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