Carlos André Pace

These cigars are, so to speak, the “house cigars” of the owner of the mid-sized company Arnold Andre, the cigar manufacturer and importer based in Bünde. The Westphalians, now under the leadership of Axel-Georg André, are producing in the seventh generation both cigarillos locally in Germany and handmade longfillers at their own Tabacalera in the Dominican Republic. The Handelsgold cigars, machine-made and still produced by Arnold Andre today, were especially popular in the 1950s and 1960s and quite literally “on everyone's lips” during Germany’s post-war economic boom. The Carlos Andre cigars are named after the 8th generation, the son of the current company head. The Carlos Andre Pace cigars presented here are the third line within the premium brand and reflect the company owner's affinity for motorsport (“Pace” referring to speed). The first classic lines, named Cast Off (meaning “to set sail”), are a tribute to sailing, while the Airborne (“to take off”) edition honors aviation.

Carlos Andre Cigars: A Tribute to Sports and Indulgence

All three lines were blended according to the personal preferences of the owner, Axel-Georg André. Initially, the Cast Off cigars were produced solely as gifts for friends and guests of the house. Eventually, the desire arose to commercialize these exceptional blends. With the Pace, Carlos André introduces a complex composition to the market—intense, spicy, bold, earthy, and aromatic all at once. At the Tabacalera Arnold Andre Dominicana, these valuable tobaccos are brought together into a refined composition, with the five-year-aged Desflorado Connecticut wrapper from Ecuador arguably having the most significant influence. The binder comes from Mexico, though the company does not disclose the origin of the filler.

Arnold Andre: A Cigar Manufacturer With a Long Tradition

The centuries-old history of cigars in Germany is closely tied to the André family and the town of Bünde. In 1817, tobacco expert Johann Friedrich Christian André started his own tobacco production business in Osnabrück. Around thirty years later, in 1851, a branch was established in Bünde. In the mid-19th century, Arnold André, a grandson of the company founder, took over the family business and registered the company on May 17, 1867. This moment marked the birth of the successful enterprise that continues to thrive to this day.