Cigar maker
Overview
El Septimo — Spanish for "The Seventh," a name rooted in the biblical seventh day of rest and the philosophy that a cigar should be treated as a sacred ritual rather than a rushed indulgence — began its life not in a factory showroom or a retail humidor, but in the private collections of European royalty and heads of state. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland in the early 2000s, the brand was crafted exclusively for an elite circle of political leaders and private collectors, largely invisible to the public market and entirely unavailable through conventional channels. That changed in 2018, when Chicago-based entrepreneur Zaya Younan was introduced to the brand by King Abdullah II of Jordan over a dinner in Saudi Arabia. One cigar was all it took: Younan acquired the company the following year with a single conviction — that El Septimo's extraordinary quality deserved a global audience, not just a privileged few.
Under Younan's ownership, El Septimo underwent a transformation as ambitious as its origins. Production was centered on the brand's own high-altitude plantations in the mountainous regions of San José, Costa Rica — where naturally cool temperatures eliminate the need for pesticides entirely — and a rigorous precision farming philosophy borrowed from the French wine and Cognac industries was implemented across every stage of production. Every leaf undergoes a 12-month fermentation process to strip out ammonia and nitrates naturally, and every cigar is constructed exclusively from Double Grade A tobacco aged between five and fifteen years before it is ever rolled. The result is a portfolio of over 50 premium blends — organized into sweeping, conceptually ambitious collections including the Sacred Arts Collection (inspired by Da Vinci, Dalí, and Michelangelo), the mythologically rooted Gilgamesh Collection, and the historically themed Emperor Collection — each one a testament to a brand that has always believed the act of smoking a fine cigar deserves to be treated as nothing less than an art form.
Company brands
The Alexandra Collection is a two‑cigar offering built entirely from Costa Rican tobacco. Launched in 2019, it pairs the Coco — a mild, aromatic Robusto — with the thicker, medium‑to‑full Marilyn. Both were developed after sensory testing with female smokers and aim to deliver silkier, aroma‑forward smokes in compact formats.
The Culinary Art Collection reflects El Septimo's collection‑driven approach: theatrical presentation, a broad range of strength lanes and a focus on creamier, cedar‑leaning profiles. Reviewers commonly praise the line's construction and consistent burns; the house also emphasizes extended fermentation and lengthy aging on many releases, which shows through in the collection's cleaner, mellower character.
The Emperor Collection is a Costa Rica–made series that juxtaposes Connecticut‑seed, milder vitolas with larger, Maduro‑forward showpieces. Launched as a multi‑vitola line in 2022, it leans on long‑aged tobaccos. Tasting notes range from toasted bread and baker's spice on the Connecticut side to espresso, cocoa, roasted nuts and molasses in the Maduro offerings, and presentation—lacquered chests, heavy bands and gold accents—underscores its collector appeal.
Since its acquisition by the Younan Company, El Septimo pushed into larger gauges and extended‑aging techniques. The Gilgamesh Collection, introduced in 2020, marked the brand's first 50‑ring offerings and is presented as a Maduro‑leaning, Costa Rican‑grown blend available in medium and full‑bodied profiles. It sits alongside other house releases like the Alexandra Collection and the limited Mi Familia set as part of El Septimo's aging‑forward approach.
The Luxus Collection sits within a Swiss‑founded, Geneva‑headquartered house now owned by the Younan Company that produces predominantly Costa Rican puros. The house highlights high‑altitude tobacco, unusually long fermentation (reported around 12 months) and extended aging to achieve a notably clean palate. Luxus is one thread in a portfolio that includes Sacred Arts, Zaya, Emperor, Culinary Art, Alexandra and Gilgamesh.
Released in 2021, the Sacred Arts Collection is a seven‑cigar series produced at El Septimo's Costa Rica factory with each vitola dedicated to a famous painter and one of the seven days of creation. Blends and construction vary between sizes, and reviewers commonly note toasted cedar, coffee and cocoa, earth and a peppered finish. The line is sold in 20‑count boxes with color‑coded bands and a 14‑cigar Masaccio sampler that gathers two of each vitola.
The Zaya Collection is one of El Septimo's spectacle lines: multi‑vitola releases presented in large, statement formats with luxury packaging. Editorial and retailer writeups describe Zaya as full‑bodied and heavily aged, with common tasting notes of espresso, charred oak, dark chocolate and bakery spice alongside leather. It's built for long smoke times and consistent construction.
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