German Engineered Cigars announced today that they have forged a new partnership with Claudio Sgroi, a renowned Master Blender with twenty years of experience in the tobacco sector and in cigar manufacturing.
As a clear endorsement of the partnership, the Cigar Engineers agreed with Claudio Sgroi on the joint development of two new cigar blends, both of which are planned to be available in 2022. The first of the two is planned to be announced at the TPE 2022 trade show in Las Vegas, NV, in January 2022.
With this partnership the company takes the next big step in the future development and expansion of its cigar brand. In line with the success of RVGN Rauchvergnügen and the latest – limited – blend NN01, Claudio will join German Engineered Cigars to support the development of blends, production management and quality control.
Both future blends will be sold regularly and globally under their own names within the German Engineered Cigars brand.
Oliver Nickels, Co-Founder and Chief Cigar Engineer at German Engineered Cigars exclaimed:;
“It makes us proud to have such a skilled and experienced master blender joining our team of German Cigar Engineers. We seek to create cigars that are very distinctive and that fit a modern lifestyle, and Claudio certainly is the ideal partner for us.“
Claudio Sgroi, Master blender and consultant added;
“I am very happy and excited to work with such a modernist brand. Looking forward to collaborating with a very promising boutique cigar brand that is giving me the space and freedom to develop new ideas and aromatic experiences“
Claudio Sgroi is a renowned Master Blender with twenty years of experience in the tobacco sector and cigar manufacturing. He began his career in 2001 in the Dominican Republic, alongside Hendrik Kelner, Davidoff’s Master Blender. Between 2011 and 2021 he was Partner, Master blender and later President of Mombacho Cigars, with the objective of creating a boutique and premium cigar brand designed for the global market. He developed the world-acclaimed Liga Maestro blend, the Mombacho 10th Anniversary Magnifico, the Cosecha series and, more recently, the Casa Favilli line and the Diplomático By Mombacho Cigars. Claudio is President of the Nicaragua Tobacco Chamber (CNT) that represents 95% of the cigars and tobacco exported from Nicaragua.
German Engineered Cigars was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 2015 by Jan Klaas Mahler and Oliver Nickels. The company entered the market in Germany in 2016 and the U.S. in 2018 under the name Rauchvergnügen. In 2020, the company was re-branded German Engineered Cigars, underlining the founders’ aspiration to create new blends and expand into global cigar markets. German Engineered Cigars are made to be part of a modernist lifestyle. Developing exciting blends and combining traditional cigar manufacturing with modern design, we strive for superior cigars with avant-garde, independent aesthetics. The company notes that cigar engineering is an art to them. More about German Engineered Cigars at germanengineeredcigars.com and on Instagram at @CigarEngineers