There’s a chance that you’ve never had a West Tampa Cigar, but the chances of you having had a cigar from West Tampa’s Master Blender and Co-Owner are higher than you might think. Rick Rodriguez, who we sit down with in our PCA interview, is the grandson of Cuban immigrants and Master Blender of the extremely new West Tampa Cigar Company. Founded in 2022, West Tampa has shot out of the blocks like an olympic sprinter.
Rick comes from an extensive background in cigar lineage, heritage and profession. For over a decade Rick worked with General Cigar Co. as blender for multiple brands. From CAO to La Gloria Cubana, there are fingerprints of Rick’s masterful working of tobacco in many humidor spots at your local purveyor.
In 2022, Rick took the large leap of faith to leave the comfort of normalcy to jump head first into the industry under his own name. Launching West Tampa Tobacco last year, the brand can be seen across the world in lounges and online ordering systems.
This years PCA show in Las Vegas West Tampa has unveiled a new cigar in their West Tampa Red line.
- West Tampa Red
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
- Binder: Nicaraguan Condega
- Filler: Condega Viso, Esteli Viso, Esteli Ligero
- Vitola:
- Robusto – 5×50
- Toro – 6×52
- Grande – 6×60
Along with the Red, West Tampa Cigar Co. has the White and the Black lines.