**END OF ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM FAVILLI REGARDING THE LADRILLOS PROJECT**
With their new Era Del Arte Series, Favilli has reached a point where they are making art that is as collectible as their cigars. Created by Rafal Loaisiga, the design showcased on the packaging for this first offering in the Series sets the tone for the cigars you’ll find within. The #1 includes a 5 count of 6×62 Toro format cigars protected within an Enviro-Pack. Granada, like so much of Nicaragua, is composed of amazing art, artists, architecture, craftspeople and culture. Anything that spreads that message out to the wider world as well as this Series does is worth supporting.
Working with other members of their local art collective, Favilli will continue working on and releasing additional offerings in the Era Del Arte Series. I’m just as eager to find out who the next collaborating artist is as I am to find out what the next cigar will be – and therein lies the wisdom of Favilli’s approach to making and selling cigars. There are plenty of cigar lovers who have never heard of Favilli or Mombacho, but that won’t be true for very long if Favilli keeps treating us like real people – a revolutionary act in an industry that has long told it’s consumers what they should like rather than listening to what they want. The Era Del Arte Series #1 is available right now directly from Favilli, go check them out!
Not much has been revealed about Favilli’s upcoming Ladrillos project, but it has all the makings of becoming an important milestone release for the rapidly growing cigar and lifestyle brand. In a recent Instagram post, Favilli teased a small group of beautiful, perfectly box pressed cigars adorned with perhaps the most aesthetically satisfying bands I’ve ever seen. No information about the size, blend, price or release date is known at this point – but when you find out what the significance of those beautiful bands is, everything else will likely take a backseat.
Mario Favilli Bandechi was an Italian arist, sculptor, and refugee of the First World War. Looking to start their new life, Mario arrived in Granada in 1915 with his wife and two daughters and whatever they could fit in their luggage. Mario would open “Ladrilleria Favilli” soon after, making cement tiles that still welcome visitors to many of Granada’s homes, businesses and historical structures.
In the same location on Calle Sante Lucia, Ladrilleria Favilli is still open. Over 100 years later, using the same processes and many of the same designs developed by Mario, it is owned/operated by his great-grandaughter, Maria. I don’t know if Favilli cigars is collaborating with Ladrilleria Favilli or the Favilli family on the Ladrillos project, but I’m moved by the history and am so grateful that Favilli’s story will reach even more people. I look forward to bringing you more information on this project as it is revealed.
In the interim, I’d suggest watching this great interview and tour that Maria gave last year – but careful, you’re about to get hooked on tiles for a while and I can’t be held responsible for the extra time you spend on youtube and google today 🙂
UPDATE: Later in the day, Favilli provided additional information and photos for the Ladrillos Project in a public press release – details included below:
“Favilli has released a new line of cigars named Ladrillos. Ladrillos, meaning tile in Spanish is a brand which celebrates the artisanal handmade concrete tiles of Mario Favilli. Mario opened his tile factory in 1915 and instantly began adding artistic quality to floors across Latin America . When completing his home in 1925, now the Favilli mansion and Favilli cigar factory, Mario chose his favorite designs to adorn his rooms and walkways. Ladrillos, a 5 x 52 box-press was designed to celebrate those favorite tiles handmade by Mario Favilli. Favilli has used the geometric square shape quality of the box-press to bring to life the square tiles, where each cigar’s ring is a different tile design with a blend of colors from the mansion’s architectural color palette. The first run of the new brand will be released under Favilli’s “Enviro-Pack ” program in an artistic six count box. The brand is set to begin shipping in September of this year.”
What do you think Cigar Public, are you as excited as I am to keep seeing Favilli in the news? Do the new projects interest you? Have you ever heard of Favilli or tried their cigars? I’d love to hear about it all in the comments below!