Leite & Alves Cigars

Leite & Alves cigars are imported by our colleague Sebastian Gollas from Berlin. In addition to running his retail business, he also works as a cigar importer and distributor. Always on the lookout for exciting products from small, high-quality tabacaleras, he came across Renato Madeiro, the owner of the Leite & Alves brand, during a trip through Brazil in December 2021. His factory in Cachoeira currently produces some of the trendiest cigars from Brazil. Renato is known there as Brincalho – a quirky free spirit who loves experimenting with tobaccos.

Leite & Alves Cigars: Innovation and Creativity from Brazil

In addition to the typical Mata Fina and Arapiraca, he also enjoys blending with other tobaccos that are not usually used locally. That’s what makes his cigars so special – and why they’re definitely worth a try. In general, Leite & Alves cigars taste a bit milder and creamier than the “regular” Brazilian cigars, which are often made with Mata Fina or Arapiraca. Here you can find his other line, listed under Leite & Alves Le Cigar.

Renato Madeiro and the Brincalho Style: Creative Blends from the Recôncavo Baiano

Leite & Alves cigars are produced in Cachoeira, about 110 km from Salvador, in the state of Bahia. This location in the fertile Recôncavo Baiano – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – offers ideal conditions: tropical climate, sandy soil, and shade-grown cultivation that results in aromatic leaves. Blends here are created using local tobaccos such as Mata Fina (shade-grown and thus mild and aromatic), Mata Sul, and Mata Norte (earthy and complex). The Arapiraca version discussed here uses wrapper leaves from the town of Arapiraca in the neighboring state of Alagoas (approx. 250 km northeast of Cachoeira). The city of Arapiraca is also known as the “Smoke Capital” (capital de fuma) and has been an important center of Brazilian cigar production since the late 19th century.

Brazilian Tobacco in the Spotlight: Arapiraca as a Hub for Premium Wrappers

Originally, manioc was grown here, but from the 1870s onwards, tobacco cultivation became established – it took until the 1920s for a sustainable culture to develop. The sandy, subtropical soil produces thicker, more robust leaves with a darker hue, making them ideal for wrapper leaves. Today, the region produces thousands of tons of tobacco annually, which is exported worldwide and used in cigars such as the Monte Pascoal cigars. Overall, it’s clear that tobacco from Brazil has a very unique character that has become indispensable in many international blends!