Cigar World's Women Crush Wednesday: Sandy Cobas – Owner of El Titan de Bronze Boutique Cigar Mfg

For our first edition of Women Crush Wednesday, we had to feature Sandy Cobas from El Titan de Bronze Boutique Cigar Mfg. in Miami, FL. Sandy is a powerhouse, and we had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon with her, and her daughter Giselle Herrera.

This family-owned and run cigar factory is in a small corner lot in Calle Ocho (SW 11th and 8th street) in the heart of Little Havana and produces cigars for brands like Drew Estate, La Palina, Warped, Cohiba, Padilla, La Gloria Cubana, Partagas, Silencio and Chinnock Cellars.

Sandy’s history in the cigar industry is different from many of the others you hear. She didn’t take over a family-run business, and as a matter of fact, she didn’t even know anything about cigars when she started. All she knew was that cigars paired well with liquor, and as a liquor store owner at the time, she wanted to provide the opportunity for her customers to get a cigar with their wine or bourbon.

Then we have Giselle. Giselle Herrera works side by side with her mother, and she is also one part of a cigar powerhouse couple. Giselle is married to Willy Herrera, the master blender over at Drew Estate. Giselle is the cigar smoker in the family, and she lives, breathes, and sleeps tobacco and cigars.

Finally, we wanted to mention how Maria Sierra fits into this story. Maria Sierra, was a Master Cigar Roller, classified as a Level/Category 9, who worked at El Laguito, the famous factory known for only producing cigars for Fidel Castro. Her daughter called Sandy about getting a job for her mother, and with that kind of resume, she was hired immediately.

Maria Sierra was one of 30 women rollers who were chosen out of hundreds when Celia Sanchez, Castro’s female right hand, made the decision to bring women into the business. Maria Sierra worked in Havana at El Laguito for 31 years before she came to the US, where she worked for Sandy at El Titan de Bronze from 2011 until she retired in 2017. Maria spent her time at El Titan working on the La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 2 and then the No. 5. She was known for her exquisitely crafted flag and fantail caps that she learned from her time at El Laguito. 

We have a much more in-depth interview coming your way in a couple of weeks, but we would be amiss not to mention these ladies for our first WCW feature. To learn more about El Titan de Bronze, go to their website, eltitancigars.com.