Selected Tobacco announces the opening of its new 3,000-square-meter (30,000 SqFt) facility in Madrid, marking the return of premium cigar production to Spain for the first time in over half a century. More than a factory, the five-story structure serves as a complete ecosystem for production, aging, design, and hospitality, built to support the company’s long-term vision.
Madrid has long been at the heart of Selected Tobacco’s philosophy, where time slows, and aging is treated as an art form. This new home brings together blending, aging, administration, and creative vision under one roof, reinforcing the brand’s unwavering commitment to excellence and long-term thinking. It’s a rare glimpse behind the curtain of a company that measures success not in speed, but in decades.
For founder and creator Nelson Alfonso, Madrid was the only place this project could exist. Spain is his home, and the decision to build here reflects a desire to reconnect the country with its historic role in tobacco while establishing a modern standard rooted in quality and patience. Led by the Alfonso family, including sons Nelson Jr. and Fabio, the facility is outfitted with family and friends bringing decades of experience. Now, two centuries after Spain’s last premium cigar factory went silent, Selected Tobacco reintroduces production with intent rather than nostalgia.
The facility is organized across five levels, designed to guide both product and visitors through the full lifecycle of a cigar.
Guests are welcomed on the first floor, where a contemporary entry leads into a central division that separates the front and rear of the building. This expansive core serves as primary dry goods storage and can be converted into an event space capable of hosting up to 350 guests.
The second floor houses the Selected Tobaccos design team, where blend direction, packaging concepts, and long-term projects are developed.
On the third floor, visitors can observe master torcedores rolling cigars, offering a transparent look into the rolling process that helps define Selected Tobaccos production.
The fourth floor is dedicated entirely to aging and presentation. Here, guests encounter the world’s largest multi-cedar lined humidor, comprised of 24 individual aging rooms. This environment allows Selected Tobaccos production to move through its proprietary aging process under precise conditions, reinforcing consistency across every release. The same floor also features the executive offices and a showroom displaying original designs by Nelson Alfonso, many of which have received international awards for innovation and presentation.
The fifth floor offers a private smoking lounge and outdoor terrace, providing a setting designed for reflection and conversation. Sophisticated ventilation allows guests to enjoy their perfectly aged cigars that they can select from the two-story humidor. Along with the 18 reclining leather seats and wood paneled walls, branded lounges will have their own private lockers for their guests traveling the historic avenues of Madrid.
At the rear of the building, the focus shifts to raw tobacco transformation. Guests can view the fermentation process in large, purpose-built rooms, alongside dedicated aging spaces filled with French Oak wine barrels used to rest wrapper and filler leaves. These areas highlight the early stages of development that shape each cigar long before it reaches the rolling table.
The facility also includes a hydroponic grow room, where tobacco plants are cultivated and hybrid seeds are germinated for future crops. This controlled environment supports experimentation and long-term agricultural planning, reinforcing Selected Tobaccos commitment to continuity from seed to finished cigar.
From here, guests return by elevator to the ground level, where the journey concludes at the starting point of every cigar. Receiving and sorting take place here, where tobacco enters the facility and begins its progression through fermentation, aging, and production.
Nelson Alfonso, Founder of Selected Tobacco stated:
“This factory is not about size or scale. It is about responsibility. Responsibility to history, to the people who work here, and to the cigars we release into the world. Spain gave tobacco a place centuries ago. Now we give it time again.”
The Madrid facility represents a defining step forward for Selected Tobacco, bringing production, aging, design, and hospitality under one roof while reaffirming Alfonsos commitment to structure, patience, and long-term vision.