My Favorite Cigar
J.J. Dudum • Executive Vice President Discovery Land Co. • Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Hidalgo
“If you’re gonna smoke,” says J.J. Dudum, “you may as well do it right.” He’s a fan of the exotic, smoking Cohiba Talismáns, Sancho Panza Gran Quixotes and the Diplomaticos Regional Edition made just for the Caribbean, but for an everyday smoker, he reaches for the Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Hidalgo.
The 54-year-old oversees global sales at Discovery Land, the creator of such high-end developments as Atlantic Fields in Hobe Sound, Florida and Baker’s Bay in the Bahamas. Dudum has been working with chairman and founder Michael Meldman (who is also one of the founders of the Casamigos Tequila brand) for north of 20 years. “I ire him,” Dudum says, calling them “like brothers.”
Dudum started smoking cigars when he was about 20 years old. “My grandparents enjoyed cigars, on both sides,” he says. He lights up, on average, about five days a week. A serious golfer with serious access to courses, Dudum puffs while he plays. “My cigar stays in my mouth even while I’m swinging,” he says. “The cigar is in play at all times, just like my golf ball.”
