Mario H. Takeyama Founder + Executive Producer

Mario is the founder and Executive Producer of Cigar Explorer. A former corporate executive at Sony, he oversaw the entire supply chain management process, including manufacturing, distribution, retailer/wholeseller and online merchants. Mario has designed and implemented successful sales and marketing collaborations with multiple Fortune 500 sales channels. Mario has conducted hundreds of advertising campaigns for Fortune 500 corporations and internet marketing seminars around the world for small to mid-sized corporate clients and entrepreneurs.

He is a renaissance man, having worked and/or lived in Japan, the United States, Hong Kong, Europe (France, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Holland), Singapore and Cuba. Mario's passion for cigars begin in 1996, on his 30th birthday, in an internationally mixed community in Hong Kong. Mario's wife worked as a public relations executive and was surrounded by successful business men and a vibrant art culture, where ne dining, wine and cigars were plentiful. Upon the urging of his wife Mario tried his rst cigar, a Cuban Partagas Series D No. 4.

It wasn't long before he had tried every premium cigar he could get his hands on. Mario marveled at the natural relationship between cigar culture and the various business functions and black tie events he would regularly attend. Mario soon became aware of the shortage of hi-end Cuban cigars and became an International Cigar Broker for the hi-end Japanese marketplace. Utilizing his international savvy and growing business network, Mario’s rm grew substantially and he was invited to tour cigar factories and plantations of Cuba. In the native home of cigars Mario polished his knowledge and understanding of the entire cigar marketplace.
  

Dan Reeve - Executive Cigar Reviewer

As a professionally-trained graphic artist with a degree in Interactive Multimedia Design, Dan has developed a career specializing in high-quality print and online media development. With an uncanny knack for understanding people and solid work ethic have allowed Dan many unique business opportunities -- working with one of the world's most successful hospitality companies, as well as a leading manufacturing company providing solutions in optical disc storage -- to becoming the lead Web Designer for the undergraduate department of the largest higher education university in the United States.

Dan’s passion for cigars started on a whim years ago, when he was sent to buy a cigar as a gift for his future uncle-in-law. Upon entering the tiny shop and getting just a small taste for the cigar community created within, he was intrigued. He purchased a cigar for himself, sat down, and struck up conversations with the other locals. It wasn’t long before he wanted to know everything he could about cigars; the tobaccos and the farms, the production process, sizes, brands, and, especially, the people involved. Dan enjoys not only the taste of a fine cigar, but also researching the history that goes into the making of a particular stick. Any opportunity to learn the specifics about a cigar -- the countries in which a cigar is produced, the history of the company and its people, or learning about a certain blend or vitola -- these are the details that, to Dan, set apart each smoke from the next, thus creating a full cigar experience. Last year, Dan took the advice of his closest friends and focused his passion for cigars into creating an active, successful personal cigar blog. He has enjoyed watching it grow steadily and looks forward to many more reviews in the future.

“I am never shocked when I learn about a new type of cigar about to hit the market, but I am always amazed at just how far the manufacturers are willing to push the industry these days, all vying for the best possible cigar. We are living in a new golden age of cigars. There is truly something for everyone.”