“Titans of Tobacco” Raises More Than $228,000 For Cigar Rights Of America
Jazz music, cigar smoke and the shouts of passionate bidders drifted over the swimming pool at the Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, earlier this month at a luxury cigar dinner and live auction hosted by The Tobacconist of Greenwich. The sold-out event, called “Titans of Tobacco,” brought together the leaders of six notable cigar companies to mingle with 300 guests and auction off ultra-rare cigars. Proceeds from the auction will go to Cigar Rights of America (CRA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of premium cigar smokers and lobbying against smoking bans, tax hikes and excessive government regulation. By the end of the night, the smoky fundraiser had raised more than $228,000 for the CRA.
The evening included live music, an open bar and a five-course dinner, along with a mix of special cigars for each attendee to enjoy. One of the cigars handed out at the start of the soirée was a wooden coffin containing the Padrón 60th Anniversary Perfecto, Cigar Aficionado’s current reigning Cigar of the Year.
As guests puffed high-end smokes and sipped cocktails around the swimming pool, they found time to shake hands and snap photos with some of the cigar industry’s biggest celebrities. The cigarmakers representing the six “Titans of Tobacco” at the party were: Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. of Arturo Fuente Cigar Co.; Jorge Padrón of Padrón Cigars Inc.; Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana; Father-and-son duo Hendrik and Klaas Kelner of Kelner Cigars; Eladio Díaz of Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera; and Nicholas Melillo of Connecticut’s own Foundation Cigar Co.
Each of the six “Titans” created a unique, toro-sized cigar for the event:
- Arturo Fuente arrived with a Fuente Fuente OpusX 25 Aniversario (green label) in a 6 inches by 52 ring gauge vitola.
- Padrón brought a box-pressed Padrón Black Maduro (6 by 54).
- La Flor Dominicana made a pigtailed 6-by-54 size of its 30 Years cigar.
- Kelner Cigars crafted a special version of Kelner LE 80 in a 6-by-54 format.
- Foundation unveiled a 6 by 54 vitola of the Foundation 10 Year Aniversario.
- Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera introduced a never-before-seen Eladio Díaz cigar with a seven-tobacco blend (6 by 54).
Guests received a 12-count sampler box containing two of each cigar. Each special cigar was also offered for sale in 10-count boxes during the event. Some remaining boxes are still available to purchase through The Tobacconist of Greenwich. According to the Connecticut shop, these one-off creations will never be produced again.
The six “Titans” also curated 18 lots for the evening’s live auction, a mix that primarily consisted of exclusive smokes and eye-catching collector’s items. The lots were presented on stage by The Tobacconist of Greenwich chief executive officer Michael Cafagno along with president and chief operating officer Dylan Austin, often side-by-side with the cigarmakers who created them.
One of the auction lots donated by Arturo Fuente featured a selection of Fuente Fuente OpusX Destino Al Siglo Lanceros, OpusX 25 Aniversario El Tributos and an S.T. Dupont Haute Creation OpusX lighter.
From La Flor Dominicana came an assortment of cigars that included the Limitado V, LFD A, the Andalusian Bull Golden Bull and an Andalusian Bull Toro rolled by Tony Gomez (also of La Flor Dominicana). All lots of the evening commanded thousands of dollars, but the biggest earner of the night was a Padrón lot featuring special sizes of Padrón Black that sold for $36,000.
“Never in the history of premium cigars has a night like tonight happened," Dylan Austin told the crowd of cheering cigar fans. “Tobacconist of Greenwich, where the impossible happens. We did it, baby.”
The Tobacconist of Greenwich will host its next cigar dinner and charity fundraiser this fall. Opus Xodus, an Arturo Fuente event benefitting The Cigar Family Charitable Foundation returns on October 7, 2026. The gala will mark The Tobacconist of Greenwich’s fourth Opus Xodus. The cigar retailer says more details regarding the event will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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