Meet Leo Brown | Cigar Pairing Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leo Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leo, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It all started with smoking a cigar and having a beer. When I cut and lit the cigar, I knew that I wanted to have sip of my beer. When I did that, I didn’t like the taste that came from it. So I then again took another draw and then another sip. At that point I knew that I didn’t like what I had going on. At that point I decided to look at the notes of the cigar and compaired it to beer and knew then that it wasn’t going to end well…and it didn’t. Some times you can push through things and realize that there is something there later but this one just didn’t happen. From there it was my thoughts to see if there was such a thing as pairing cigars. From what I found was there were many pairings with scotch, bourbon and brandy. I didn’t see many cigars pairing with beers, wines and non-alcoholic beverages.

From there it has been my thoughts that there’s more to pair with a cigar. I wanted to make sure that I could reach as many different palates that I could by adding non-alcoholic as well i.e. sodas, coffees, teas and even spirits that don’t have alcohol. I want people to enjoy their smoking experience in as many ways as possible and it’s still my mission to do so.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Nothing is easy when beginning or having a business. When it comes to cigars or the things we enjoy with them, there is deliberate effort involved. I don’t believe that we are set apart from others, what I feel is that I give you an experience. People can alway say that “I can drink what ever I want with my cigar.” That statement is absolutely true but you may not have quiet the experience that I can provide. When you can enjoy your cigar and a fine drink with people and gain more of a background about those things and people, that’s something that you will carry for a long time. So I don’t provide cigars and drinks…I give you an experience and even some education.

I’m more excited about the upcoming year as I have debuted a coffee for your cigar pairing experience called El Campo. It is a Brazilian coffee that is being roasted out of San Diego, CA by Quiet Storm Roaster & Bakery and even if you don’t smoke you can enjoy a fantastic cup of coffee. There will be other coffees coming out that will be just as great as the El Campo.

There has been years of smoking cigars and tasting many libations over the years. Yes, I know this sounds tough but someone had to do it. In doing so I have gone through training to become a certified tobacconist and currently working on becoming a certified cigar sommolier. From this I have also formed a talk show surrounding the same industries known as BNL Behind The Brand. The talk show has three of your favorite people on it: myself, Chris Moore (Carolina Blue Cigars) and Myesha Michelle (SOTL SoCal) every saturday at 2pm EST/11 am PST.

Every draw and every sip has led me to where I am today and the people who believe in me have been a huge help. I often think about what people can take away from each event and time that they talk to me about the industries; I want to be the person to provide them an experience or a relief of the day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I kept the pairings going because of a group of guys that I started smoking with in San Diego. We are a group of veterans that somewhat ran in the same circle during our times service. We would get together once a month and share cigars and different spirits. They continued to encourage me to go forward with pairings and look to create different events. To those guys I thank them sincerely.

Also along the way were plenty of people to give advice and I thank them all for that. However Chris Moore of Carolina Blue Cigars was the first to give me more insight to the cigar manufacturing side of the industry. He continues to be a mentor and friend as well as show me different things throughout this industry.

There is also Jeff Milton of Abnormal Beer Co. who has shown me the way in the beer industry and what it’s all about from what water and hops can do, to the finished product. Both of these men have challenged me in many ways to keep me engaged with pairing cigars. To all of them I definitely give thanks for their continued encouragement and support. It won’t go unused…or unseen.

Last and definitely not least is my mother. Her true words of encouragement and belief have been a true driving force for me to continue and to provide the best experience possible.

Website: www.barrelsnleafs.com

Instagram: barrelsnleafs

Twitter: barrelsnleafs

Facebook: Barrels N Leafs

Youtube: BNL Behind The Brand

Image Credits
Damarah Bryant Davin Brown