This issue of Veteran Vices, we’re happy to expand our reach to veterans of allied militaries around the world. Ismael Olivan, owner of BAMF Cigars, is a veteran of the Spanish Army. What started out as a standard compulsory-service stint turned into a career that spanned 11 years and included time as a driver/aide for two-star generals, martial arts instructor, and driving instructor before going to work as a contractor in an anti-terrorist unit. It was this experience that led him to cocreate Bad Ass Mother F*ckin’ cigars, a brand built by and for armed professionals the world over.
Now sole owner of the company, Olivan says he and his former business partner (himself a former marine and deputy sheriff) used to share cigars together on patrol breaks and time off, and were so passionate about their smoke breaks that they formed the BAMF brand to spread their love of quality smokes. While all are openly welcome to partake, BAMF “will always be a special brand for those who served.” Of particular note is that BAMF owns their own factory and holds its own import license. So while many small cigar companies rely on off-label blends from larger rolling houses and use industry-level importers and distributors to get their sticks into the States, BAMF has that all covered in-house — meaning they don’t have to worry about shipping routes and schedule intervals to get their smokes to you.
They have a surprisingly wide variety of cigars available, and we’ve been able to burn through a couple. Several of the BAMF lines use candela wrappers at the tip as a nod to NATO standard M855 “green tip” ammunition. We were especially impressed with their “Barbed Wire” San Andreas and the small but powerful “drunken Napoleon” coronas, which are heavily infused with premium Cognac.
BAMF regularly donates to a range of vet and first responder-related charities and is in the process of opening a cigar lounge in Palm Beach County. If you’re in that area, check it out in person — otherwise get your fix direct from www.bamfcigars.com and know that, even with 5.56mm ammo at panic prices, you can still burn a couple of green tips.
Worthy of honorable mention are the CNC-machined cigar stands from Metalman Worx. While not a veteran-owned company, the owner comes from a veteran family, and they produce a whole line of firearms-themed cigar stands including Cerakoted, Damascus steel, and brass versions of the Picatinny stand seen above left, as well as the solid copper revolver cylinder cigar stand and several styles of custom ashtrays.
BAMF Cigars: www.bamfcigars.com
Metalman Worx: www.metalmanworx.com
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