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An Interview with Pete Johnson
By Jeff | August 8, 2008 |
On 5/28/08 my daughter and I ventured up to Hollywood, CA to interview Pete Johnson, creator of the Tatuaje line of cigars. Located on the famous Sunset Strip, we joined Pete at his shop for an intriguing and entertaining 3 ½ hour interview!
Pete is definitely a class act! Very humble, very modest. During our time together, we smoked a Tatuaje Black Robusto, and the new Tatuaje La Riqueza Lonsdale (I was only the second person to smoke a banded one!!). He even walked out several times to keep our parking meter happy!
Here is our interview (note: we discussed his rock band days in length – to the extent that my daughter, also a bass player, wrote her own interview entitled, “Pete Johnson: The Rock Band before the Cigar Band”).
Pete: My first job was right across the street (pointing across Sunset Boulevard) where that baby store is. It used to be a print shop and I used to do printing and graphics. In late December, 1989, I moved to the San Diego area to join my band that was starting a small tour, Jamul to be exact: 5 guys living in our guitar player’s mom’s house. We got kicked out of every hotel we stayed in. Something about a rock band living in one hotel room didn’t work out. So the tour didn’t last very long. I convinced the band to move to LA, and that’s where we remained. In fact, our last apartment was located behind the Mann’s Chinese Theater.
Jeff: When did you start smoking cigars?
Pete: I have been smoking since 1990 with the band. I was just goofing around.
Jeff: What were you smoking back then?
Pete: Truthfully, when I first said to my friends at that time, ‘You know, I want to smoke a cigar,’ they thought I was crazy. I sang backups in the band. We had a lot of heavy music with a lot of harmonies. I sang all the high pitched melody lines that were in the choruses. We had sometimes three or four harmonies going at once and I sang the high pitched ones. To try and have to do that now would kill me. (laughs)
Jeff: Were you in the falsettos or your natural voice?
Pete: No, natural voice; a really high natural voice. Yeah. It was kind of weird. Everybody couldn’t understand how I could hit the notes I was hitting.
Jeff: What was the first cigar you smoked?
Pete: When I first started, I went to a liquor store and bought the cheapest cigar I could find. I didn’t know anything about cigars. Nothing. I can’t remember what I actually bought. I just wanted something to look interesting. But it was cheap.
Then I went into a real cigar store in the Sherman Oaks Galleria when it was still around. I walked in there and I bought a Pleiades cigar. I called my buddy and said, ‘Man, I can’t believe I spent $2 on a cigar,’ because back then, cigars were nothing.
One of my favorite cigars was Henry Clay. And when I was smoking Henry Clay’s on an on-going basis, which was when I started at Gus’s, I was paying $1 for them, you know, retail. You can’t even touch a Henry Clay for $5 now. It’s interesting how it’s changed.
I also smoked Private Stock by Davidoff which was the first box I ever bought.
Jeff: What was the name of first cigar shop you worked for?
Pete: A place called Gus’s smoke shop in Studio City, the oldest cigar shop around, opened in 1927. Here’s a long-standing joke. The Tinder Box in Santa Monica opened in 1928. There was always a friendly battle between Ed (owner of the Tinder Box) and Jimmy who owned Gus’. Gus’s was the oldest store. Ed was the oldest owner.
Gus’s was mostly a pipe store. When I got in there, the store had 60 facings of cigars. Within 6 months, they allowed me to start purchasing and rearranging the humidor. I turned that original 60 into 200 facings real quick. You’re talking about a tiny room; you could walk in and touch a shelf here and here and here (spreading his arms out). There were only three shelves. I started doing the purchasing in 1993 and worked there full time.
When the boom hit, every thing went up every six months. I believe the boom kind of killed the cigar industry. Everybody was happy during it, but everybody got too greedy. They thought it was going to last forever. A lot of companies started putting out shit, like, pure shit, just to try to fool people. Then someone finally realized it and said, ‘I’m not going to smoke shit and pay $10 for a crappy cigar’ that now is no longer even in existence.
In the mid 90’s I started picking up a lot of brands that no one had. No one knew about Puros Indios when I picked them up. We were only one of 8 accounts in the country to have it. Padron, no one really knew about Padron, other than people in Miami. People in Miami who saw a Padron Anniversary laughed: ‘How could a Padron be $10? Ludicrous!’
I spent most of my time, even on my days off, in the humidor just researching stuff. I read every book about cigars. I bought every collectable book about cigars. I bought a lot of pipes, like I said; they were primarily a pipe store, which I don’t really smoke anymore. I smoked a lot of English blends during that time.
I quit there, after getting into a fight with the owner. Long story, one of our customers passed away and I wanted to go to a funeral. It was my day to work and I didn’t want to work. So, I got fired. Actually, it was kind of a mutual thing.
I didn’t want to jump right into the cigar business again. I wanted to feel out my options.
By that time, a lot of people got to know me. I got a couple of offers from the east coast, but I didn’t want to move away from California. So I started working for a place called the Big Easy. They used to have two locations: one on Westward Boulevard and one in Studio City.
While at the Big Easy, the Gran Havana Room offered me a job to run their club in New York. I didn’t want to move from California so I gave them some outrageously high number to move there. I was told I wasn’t worth the price. I knew at the time that I was worth the price. I had done the research and I also made sure the people in the industry knew me. I was able to acquire things that people couldn’t normally get. I had built relationships with all the companies.
About a year later, they offered me another job because they were opening up retail in different places. A short interview later, I took the job. That was September1997. At the time, they had locations in Beverly Hills, New York City, Washington DC. When I came on, they needed somebody to control their inventory and their retail. My job was basically to reduce spending and to bring in product that they could sell. They had some of the worst product. I mean, they had some of the greatest product because they had access to it, the Ashtons and the Fuentes and everything they wanted. But they also had a collection of really bad product. My job was to move all that product and to cut spending.
Jeff: Was this for all the shops?
Pete: Yeah. This was when they were opening the Las Vegas shop. So my first job was to set up a retail inventory system, work with a computer guy to set up a POS system and open up the store in Vegas. That’s why when I go to Vegas I don’t really like it that much (chuckle).
Jeff: Too much work?
Pete: It was tough because, when I first started working with Grand Havana, I didn’t really have a ton of money and I was getting paid really well from them. I had a gambling habit back then. During the first week, I pretty much lost all my spending cash. And I would be there for a month! So, I had to dip into my bank account which I really didn’t want to do. I go there now, and I really don’t gamble that much. I let other people gamble.
Jeff: You figured it out!
Pete: Yeah. That’s why I have a poker table in my office (laughs) [note: the interview took place at that table]. I still love gambling. I just do it on a smaller level now. I know people who will go to the trade show and walk out with $20,000 in their pocket. But they’re gambling with heavy number, so they could easily lose $20 Grand. I don’t even go there. $100 at a table, if I lose, see ya! I go into a place and say, ‘you know what, I don’t really want to lose more than $500.’ And that’s all I’ll spend. Otherwise you’re into self sorrow and you’re going to be miserable the whole time. Now, it’s usually just goofing around on a slot machine. I don’t want to sit there and have the pressure. A slot machine, you can sit there and smoke a cigar and just pull every once in a while.
Jeff: And get the free drinks!
Pete: Exactly!
Jeff: How did you get the name “Tattoo Pete?”
Pete: Carlos (Fuente) Sr. was the first person that really said it. I got the Opus X tattoo in 1995. I went to the Big Smoke on the east coast. I was joking with Wayne Suarez, Cynthia Fuentes husband that I had a problem with my arm, and I wanted his opinion. I showed him the tattoo. It was in front of 5 other cigar companies and they all wanted me to get a tattoo of their logo. Someone in the group called me Tattoo Pete, but it didn’t really set in until I went to the Dominican Republic and really got the chance to talk to Carlos Sr. He looked at me and said, “You’re the crazy kid that got the Opus X tattoo.” I think out of his mouth he said ‘Tattoo Pete.’ After that, it kind of stuck and everyone in the industry knew me as Tattoo Pete.
Jeff: Was that the first tattoo?
Pete: No, I had the sleeve already. I added the La Flor Dominicana flowers because I was very friendly with Litto Gomez – it was really a double meaning for me: one to pay tribute to the friendship they gave me and also to represent the whole tobacco flower. I love the whole look of it! They were always really good to me and they were the other group that called me Tattoo Pete.
Jeff: How did you come up with the Tatuaje brand name?
Pete: The first brand name I had was La Riqueza. I was looking for a cool brand name that meant something very rich, very wealthy. If you look up wealth, it’s La Riqueza.
When I did the design and the logo for la Riqueza, the design on the brown label, it just didn’t look good. I kept going back and forth. I already had the name (Tatuaje), but I had forgotten about it. Tatuaje came up because a lot of the guys who worked in the Gran Havana Room would call me Tatuaje, because of all my tattoos. That’s how the name came up, Tattoo Pete.
Jeff: How about the logo?
Pete: The Fleur-de-lis? Originally, it was going to be a cross, but I thought it might offend people. I have always liked the Fleur because it means wealth and royalty, a very high class symbol. A lot of people think ‘Boy Scouts.’ But, no. I was in the Cub Scouts, but never the Boy Scouts. I wanted something that resembled wealth and riches.
It became a part of me and my company. Everything we do has a Fleur somewhere on it. The Cabaguan, Havana VI, Series P, the La Riqueza even has a Fleur-de-lis on it. There will be a hidden Fleur on everything I do. Now, it’s probably the most popular symbol in the world!
Jeff: How about the La Riqueza. Can you tell me where it originated?
Pete: La Riqueza is and old Cuban brand. The artwork is almost identical to the old Cuban. I added the coins, which gave it a wealthy look. I removed any reference to ‘Habano’ and added the Fleur-de-lis. Where it said Fabian Fuente Rodriguez, I changed to D’Clouet 16, which is the street these cigars were made on in Cuba. I did this to add a little bit of history!
Jeff: Is La Riqueza a limited edition?
Pete: We’re going to do 250,000 a year. They will continue to be a part of the line, just in limited production.
I was lucky to register three old brand names, and I have plans to use all of them. These were old brand names which no one paid attention to. So basically, I’m going to see if I can revive them! And, I always pick names that no one can pronounce.
A new brand I just registered is the ‘El Triunfador,’ which means, ‘The Winner.’ This will be put into commerce in small quantities, underground to a couple retailers just to keep the brand registered. The size will be just one size, which is a Lancero. It will have a Connecticut broad leaf wrapper. With a mild filler, the wrapper will beef up the strength. You’ll have to search for it as it will be in very small batches.
Jeff: How about them Blacks? Nice jar!! They certainly are the talk of the town! And I hear they’re sold out!
Pete: Only 1000 jars were made. Around 900 will be released. I’m keeping the rest for myself!
There’s a story on our website regarding ‘the famous island that makes cigars.’ I’ve had the privilege to go there a few times legally! It is a real mysterious place. I always say that they’re the wheel. They were the first to do it right. There’s no sense in trying to recreate the wheel. I made the Tatuaje Black as a tribute to the cigar I smoked on a daily basis while down there. Something I enjoyed that wasn’t supposed to be about the look of the cigar, the way it burned, the construction. It’s all about the flavor and the aroma.
That’s why I use a binder for a wrapper, which gives it an interesting twist. The filler is already beefy. This binder we use is actually kind of sweet tasting, giving it a different character. I’m not big on throwing out lines of bullshit, so it isn’t a special kind of wrapper. It’s a binder.
Jeff: So, I hear you copy the Cuban style?
Pete: Yeah. I’m not a big fan of some of the bullshit lines of marketing going on right now just to try to fool people. Litto Gomez does what he does because he knows how to make cigars. Carlito Fuentes does what he does because he knows how to make cigars. I would never try to attempt to copy them.
That’s why I get a little irritated when people are now all of the sudden riding on the Cuban bandwagon. They’ve completely forgotten for years. They’ve been copying the other manufactures. Five years ago someone started paying attention to the Cuban styles and the Cuban shapes, and now everybody is saying, ‘Ah, let’s started making a Lancero.’ Where were you five years ago? CAO had a Lancero five years ago. I called one of my friends at CAO to congratulate him on a rating and he said, ‘Wow, we discontinued that line six months ago.’ There’s a lot of bull shit out there.
My lines are dedicated to copy Cubans. Eventually, I don’t want these to be just domestic brands. I want them to transcend into being Cuban brands later on. That’s why I use the names I use, the older Cuban brands. It’ll help me to position myself.
I know Pepin’s goal is not only to buy tobacco from Cuba, but also to go there and make cigars. We don’t want trade to open with Cuba just to buy stuff. It’ll hurt the business. But if we could go there and work, it’ll create some new buzz for the business. And maybe we can avoid some of these legal aspects we’re dealing with now.
Maybe some day, when Cuba opens up, we can go there for our trade show. If trade ever opens up with Cuba, that will be the future home of the IPCPR. You never know.
Jeff: How did you get introduced to Pepin? And describe your relationship with his son, Jaime?
Pete: Jaime and I are like brothers. We were born in the same year. He gets what I’m going for. Pepin is a traditionalist and he knows tobacco. Jamie has that new edge to him and is very creative. Pepin worked for Tabacalera Tropical in Nicaragua. He was rolling for special events. I heard about him through a friend and sales rep for Tropical, Ben Gehrman, who asked me, ‘Do you still want to make a cigar? I know someone…’
Pepin sent me a sample. I didn’t particularly like them. I figured it was because he’d been rolling for all these shows. People would ask him, ‘Roll me an Opus, roll me an Ashton VSG.’ Pepin’s from Cuba. No sense taking that out of the equation.
Pepin came out to the Gran Havana Room, where I set up a table for him to roll. He started rolling based on strength level. I wasn’t thrilled with any of them, because he didn’t know what I wanted. He was rolling based on what everyone else was talking about. I have always been a lover of Cuban cigars and I had a stash on me at the time. I grabbed a couple of cigars from my locker, one for me to smoke, and one for him. Well, he got this twinkle in his eye, and said, ‘Oh, you want me to make this?’ I told him, ‘Yeah, you know this cigar better than any other cigar out there.’
Jeff: Which cigar did you give him?
Pete: A Juan Lopez Petit Corona. He knew as soon as he lit it up that he could make that. Within 5 minutes, he rolled me a perfect cigar. He knew! He knew exactly what was in that cigar. He rolled quite a few of them in different sizes and I put them away. Throughout the week, I smoked more of them to see how they were doing. They had a thin quality about them. Pepin’s daughter, Janny was my contact because she spoke the best English. I talked Paul Palmer from the Tropical Factory and requested for Pepin to tweak up the blend a notch because the base of it bottomed out; it was missing depth. Pepin sent me replacement samples, and I knew he nailed it. I’d swear I was smoking something straight off a bench in Cuba!
The first production was made in Tropical’s warehouse because Pepin didn’t have a factory yet. Pepin’s wife was sorting the leaves, Jaime was rolling. Janny was rolling. Jaime’s wife, Danny was rolling. Pepin was rolling. And two of their friends were rolling. It was a big family effort.
Funny story when it came to packaging: I met Jaime in Miami at Tropical’s warehouse to tell him how I wanted it done. I gave Jaime two Cuban boxes and said ‘I want this and this exactly because 1) they’re cabinets 2) the cedar will help them age, and 3) the retailers really like the small boxes. He looked at the bottom of the box and it had a date stamp from a factory that he actually did. He told me, ‘This is my box.’ I said, ‘I know, it’s from Cuba.’ Jaime said, ‘No, this is my box. I worked at this factory when this box was stamped.’
We slowly built Tatuaje up. About 2 months later, Pepin moved into the Miami factory. He started with 6 rollers, to 8 rollers, to 10, then 12. Two were let go because of suspicion that they were trying to steal the Cojonu blend.
Tatuaje was Pepin’s first full production cigar.
Jeff: Can you tell me about Pepin’s new factory?
Pete: Pepin was offered a factory in Nicaragua, the Tabacalera Cubana S. A. in Esteli, Nicaragua. With my business increasing, and Ernest Padilla’s line increasing, and his own line increasing, he knew he had to expand. I never pushed my numbers with Pepin. I would tell him what I needed. Pepin was all about quality so I never pressured him into just pushing my cigars out the door.
Once he opened up Nicaragua, I went down there and started the Havana VI line, which is solely produced in Nicaragua. I spend more time in Nicaragua than I do in Miami. Usually, the only time I’m in Miami is enroute to Nicaragua.
I told Pepin that I might not be his biggest customer now that Ashton was on line. For me, it’s not about the money. It’s about having something with my name on it that people like. It’s not about people telling me how great I am because I produce 10 million cigars. I’d rather just hang out and chill with people and enjoy a product that is going to be consistently good all the time.
Jeff: How many cigars do you plan to produce this year?
Pete: We will probably put out a 1.5 million cigars this year. This is where Pepin wants me to be because he has production he needs to be able to take care of his employees. They get paid per stick. .
I would rather be the small company that everybody likes instead of this big company that eventually everybody will hate.
Jeff: A true boutique?
Pete: Yeah! When I first started, I only thought I would make 30,000 a year. It’s all based on how many rollers you have. There was never any talk about me saying, ‘I’m going to only make this many cigars because it’s a limited edition and they’ll never come back.’ It had to do with how many I could roll.
Everyone thought the Cojonu was a limited edition. It’s not. It’s based on the year it came out: 2003, 2006, 2009, every three years.
Jeff: And the Black Label?
Pete: I’ll continue to make them in small amounts and they’ll be for me. I’ll continue to make the Black Robusto, but they will only be given out by me only at events. I give out a little package at events to those who buy a box – a hat, a cutter, and a three-pack of Black Robustos. Depending on the box they buy, I’ll throw in a couple more sticks – usually the Cazadores (brown) or the Hermosos (red).
I made 50,000 each of the East and West Verocu. I’ll make a Verocu again with different sizes, maybe next year, maybe 2010. The original Guapo is gone, officially sold out! That’s why I came out with three new Guapo sizes.
Jeff: How would you describe yourself in regards to the cigar industry?
Pete: Family tradition has a lot to do with it. With me, I have no pedigree. I don’t wear a Guayabera, I don’t wear a funny hat. I don’t stand in a field and pretend I own a farm. Or smell leaves from a bale and tell you ‘this will go with that.’ Pepin is the master. I just like cigars, and truthfully, I got lucky. You have to trust your opinion. You have to like it, to enjoy what you’re smoking; before you let other people tell you what to smoke.
Jeff: How would you describe your cigars?
Pete: When the brown label came out, a lot of people thought it was too strong – too much. So, I started the red line, the Havana VI line. I wanted something I can enjoy without putting me to the punch. Something I could smoke on an empty stomach.
Jeff: What about the Verocu? I’ve heard you call it the ‘Havana VI on steroids.
Pete: Yeah. It’s not as strong as the brown, but is stronger than the VI. Each has their unique character.
Jeff: Is both sizes the same blend?
Pete: Yes. But you take a millimeter or two off the ring, or take off an inch, or a ¼ inch, you’re going to taste a lot of different flavors.
Jeff: I understand they’re all gone?
Pete: I’m a firm believer when someone says ‘I’m going to only make 20,000’ then only make 20,000. And then when the cigar did so well, they say, ‘let’s have another run at these.’ There’s a lot of that going on in the business right now. And you sell them because the buyer believes they’re getting something special. Well, they’re not really special anymore.
Like the jars (Tatuaje Black), I only made 1000 of them. There will be extra bundles made. But they’re for me. Maybe in a year or two, I might do a ‘refill my jar’ program, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to do that since I didn’t number the jars. I’d have to ask people to register their jar. It would be pretty difficult to do.
Jeff: I belong to a cigar board, BOTL.org. The guys there love your product. You should check it out.
Pete: I’m shy about the boards because I’ve been eaten up before.
Jeff: I’ve read about that. Something about vendors selling for less than you wanted them to. Can you elaborate?
Pete: It’s a big deal for me. It’s a tough battle to protect a brand name when there’s certain company’s out there that will buy your product out the back doors of other stores and put it on their websites really cheap to make $50.
I’ve only been doing this side of the business for 5 years. I’ve watched huge brands lose momentum to where they’ve gone out of business because they sent their stock off someplace and let the brand die. I don’t want to do this for five years and say, ‘Hey, I’ve made some money now let’s get the hell out of here.’ I kind of want to be around for a while.
You have to protect the brand, and also protect the retailers that brought you to the dance. There are a lot of only Brick and Mortars that brought me to the dance. So, when I deal with online stores, I try to make sure published pricing is at a certain level because I don’t want to hurt the B&M’s. Published pricing is a big deal for me but what the retailer does behind closed doors, I have no problem with. It’s a battle.
Jeff: How many people do you have working for you?
Pete: 3 actually 2 and ½. Andy is 2, Thor is ½, and I’m just along for the ride!
Jeff: What is your favorite non Cuban?
Pete: Truthfully (holding up the La Riqueza), right now, this tastes like crack to me. The joke with Pepin and I is my favorite is always the last cigar he made for me. This US Connecticut broadleaf wrapper is very spicy. This wrapper is the perfect wrapper. A dark, oily, gorgeous wrapper – all natural.
This is the first cigar I may put a contract on. I told Dan (newhavanacigars.com), ‘This is the one that I really don’t want to sell.’ I want to keep them for myself. They come in all the formats I like: Petit Corona, Lonsdale, Belicosos Fino, Corona Gorda, and a 5 x 48 Cuban Robusto. This is my first box-pressed cigar. I’m in love with it! I’m proud of all my cigars, but this one is extra special. And it comes full circle, since that was my first name for Tatuaje. I’ve been smoking these like crazy.
Jeff: One of my brothers on the BOTL, Jay, met with you in Texas recently. You talked to him about the aging myth. What’s your take on aging?
Pete: The joke is ‘My cigar is nearly aged for 30 days.’ I won’t get into specifics, but there are company’s with the whole 18 year old tobacco and slow aged for 5 years. It’s marketing. But at the same time it’s deceiving toward the consumer. I think there’s better truth in advertising than there is to lie to people - to make something seem it’s going to be better because of the age of the tobacco.
Pepin gets my cigars ready and rolls them. The tobacco is any where between 1 ½ to 3 years old. It sits in drying room 21-30 days. And he gets them to me in 45-60 days. Then, they get to the consumer in probably about 2 ½ months.
We get down to the factory and Jaime would bring over one of the head factory guys and would tell him to roll our smokes. Within 20 minutes, we would have them. Back in Miami, Pepin used to roll them for us.
Jeff: What’s your take on all these smoking bans?
Pete: If I had $100 million dollars, I’d open up a cigar club in every major city that met their individual guidelines. For instance, the Gran Havana Room in Beverly Hills is the only place you can eat, drink, and smoke all in the same establishment. A certain percent has to be tobacco, a certain has to be liquor, with food being the minority. There has to be a certain amount of employees.
I’d have to get a team together just to find out a way to get it done. I think it’s ridiculous how we’re being stripped of all our freedoms. Every time I hear that song they play for our troops, “I’m proud to be an American” I get very emotional for the troops. At the same time, I realize we’re not a free country anymore. We are being stripped of everything, everything. I don’t mind paying more for things, but don’t strip me of what I choose to do. I was up in Seattle doing a retail sales, and you can’t even smoke in the cigar stores. So we smoked up. I asked the owner, ‘What’s the fine?’ He said, ‘$100.’ ‘Per event? Hell, I’ll pay the fine to have the event.’ Do you want to hear something funny? Obama is a cigarette smoker. He tries to hide it. Just so he can look better to certain voters.
Jeff: Are you married?
Pete: Yes, 10 years. Her name is Shannon. She is Vice President of the Gran Havana Room. We don’t do much traveling together because she’s very busy. “
Jeff: Do you have any children?
Pete: No. We have been so busy, the both of us.
Jeff: How old are you?
Pete: 38 in December!
Jeff: What is your favorite cutter?
Pete: My favorite cutter is my thumbnail. Peel it off like a little bullet. I do like the cutter with the back on it (showing me the Tatuaje cutter he had made). It guarantees a cut that keeps the integrity of the triple cap.
Jeff: What is your favorite lighter?
Pete: I do like the table lighter made by Lotus, the T3, though I’ll use whatever’s around.
Jeff: What are some of your hobbies?
Pete: I love to play the bass. I’ll go down to the Guitar Center and play.
I’m a wine collector. Wine is big for me. I just finished building our house that took us forever. I put in a wine cellar that is perfect for a humidor: 58 degrees with 67 percent humidity. It is a natural humidity that is produced by the cooling machines.
I used to play golf. Love it! I just don’t have the time. I’m a sports fan. I just don’t have the time to sit around and watch it. I’ll watch the playoffs.
I love movies.
Jeff: So, what’s up with the Swag?
Pete: I like fashion. My uncle was a fashion consultant. If I wasn’t in cigars, I would be in fashion. I’m having a lot of fun with the hats and I’m obsessed with the t-shirt thing right now. I’m doing them all in small batches. I have some friends in the fashion industry that are helping me out. I do the designs myself.
Jeff: What is your favorite drink?
Pete: I do love the rum: Havana Club! I don’t really like beer. If I drink beer, I’m a piss beer drinker.
Jeff: Coors light?
Pete: No, Corona! I do like red wine with my smokes. I really like the red wine. I don’t do the scotch and the cognac. But I like the rum.
Jeff: Where do you like to vacation?
Pete: I like places with a lot of sun! Not just because it’s hot, but to be able to do a lot of stuff in the sun. I like the warm-weather. I like Hawaii because of the clean air. I really like Oahu. There’s so much to see.
I also like to ski – snow ski.
Here’s some Pete Johnson Trivia: Dogs are big for me – rottweilers. My first dog was named Hunter: Spanish for Cazadores. The first letters of the brown label spell out the first six sizes. HUNTER
Havana Cazadores
Unicos
Noellas
Tainos
Especiales
Regios
When factory opened in Nicaragua, my dog Havana had just passed, so I named the line the Havana VI.
I’m very loyal to my friends. The line, J21 which means Johnson 21, also known as Joss 21 for a buddy of mine who had just lost a 21 year old dog named Joss. He smokes a lot of J21.
4 sizes in the Series P, four letters in CUBA, (his dog now).
There’s a guy on Cigar Family, who made a joke about naming a cigar after him. His name is Vitriola, which was the name we were going to use, instead of vitola. I completely forgot about it and they’ve been busting my balls. So, we nicknamed our La Riqueza 50 cab, Vitriola.
My middle name is Hassell. There’s an island in the West Indies, known as Saba. If you did some research on the island, everyone has the name Johnson or Hassell. That’s where my father’s side of the family is from. As a kid, my parents always told me that I was related to a guy named Morgan the Pirate. I never knew who Morgan the pirate was but I thought that was cool, because, he was a pirate! The funny thing is, I drink a lot of Captain Morgan rum. About 16 years ago, someone mentioned to me that that was the same guy. I was like, ‘oh, okay (I get it now!)!’
More trivia. I’m a Pearl Harbor baby. I’m born December 7. my father was born December 7,1944. My wife was born December 7. I’ve been to Hawaii so many times and I still haven’t been to Pearl Harbor. My band used to play there two and three weeks at a time, which was more of a work trip. It gets very tiring playing every night!
My thanks to Pete Johnson for a great interview! So sorry for the delay….
Jeffrey Winton
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Tags: Interviews, La Riqueza, Pepin, Pete Johnson, Tatuaje
Topics: Cigar Talk |
August 8th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Great interview. Pete gives great interviews, and you gave him some really good questions that I hadn’t seen posed to him before. I really liked hte portion where he spoke about his start in cigar retailing.
August 9th, 2008 at 7:55 am
That was a really good read. Pete’s such a cool guy. Good job.
August 9th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Bravo! That was one of the best interviews I’ve read so far. Pete Johnson is a true rock star of the cigar world.
August 10th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Great interview Jeff! Pete is truly a class act! That’s why he makes great cigars!
August 10th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Great interview! Very informative and entertaining. Good plug for BOTL.org too!
August 11th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Great interview Jeff, great plug for BOTL!!
August 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Very informative interview, awesome read!
August 12th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Thanks for the great interview and article Jeff! Pete really comes across as the type of guy who would get up at 2AM to go jump start a friends car on the other side of town, no questions asked.
His attitude is also very refreshing.