Master Blender Manuel Inóa (La Aurora Cigars)

Military Background: Mario is a retired Army Warrant Officer with operational experience in special operations and intelligence, participating in combat campaigns across the globe, including Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Iraq, and many others.
Senior Government Roles: He served in high-ranking positions, such as the Director of the Department of Defense Counterintelligence HUMINT Center, managing espionage counterintelligence and efforts to safely recover U.S. nationals held hostage abroad.
Private Sector Expertise: Mario has provided personal and corporate security solutions for business leaders, diplomats, and ultra-high-net-worth families. He has also managed over 100 kidnap and high-risk crisis response events worldwide.
Advisory Roles: He has acted as a military and police academy advisor in various countries, including Honduras, Haiti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Panama, and Peru.
Educational Background: He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the State University of New York and a Certificate in Leadership and Emergency Disaster Management from Penn State University.

S3E99
1:20:47
October 17th 2023

Today's show was all about pre-industry tobacco knowledge. We wanted to talk about the work that goes into the 4-5 years prior to a cigar being made at La Aurora Cigars Factory. Mr. Manuel Inoa donated his time and knowledge to educate all of us. We also talked about the 120th Anniversary Cigar in celebration of their commemorative 120 years of being in business. This has been one of the finest educational pieces we have put together. We are honored to share this podcast with you all. Thank you to La Aurora Cigars Factory, the Leon-Jimenez Family and Mr. Inoa for their contributions to the Boutique Cigar World.

Protecting the Legacy

Sponsored by the Boutique Cigar Association of America (BCAA) With hosts Founder Dr. Gaby Kafie and President Armen Caprielian. For more information visit the BCAA at www.boutiquecigarassociation.com. If you are interested in being a guest on our podcast please send us an email.

(The views and opinions expressed on Protecting the Legacy are solely those of the hosts and guests, and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Boutique Cigar Association of America (BCAA) or any of its member companies. The podcast is sponsored by BCAA, but the content and opinions expressed on the podcast are independent and separate from BCAA and its member companies.)

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Welcome to Protecting the Legacy, a podcast sponsored by the Boutique Cigar Association. Our Association was developed to create a unified voice for small family owned boutique cigar companies. Each week we will publish a new podcast to go over topics that affect each and every one of us.

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