Former investment adviser Michael Chiusano never intended to get into the cigar business. He was certainly an enthusiast and a regular of David Garofalo’s Two Guys Smoke Shop. It was there that the wheels for Michael’s cigar future were set in motion.
After returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic in 1995, Michael gifted Garofalo one of the Dominican cigars he brought back. The cigars were bandless, so Michael created his own using letterhead from his company. Garofalo loved the cigar and said he wanted the entire stock.
But there was one issue Garofalo had with the sticks. The name on the letterhead bands was “Chiusano.” Garofalo pointed out that most people would get the pronunciation wrong. As a result, the name Cusano was chosen, which is the phonetic spelling of Chiusano. And thus, in the middle of the cigar boom of the 1990s, like so many others, Michael Chiusano entered the cigar business with the Cusano Hermanos cigar.
What sets Michael apart from the other startups during the boom is that Cusano is very much alive and well all these years later. That is, in part, thanks to timing. When Michael got into the business, demand was still far outpacing supply for premium cigars, and Michael was importing a huge number of premiums under the Cusano brand.
A few years after its founding, Cusano cigars relocated production to Davidoff’s Tabadom factory in the Dominican Republic in order to house the tremendous growth they’d experienced in such a short time. To ensure the value-priced Cusano cigars were up to premium standards, the brand enlisted the help of Davidoff’s master blender, Henke Kelner to oversee production.
One of the more notable Cusano cigars is the Cusano 18 Double Connecticut, powered by 18-year-aged San Vicente Olor and Ligero Piloto to create a tasty mild smoke. Another is the Cusano M1 which is blended to mirror the taste and characteristics of Macanudo cigars but at a much lower price. Then there’s the Cusano 18 Paired Maduro which uses two Maduro wrappers—a rich Connecticut broadleaf on the surface and a Brazilian Mata Fina in the filler. The result is a rich smoke filled with flavors of wood, chocolate, and earth.
Whatever your pleasure is, Cusano cigars offer you a way to get that and more.
Cusano cigars provide smokers with premium sticks at a budget-friendly price. They look great. They taste great. They keep your wallet heavy.
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