Cigar Houses
Ashton: The Philadelphia Tobacconist Who Trusted the Fuentes
Robert Levin started out sweeping the floor of his father's shop. Decades later, with the Fuente family, he built one of the most respected brands in the Dominican Republic.
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Some brands are born in the field and others behind a counter. Ashton is one of the latter: it was created by a Philadelphia tobacconist who knew his customers better than anyone.
A life in the shop
Robert Levin grew up among cigar boxes. His father owned Holt’s Cigar Store in Philadelphia, and Robert started at age 11 sweeping the floor. He joined the business full time in 1972, and in 1980 he bought another store in the city, Harry A. Tint & Sons.
A name borrowed from pipes
The Ashton brand came out in 1985, according to most sources. The name does not come from the family. A friend who imported English Ashton pipes suggested it, and since Levin had nothing better, it stuck. One company profile says he later bought the name from the pipe maker, but only that source mentions it.
The Fuente partnership
The first Ashtons were made by another factory in the Dominican Republic. In the late eighties, Levin moved production to Tabacalera A. Fuente, and since then the brand’s cigars have been made with Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. Sources disagree on the exact year: some say 1988 and others say it was shortly after the launch.
That partnership produced lines such as the Aged Maduro, the Cabinet and, in 1999, the Virgin Sun Grown, better known as the VSG, a stronger blend designed by Carlito Fuente.
Beyond Ashton
Levin did not stop at one brand. He created La Aroma de Cuba in 2003 and San Cristóbal in 2007, the latter made in Nicaragua by the García family of My Father. In 2012 Cigar Aficionado inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Today Ashton is a father-and-son business: Robert runs it with Sathya Levin.
Why it matters
Ashton shows that a good tobacconist can also be a great brand builder. Levin had no factory, but he knew what his customers wanted and chose well whom to trust with his cigars. Few partnerships in the cigar world have lasted as long as the one between Ashton and the Fuentes.
Some dates from the early years change depending on the source. We say so where they disagree.
The conversation
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