Joan López has been a tobacconist since 1970. He has been running the Estanc del Mercat for more than 50 years, a centenary family tobacconist’s shop founded in 1918. It is located in the center of the town of Palafrugell in Girona, at the beginning of the typical Mercat street and Plaça Nova. A lifelong family tobacconist, for those enthusiasts and curious people who are starting out in the world of Cuban mini cigars.
“What I like most about my job is dealing directly with customers and being able to advise them,” he explains when we ask him about his profession. When a customer is interested in Cuban mini cigars for the first time, he usually advises them to first decide on the strength they want “and from there I recommend one brand or another”.
El Estanc del Mercat has the full range of Cuban mini cigars sold in Spain, offering consumers the opportunity to choose from different types of aromas and flavours. He assures that the ones he sells most are Cohiba, Montecristo and Punch Mini.
When asked the classic question of what is the difference between a Cuban mini cigar and cigarillos of other origins and elaborations, Joan is clear: “the aroma of Cuban mini cigars is incomparable to all the others”. Hence, the importance of emphasizing that all these cigarillos are made with 100 % Cuban tobacco.
“My favorites are the Cohiba Short, Montecristo Short and Trinidad Short because of their ideal size,” he tells us when we ask which mini he prefers. And of course, before we say goodbye, we ask Joan for her ideal moment to light one of these cigarillos: “Any time is a good time to light and enjoy a Cuban mini cigar”.
Time to light one then!
