Professor meets Zechbauer

Cigar expert José Blanco on a visit in Munich

"I've heard a lot of good things about the Royales Coronas"

Munich – Important visit in the venerable house of Zechbauer: José Blanco who's a cigar expert with more than 50 years of experience in the business  made a brief stop in beautiful Upper Bavaria on his European tour in early October. Since 2020, Blanco has been working as sales manager at Arturo Fuente and is now on a journey through Europe to finally get to know the brand's sales partners in person. Former Managing Director of Zechbauer, Mirko Pettene, was very pleased to welcome Blanco who is mostly known from "Meet The Professor" on Facebook and YouTube.

Yet another reason drove Blanco to Munich: he had heard so many good things about the Royales Coronas, he told Mirko Pettene. "Now I would like to try it for myself." And so it happens that José Blanco, for once, does not smoke an Arturo Fuente cigar, but the first Royales cigar of the Zechbauer house brand.

Probably the best value for money

While the "professor" is enjoying that royal beauty, Mirko Pettene talks about the history of its creation: "When we decided to expand the Zechbauer house brand in 2010, the Coronas was the first cigar we've created. A classic and elegant format, aged for seven years in Costa Rica." He emphasizes: "You can simply taste these seven years of aging." José Blanco agrees: "The Royales Coronas is the first cigar of a private label that tastes good to me!"

Mirko Pettene further adds: "We wanted to create a cigar that everyone can afford." The Royales Coronas is available at the Zechbauer online store for just €6.90. However, when the "professor" hears the price, he is left speechless. He would have estimated it at €27, he says, and takes a last appreciative pull of the best private label Coronas he knows. And José Blanco really knows them all. Well, at least almost.

Signing into the "Golden Book"

At Mirko Pettene's request, José Blanco signed into the Zechbauer "Golden Book". All the stars, celebrities and – above all – experts who have visited the Zechbauer Store in Munich over the years are gathered here.