CAPITOL - Smoke, champagne and a cigar from another time

Most cigars begin with a story about tobacco. CAPITOL begins with a door. Behind it is a world of jazz clubs, champagne and cigar smoke - and a brand that wants to revitalise precisely this attitude to life. I think it's great!

Jazz, champagne and a room full of fragrant cigar smoke

The door slams shut behind you and for a moment it seems as if you have stepped back in time. Dimmed light lies on polished wooden tables. A jazz band is playing in the corner, its music drifting through the room like warm smoke. A babble of voices mingles with laughter, glasses clink, champagne bubbles. Later you hear Charleston and fast swing - the atmosphere explodes. People sit on heavy leather armchairs, taking their time - for conversations, for dancing and snogging, for the night and for their cigars. A fine veil of smoke hangs over everything. It is the world of Golden 1920s - also known as Art Déco.

An era that emerged after the First World War like a sudden burst of joie de vivre. The cities of Europe and America were buzzing. Casinos, jazz clubs and elegant hotels became stages for a new attitude to life. Those who were rich back then showed it. Men appeared in tailored suits, shiny shoes on parquet floors, heavy cufflinks on their wrists. Women wore silk dresses, sparkling necklaces and hairstyles that shimmered in the light of the chandeliers.

The night started late - and often only ended when the sun was already rising again outside. This world also had its own visual language: Art Déco. Clear lines, geometric shapes, brass, chrome and gold. The architecture and design reflected the self-confidence of an era that celebrated luxury rather than hiding it.

This is exactly where the idea of the cigar brand begins CAPITOL. CAPITOL is not trying to tell the story of an old cigar factory or a legendary founder. The brand does something else: it creates a scene. An atmosphere. A feeling. When CAPITOL was founded in September 2023 appeared on the European market, their design immediately caught the eye. The banderoles take up the forms of Art Deco - clear geometries, elegant lines, an aesthetic that is more reminiscent of architecture than classic cigar labels.

You quickly realise that this brand has no cigar-making past. It creates a stage.

The man who composed this smoke

Behind this stage is a well-known personality in the modern cigar world: Rafael Nodal. Nodal belongs to the generation of cigar makers who do not regard premium cigars as an industrial product. For him, everything starts with the blend - with the careful selection and balance of different tobaccos. With his label Aging Room he made a name for himself in the so-called boutique movement in the cigar industry. His cigars regularly received high ratings in international trade magazines. For many aficionados, his name became a reliable indicator of quality. Other brands also bear his signature. Projects such as La Bohème or SWAG show his preference for independent concepts and precisely composed mixtures.

This flair for tobacco, blending and staging also flowed into the development of CAPITOL. The brand is part of the Spanish Tabacalera S.L.U. portfolio. Tabacalera is one of the major players in the international cigar industry and is responsible for the distribution of Habanos in Spain, among other things. With CAPITOL, the company has deliberately chosen a different path: no historical legend. No old factory history. Instead, a cigar that conveys an attitude to life - an atmosphere of luxury, elegance and nightlife.

Where this smoke is born

While the visual language of CAPITOL takes us back to the golden 1920s, the cigar itself is created in one of the most important cigar regions of the present day: Estelí in Nicaragua. The family's manufactories are located there Plasencia - one of the most experienced tobacco dynasties in Central America. For generations, the family has been growing and fermenting tobacco and producing cigars for numerous international premium brands. A clear concept was chosen for CAPITOL: 100 per cent Nicaragua.

The filler, binder and wrapper are made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco. Each cigar is rolled by hand - leaf by leaf, with the calm precision that only comes from experience. The cigars also have their own visual signature. The cap ends in a small tips, which gives the cigar an elegant, almost playful touch. A similar detail is familiar from the Cohiba Behike.

The formats are generously sized - a style that is popular with modern premium cigars. This creates a dense smoke that brings out the full flavours of the blend - the quality of the tobacco and the quality of the rolling naturally also play an important role. Smoking reveals the typical character of Nicaraguan tobaccos: creamy smoke, notes of roasted nuts, wood and coffee, accompanied by fine spices. The strength remains in the medium range and leaves enough room for the flavours.

CAPITOL does not see itself as a cigar of extremes. It is a cigar for evenings that last longer than planned.

A cigar for moments when nobody is looking at their watch

The real idea of CAPITOL is right here: This cigar doesn't want to challenge you. It does not demand analytical attention, no concentrated tasting where you have to analyse every single nuance. CAPITOL is different. The smoke is full-bodied, smooth and light to medium-bodied. The cigar smoulders calmly and reliably, as if it had all the time in the world. As it smokes, it develops further, the flavours become a little more balanced, the balance rounder - but it always remains uncomplicated.

She accompanies you instead of demanding you. And this is precisely where her closeness to the time from which her imagery originates lies. Even the nights of the Jazz clubs of the 1920s were not complicated. People didn't analyse, they enjoyed. Music played, people laughed, champagne flowed. Conversations went on through the night without anyone looking at their watch.

Maybe that's why CAPITOL fits so well into this scene. A cigar that doesn't need to be the centre of attention - but simply makes the night a little bit better - or you simply want to enjoy your very special moment.

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Photos 1920s: ChatGPT

Photos CPAITOL cigars: Vasilij Ratej / 5TH Avenue Products Trading-GmbH

Book and films: The Great Gatsby