West Tampa Tobacco Co. is a boutique brand founded in 2022 by Rick Rodriguez, a longtime master blender who spent years crafting CAO and other lines at General Cigar, alongside partner Gus Martinez. The company name deliberately evokes Tampa's historic cigar-making heritage while focusing production in modern Nicaraguan facilities—primarily Garmendia Cigars in Estelí, with some work at NACSA.
Lines such as White, Black, Red, the Attic Series, Circle of Life, and Dark Time deliver the bold, well-balanced Nicaraguan character Rodriguez is known for, wrapped in distinctive branding that nods to Tampa's past. West Tampa represents a familiar industry pattern: an experienced blender leaving corporate production to build an independent brand with trusted factory partners. For enthusiasts following the Estelí ecosystem, it is another example of how veteran talent continues to shape the boutique landscape.