Originally from Bari, a city located next to the crystal-clear sea of Puglia, Italy, Sarah Donvito is a mother, former criminal lawyer, and former university professor, who left her life in courtrooms and classrooms to fully dedicate herself to creativity on social media and the enjoyment of habanos.
As the daughter of a tobacco enthusiast, Sarah’s first encounter with premium tobacco –specifically habanos– was around the age of 16 when her curiosity about these “beautiful foreign artifacts” led her to secretly take one and try it. “Of course, I inhaled it and felt terrible!” she recalls with laughter, while also remembering the time when her father showed her the correct way to enjoy them. “And I fell in love with them,” she states.
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In addition to working as a Social Media Manager and Event Planner professionally, Sarah also serves as one of the five official influencers for Habanos S.A., president of the Terra di Bari Cigar Club, and board member of the Habanos Club Italy. Both organizations are key players in Italy’s tobacco and slow-smoking scene, with a mission to spread the necessary information and knowledge to fully appreciate the benefits this style of cigar consumption can offer.
According to Sarah, although Italy’s tobacco tradition dates back to the early 19th century with the Kentucky variety imported from the United States, there are unfortunately numerous restrictions that prevent people from fully enjoying tobacco, not to mention the taboos surrounding women smokers. “If I smoke a cigar in a public place, people look at me in surprise, as if a woman couldn’t enjoy a good cigar.”
This is the situation that organizations like Terra di Bari Cigar Club and Habanos Club Italy are working to improve, supported by a clear global shift in paradigms, where Sarah highlights the role of women within the premium cigar industry.
As an example, she mentions Maritza Carrillo González, co-president of Habanos S.A.; Annie Lorenzo, editor of L’Amateur de Cigare and Mujer Habano 2023; and Jemma Freeman, president of the English distributor Hunters & Frankau. “These are just a few of the women holding important positions in the industry, and I am convinced that many more women will stand out in this sector.”
In this regard, Sarah believes that the SOTL Global Movement has already made great strides in bringing together the leading female figures in the tobacco world. “It would be wonderful if we could organize a traveling event in all countries to involve and gather as many Sisters of the Leaf as possible!”
Cigars and Social Media
Sarah Donvito is the administrator of SigariMag on Instagram and Habanos Only, La Confrérie du Cigare, and other Facebook groups, seeing these platforms as a useful way to bring together enthusiasts from all over the world, with whom she shares and spreads the cigar culture, especially after the isolation period caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Part of Sarah’s mission on social media is to ensure accurate information is available and to keep cigar aficionados constantly updated on events, courses, and new cigar releases. She also proposes interesting pairings and covers a wide range of topics and activities to engage them as much as possible.
Furthermore, she stands out as the only woman among the five official influencers of Habanos S.A., a responsibility that requires her to be very careful with every post, especially when it comes to transmitting knowledge about cigar preparation, lighting, and production processes.
“For a woman, the line between being elegant and falling into vulgarity is very thin. Elegance and refinement are the foundation of my social activity, especially when I have to describe my #MyHabanosMoment.”
