Smoke Inn Blog
Meet The Raji
Many of you may already be familiar with The Raji, but you’re sure to learn something new about this illustrious, limited production cigar by the end of this tale. This is a story about three men and two momentous anniversaries that happened to coincide with one another. Smoke Inn’s 25th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of Drew Estate both came in 2022. The 3 men in our story are none other than our own Honest Abe Dababneh, his father Raji Dababneh and Drew Estate’s esteemed master blender, Willy Herrera. We’ll conclude with Abe’s account of the recent The Raji event experienced by 3 lucky contest winners.
A Cigar is Born
The birth of The Raji began with Abe’s idea to have a very special cigar developed dedicated to his father, Raji Ibrahim Dababneh. After all, it was Abe’s father who introduced him to the world of cigars and so much more. Abe was inspired by the partnership between the Fuente and Padrón families to develop commemorative cigars named after their respective late patriarchs. Abe thought it was a beautiful idea, it occurred to him that he could not only do something similar, but in his case his father would be able to enjoy his own namesake cigar while he’s still alive.
In reflecting on the past quarter-century, Abe considered his journey in business and life over those years and all that he had to be grateful for. The Raji, dedicated to his father, seemed like the perfect way to show his gratitude and celebrate the past 25 years for both Smoke Inn and Drew Estate. It was decided The Raji would be developed by master blender, Willy Herrera at the legendary El Titan de Bronze cigar Factory in Miami. This historically significant small boutique factory sits right on Calle Ocho, in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. They still produce cigars according to the time-honored Cuban traditions and only in a limited number every year, so Abe knew The Raji was in good hands. We’re very proud of the result and grateful that Abe’s father got to enjoy them too.
The Raji Documentary
If you’d like to know more about the genesis of The Raji and hear the story of Raji’s life in Jordan and his family’s emigration to the United States, you’ll definitely want to check out Smoke Inn’s The Raji documentary. You can catch it on YouTube right here. The documentary features a warm conversation between Abe and his dad as they ride in a Rolls down to El Titan de Bronze, the Miami factory where The Raji was developed. It culminates in the factory visit and a conversation with Drew Estate Master Blender, Willy Herrera. Willy explains, in detail, how he hand-selected all the tobaccos that went into The Raji and what makes it singularly unique in the whole Drew Estate catalog and even in the wider world of cigars.
Honest Abe’s Account of The Raji Contest Event
About The Raji
Making a cigar to celebrate our 25th Anniversary milestone was no small task. Naming that cigar after my father didn’t make it any easier. We were blessed to be able to work with the amazing folks at Drew Estate for this monumental project. Naming the cigar “The Raji” after my father was a decision that DE Blender Willy Herrera took to heart. Family is everything to Willy and his mother-in-law Sandy Cobas, who owns the renowned El Titan de Bronze Factory in Little Havana, where the cigars were made. I truly felt that they shared in the onus of what this cigar would represent. As with most of our special releases we have at Smoke Inn, an epic cigar requires an epic promotion! The little life documentary I made about my father and our trip to meet Willy and Sandy at the factory in Miami gave people a slight insight into the man mainly responsible for making me who I am. I thought it would be even cooler to pick a group of people to join my father and I for a Drew Estate Cigar Safari experience in Nicaragua. What a trip that would be! Unfortunately, as of the date of writing this blog, the Cigar Safari trips have not re-opened after being closed due to the pandemic. So, a plan B was implemented.
The Raji Contest Winners Experience
Three people won an amazing weekend trip to South Florida for a Smoke Inn/Drew Estate “The Raji” Miami Experience. Two winners were flown in on Thursday November 3rd, Wes Reginer from Wisconsin and Craig Gilpin from Philadelphia. Our third winner was South Florida local Sean Correia. While I have had the pleasure of spending time with Sean at the shop often enough, I had only met craig for a short period during a Great Smoke (link) and had never met Wes personally at all. What I thought was great too and they all got some real one on one time with my father who can talk anyone’s ear off and has an endless reserve of stories. So, what is the best way to break the ice with friends, new and old? You break bread! After congregating at SI HQ for some drinks and cigars, we headed to one of my favorite restaurants, Le Sorelle in Delray Beach. Marco and his wife are always amazing hosts and their food is exceptional. The highlight of the night was the veal parmesan, which is literally bigger than your head, unless you are from Wisconsin, then you just go with the lasagna. Here’s to you, Wes. <snicker>
The next morning, we headed to El Titan. Our dear friend Ryan Gallimore, from Drew Estate, met us on site and of course brought some goodies for all. It truly is a pleasure listening to Willy and Sandy talking about their history as a family and business. I watched as our three guests became enthralled in the conversation. The history of the factory could honestly be felt as you stood there listening. Afterwards we heading to Versailles for lunch, Miami’s most iconic Cuban restaurant where Ryan graciously treated everyone to some amazing Cuban food. Nothing is better than a fine cigar after a good meal, so right after we headed to Havana Classic cigar lounge right on 8th street. A great little spot to unwind, have a cigar with a café con leche. It was great watching Raj share some stories with the guys.
Wrapping Up the Event
Afterwards, we headed to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino where we enjoyed more cigars and cocktails in the back room, “speak easy-ish” lounge, of the Davidoff Store. Ryan was kind enough to meet us and bring even more goodies for the gang. We dined at Bae Korean Grill right there at the Hard Rock before heading back to base camp, Smoke Inn HQ, for a note cap and cigar.
We capped off the next morning with a live broadcast of KMA Talk Radio where they boys got some airtime to talk about their experiences. I had to run out shortly after the show due to my son’s first basketball game, so it was a short goodbye and it was over. The fellas headed out shortly after that.
I have always said that the greatest thing I enjoy most about this industry is the culture. This weekend was a perfect example of it. Three people, from different parts of the country coming together and sharing, what I hope to be, some memorable times together. I want to personally thank Wes, Craig, & Sean for taking time out of their lives and creating yet more memorable for my father and this journey we have had in making his cigar. Hope to see you all again this March at The Great Smoke!
-Honest Abe Dababneh
Smoke Inn is Your Cigar Shop
We trust you enjoyed our story about The Raji and Abe’s recap of the day spent with The Raji contest winners. We hope you’re one of those fortunate enough to partake of this masterpiece. If you haven’t yet, we strongly suggest grabbing some of The Raji’s while you still can. You will find Smoke Inn’s 25th Anniversary The Raji right here in our shop. And…as always, if you’re local or happen to be visiting South Florida, be sure to reward yourself with a visit to one of the country’s best cigar shops in person. We’d love to see you.
Our South Florida Locations:
- Smoke Inn Palm Beach Gardens
- Smoke Inn West Palm Beach
- Smoke Inn Delray Beach
- Smoke Inn Boynton Beach
- Smoke Inn Pompano Beach
- Smoke Inn Tequesta
- Smoke Inn Port St. Lucie
- Smoke Inn Vero Beach
