Kauai Cigar Company is the creation of Les Drent, a native of New Hampshire. Drent began growing coffee beans in Kauai, Hawaii, with his operation known as Blair Estate Coffee Farm. In 2005, he decided to grow some of the island's wild Sumatra-seed tobacco on his farm, which was eventually expanded into a full-fledged tobacco farm. Drent spent time studying with tobacco farms and factories throughout Nicaragua and Cuba, learning techniques to improve his small Hawaiian-based operation. Today, the farm grows a wide range of tobacco, including Cuban-seed Habano, Corojo, Criollo, and an old-generation Pinar del Rio seed; there are also American varietals such as Connecticut Shade and Broadleaf. And while Kauai's cigars primarily feature their own Hawaiian tobaccos, the cigars are rolled by the Tabacalera Tambor factory in Nicaragua, being sold through their own direct-to-consumer online storefront.
