Paul BK Garmirian earned his PhD cum laude in International Politics from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC in 1975. He lectured on Politics and International Marketing and managed his real estate firm in McLean Virginia until 1990 when his passion for cigars became all-consuming. His quest led him around the world for 7 years while researching his book The Gourmet Guide To Cigars, published in 1990. The Gourmet Guide has been re-printed ten times including the Spanish version Guia Gourmet del Cigarro which was published in 1993. The publication of his book resulted in the opportunity to work with Hendrik Kelner, President of Tabacos Dominicanos and Eladio Diaz his chief blender in Santiago, the Dominican Republic. What followed was experimentation and hard work by extremely skilled and talented Dominican artisans whose spirit and innovation fused the PG Cigar into existence. The initial release of the PG line consisted of the traditional Cuban sizes which were introduced at Georgetown Tobacco in Washington DC in November of 1990. Since then, many new vitolas and line extensions have been created to expand on the PG Cigars Gourmet Series and the brand continues to be a boutique favorite among connoisseurs throughout the world.