Willy
Alvero at Maska’s Cigar Dinner
January 22nd, 2008
at Villa Sortino
Maska’s Cigars presents world-renowned cigar expert Willy Alvero as he comes to Korea to expand our knowledge on the world of Cuban cigars. Willy is considered by cigar connoisseurs as the world’s foremost expert on Cuban cigars and a world-class cigar instructor.
He credentials include:
General Representative for Habanos S.A. for the past 10 years which gives him detailed knowledge of all facets of the Cuban cigar trade.
Founder of the first Cigar School designed specifically for the cigar consumer and the cigar aficionado (school details in his bio).
Exclusive cigar consultant for Grand Havana Room’s grand opening in Moscow, Russia.
Willy’s Biography:
Willy started his career as a geologist and a petroleum engineer but was enamored with the cigar since his teenage years. It was his love of cigars that prompted him to retire early from oil exploration and to move into the cigar business in the mid-nineties. He started his cigar career in Spain’s tobacco monopoly, Tabacalera, which would eventually become known as Altadis and would subsequently purchase a 50% share of the Cuban cigar industry’s Habanos S.A. At that point in history, the momentous implosion of the former Soviet Union created chaos in the former U.S.S.R.’s Cuban cigar market. The previous bartering agreement between the two communist allies completely dissolved, and much of the genuine Havana cigars were replaced with counterfeits that covered almost 100% of the market. It was then that Willy was placed in Moscow to direct a joint venture between Tabacalera and Habanos S.A. to redevelop the genuine Cuban cigar market in the countries of the former U.S.S.R.
Willy started from scratch, as he had to completely redevelop the entire cigar business in the face of many difficulties. Due to the lucrative moneymaking possibilities, even professional tobacconists and cigar wholesalers had a great interest in counterfeits and actually preferred them over genuine Cuban cigars. This, compounded with the absence of proper legislation and highly corrupted institutions, left him with only one choice: going straight to the consumer. It was in this venture that he created the unique approach in founding a Cigar School for true cigar lovers which incorporates 45 hours of lectures with additional “practice” sessions, including fine pairings with food and spirits. This program was so successful that it created a remarkable resonance in the Russian media and still continues with a very strong presence to this day.
He is now deeply involved in the training of professional tobacconists and the entire cigar trade, and his next project is creating security organizations to combat the counterfeit cigar trade.