Oscar Valladares opened his own small factory in Danlí, Honduras in 2012 with a single bold idea — the 2012 by Oscar, a cigar wrapped in a whole unfermented tobacco leaf instead of cellophane, created for the Mayan-calendar turning point of 21.12.2012.

That leaf-wrapping became the signature of Leaf by Oscar, a cult bestseller that sold out in weeks. Oscar’s obsession with detail runs deep — even the cigar bands are hand-made paper pressed from tobacco remnants and flowers, the work of a 25-woman paper workshop in Danlí.

From a rented 1,000 m² room to a 25,000 m² “lab,” Oscar built one of the most creative houses in the cigar world — The Oscar, Rosalila, Altar Q, Ciserón and more — every blend telling a story of Honduras. “I don’t have a factory,” he says, “I have a lab.”