Meet Grace Cabezas | Founder & Partner

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

Hi Grace, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in Havana, Cuba and arrived to the USA during the early 70’s and due to political reasons, I have never returned to Cuba. This longing of my motherland has been the reason why I am so passionate about the cigar world. I have been working in the cigar industry since 1994. I moved from Miami to Washington DC to attend Law School but after my first year I decided not to continue. I needed a summer job and walked into Georgetown Tobacco and fell in love with the shop. I was hired on the spot ( the first female in the industry at that time) Here, I was able to discover and learn more about where I came from and who I was as a Cuban. Having conversations about cuban cigars and cuban travel was an eye opener and allowed me to learn more about who I was and where I came from. It was amazing to me because I didn’t realize any of this until I started working in the industry. Not knowing where you come from leaves you somewhat empty and being brought up by immigrant parents not speaking the language makes you independent and more responsible than other children. You grow up fast and with a different outlook on life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born in La Habana, Cuba, but raised in Miami. I went on to attend law school in Washington, D.C. after a year of LAW SCHOOL , I decided not to continue. I fell out of love with the study. I needed a summer job, one afternoon I was walking down M street in DC and caught the aroma of a cigar, it reminded me of my childhood. I was instantly transported to home. I walked into Georgetown Tobacco and fell in love with cigars. It was a spiritual awakening…..The worn-out wooden floors, walk-in humidor, aroma of fine cigars and the dried tobacco leaves that draped from the ceiling took me back to my childhood and conversations about my grandfather and uncles that worked at a cigar factory in Cuba. I applied (on the spot) for a job and became the first woman salesperson in almost a century to work there. I was scouted away by The Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills, and I went on to become the buyer of the Washington D.C. location and then opened their New York club. I later went on to work for Davidoff of Geneva, placing me in their Madison Avenue location.
I later worked for General Cigar Company, one of the largest manufacturers of fine cigars and then Davidoff of Geneva Distribution, known as the Rolls Royce of cigars. After twenty five years in the business, working in many different positions gathering so much knowledge I decided to start Humidor Express. Humidor Express brings a mobile cigar experience to your private event. It also sells cigars to bars, restaurants and small convenient stores that are licensed to carry tobacco product.

My career was built on hard work and attention to detail. I have a dynamic palate and was always relied upon to find and bring the best cigars possible to both amateurs and connoisseurs alike. While working on growing Humidor Express, I bumped into Nigel and decided to create a private cigar club. Currently, “The Terrible Cigar Club” is my number one project. Why Terrible? Everyone thought it was a terrible idea. On my end, I had just started Humidor Express and everyone thought I should focus on just one project. On Nigels end everyone thought he should stay in sports. He currently is in sports media. So, we both decided to call it The Terrible Cigar Club. People love the name and so do we.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Breakfast my house Cuban Coffee and something savory

Fort Lauderdale Beach for the afternoon
Gloria Ferrer Sparkling wine from Sonoma, CA for afternoon drinks
Mid Afternoon Cigar Davidoff 2000

Lunch Phat Boyz Sushi
Sake and Cigar =Terrible House Blend

Back Home for Rest and Relaxation

Dinner:
La Trova in Little Havana

Song and Dance at
Hoy Como Ayer

Finish the night at:
The Terrible Cigar Club
Caldwell Cigar The King is Dead
Night Cap

The end!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
During the time I worked for Davidoff of Geneva around 2016, I met Nigel Reo-Coker, a cigar friend from England. He was a retired English football player, who was living in Vancouver. We would bump into each other at Cigar Events in Seattle. We would always chat about opening our own cigar place. We lost touch, years later he relocated with his wife and children to Weston, Florida. In 2019, I relocated from Northern California to Fort. Lauderdale, Florida. One evening, I walked in to a cigar bar in Downtown Fort Lauderdale and to my surprise, bumped into my old friend Nigel. That evening we decided to go for it and make the dream happen in Florida. To complete our dream team we needed one more partner. I had met Alejandro Toledo many years ago and felt that he would be the right fit. He had been in the cigar industry for many years and had the charm and passion that we were looking for to add to this team. It was magical when we all got together and the dream team was complete.

Website: www.theterriblecigarclub.com

Instagram: @terriblecigarclub