Entrepreneur Sean Williams and his Primer Mundo Cigars are lighting up the cigar industry.

Relaxing at the posh Highland Cigar Co. in the burgeoning district of Atlanta, Ga.’s Inman Park, the distinguished Sean Williams sits back in a leather chair, activates the blue flame from his personal torch and lights a Primer Mundo Cigar. As the thick cloud of smoke thins into the air, Mr. Williams nods in appreciation because this “stick” maintains the quality he anticipated. What makes this slow puff even more rewarding is that Williams owns this cigar company so he expects nothing less.

Although it is a noteworthy feat to be one of the only black owners of a cigar company, Williams doesn’t boast this accomplishment. Instead, he wants to be recognized as an entrepreneur. He wants the world to experience his superior cigars and indulge in their rarities, such as Peruvian tobacco and the extraordinary Rosado Oscuro wrapper on his Black Label series.

After playing football for the legendary football coach Eddie Robinson for Grambling State University and later graduating from Southern University in his hometown of New Orleans, Williams’ extensive background in sales prepared him for exploring the cigar industry. He traveled the world to find the best tobacco and actualized his dream to be the owner of a cigar venture. While pairing Woodford Reserve Bourbon with his Red Label Criollo Maduro, Williams discusses his eventful four years of establishing his Primer Mundo brand, garnering critical acclaim and some basic rules J’Adore readers need to know regarding cigars.

J’Adore Magazine: Talk about your passion for cigars, how you got started with the company and your product.

Sean Williams: I smoked a cigar for the first time a few years ago. While on a cruise, one of my friends who was big into cigars at the time suggested that we go to the piano bar and fire up a couple of sticks. I had never smoked a cigar before, but I figured I’d take one for the team. I stepped to the bar, ordered a snifter of brandy and selected a Fuente from the countertop humidor. An hour later, I was enjoying my brandy and the cigar, but more importantly, enjoying the fellowship with my dudes. That’s really what hooked me. I got it instantly.

It wasn’t so much about the cigar as it was about the process and the ritual that goes with smoking a cigar. When you light up a cigar, you’ve made a decision that this is where you’re going to be for the next hour or so. You’ll be sitting down relaxing, reflecting, thinking, talking, planning, strategizing or doing absolutely nothing, but whatever it is, it requires you to hit the slow motion button for a minute. That’s what hooked me.

After returning from the cruise, I would go into shops picking up a variety of all kinds of stuff. Most of the cigars I bought at the time were based on Cigar Aficionado ratings and whatever the shop owner recommended as most new jacks do. I would smoke a lot by myself in my office at home because at the time I didn’t have any friends that were into cigars. I decided I would start a cigar group to get other cigar lovers together at cigar-friendly spots. In planning a pretty big event, I hit up a few manufacturers for cigars to feature at the event. One of the companies that passed on the opportunity was Los Blancos Cigars. However, in this process, I created a dialogue with Co-owner David Blanco about my interest in doing a cigar. I would spend money on cigars in a wide spectrum of price ranges and I would enjoy many less expensive cigars just as much as I did very expensive cigars. This made me really wonder what went into the price of a cigar and if I could put a premium cigar on the market at a reasonable price.

In talking with Blanco, he explained his family ties to Nestor Plasencia, who is one of the largest growers of tobacco in the world and a manufacturer of a number of cigar lines for many boutique brands. After looking at the opportunity to get in the game with some major players, I decided I better make a run at it. I headed down to Nicaragua in January of 2006 and spent a week there blending my Criollo Maduro (Red Label) and Connecticut Shade (Blue Label) cigars. I went down a year later to blend my Rosado Oscuro (Black Label).

What are the differences with these cigars?

I try to bring something a little different to the market with my cigars. I like to work with different wrappers and unique tobacco varietals. I use a rare Criollo Maduro wrapper for my Red Label and I use Peruvian tobacco in both my Red and Blue Labels, which is a tobacco that isn’t very widely used. With my Black Label, I use an extremely rare Rosado Oscuro wrapper as well as a little Panamanian tobacco in the blend, which, again, is something that’s rarely used. These blends have gotten me great reviews in outlets such as Cigar Press Magazine, Cigar Snob Magazine, StogieReview.com, CigarLive.com, StogieGuys.com and others.

What is the climate like for an African American who owns a cigar company?

The industry has been good to me. I certainly have gotten my share of raised eyebrows, but I supposed that’s to be expected. There just has not been anybody at my level in the industry that looks like me. With that being said, everybody that I’ve met in the game has been more than welcoming and extremely helpful. I’m literally friends with many of the other manufacturers in the business and we all network and support each other as much as we can while maintaining healthy competition among each other.

After three years in the business, I’ve developed some strong relationships and a support structure of sorts. The biggest scrutiny that I faced early on was just that I was some new cat trying to make my way into the business. There have been hundreds of cigar companies come and go, especially during the boom of the late 90s. Cats that have been in the game for a while are naturally skeptical of most new companies, but my race wasn’t an issue at all inside the industry.

I don’t believe that I was the first African American to do his own line. I may be the most prominent at this moment, but I do know of two others. One is a line called Barrington House owned by a Jamaican brother up in New York named Barrington Adams. The line is made in Jamaica. He’s a real cool cat. He actually supported the last big event I did with my cigar group. He sent a bunch of sticks down and actually came down from New York to attend.

There is also another line that I just found out about a couple of days ago. It’s called Rumba. I believe the guy’s name is Marc Edwards, but he goes by Marco Suave for the cigar line. The line is produced in the Dominican Republic.

It’s time for some schooling. What are the rules for cigars in general? How do you light one? Do you keep the bandon? When do you ash it? Things like that.

The most important thing to do when getting ready to enjoy a cigar is to light it correctly. If you don’t, it can burn uneven or burn too hot. When lighting a cigar the flame should not actually touch the cigar. You should toast the foot of the cigar with the heat of the flame, but not the actual flame. After toasting the foot for about ten seconds, keep the heat at the foot while taking a few puffs to bring air into the cigar.

Once enjoying the cigar, you can either keep the band on or take it off. That’s strictly a personal preference. You should puff on the cigar every 45-60 seconds. If you puff too much, the cigar burns hot and it can char the blend and hurt the flavor profile. Most true cigar smokers smoke the cigar down until they have to take the band off and smoke a little further. I personally smoke a cigar until my fingers can’t go anymore if I like it. When cigar lovers see a half-smoked cigar in the ashtray, they assume that the person did not enjoy the cigar. So if you’re not going to finish a cigar, take the band off unless you want to put that cigar maker on blast.

Is there anything else you would like to leave our aspiring cigar aficionados?

The big thing is to give a lot of sticks a try. It’s important to expose your palate to different profiles and complexities to get a handle on what you really like. Also, don’t get caught up in a name or a price as an indicator of how good a cigar should be. There are a ton of lesser know boutique brands that are making some terrific cigars.

To find Sean Williams’ Primer Mundo Cigars, visit www.primermundocigars.com and select the calendar page to access the retailer list to find the closest shop carrying his product in your area. Also, visit www.jadoremag.com for the entire interview with Sean Williams.