My Favorite Cigar
Cimafunk • Singer
Romeo y Julieta Churchill
In his hit song “Caliente” (Hot), Cimafunk sings: “If you ask me, I will give it to you hot.” The singer from Cuba’s Pinar del Río laughs when asked if the words refer to a cigar he’s just ignited.
“No,” Cimafunk, 33, clarifies. “My music is about happiness. And sexuality.” It’s become a global sensation.
Cimafunk’s name honors the cimarróns—Africans who escaped slavery—and the music he loves, funk. Cimafunk, who first studied medicine, has been dubbed the “James Brown of Cuba.” He likes the comparison. “He was the king,” Cimafunk says. “He invented things. My music, though, is more like Afro-Cuban funk.”
Touring nonstop for two years, Cimafunk, who lives in Paris and Cuba, takes time to enjoy a cigar in the afternoon or after dinner. He pairs Hennessy Cognac with a Cuban Romeo y Julieta Churchill.
“The classic one,” he says. “It’s very smooth. I also like the Cohiba Robusto.” But his true favorite isn’t available at retail: the cigar his father makes.
“My family loves tobacco,” Cimafunk explains. His father gets tobacco leaves from neighbors back home. “I love the way he rolls.”
