About

It all started in the year of 1998 when Zafi Barzilay, a C.P.A and holds a Bachelor's degree in economics and law, worked as C.E.O of a construction company and smoked his first cigar.

While smoking his cigar, watching Lonely Planet television program showing a film about Nicaragua which showed handmade cigars factory in Managua. At those years there was no Google nor Internet.
Zafi was surprised that handmade cigars are being rolled in Nicaragua, he thought that only Cuba rolls cigars at that time also because there weren't cigar shops outside Cuba.

It was at the beginning of our trading business and it was difficult to contact.
The decision to leave the profession and make a sharp turn in his life, turn to the tobacco & cigars business was in the year of 2000 when he established LCDC company.

Together with his brother Yero, they began importing cigars from Central America and began to sell cigars in stores when all around everybody was lifting an eyebrow, wondering who is that lunatic who import & sell cigars from Nicaragua.
Those days, Nobody knew cigars from Nicaragua, after many difficulties he began to sell cigars in tobacco and duty-free shops.
That was what leaded Zafi to take part in practice and to share in the cigar revolution in the new world outside Cuba, industry which was at its beginning in those years.
The frequent visits of Zafi in the cigar factories and the tobacco farms in Nicaragua, Mexico, the Dominican Republic & Cuba allowed him to examine the differences and recognize the various practices and various traditions.
These visits had enriched his knowledge on one hand, and lighted his desire to smoke the perfect cigar made from the best tobacco leafs.

His passion to personally challenge the client to expose him to different tastes from around the globe submit to his client in person the finest cigar.
The turn to get into the cigar manufacturing after years of dealing with tobacco imports and distribution was when Zafi met the book killebrew j b (joseoh buckner) 1831-1906 tobacco leaf its culture and cure method, prognosis became Arente Collection at The New York Public Library.

Zafi became a "Freak" of tobacco from various types, threw acquisition of knowledge in the production of cigars from tobacco-growing crop, harvest fermentation, blending and rolling.
Another episode began in a meeting at the tobacco fields in Nicaragua with Mr. Nestor Plasencia, Sergio Tores & Ivan Fajardo, which meant to created the hilarious cigar.
TOREO project lasts more than two years after a research on tobacco and tobacco-growing areas before we decided on the blend. In the beginning, in order to get to the contemporary blend, more than 100 cigar rolling attempts were taken, different sizes for different blend mixtures under master blend Fajardo Ivan.

A team of about 10 tasters smoked the cigars without the addition of alcohol or drink and gave each score taken into account the structure, aroma, strength, distinct flavors.

After the modified results, added blending and updated the blend by Ivan Fajardo, the master blender of Plasnecia in Esteli Nicaragua.

The second generation, Zafi's youngest son, Zuf barzilay, went on a study trip to Plasencia's cigar factory in Estly Nicaragua for about month to learn and feel closely the process at all stages in the processing of tobacco and cigars rolled away under the supervision of Mr. Nestor A Pasencia and Sergio Tores watching the TOREO Cigars creation.

After years of selling TOREO Cigars, Zafi expanded the cooperation in the Dominican Republic with the Quesada Family. In a meeting with Carlos Martinez & Manuel Quesada, he decided to produce his TOREO Dominican by the conduction of the two master blenders Junior Marte and Miguel Nuñez. The Toreo Cigar was born to pay Zafi's respects and to salute to all the Matadors in Spain, men, those who competed in rigor and danger their lives opposite the Bulls who not always surrendered, these bullfights were outlawed in Spain.