BILBAO – WHERE A CITY AND A CIGAR TELL THE SAME STORY
Club Mareva Vice President Mr. Ivan Zizic visited Bilbao, where he discovered more than just cigars. He decided to share his story about an experience that had deeply stayed in his heart.
This was my first time in Bilbao. A business trip, without expectations. No recommendations, no real plans
beyond meetings. And yet… Bilbao surprised me. A city with a strong identity, quiet confidence, and
something deeper beneath the surface something that reminded me of another place I know well.
Walking through the city, I followed instinct more than any plan and stepped into a cigar shop Estanco
Urquijo 21, Cava de Puros. I asked a simple question: “Does Bilbao have a cigar club?”
The answer came with a smile: “If there is one person you should meet… it’s Maribel Gonzalez.”
A contact was shared and then something that can only be described as a small miracle. As Vice President
of one of the world’s most recognized cigar clubs, you meet many people. Very few leave you without
words. Maribel Gonzalez is one of them.
What fascinated me wasn’t just her knowledge of cigars although that alone is extraordinary but the depth
of her connection to the cigar world. From Arturo Fuente, the Padrón family, Jorge… to a very special
Kellner (Spanish mam), whose connection to Mareva carries a deeper meaning.
But beyond names and
knowledge, what struck me the most was something else: Her understanding of the connection between
Cuba and Bilbao. A connection you don’t read about. You feel it in people, in energy, in the way cigars are
respected and lived.
My Spanish? Catastrophic. Her English? Let’s say… creative. And yet none of that mattered. Because
cigar aficionados don’t need perfect language. We speak through passion, respect, ritual… and smoke.
There are moments you plan. And then there are those you recognize while they are happening. This was
one of them. I received a special gift that day something I later shared with Maribel and my dear friend
Stipe Baučić, through a cigar that carries its own story La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull.
And one part of that moment… I kept. For a moment that deserves it. Some encounters don’t end.
They simply pause. And I know this is one of those. Bilbao may not have a formal cigar club but it has
something just as powerful: a true cigar soul.
And that’s exactly why I’ll be back. To experience it once again. To continue where we left off.
Thank you, Maribel thank you, Stipe For making this journey unforgettable.
From Vice… to the end of the cigar.
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