Don Pepin began his life with tobacco at the age of 11. He spent thirty years in Cuba developing his skills as a torcedero (cigar roller) and blender. He has earned numerous accolades for his blending abilities and achieved the highest ranking possible as a cigar roller, Class 8 (Master). He is also a Tabaquero Maestro (Master Blender), and was also a “teacher of teachers” in the arts of blending and rolling cigars.

He helped blend cigars such as Cohiba, Partagas, and Montecristo. During the 1990's, he was in charge of Quality Assurance for the Cohiba brand and was also a consultant to several Cuban cigar makers. Also during the 1990's, he was accounted Cuba's most productive master roller.

Don Pepin’s goal is to re-create the Cuban style as closely as possible without using Cuban tobacco. He has found that Nicaraguan tobaccos render the flavor closest to the Habanos he has in mind.

The El Rey de los Habanos factory, the first cigar factory established by Pepin, shares the address of the corporate headquarters in Little Havana at 1120-1124 SW 8th St., Miami. The factory was started by Don Pepin in 2002. The factory manufactures not only Pepin's own brands, but several brands for major clients and house brands for various cigar stores.

All of the cigars made at his factories are made in the Cuban style and are finished with a triple cap. In addition, every box is marked with the date of manufacture, a practice which is beginning to gain favor outside of Cuba, where it has always been done.
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