In just three years in the cigar business, Kingmakers Cigars already has celebrity partnerships, top-quality ratings, and bigger things on the horizon. JerseyMan caught up with Bucky Heath, the founder and CEO of Kingmakers, to discuss their dedication to excellence and its rewards.
If you can score Carmelo Anthony to be associated with your brand, you’re doing something right. As his career numbers show, he’s clearly not someone who settles for mediocrity.
Kingmakers Cigars made it happen. Their VERSA VII (the “E” is actually backwards) cigar portfolio is Anthony’s brand. According to Kingmakers CEO Bucky Heath, Melo is bringing a box to his NBA Hall of Fame induction.
The VERSA VII, says Heath, is “the perfect smoke to honor a legendary career.”
Heath isn’t being boastful. Well, maybe he is a little, but it’s certainly justifiable. You can, though, easily tell from his demeanor that he’s humbled to be in this venture, around a team that can construct a cigar worthy of an NBA Hall of Famer’s approval.
The Kingmakers’ name, he explains, is about celebrating excellence and achievement. “We built this brand to tell other people’s stories. We’re Kingmakers in the sense of, not in an arrogant way, but in how you sit down and enjoy whatever it may be in your life. You celebrate those moments, whether it’s signing a deal, the birth of a child, whether it’s a big win in a game or a championship.
“This is your moment in life. You need to reflect upon it. We want people to really enjoy that moment. The cigar itself is an accessory. It’s the instrument for you to enjoy that moment.”
He calls Anthony a “true King,” but Kingmakers has made connections with other big names, like two-time WNBA champion and Team USA gold medalist Kelsey Plum, the first female athlete to have her own signature cigar line. In addition to her cigar collection, Kingmakers and Under Armour, with Humidif Group, created the “Shoemidor” for Plum, a custom humidor that neatly houses both cigars and sneakers.
Even though the name is Kingmakers, Heath says the Plum partnership is “a massive statement designed to shatter old stereotypes.”
“Appreciation for a premium cigar has nothing to do with gender, and everything to do with celebrating excellence.”
Kingmakers features cigar lines from established musicians, too, including JJ Julius Son from the blues rock band Kaleo, and country music artists Midland. JJ and the Midland boys are also passionate cigar enthusiasts, and like with Plum and Anthony, there was a detailed process to getting the product right.
“It’s definitely not just slapping a name on a box,” Heath explains. “We sit down with them to talk about their tastes. What cigars do they love? What flavors do they gravitate towards—bold and spicy, or smooth and creamy?
“Our master blenders create several sample blends based on that conversation. The celebrity partner will test those samples and provide detailed feedback. ‘I like the spice in Blend A, but can we get the creaminess of Blend C in there?’ This can go on for multiple rounds until we nail the perfect profile.
“The goal is for the final product to be a genuine reflection of their personal brand and palate.”
“Our partnerships are built on authenticity,” Heath continues. “We don’t just look for famous faces. We look for people who genuinely embody the Kingmakers ethos of excellence, passion, and a love for the lifestyle.”
In that vein, Kingmakers is nailing down partnerships with more big names. There are major brand connections in the works that Bucky appears to be dying to talk about, but the ink isn’t quite dry yet.
With all that said, even Kingmakers’ brands without the celebrity name tag do pretty well. The Persona No. 1, which Heath refers to as “the bedrock of our brand,” recently received a 93 rating from Cigar & Spirits Magazine.
Not too shabby for just three years in the business.
Bucky Heath has always enjoyed cigars and has always seen them as a way to celebrate a moment.
He worked for years in Major League Baseball, first in the ticketing realm and then later booking talent for events and pre-game shows. While in the sports and entertainment space, he became friends with multiple entertainers and managers.
After 20-odd years in the business, he got to know Claudio Torres, a long-established tobacco industry veteran. With Claudio, Bucky saw an opportunity to pour his enthusiasm for a premium cigar … and its associated moments … into a new addition to an established industry.
Claudio, the co-founder and COO of Kingmakers, “is the brains behind the blends,” according to Heath. “He works with all of the master blenders. He had a vision from the beginning of how to curate a fine experience.
“Claudio’s been in the industry for over 25 years. Cigars are in his DNA. His family has been in the tobacco business for generations, so he grew up with a deep, authentic understanding of what makes a truly exceptional cigar.”
The two brainstormed a well-defined vision to create an exceptional cigar brand. As Heath puts it, the goal wasn’t to change the industry, but to add to it.
“My first approach to Claudio was, let’s create a private label cigar manufacturing and distribution company. Let’s go to my contacts in the industry, and let’s build a really sexy, cool, different brand.
“We did not start this to take market share from any manufacturers that are currently in the space. We came to grow and expand it into a new kind of youthful brand that is leveraging athletes and musicians who truly care and want to be a part of this.”
“We’re not a very well-established brand in the sense of the history of these cigar makers, who have been around for hundreds of years, where their grandparents grew the tobacco and rolled it themselves. We’re not trying to be that brand. We want to honor those individuals and brands that have built the lane for us.”
One does get the sense that partnerships with the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Kelsey Plum, JJ Julius Son and Midland should help to bridge premium cigar admiration into a new generation.
Today, Kingmakers features eight distinct collections of premium cigars, each with their own style, construction, and backstory. Their website partially describes Carmelo Anthony’s collection thus: “This transformative spirit, of continually turning challenges into conquests, is the essence of VERSA VII.”
During his interview with JerseyMan, Bucky Heath didn’t utter a single complaint about the trials and tribulations of operating a business, which every entrepreneur knows is considerable. To the contrary, talking with the CEO of Kingmakers, you can feel the contagious enthusiasm he has for everything about the venture and his company’s representation of the finer things in life.
“I’ve always been very intrigued with the art of a cigar, the making of a cigar, the textures, the layers that go into it, the whole process. It’s really, really amazing, the art that goes into it.”
He adds, “A cigar forces you to do something we rarely do anymore: slow down. You can’t rush a great cigar. It requires you to be present, to reflect, and to savor the moment.”
Whatever the milestone, Heath says, “a cigar becomes the punctuation mark for that achievement.”
“We didn’t just want to sell cigars; we wanted to build a brand that people felt a part of. Seeing people from all walks of life—entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, men and women—celebrating their personal ‘wins’ with one of our cigars is the ultimate reward.”
It helps that Heath and company have celebrated some very special moments of their own with a Kingmakers smoke.
“I have to pinch myself every day to say, ‘Is this real life?’ I’m a big sports and music fan. I love Philadelphia sports. I bleed green. In October, it’s red only. I’m Philadelphia all the way through.
“Unfortunately, we lost, but Kingmakers was in the locker room, ready to be celebrated two years ago when the Phillies lost to the Diamondbacks. (Diamondbacks first baseman) Christian Walker was nice enough to bring in Kingmakers cigars into his locker room. It was bittersweet, I’m not going to lie.
“I went to the game and watched Kelsey receive her ring for back-to-back championships. They did a whole thing on ESPN on live broadcast about the Shoemidor. Being now with Carmelo, watching him being inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, and then afterwards, to just sit down and enjoy his cigar with him.
“Being that fly on the wall with these amazing individuals, these artists, being able to celebrate them and be a part of history. Those are the memories that really, to me, matter,” Heath says humbly.
“It’s not about Kingmakers. It’s about watching everybody else enjoy what they do so well in their craft.”
The Shoemidor
The humidor is an essential accessory for any cigar enthusiast. It protects your collection from drying out or from moisture and preserves the cigars’ flavor and structural integrity.
Kingmakers decided to elevate the humidor, in their partnership with Kelsey Plum, with a new kind of humidor: the “Shoemidor”. It’s a humidor designed not just to protect cigars, but also the basketball star’s most important accessory: sneakers.
According to the Kingmakers website, the Shoemidor was handcrafted in Estelí, Nicaragua, by Humidif Group Cigar Box Factory. They describe the Shoemidor as “precision engineered with the finest wood, optimal humidity control, and a design that seamlessly blended sneaker culture with luxury craftsmanship.”
Heath is especially enthusiastic about this inspired innovation. “The Shoemidor is a project we’re incredibly proud of. We originally designed it for Kelsey Plum as part of a major partnership with Under Armour for her 2024 ‘All the Smoke’ signature shoe.
“The concept of a luxury humidor shaped like a sneaker box—holding both her custom shoes and signature cigars—was an incredible project that blew up. It was even featured live on primetime via ESPN and other networks, which was an amazing moment for us. It perfectly captures that fusion of sneaker culture and cigar culture.”
He sees great potential in the Shoemidor, as he should. “We’re now in the works with our next line of athletes to create custom Shoemidors, to fit their own shoes and signature cigars as well.”
So, if you’re an athlete yourself, consider having your own Shoemidor someday.
What Makes An Exceptional Cigar?
Even though Bucky Heath showers the credit on Claudio Torres for being a cigar mastermind, he was happy to tell JerseyMan about what makes a cigar stand out. In a most kind act of generosity, he did this writer’s job for the article…you can attribute these quotes directly to him:
“It boils down to three key things: Construction, Flavor, and Balance:
Heath can also expound on the merits of where the tobacco is grown.
“The soil, the amount of sunlight, the humidity, and even the local traditions for curing and fermenting the leaves have a massive impact on the final flavor.
He continues with how a novice can become an aficionado…through experience.
“It’s all about ‘palate training’. By smoking cigars from different regions, you start to recognize those signature flavor profiles. You might notice the ‘Nicaraguan spice’ on the back of your tongue or the ‘Dominican creaminess’ in the smoke’s texture.”
Of course, it’s still a matter of individual taste.
“Ultimately, the ‘best’ cigar is the one you enjoy the most. Start by trying different things and paying attention to what you like.”