Canadian fans of José Blanco’s Señorial cigars will soon have it much easier getting them locally, as Blanco has announced a distribution deal with House of Horvath, Inc. that will bring his cigars to Canada.

“I’ve been traveling to Canada since 2001, I’ve met and have a good relationship with the majority of the top retailers there, as well as with the Horvath Family that own the company,” Blanco told halfwheel.

“Canada is our closest neighbor and is a market that has changed very much in the last seven or eight years, as non-Cubans have been growing very much,” Blanco added.

He said that while Canada is a tough market because of taxes and smoking bans, Canadians are still passionate cigar smokers and are very active on social media, many of whom interact with Blanco directly on Facebook or Twitter.

Las Cumbres Tabaco is also available in Sweden and Russia, and Blanco expects to be in 20 countries before the end of 2015.

House of Horvath, Inc. has been in the distribution business since 1977, and the family has a cigar-making business that dates back to 1932. They also distribute Joya de Nicaragua, My Father Cigars, Drew Estate and several other premium cigar brands.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.