When I think of cigars, especially in pop culture, lush, smoky lounges filled with men in fedoras come to mind. Visions of Cuba and brown-skinned abuelas with flowers in their hair and cigars in their mouths. A range of imagery is associated with cigars, cigar smokers and the culture that surrounds this pastime. I have been interested in how communities of color commune around cigars. For one, the cigar industry is a 17 billion dollar industry here in the US and the Black community have been active participants as cigar brand owners, cigar lounge proprietors, event promoters, and connoisseurs.

Communion around cigars has been long standing among Black folks both stateside and globally. This portrait project takes a look at a few members of the cigar community in Brooklyn, New York. Through imagery and interviews, I explore the personal style and aesthetics of these connoisseurs. Instead of making the cigar lounge my backdrop for portraits, I created 'studios' on the street. The sitters were placed in front of colorful backdrops while enjoying their favorite cigars and speaking about the communal, social, economical and spiritual significance of the past time, especially as it relates to people of color.

Curt Quillen, Style Master
Cigar: La Flor Dominicana “Digger”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“The creative people I admire seem to share many characteristics: A fierce restlessness.
Healthy cynicism. A real world perspective. An ability to simplify. Restraint. Patience. A
genuine balance of confidence and insecurity. And most importantly, humanity.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

Elliott Bey, Co-owner of Kingston Public House and Franklin Cellars Wine & Spirits Shop
Cigar: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto - 5.75 x 52

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“I’ve worked for myself since 2002 when I left corporate America. Once you get the bug, you
become a serial entrepreneur. I've endeavored into real estate, haberdasheries, coffee
shops, restaurants, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve met my business partners in cigar lounges. I’ve
been smoking for 25 years, it’s the most relaxing thing I can do. I would say after 25 years
your palate changes and you develop a sophistication, a taste. I don’t smoke to show off, I
don’t smoke labels, I smoke taste and flavor, which I’m always chasing.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Gloria Blake, Co-Owner of Blew Smoke Cigar Room
Cigar: 1926 Padron

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“I’ve traveled a lot for work so I’ve visited cigar lounges in Pakistan, Korea, Holland, Egypt,
France, all over. I would look to see how they interpreted the cigar experience. So when I
opened my space, Blew Smoke Cigar Room, I created it through the lens of my travels. It’s a
space where like minded people can decompress. I sought to curate a space for the Black
community and also a space that was inviting to women and really a space that is reflective
of who I am.”

Rachelle Cherubin

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Don “Santo” Vega, Vejigante Mask Maker and Podcast Host
Cigar: 60 or 70 gauge Asylum 13 Ogre

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“Smoking cigars is a means of decompression and reflection for me. I also incorporate it
into my art. When I am creating my Vejigante masks, which are worn during carnival in
Puerto Rico, I blow smoke into the masks around the point of completion. It’s like I’m
breathing life into my art. It gives me a sense of reaching back and connecting to my Taino
and West African ancestors who used the burning and smoking of tobacco in rituals and
ceremonies.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Kevin Threat, Manager at Davidoff of Geneva
Cigar: Davidoff Millennium Toro

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter were walking down the street and Miles pointed out a guy,
“That guy can’t swing, look at how he walks.” Miles was known for making close
observations of people, particularly of musicians. He could tell if he’d make a decent
musician or not by the way they held their instrument. I think that’s true for cigar smokers,
I can tell alot about a person by the way they deal with their cigar. I can gauge how long
they’ve been smoking. A seasoned cigar smoker is going to handle his cigar like a skilled
conductor handles his baton, with sophistication.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Devon Shell, Actor
Cigar: Perdomo Habano - Esteli

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“My connection with cigars first is spiritual. It is a way to honor my Ancestors. Ase. Then as
I became acquainted with the cigar, I realized that I actually enjoyed the aroma and flavor. It
brought a sense of pleasure and peacefulness to me as if I had once smoked in another
time.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Frederick Brown
Cigar: Jaime Garcia

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“I was introduced to the cigar community, I connected immediately; I felt completely
welcomed. Part of it is when you're at a cigar lounge, especially a black-owned lounge, it
brings a great sense of pride and calm being with others like myself. We can be total
strangers before I light up and by my third (and normally last) cigar, we've bonded beyond
words.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Ty Davis
Cigar: Lost and Found Paradise by Caldwell and Booth

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“It started as a simple guilty pleasure that allowed me to escape reality for a moment. It’s
now part of my self-care ritual where I relax and gather my energy, reflect, sit still and
breathe.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn


Malik Glover
Cigar: Tabernacle

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn

“During the lockdown, we convened outside over cigars. As a first responder, it kept me
sane. You can never anticipate who you’ll meet smoking a cigar. I’ve met people from all
walks of life. It’s a broad community, with smaller collectives within. There are big cigar
events that bring in big money and we are capitalizing too. We have our own cigar lines.
Like, Atlanta Cigar Week is huge. The cigar lounge is the new golf course. Deals are being
made over cigars and whisky.”

Cigar Porträt Project Photographs by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn