as Escobar cigars.

How did your interest in cigars start?

Michael and I went to Havana to attend a friend’s wedding in 2007. I had never smoked a cigar before in my life and had it served to me on a terrace. I puffed the cigar like never before and guess I generally had too much movement in me.

“You stupid American, sit down and relax for a while I was told with a twinkle in my eye. I felt the cigar relax me in a way I hadn’t felt before. It was at this moment that my passion for cigars started”

4th of July independents day 2017 In Nicaragua. Now the journey begins.

Michael’s plans for National Day had changed and he had no plans that year. He asked David if he wanted to come with him to Nicaragua and celebrate there.

“Michael would go and pick up some cigars for us to enjoy and for a period we lost each other in Nicaragua. Out of nowhere Michael appeared full of energy waving a bundle of cigars and said this is what we are going to do. We both had a strong passion for cigars and we decided to start it as a passion and hobby project at first”

Back home in the USA Escobar cigar was born

Once the duo returned home from their trip, work began in earnest. It wasn’t really work, but more of a dream followed. Both who had well-paid jobs, careers and financial security chose to invest in the dream of owning cigars. They spent all the time they had on rescers and building contact networks at factories to get a good start before they chose to slow down on their work and invest more in cigars. In 2018 David and Michael contacted Morgan Smith who is a close friend of David who worked at Warner Muscic and helped them get in touch with Nas who became their partner in Escobar cigars.

Is Nas more of an investor and co-owned brand ambassador or a co-owner with a passion for cigars?

That the famous rapper Nas is a co-owner of Escobar cigars is well known and you can read about it at the touch of a button via the internet. The feeling I got when I searched online was that he was more of an Investor in the company and a brand ambassador with part ownership. If I got that feeling then I think many more have got the same. Something I felt I wanted to explore more and wanted to give the right side to. It’s easy to make your assumptions online when you don’t look in depth and it’s not written properly to give a fair picture of the three co-owners. My conversation with David led me to something I feel I wanted to bring up here to give you the real picture what Nas’ collaboration with David and Michael. David explained how knowledgeable Nas really is, calling him an Investor and a co-owner ambassador is about as far from the truth as you can get. Nas has a strong passion for cigars and each blend, each graphic design and small part of the company on a detailed level is carefully reviewed by the three co-owners.

“He is as big a part of the work as we are” David explained.

It is well known that the cigar industry is one of the toughest in the world. Even if you’re famous or not, you don’t have the passion for cigars and are willing to roll up your sleeves and work harder than you thought possible, the brand will never be able to take off and no one will be able to enjoy your creation. Something David, Michael and Nas were prepared to do.

During our conversation, things came up that I felt raised my respect for David and their work a lot, Much More than I previously had.

We got into conversation about the factories in Nicaragua and the country itself. Our conversation actually started about their work with Aj Fernandez factories and Ep Carillo but went on to become a conversation about the poor and less fortuned people in the country.
The fact that poverty is high and many families are having a hard time gets to the heart. What really warmed me on an incredible level, and which I rarely hear in any industry at all, was that on every trip to Nicaragua, they are overloaded with goods that are difficult or impossible to obtain to give to families and those less fortunate. A humanity you rarely hear about, thought it should be a matter of course.

I ask you kindly, I will give you something to think about. If you say that it is a matter of course that one should do it, how often do you take a coin out of your pocket, buy an extra loaf of bread and give it to the poor person on the corner that you most likely pass by sometimes? Or how often do you send a penny to a charity that supports children in poor countries?  Why I wrote this last piece is because I know how many people think, they say it’s a matter of course but rarely do it themselves and I think those who make that effort are worth lifting. Storrys I wish I had heard more often from all industies.

Sol-Hunter, The formerly homeless dog

I’m guessing right now a lot of people reading are thinking

– You fucking idiot what the hell does a dog have to do with cigars?

A lot and at the same time nothing. However, the dog tells a lot about the person behind the cigar’s values. As I mentioned before, I searched for David and saw Sol-Hunter. A dog that didn’t have a home and that David chose to adopt instead of buying a puppy from a dog kennel. A dog becomes like a family member and is said to be man’s best friend for a reason. A person can hide their feelings and even let you down regardless of your history. A dog will be loyal to you even if you can’t afford food or if you are going through tough times. The only thing they want in return is to have a wholehearted feeling of being needed and wanted.

The dog told about the humanity of helping those who are worse off and deserve a home.

“I would never in my life support and buy a puppy from a kennel as long as there are dogs that don’t have a home and don’t feel a sense of belonging”  were the words I got.

The feeling I got after our conversation about escobar cigars was that in normal businesses you are driven by the profit that stays in your pocket, but it is rare to hear that part of the profit fills a bag with supplies that is distributed to those who need it.

How do you follow your dreams? My standard question that I always look for answers to. I believe that the more people who dare to follow their dreams, the more people can have a happier life.

“Following your dreams is not about working for money, but about working for what you are passionate about. If you work for what you are passionate about, even if you earn poorly at the moment, you will eventually find ways to make money from it and have a good economy thanks to your passion”

“You have to be organized, if you are not organized and have structure you will never get ahead. By being organized you have a plan and can follow it”

Escobar cigars

Click on each imagines to read more about the cigars.

Escobar Maduro

Wrapper: San Andres Mexico – Filler: Nicaragua – Binder: Nicaragua

Escobar Connecticut

Wrapper: Ecoadorian Connecticut – Binder: Ecuadorian Habano – Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras

Escobar Habano

Wrapper: Ecoadorian Habano – Binder: Nicaragua – Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras

Escobar Ultra black Platinum serie 1

Wrapper: San Andres Mexico – Binder: Habano – Filler: 5 year Aged tobacco from Nicaragua and Dominican Republic

David, thank you very much not only for taking the time to make this article a reality, but also for doing what many others should do. It was an honor for me and I hope and believe that many people around the world will learn from your story.

Link to VDG Site: https://vdg-cigars.com/interview-with-escobar-cigars-david-white-sharks-a-fellow-human-being-homeless-dog-a-passion-and-rapper/