Cigar Snob Magazine March April 2022 by Cigar Snob Magazine

SPRING EDITION

tation emp CURAÇAO MARCH / APRIL 2022

DISPLAY UNTIL 6/27/2022

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editorials MARCH / APRIL 2022

22 PERFECT PAIRINGS 22

UNDERCROWN 10 / SELVAREY OWNER’S RESERVE

EL GÜEGÜENSE / JACK DANIEL’S 10 YEAR OLD TENNESSEE WHISKEY

27 TRAVEL: DISCOVERING THE COLORS OF CURAÇAO There’s more to Curaçao than the historic pastel buildings, azure blue waters, and pink flamingos, although those could be reason enough to go. We visited the island while producing the photo shoot for this issue and came away with so much more.

82 FOURSQUARE RUM Foursquare Distillery’s Richard Seale has spent the better part of his life evangelizing to the masses on the topic of rum purity from his homebase in Barbados, the birthplace of the spirit. Rum – the good stuff – is having a moment now, and Seale enjoys his beloved cigars as he basks in the rewards of his preaching.

85 SEEING THE LIGHT We reported on the panel of scientists and academics commissioned by the US Food and Drug Administration to better understand the premium cigar segment back in the Jul/Aug 2021 issue. That report has been submitted and its findings are not the least bit surprising to premium cigar smokers.

92 PROCIGAR FESTIVAL The Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers hosted more than 450 guests from over 20 countries in celebration of their 14th annual ProCigar Festival in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic and we had a front row seat to all of the proceedings.

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features MARCH / APRIL 2022

14 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

16 FEEDBACK

18 WHAT’S BURNIN’

40 SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB LOST IN PARADISE FEATURING LEÓN JIMENEZ CONNECTICUT

55 RATINGS

70 SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB BLUE LAGOON FEATURING LEÓN JIMENEZ 300 SERIES

88 TWITTER SCOREBOARD

90 INSTAGRAM SCOREBOARD

98 EVENTS 98 PEGASUS WORLD CUP WITH DAVIDOFF CIGARS

100 TPE 2022 102 DOWNTOWN CIGAR BAR 7TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY

104 THE GREAT SMOKE 106 ESPINOSA AND GUY FIERI KNUCKLE

SANDWICH DINNER AT SABOR HAVANA

108 CITY CIGAR LOUNGE

GRANDIVERSARY PARTY

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VO L . 1 4 IS SU E 2 www.cigarsnob.com PUBLISHER & EDITOR Erik Calviño SENIOR EDITOR Steve Miller COPY EDITOR Michael LaRocca SALES & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Oscar M. Calviño PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ivan Ocampo ART DIRECTOR Andy Astencio ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Jamilet Calviño DIGITAL RETOUCHING SPECIALIST Ramón Santana DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT Gianni D’Alerta Natalia Marie García CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Florin Safner

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Benoliel Andy Astencio EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Jamilet Calviño Ramon Santana Natalia Marie Garcia MichyWatchao Cover Photography by David Benoliel www.davidbenolielphotography.com Cover Model - Alice Palay Cigar Snob is published bi-monthly by Lockstock Publications, Inc. 1421-1 SW 107th Ave., #253 Miami, FL 33174-2509 Tel: 1 (786) 423-1015 Cigar Snob is a registered trademark of Lockstock Publications, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction in part or full without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Cigar Snob is printed in the U.S. Contents copyright 2006, Lockstock Publications, Inc. To subscribe, visit www.cigarsnob.com

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MYFATHERCIGARS.COM

I find it fascinating and depressing that we have arrived at a moment so divisive and nonsensical that a United States Supreme Court justice nominee is unwilling to answer a simple question of “What is a woman?” At almost the same time we had a biologically male college swimmer winning the NCAA championship in the women’s 500-meter freestyle. He was the 462nd ranked male swimmer a couple of years ago but today, swimming as a woman, she is the national champion. Shame on Supreme Court justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson for not being a voice of reason during these times and on the NCAA for making this farce a bizarre reality. The NCAA’s requirement for a male athlete, who identifies as a woman, to compete in women’s athletics is that the athlete be on hormone replacement therapy for one year. This is lunacy and it is tragically unfair to the scores of young women who have spent their lives training to reach the pinnacle of their sport in their gender. The contrast to this madness came out of war-torn Ukraine. Since the early days of the Russian invasion, women, children, and the elderly have been encouraged to leave the country. Under Ukraine’s new martial law, men ages 18 to 60 are required to stay and fight. They are needed to defend the country from the invading Russian forces but many biological males on hormone replacement therapy seeking to leave Ukraine are being turned away at the border. Border patrols in a war zone do not have the luxury of getting into long-winded debates about what is a man or what is a woman. It gets distilled down to the most basic, biological facts: if you’re a man you stay. This does not make Ukraine insensitive to the issues of the trans community; transgender individuals have been recognized by Ukraine since 2017. The only thing it means is that they need EVERY AVAILABLE MAN to fight, regardless of how he/she identifies. Godspeed to all of the men fighting for their country in Ukraine. In spite of the crazy world around us, we produce this magazine to provide you with entertainment and education in all things cigar related. To that end, this issue has a little bit of everything. We visited the beautiful island of Curaçao to produce the two photo shoots that you’ll see in the pages that follow: Lost in Paradise starring Lena Radonjic on page 40 and Blue Lagoon with Alice Palay on page 70. Thanks to both models, the crew (Ivan Ocampo, David Benoliel, Madeline Rouge, Christina Cellini, and Jamilet Calviño), and our friends from Curaçao’s Tourism Board (Dewi Pomario, Reggie Tokaay) and Diamond PR. Special thanks to La Aurora Cigars for providing us with excellent cigars for both shoots; León Jimenes Connecticut and León Jimenes 300 Series. We also produced a first-person, behind the scenes travel story about the entire trip titled Discovering the Colors of Curaçao starting on page 27. Our senior editor, Steve Miller, wrote two pieces in this issue. One is an interview of award-winning rum

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distiller Richard Seale on page 82 and the other is an update to a story we ran last year about an FDA-commissioned report about premium cigar regulation titled Seeing the Light on page 85. Lastly I would like to thank the incredible folks who organize and execute the ProCigar Festival. I know that skipping last year due to the pandemic was a blow but the festival came back better than ever. Congratulations. Speaking for the team at Cigar Snob, thank you (the reader) for making this magazine part of your cigar journey. Keep ‘em lit,

Erik Calviño ecalvino@cigarsnobmag.com

BANDING TOGETHER Erik, well said. Never stop beating the drums of freedom and thank you for a great magazine. Don’t lose your focus on the podcast; it’s great entertainment while smoking poolside. Carlos D. Via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Just got my copy of your magazine in the mail (I am a subscriber) and sitting on the back porch with a cigar and glass of wine enjoying your letter from the publisher. 2 thumbs up for the balls to say what we all feel. It’s refreshing to have a point of view like your own expressed in the media form so thank you. I wish you all the success and God bless. Jake F. Via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Check in on page 14 of this issue with the picture of the follicly-challenged guy who looks like he’s trying to hit a high note with a cigar jazz trumpet. He’s our editor, Erik Calvino, who pens a heartfelt opinion piece each issue that pulls no punches. Some might find them to be too political, but the feedback we receive from our readers shows most of you approve. We find it refreshing to hear a point of view that differs from the constant thrum that is the mainstream media. We appreciate Erik and the use of his platform to fearlessly take his one-page opportunity in every issue to thoughtfully articulate what many of us feel but cannot find a way to say. Thanks to Erik for keeping his middle finger pointed up in his letters and thanks to our readers who are right there with him.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS SAMBUCA AND CIGARS Years ago when I was in Italy I was introduced to Sambuca by a restaurant owner after a long meal. I am referring to the clear version. I do also enjoy the black. It is a Christmas tradition in my family to buy a bottle each year to be enjoyed in the house and out back with a quality cigar. Thanks for including this awesome drink in your 5 to try digestifs. All the best! Dan M. Via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Ciao Amici! What’s not to love about a shot of alcohol that helps digestion? That’s a two for one in my book, sign me up! In all seriousness, the “5 to Try” you are referring to from our November/December 2021 issue was a departure from what we tend to feature in this space. Every culture has such different customs and traditions that we felt we should do a sampling of some of the most popular ones. In the case of the Sambuca, we weren’t as familiar with the black, but our booze sommelier Pablo Estades from Total Wine & More said to trust him and to do the black instead of the clear. And he was right, as he usually is. Salud, Dan!

WILL THERE BE SLAPPING AT THIS AWARDS SHOW? I really enjoy Cigar Snob. You guys should get an award for how great your magazine is. I don’t know if they have magazine awards, but you should get one. David P. Via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Thanks David, we really appreciate it. If we were lucky enough to win an award for our magazine, you can be assured that we would go onstage with cigars in hand to accept the accolade on behalf of our cigar family - you! And if anyone attempted to come onstage and slap one of us while we were accepting our trophy, you would witness a swift and severe retaliation which would most likely require us to give back our award right on the spot. Maybe they should just send us our award in the mail.

WRITE US AT FEEDBACK@CIGARSNOBMAG.COM 16 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

The Art, Tradition, and Style of Cuba.

MYFATHERCIGARS.COM

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DREW ESTATE ANNOUNCES BARN SMOKER DATES FOR 2022 Drew Estate will give its Barn Smoker program another try this year after canceling last year’s events. The five events are scheduled to take place in five states with the first in Clermont, Florida, from May 13 to May 15. On the Friday night before each event, Drew Estate will host pre-parties that will feature new brand launches. Spirits, appetizers and roast pork will be offered for the appetite while live music and DJs will provide the entertainment. The events will also feature Drew Estate swag for attendees, which varies by ticket. Barn Smoker attendees can attend sessions with Subculture Studios and the Sticks & Sips Tiki Bar, as well as spending time with Drew Estate ambassadors, including company Founder and President Jonathan Drew, Master Blender Willy Herrera, and La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory spokesman Pedro Gomez. The 2022 Barn Smoker Program will culminate with the Barn Smoker Presents—Savage Feast, a Medieval-style Barn Smoker extravaganza at the South Fork Ranch in Parker, Texas, on October 22. Tickets for Barn Smoker Presents—Savage Feast will also include entry to an exclusive preparty on Friday night, October 21. Barn Smoker prices range from $100 to $350 with varying swag and experience options. General admission tickets include one day of the Barn Smoker event, a packet of swag and 10 Drew Estate cigars. Those who purchase a VIP ticket will receive exclusive VIP swag along with 10 Drew Estate cigars. Guests who purchase pre-party tickets in addition to their general admission or VIP swag Barn Smoker tickets get early entry to the Barn Smoker for a Tabak Especial breakfast. Tickets and details, including some solid guidance on the merch, at https://barnsmoker.com.

SINDICATO INTRODUCES SINDICATO ARTISTA Sindicato Cigars is shipping its latest offering, the Sindicato Artista. It’s the brand’s first long filler stick produced in the Dominican Republic and features a corojo wrapper, Sumatra binder, and Criollo 98, Dominican Olor, broad leaf filler. The Sindicato Artista is available in robusto and toro sizes at $8.25 and $8.75 and comes in

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20-count boxes.

Series, The Tribute, and the 1959 Exodus.

The Artista was produced in partnership with Ram Rodriguez at the El Artista Factory, which is best known for its creation of Big Papi and The Slugger.

He retired in 2012 and spent his retirement years traveling extensively with his wife, Evelyn Toraño-Trinidad.

Sindicato Cigars are distributed through Gurkha Cigar Company worldwide.

CAMACHO INTRODUCES THE FACTORY UNLEASHED 2 Camacho Cigars is releasing the Camacho Factory Unleashed 2, a shaggy foot smoke with a Connecticut wrapper, Corojo tobaccos from Honduras and the Dominican Republic in the filler, and a Nicaraguan binder. The Unleashed 2 is a 6 x 50 Toro ($8) and comes in 100-count rustic wooden crates, with 1,000 available exclusively for Camacho retail partners. An additional 2,500 paper wrapped bundles of 10 cigars will be reserved for eCommerce platforms. The packaging was designed to reflect the rustic appeal of raw wood color tones which mimic the golden wrapper of the cigar. “Introducing the second release of a blend that represents the unorthodox potential and barrier breaking innovation of our factory is a privilege and an honor,” Lana Fraser, director of marketing, said in a press release. The cigar will be available April 21.

CARLOS ALBERTO TORAÑO SR., FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE TORAÑO FAMILY CIGAR COMPANY, PASSES AWAY AT THE AGE OF 78 Carlos Alberto Toraño Sr., the former President of the Toraño Family Cigar Company, passed away in early February at his home in Miami. He was 78 years old. Toraño was the third generation of the Toraño tobacco family, which came to the U.S. in 1959 following the Cuban revolution, when the family’s tobacco fields were seized by the government. After being educated in the U.S, Toraño joined the family business begun by his grandfather in 1916. Toraño advanced the business with factories and tobacco fields in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Honduras. In 1994 Toraño launched the family brand with the Carlos Toraño Signature

In a statement, Toraño-Trinidad said: “My husband was a man loved and admired by many. He was always ready to offer a hug, a smile, and advice. A noble man, he was always eager to share his knowledge. As a result, a great deal of people were able to advance successfully in their careers. Carlos was irreplaceable and I miss my best friend deeply.”

DREW ESTATE RELEASES EXCLUSIVE LIMITED-EDITION CIGAR TO COMMEMORATE SMOKE INN’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY Last year marked the 25th Anniversary of the first Smoke Inn premium cigar store, and Drew Estate and Smoke Inn’s owner, Abe Dababneh, are celebrating the landmark achievement with the launch of a special commemorative Herrera Estelí cigar honoring Abe’s father and mentor, Raji Dababneh. The Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji (6 x 50, Toro) is a limited-edition cigar that’s lovingly produced at El Titan De Bronze, the Little Havana boutique cigar factory that’s owned by Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera’s family and where Herrera Estelí Miami cigars are made. Constructed using a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, the Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji is a spicy medium- to fullbodied cigar with hay and floral notes. Every Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji cigar features a commemorative band around its foot, and the cigars are packaged in 10-count boxes that are adorned with the Smoke Inn logo. Ramping up the celebration and honoring Raji Dababneh even more, Raji’s signature is emblazoned on the bottom of every box. The Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji will debut at Smoke Inn’s 25th Anniversary party on May 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. atop the Tru By Hilton Pompano Beach hotel. Guests of the epic event will meet Jonathan, Willy, Abe, and the man of honor himself, Raji Dababneh, while enjoying food and spirits and grooving to beats spun by Drew Estate’s very own D.J. Eli. All

guests will receive a party packet containing a commemorative “The Raji” ashtray and 29 assorted cigars, including the Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji, as well as experience other surprises as the evening unfolds. Tickets cost $250 and are limited to only 250 people. They may be purchased exclusively through the company’s website, smokeinn.com. After the event, Herrera Estelí Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary Raji cigars will be available exclusively at Smoke Inn while supplies last.

D’CROSSIER ANNOUNCES LATEST GOLDEN BLEND D’Crossier announces the latest of its esteemed Golden Blend Reserva line. This offering comes in a 6 x 52 Cañonazo ($20), a 5.5 x 54 Taino ($22) and a 6.5 x 56 Magnum ($24). The cigars come with an Ecuadorian Habano Claro wrapper, Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, and an undisclosed binder. Each cigar is triple capped and wrapped in

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breathable cellophane that has been punched on the head of the cigar to ensure proper aging and respiration.

a timber truss. It will include a full service bar and lounge, a private event space, and more than 1,500 square feet of patio with outdoor fire pits.

The cigars come in handcrafted 25-count cedar boxes. It will be a standard production, but each of the first 2,000 boxes has a serial number imprinted on a golden hologram sticker on the bottom.

A concierge desk will be located at the store’s entrance, and the interior bar is configured in a communal table style, allowing for more seating and easier conversation between patrons.

The cigars were produced in San Jose, Costa Rica.

“San Antonio and the San Antonio-Austin corridor is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, with a trajectory that is predicted to continue over the next few decades,” Sarah Santos, senior vice president of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, the parent company of Cigars International, said in a press release. “San Antonio’s highly-regarded economic development programs are driving the current influx of technology and electric automakers to the area which is adding to the stellar customer base that’s already in [the city].”

CIGARS INTERNATIONAL TO OPEN SUPERSTORE IN SAN ANTONIO Cigars International will open its third retail superstore in Texas in San Antonio, with a grand opening scheduled for May. The store will be the eighth CI retail store in the U.S. Cigar Snob first reported on the store’s opening in its September/October 2021 issue. The San Antonio Superstore will be 7,200 square feet and located on the city’s north side. It is designed to resemble a Northeast tobacco barn, with

A grand opening event is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, 2022, with additional details to be posted on Facebook @CISanAntonioSuperStore and Instagram @CigarsInternationalSanAntonio.

SelvaRey Owner’s Reserve Undercrown 10 Celebrity spirits have been all the rage in recent years so when the PR campaign for SelvaRey Rum started showing up everywhere featuring Bruno Mars and a killer soundtrack, it was met with a splash of “here we go again.” However just because the product is backed by a celebrity doesn’t automatically make it inferior so we dug deeper. We started by procuring a bottle of the brand’s highest expression, the SelvaRey Owner’s Reserve, for tasting. If the rum weren’t so damned good we would have stopped right there. It turns out that Bruno Mars became a partner at SelvaRey more than 7 years ago; the partners just hadn’t made too much noise about it since then and it seems like a wise move. Initially SelvaRey’s portfolio consisted only a white rum and a coconut rum. It was at Mars’ insistence that a dark, aged rum was brought to market. Their rums are produced in Panama under the watchful eye of legendary rum master Francisco ‘Don Pancho’ Fernandez. In the case of the dark, aged rum, the Owner’s Reserve, Don Pancho blends the best of his 15- and 25-year-old vintages to achieve the perfect balance. Mars’ involvement in the brand isn’t limited to making catchy jingles and YouTube videos, although those have generated a tremendous amount of exposure for the brand. He was also involved in the design of the branding, bottle, and packaging. The initial offering of the Owner’s Reserve sold out in less than two hours. The SelvaRey Owner’s Reserve displays a bright amber color with a nose of caramelized brown sugar, toffee, and cinnamon. The palate is balanced and creamy with notes of citrus, sherry, and a rich nuttiness.

THE PAIRING The Undercrown 10 and the SelvaRey get along famously from the onset. The cigar’s heavy pepper and earth combined with the rum’s rich, creamy sweetness make for a perfectly harmonious experience. As the rum lingers on the palate, every draw of the cigar delivers a tweaked set of flavors. LOCATION: The Cleat at Boater’s Grill lighthouserestaurants.com

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www.Colesoflondon.com

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB | 23 Sales@colesoflondon.com

Jack Daniel’s 10-Year-Old El Güegüense It’s been a long time since an age-stated Jack Daniel’s has hit the market; in fact it’s been more than 100 years. That is all changing with the upcoming release of the Jack Daniel’s 10-YearOld. The limited availability whiskey, which will eventually become an annual release, honors the brand’s past while employing newer aging techniques to produce a Jack Daniel’s product unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. “This product has been hand-crafted by our distillery team in Lynchburg over the last ten summers, all while keeping up with the growing demand for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey around the world,” explained Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. Over the past ten years Fletcher and his team evolved the distillery’s aging practices by maturing Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey in barrels that were relocated throughout the barrelhouse to extend the aging process. The result is a more complex whiskey with a flavor that layers on top of the traditional Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 profile. The whiskey is bottled at 97 proof—a first for the Jack Daniel Distillery. The whiskey has an inviting combination of cinnamon, fig, and oak on the nose while the palate delivers butterscotch, dried fruit, and smoke accompanied by a deliciously sweet spice. The Jack Daniel’s 10-Year-Old will retail at $70 for 750ml with the first batch hitting shelves in limited quantities in early September across the US.

THE PAIRING The El Güegüense is a creamy and flavorful medium-bodied smoke with a substantial pepper and spice backbone complemented by notes of cedar, cinnamon, and a touch of cocoa. The pepper and spice in the cigar go toe to toe with the whiskey’s oak and high proof, leaving the palate open for the sweet, creamy components of each. This is a perfectly complementary pairing. LOCATION: The Cleat at Boater’s Grill lighthouserestaurants.com

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THE COLORS OF By Erik Calviño There’s more to Curaçao than the historic pastel buildings, azure blue waters, and pink flamingos, although those could be reason enough to go. We visited the island while producing the photo shoot for this issue and came away with so much more.

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Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort

y knowledge of Curaçao is limited; I knew it had been a Dutch colony, has a famous floating bridge, and has produced several major league baseball players including former Braves centerfielder Andruw Jones. At the behest of a trusted friend, I worked with the tourism board’s PR company to make this trip happen. But now that I was about to spend a week on the island, I wasn’t sure what I was going to find. During the three-hour flight from Miami, I fully engrossed myself in Curaçao research. We were travelling to Curaçao to produce a photo shoot and travel story, and the tourism board would be helping us make it happen. Photographer, David Benoliel, and the shoot’s producer, Ivan Ocampo, were already on the island scouting locations with the help of the local tourism board’s Reggie Tokaay. Flying in with me were the models, stylists, assistants, and my sister Jamilet Calviño (Jamy), who in addition to assisting on the photo shoots, would stay with me after the shoot to explore the island’s cigar scene. We were greeted at the airport by

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the tourism board’s Dewi Pomario (pronounced Day-Wee), our tour guide, location specialist, sugar momma, and spiritual leader for the trip. Her easygoing nature coupled with her profound knowledge of the island made her an asset to our team. She taught us, with some success, the local language of Papiamento with an emphasis on what is unquestionably the island’s favorite and most frequently used word: “dushi”. I won’t lie; this one took some getting used to at first. It sounds just like the negative word in the U.S., but in Papiamento it means ‘good’ in the highest possible form, and it is used interchangeably as adjective and noun, sometimes in the same sentence. We got the hang of it and by the time we left the island we were throwing around “dushi” without a care in the world.

Home is Where the Cobra is Dewi drove us to our home base for the week, the Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort, an all-inclusive resort in the Otrabanda neighborhood. As we drove up to the entrance it was impossible to miss the waterpark sitting off to the side of the parking lot, featuring a giant cobra head spitting water from its fangs. My sister looked at me without a word, but her look said, “Oh yeah we’re doing that.” We were greeted with a delicious, fruity,

welcome cocktail as we checked in through the open-air, breezeway lobby. Just as we were wrapping up the check-in, Ivan and David returned from their scouting mission. We unloaded our stuff into our rooms and met up in the hotel’s coffee shop. In addition to a litany of coffee options, the 24-hour coffee shop also offers a variety of small sandwiches and desserts as well as a full liquor bar. They’ve got a repository of books and magazines that we made sure to stock with copies of Cigar Snob. With everyone now safely at the resort, we had some time to kill before our dinner reservations, so we walked to Rif Fort for a smoke. The fort is located at the entrance to St. Anna Bay, a 10- to 15-minute walk from the Corendon Mangrove Beach. It was built in the 1820s to protect the island from invaders in conjunction with the Water Fort on the opposite side of the bay. During those days the bombproof Rif Fort was armed with 56 cannons, barracks, and a gunpowder magazine but a short 200 years later it is a tourist

attraction and UNESCO World Heritage site that houses several shops and eateries. Its open-air configuration made it a great spot to smoke our La Aurora 300 Cameroons as we enjoyed the view. Speaking of the view, we climbed up one of the turrets to have our first glimpse of the Punda neighborhood across the bay, which is when Jamilet’s love affair with the Queen Emma Bridge began. “There it is!” she exclaimed as soon as she had eyes on it, and it took some convincing for her not to run across it right then and there. The pontoon bridge is unique in that it swings open when ships enter the bay, hence its other name The Swinging Old Lady. We’d be back to see her soon.

Dushi Sushi and Cigars If you plan on visiting the Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort, make sure to call well in advance of your arrival and make your dinner reservations before they fill up. We were able to book a last minute resy at the hotel’s sushi restaurant, cleverly named Dushi

Sushi. This was our first night breaking bread as a team so there were a lot of introductions and storytelling of shared photo shoot horrors and successes. The sushi was just OK but I’m a little spoiled in that department, but the restaurant’s location is superb. It sits just a few feet from the crashing waves and downstairs from the resort’s cigar bar, The Don Cigar Lounge.

Dushi (pronounced: Dooshee) Noun: sweetheart, darling, gentle soul, my dear, lover, sexy beast Adjective: good, great, awesome, tasty, cool, sexy, hot Origin: It is believed to come from the Spanish and Portuguese word ‘dulce’ meaning sweet.

We headed to the lounge to see what’s what. We could hear a ruckus as we came up the stairs; a group of Dutch tourists had taken over a large table on the rooftop terrace and were having a blast, loudly drinking beer by the bucket and smoking cigars. Men and women in their mid-thirties enjoying cigars and drinks while on vacation in the Caribbean; they didn’t realize it but just the sight of them made my night. “Do you have room for a few more?” Ivan asked half-jokingly. Being a premium cigar smoker is like belonging to an international club where everyone is welcome regardless of nationality, race, or creed. Their response is proof of just that. With no hesitation, one of them yelled, “Welcome!” as they quickly made room for us.

The Don Cigar Lounge at Mangrove Beach

A couple of beers in I snuck away from the group to get a look at the inside of The Don Cigar Lounge. It was cozy with leather seating on either side and a full bar in the center. Like all of the bars on the property, you can order any of the all-inclusive drinks, but in the lounge you can also order higher end wine and spirits a la carte. The cigar selection is limited to mostly Cuban cigars from a refrigerated humidor with a couple of exceptions from the Dominican Republic. I spent some time speaking with the attendant about cigars and although he had only been smoking premiums for a couple of years, I came away impressed by his genuine desire to learn more. At a time when more and more hotels and resorts are going tobaccofree, it’s refreshing to know that the Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort not only welcomes cigar smokers but also

Curaçao International Airport (CUR) goes by several names on the island but the most common is Hato Airport, its original name. The airport, located in the town of Hato on the island’s north coast, opened in 1934 and boasts the third longest commercial runway in the Caribbean. The Airport Expansion Project, which kicked off in 2014, added a comfortable new check-in area, arrivals hall, and new shops and restaurants. curacao-airport.com

makes special accommodations for us.

Bright and Early The only thing open at the resort when we loaded Dewi’s van with gear and wardrobe as we headed out for the shoot the next morning was the 24hour coffee shop. At this early hour, there is no one manning the shop so you get your coffee from the machine, which makes surprisingly good coffee. We piled into the van and hit the road by 6:30 a.m. on our way to the first location, the beach behind LionsDive Beach Resort in the Bapor Kibra district, about 15 minutes southeast of the Corendon. Dewi had coordinated with LionsDive to reserve a cabana on the water for us to set up for the first few shots. The model for this day was Lena Radonjic, a gorgeous young woman from Montenegro; we paired her up with the León Jimenes Connecticut. The cigar is mild and creamy, which worked perfectly for this early morning smoke with nothing but espresso in our systems. The shots were coming easily but as the morning wore on, the beach started getting busy. We moved the shoot over to Chill Beach Bar & Grill, a few paces from where we were shooting to start the day. While LionsDive has a distinctly Dutch Caribbean feel to it, Chill Beach Bar & Grill is pure Key West. There are license plates and handmade signs clustered on every corner, hammocks hanging from palm

trees, and chairs on the water’s edge. We were right at home. We ordered a few beers to use as props and before long we were drinking the props. I heard somebody say, “Do you think we need a piña colada for the next shot?” We needed to get away from this place; the chill vibe was infectious. We jumped back in the van and hightailed it over to Mundo Bizarro in the colorful Pietermaai District. This place blew us away from the moment we drove up to it. It feels like a Cuban corner of Curaçao; the mural of a cigarsmoking Cuban lady, the Cuban tile on the floors, the mosaic tile Bacardi bar, and the purposely dilapidated-looking exterior, all scream Old Havana. Our team couldn’t get enough of this place, and we shot in front of Mundo Bizarro, just inside, against the bar, in the archway, and upstairs on the balcony. It’s the kind of a place where everywhere you turn you find some other bizarrely interesting artifact, mural, or piece of furniture. By now, the lack of food was catching up with us. During the balcony shot at Mundo Bizarro, I was on the second floor with the model and stylists. I turned around for a moment to admire the view of the tile bar from above when I heard a thunderous crashing sound behind me. I know that balconies fall in the real Old Havana all the time but thankfully this wasn’t the real thing. I snapped around to see one of the stylists had missed a step and taken a nasty spill knocking down a light stand

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

the middle. The sous vide rum ribs were a pile of sticky, sweet, pork goodness. And the duck confit tacos with cranberry salsa, avocado, and radish blew my mind - I haven’t stopped thinking about them since that night. After dinner, everyone except me ordered or shared desserts, as I opted for a rum flight. One of the owners and certified rum nerd, Wesley, came over to ask a few questions before preparing the flight. He came back with a three-rum flight that knocked my socks off, combining something different from a distillery I know well, a rum from a distillery I was dying to try but hadn’t found, and a superb rum from a distillery I didn’t know existed. That’s pretty much as good as it gets in my book.

Saint Tropez Beach Club

and God knows what else. I ran over and thankfully she was fine, just some scrapes and a bruised ego. Clearly, it was time to break for lunch. We took a short ride to Saint Tropez Beach Club. Styled like a chic Mediterranean resort, the pool area of the Saint Tropez felt like the kind of place that’s ideal for a couples getaway. Dewi had reserved an ocean view table for us, and the landscape and the food was just what we needed. The seafood pasta that I ordered was spot on; the pasta was perfectly cooked, as were the shrimp and fish. A typical photo shoot lunch involves a variety of cold cuts, salads, fruits, nuts, and cookies for David the photographer. This was living high on the hog with an ocean view, and I savored every minute of it. The picturesque homes in this district are known for colorful murals and creative paint jobs so we spent the next chunk of the day driving from one cool-looking house to another shooting and moving before heading into Punda, the island’s historic district. As soon as we drove up next to the Queen Emma Bridge I could see Jamy bursting with anticipation. “There it is!” she called out again with giddy excitement. As soon as we parked she made a beeline to the bridge with an ear-to-ear grin. It’s a unique pedestrian bridge made even more interesting by the fact that people are allowed to stay on it as it opens for boat traffic, assuming it’s a small ship coming through. The bridge is hinged on the Otrabanda side of the bay and swings open with the help of diesel

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We capped off the evening at the Corendon’s Flamingo Beach Bar enjoying live music and cigars with our new Dutch friends from the previous night.

Round Two In the infamous words of Yankees legend Yogi Berra, this was “déjà vu all over again” as we were back in the saddle for another early morning shoot. This time we headed west towards Kenepa Grandi Beach, a 45-minute drive through sparsely populated areas.

The bar at Mosa/Caña Bar & Kitchen

engines that push the pontoons to open on the Punda side. We marveled at the bridge and got back in photo shoot mode. We took a couple of shots in Punda and wrapped up shooting for the day. We split up after getting back to the Corendon; some went straight to the pool while others rested. I wandered over to the beach, found a chair near the ocean, and fired up one more León Jimenes Connecticut with my toes in the sand and watched the sunset. Rested up and ready to hit the town, we pulled up to Mosa/Caña Bar & Kitchen for an 8 p.m. dinner reservation. You can imagine the sight of this crew consisting of Dewi, the magazine staff, photographers, stylists, and two outrageously beautiful women walking into one of the hottest spots in Curaçao. The entire place put

down their forks, knives, drinks, and cellphones to take in this interesting mix. I say they looked up to see the whole crew but that’s not really what happened. The two models had a gravitational pull on every eyeball in the place. The restaurant used to be two separate “sister” restaurants; Mosa doing tapas style dining paired with exceptional wine, and Caña serving up Latin fusion dishes with an amazing cocktail and spirits menu. Around the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, they joined forces to become Mosa/Caña Kitchen & Bar. While I don’t know what it was like before, it’s a must-visit now. Our evening there was one of my favorite dining experiences of recent memory. The food was flavorful, exciting, and adventurous. The tuna tartare came with a scoop of ginger ice cream in

We arrived at a parking lot that didn’t look like much until we walked to the overlook. The nearly infinite shades of blue were breathtaking in the morning sun. It was early enough that we were the first ones at the beach. We decided to take advantage of this situation and rushed down the stone steps to prepare for the first shot. Attracting tourists and locals, this beach is one of the most popular on the island but as we stood alone on the sand admiring the beauty, a couple of little piglets trotted in to see what we were up to. The cute little guys snorted and rooted around and, finding nothing of interest, went on about their business. When it was time for us to get on with our business, our model Alice Palay strode down the steps almost glowing. I think David saw this as well and wanted to start shooting immediately. Jamy handed Alice a lit León Jimenes 300 Cameroon and the shutter started firing. We moved from shot to shot swiftly because the light was perfect, the location was amazing, the styling

CMJ

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was on point, and Alice is not only outrageously beautiful but an absolute pro. We had her stand barefoot on top of a jagged rock but when we saw that it looked painful, David offered to shoot in such a way that she could wear flip flops and not see them in the shot. “No I can do it, shoot it however it looks best,” she said.

of amenities behind a resort. The fee is about $6 per car to access the beach. Everything else is a la carte, but they have dive gear, jet ski rental, beach chairs, and even a massage on the beach. Cas Abao is fairly large and well maintained. When Dewi said we could have lunch from the beach’s food stand, I imagined we’d be eating

with, and our crew was top notch. We got every shot we wanted and enjoyed great cigars on both days, so the trip was already a success. But we had unfinished business. The business of the giant king cobra water slide in the parking lot? Ivan, Madeline (hair and makeup artist),

the fangs shoot you with water. It’s an exhilarating ride that we couldn’t get enough of, and I’d recommend it for any adult or reasonably aged child. While you’re catching your breath, there’s a little bar with tables and umbrellas. We ordered a few beers and chilled out while watching people freak out as they dropped into the cobra’s fangs.

Celebratory Smokes We had one final dinner planned for the group to celebrate a successful shoot but before that, Dewi set us up with a visit to La Casa del Habano Curaçao. At Cigar Snob we don’t visit LCDHs very often, so I didn’t know what to expect. What a pleasant surprise. Owner Steven Van Buuren and his staff welcomed us into a beautifully appointed cigar bar. Their selection of spirits was exceptional, the ambiance was fantastic, and the humidor was impeccably kept.

By now the beach was starting to fill up and every time a family came down those stone steps, we got a kick out of the wife’s reactions to the husband’s jaw-drop at the sight. When you’re shooting on the beach and the facilities are either not available or too far away, the model’s wardrobe change happens on the beach with the use of a changing tube or towels. Every time the tube went up, you could see the crowd’s attention shift to the model and stylists; a swimsuit would fly out of the tube, a swimsuit would drop into the tube, and out came Alice with a new look. By the time we had exhausted every shot at Kenepa, you could almost feel the disappointment from the beachgoers. We headed south to Cas Abao Beach to have lunch and catch our breath after the morning hustle. Cas Abao is different than Kenepa in that Kenepa is a public beach while Cas Abao is a beach club where you pay to use the beach and facilities. Think of the types

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cold hot dogs or ham and cheese sandwiches, because that’s what it looked like would be on the menu. I was pleasantly surprised, though. It’s not that we scored a gourmet meal but the fare was simple and solid. I had a chicken skewer sandwich with garlic aioli on a fresh baguette. that was damned delicious.

Jamy, and I dropped off our gear at the hotel and met up at the cobra. What a blast! You grab an inner tube, climb up several flights of stairs, and slide down the twisting and turning slide, which drops you into the cobra’s mouth while

La Casa del Habano stores are individually owned franchises that sell only Cuban cigars distributed by the Cuban government’s Habanos Corporation. This ensures that you won’t be buying a fake Cuban at a LCDH. However, each store is run by the franchise owner and in the case of this one, Steven and his team have done a phenomenal job of making the lounge feel upscale and elegant while not being stuffy or overbearing. In terms of the cigars, I was impressed not only by how well stocked the humidor was but also by how reasonably priced the cigars were. The ambiance and good vibes were infectious to the point that Dewi and Madeline got in on the act, smoking their first premium cigar thanks to Steven. We proceeded to dinner at Omundo

We rented a wetsuit and snorkeling gear for a shot of Alice looking like a Bond girl and when I went to return it, the young woman receiving it said, “I noticed you didn’t actually use it to go diving, you just took pictures with it, you don’t have to pay for the rental.” It turns out the young woman was Brigitte, the owner of B Diving & Watersports. If you ever make it down to Cas Abao drop in and say hello for me. The ride back to the resort was quiet, as most of the crew slept. We’d had an excellent two days of shooting, as both models were a pleasure to work

The Queen Emma Bridge

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

and I wouldn’t hesitate to take an even longer trip with them.

Restaurant & Bar. We would be smoking cigars to end the evening, so they sat us on their back terrace. Omundo has a unique menu in that there are dishes that are available every day but then each day of the week has a different theme. For example, Mondays are Mangiamo (Italian), Tuesdays are Sexi Mexi (Mexican), Wednesdays are Tapas Night (Spanish) and on and on. We were at Omundo on a Thursday and what do you know, it’s Viva Cuba night! I don’t know if that was planned by Dewi or just a coincidence but knowing her, it was probably her idea. The service was excellent. Our waitress was a young lady with a tremendous knowledge of the vast menu and an incredible memory. She took each order without writing anything down. Keep in mind that we were a big group. She didn’t get a single detail wrong. The cool thing about this menu that they have is that we were able to order local favorites like funchi fries, piri piri wings, and bitterballen but also get Cuban style tostones with shredded chicken on top and crispy pork belly or as Cubans say chicharron. We toasted to a job well done, joked, and laughed with each other, and took an obligatory group shot. It was the end of our run together and it had been a good one. The next day, we would see them off and Jamy and I would stay behind and spend another couple of days with Dewi exploring this island paradise.

Missed it by that much The crew headed out to the airport in the morning, and Jamy and I headed back to the Queen Emma Bridge. She’d clearly not had enough and was hoping that we’d be lucky enough to stay on it when it opened. We were taking our time on the walk over, until we heard the bells alerting everyone to either get off the bridge or stay on while it opened. We broke into a sprint and… well, we almost made it. We stood there watching it open without us while Jamy gave the bridge operator a sad puppy face. I don’t know if it worked on the guy or if he was just teasing her, but the bridge stopped opening for a second, looked as if it was coming back, and then kept opening all the way. Spoiler alert: try as she might she never did get on the bridge while it was opening. We eventually walked across the bridge into Punda. We’d previously been there but we’d been shooting rather than exploring. We found the Cigar

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We docked in time for our dinner reservation at Bambu by Just, located at Madero Ocean Club. We’d had so much food on the sunset cruise that we kept it light, enjoying mostly appetizers and drinks. The cuisine at Bambu is an Asian/Caribbean fusion that complemented the hip atmosphere perfectly.

The Punda District

Emporium on the Gomezplein (Gomez Plaza) and looked inside. It’s a small store with a selection of Cubans. The walk-in humidor’s door was propped open, and I’m not sure if it was to let air in or humidity out, but it didn’t inspire confidence. I spoke to the lady briefly and decided to continue exploring. Punda is the first settlement on the island, and it is unquestionably Curaçao’s cultural ground zero. It has an interesting dynamic in that it is overflowing with tourists when cruise ships are at port, as was the case when we were shooting Lena on day one. On this day, however, the streets were much more relaxed, and we saw more locals enjoying the variety of shops, cafes, and restaurants. One thing we did miss but we kept hearing about was Punda Vibes, which happens every Thursday evening and involves street performers, and a fireworks show over St. Anna Bay. Back at the hotel, we met up with Dewi who had scheduled a sunset catamaran ride for us. She took us over to BlueFinn Charters where we boarded their 75-foot sailing catamaran, joining a large, diverse group. The ship has a bar in the center with beer, wine, and a variety of rums including Ron Barceló

Imperial from the Dominican Republic. As we were getting ready to set sail, the captain laid out the ground rules and as he was wrapping up he asked, “Does anyone smoke?” I looked around waiting for someone to raise his or her hand, but no one did. The captain continued, “In case anyone changes their mind and wants to smoke, do so over here,” pointing to the area right next to him. The captain’s helm is towards the back of the ship and smoking there would ensure that the smoke didn’t bother the non-smoking guests. I made my way to the bar, got myself a Barceló Imperial, and continued over to the “smoking area”. As we cruised south along the coast, the ship’s crew served some delicious snacks, including ridiculously good pulled pork sliders. We turned into the Spanish Waters harbor, admiring the homes along the waterfront, and turned back around to exit the harbor in time to line up for the money shot. Watching the giant fireball drop into the ocean’s edge while being propelled by the wind on this massive ship was a bigger thrill than I expected. Living in South Florida near the ocean, we’re kind of jaded, but I must admit it was a magical experience. The captain and crew of the BlueFinn were top notch

We took the short walk back over to Mambo Beach Boulevard to visit Don Caribe Cigars. The tourist atmosphere at this time of the evening was electric. There were young people dancing to DJ music, slightly older people relaxing on beach lounge chairs, and the entire boulevard was slammed with people of all types. We stepped into the cozy, well-appointed shop that is Don Caribe and were immediately welcomed by Gershwin Bronswinkel, the elder statesman at Don Caribe. The humidor was small but diverse with, one half of the stock hailing from Cuba and the other half from the DR, Nicaragua, and Honduras. I asked the young lady working the humidor to make a recommendation and she pulled the Rocky Patel ALR and said, “Our customers have been saying really good things about this cigar.” She wasn’t a cigar smoker herself, but she claimed to ask her customers a lot of questions to be able to answer these types of queries. I eventually let the cat out of the bag and commended her for her efforts. The prices at Don Caribe are slightly elevated, but this is typical in a hightraffic, tourist heavy area such as Mambo Beach. I loved two main elements of Don Caribe: the humidor offered cigars from Cuba and a lot of great brands from the free world like Rocky Patel, Oliva, Fuente, EPC, and Alec Bradley to name a few, and I appreciated the energy that the tourists brought. In the hour or so that we were there, we got into conversations with a couple of Dutch tourists in town for a wedding, an American tourist in Curaçao on business, and a group from Colombia on a weekend getaway. They were all having drinks from the bar and enjoying a variety of cigars from every corner of the premium cigar market. It was a thing of beauty.

Last Day in Curaçao Dewi picked us up after breakfast. By now she had ditched the van and we were riding in a slightly easier to

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maneuver sedan. We headed back out west to check out Shete Boka National Park on the north-facing coast. The name Shete Boka means roughly seven pocket bays and refers to the seven distinct ways that the ocean has cut into the jagged limestone coastline. It was a blistering hot day and we decided to visit the two most impressive “bokas”. We started with Boka Pistol, and it is an awe-inspiring sight. Every few seconds a wave crashes into the coastline, gets funneled into this small

sell their fish. The fish cleaning station means that there is an endless supply of fish parts constantly being thrown into the ocean. This may sound kind of nasty to swim around in, but it never gets to that because there is a group of sea turtles that have made this beach home and feed voraciously on the fish bits before you even see them. Today, Playa Piskadó is on every visitor’s guide to Curaçao because the experience of swimming with these majestic turtles is so magical and memorable that the beach was

We’d worked up a wicked appetite by now and we headed down to Karakter Curaçao inside of Coral Estate Resort about halfway between Playa Piskadó and our home base at the Corendon Mangrove Beach. The place is beautiful, and the food and drinks were excellent. We shared several great dishes but the Karakter Jerk Chicken was one of the best things I had on the trip. A flavorful jerk chicken with a fried egg on top accompanied by rice and beans, fried sweet plantains, avocado, pickled onions, and mango

to a tourist destination, this place gives locals a place to relax, have a drink, and enjoy cigars from Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. The cigar selections are still limited but managing partner Daniel Pereira is working to tweak it with every passing day. He’s also been working with a Dominican manufacturer to make his house cigar, which I enjoyed with an IPA from a local brewery called Tiki Mas Serbes. Bandido has quickly become a local’s hangout with the sort of relaxed, unpretentious vibe that Daniel was looking for when he

Shete Boka National Park - Boka Pistol

The beach at Karakter Curaçao

cut, and water is shot out of a “pistol,” often exploding high into the air. It is an impressive show of force from Mother Nature. With more time and the right type of sun protection, we would have hiked over from boka to boka but we were on a mission to squeeze the most out of our last day, so we headed over to Boka Tabla. This one is not for the faint of heart. The waves have cut out an underground cavern that fills up with every crashing wave. You climb down the stone steps and take turns going all the way down. If you’re claustrophobic, don’t attempt this one. Otherwise, it is cool watching the water level rise inside the cavern with you in it. It feels like the water is going to breach the barrier and soak you, but just as the level gets to the edge, it subsides. Dewi told us that when the tide is high they simply close this off for safety reasons. We bought some refreshments from the park’s little stand and headed to our next stop, the quaint Playa Piskadó. This small beach was not meant to be a tourist attraction. It is a secluded area where local fishermen clean and

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bursting with tourists as we parked. There is a stand where you can rent a mask and snorkel along with a dry bag for your mobile phone. The water was crystal clear, and the sea turtles were everywhere. Although the dry bag for the phone sort of worked in order to record, I kicked myself a hundred times for not bringing the GoPro. Don’t be like me, bring a GoPro, because they are impossible to find on the island.

Karakter's Jerk Chicken

salsa. The combination of savory jerk seasoning with the richness of a fried egg, the acid from the pickled onions, and the sweetness from the plantains and mango was a symphony of flavor. As we left Karakter, I had to look at the real estate listings at the Coral Estate office. I would buy a vacation home here just to have that dish again! We made our way back to our resort with our heads full of memories from this day but looking back, I thought about how swimming with the sea turtles became the first bucket list item that I checked before I knew it was even on the list. We were winding down this trip but there was still one more night in Curaçao and one more cigar lounge that we wanted to visit. Let’s go to Bandido! Sitting on the corner of an office park in an industrial part of Willemstad is Bandido Cigar Lounge. Like many of the heartening things I’d seen during my week in Curaçao as they pertain to cigars, this lounge made me feel like the cigar scene is maturing on this island. By virtue of its location in a business district as opposed

and his partner founded it. We wrapped up at Bandido and made our way to one of Curaçao’s most exciting new concepts that combines food, craft cocktails, local art, and music: Bario Streetfood. The openair food court located in Otrabanda is made up of different kitchens and bars serviced by one wait staff. There’s a kitchen that focuses on lionfish dishes, the invasive species that terrorizes reefs throughout the Caribbean. There’s another that’s made up of all vegetarian options, another with international food, and of course one for desserts. We took our seats on the rooftop, giving us a view of the party below. We happened to be at Bario on the night that they were celebrating their one-year anniversary, so the party was poppin’. It was a fitting end to an incredible week of memorable experiences, successful photo shoots, a bunch of excellent cigars, and an island full of new friends that I can’t wait to come back and visit. Thank you Curaçao: I needed that.

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NOORDPUNT

Playa Piskadó, Sabana Westpunt

Shete Boka Park, Westpunt

Cigars Shops

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Karakter Beach - Lounge 1 Restaurant, Coral Estate,Kaap St. Marie Rif St. Marie, Willibrordus

Bario Urban Street Food De Rouvilleweg, Willemstad

Bandido Cigar Lounge, Kaya Jacob Posner 7, 1 Zeelandia 7 Mall Unit 26, Willemstad La Casa del Habano Curacao, 201D Schottegatweg Oost,2 Willemstad La Vitola, 232 Caracasbaaiweg, Willemstad

Mangrove Beach Corendon Curacao All-Inclusive Resort, Curio by Hilton, 31 Pater Euwensweg-

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38 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

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Bambu by Just 8 Bapor Kibrá, Willemstad

Don Caribe, Bapor Kibrá, 5 Bapor Kibrá, Willemstad Chill Beach Bar & Grill10 Bapor Kibrá

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MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

Featuring

CONNECTICUT

Expertly crafted for unmatched consistency, our León Jimenes Connecticut cigar delivers a smooth smoke every time. The special light Connecticut shade leaf wrapper and Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco blend create a medium-bodied smoke. It is crafted for those who crave smooth elegance, with wood and bitter cocoa notes and hints of nuttiness that develop into a satisfying ﬁnish.

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88 56 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C

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Perfecto 6 1/2 54 Brazil Dominican Republic Central America & Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Delivers an excellent draw and burn producing an abundant output of aromatic smoke with notes of sharp pepper, caramel, raw almonds, and a touch of cedar. This medium strength perfecto is covered with an attractive wrapper with a beautiful sheen.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

58 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

TORPEDO Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2

$ 10.40

N I CA R AGUA Impeccably constructed and covered with an extremely dark and even colored wrapper with a coarse feel. Draws and burns exceptionally well while delivering a balanced profile highlighted by black pepper, earth, roasted nuts, bittersweet coffee, and a touch of currant on the finish.

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Belicoso 6 1/8 52 Brazil Nicaragua Brazil & Nicaragua

92 Oliva Serie G Maduro

$ 7.42

N I CA R AGUA Covered with a clean, dark brown wrapper with a velvet feel, this square-pressed torpedo is consistently well-constructed providing an excellent draw and an even burn. Delivers a smooth and balanced core of red pepper, sweet earth, oak, and espresso accompanied by a subtle note of bittersweet cocoa.

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Torpedo 6 1/2 52 USA/Connecticut Nicaragua Nicaragua

Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas

$ 8.50

N I CA R AGUA Finished with a dark and oily wrapper, this flavorful and balanced torpedo produces an excellent output of thick, aromatic smoke with notes of pepper, espresso, roasted nuts, and wood accompanied by a sweet touch of vanilla on the finish.

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Torpedo 6 1/8 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

91 Fratello Navetta

$ 13.00

N I CA R AGUA A well-made torpedo covered with a neatly applied, medium to dark brown wrapper with excellent sheen. The blend is smooth and consistent with a core of roasted nuts, balanced pepper, and oak complemented by a touch of sweetness. Medium plus strength.

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The Boxer 6 1/4 52 Ecuador Dominican Republic Nicaragua

E.P. Carrillo Elite Selección Oscuro

$ 9.45

D OM I NI CAN REPUBLIC Intense and flavorful with a core of black pepper, charred oak, espresso, and raisin accompanied by a hint of roasted nuts. This medium to full strength torpedo draws and burns perfectly producing an abundance of thick, heavy smoke while leaving behind a slightly flaky ash.

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Piramides Royal 6 52 Mexico Ecuador Nicaragua

89 1502 Black Gold

$ 11.00

N I CA R AGUA This dark, soft-pressed torpedo is finished with a partly covered foot and produces a good amount of aromatic smoke. Medium bodied with a core of red pepper, American coffee, and slightly sweet earth accompanied by a touch of hay on the finish.

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Torpedo 6 1/2 52 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

89 MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

TORO Muestra de Saka Unstolen Valor

$ 19.75 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Dominican Republic, Nicaragua & USA

La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor

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Magnifico 6 52 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

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Toro 6 52 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

Villiger Libertad

N I CA R AG UA Opens with a smooth combination of white pepper, earth, and espresso later joined by delicate notes of floral and wheat. This pressed, medium plus bodied toro is consistently well made and covered with a toothy, dark brown wrapper. Draws and burns exceptionally well while leaving behind a solid, compact ash.

$ 11.65

N I CA R AG UA Impeccably constructed and covered with a well-aged, dark brown wrapper and topped with a neat triple cap. This medium to full strength toro delivers a profile of roasted nuts, smooth pepper, and wood complemented by a touch of sweetness on the finish.

$ 8.50

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Gran Toro 6 54 Nicaragua Dominican Republic Nicaragua

Victor Calvo Maduro

N I CA R AG UA An intensely flavorful toro covered with a dark brown wrapper with a coarse texture. Produces an excellent smoke output with a core of earth, black pepper, and charred oak balanced by notes of currant and molasses while leaving behind a compact, white ash. Full strength.

$ 7.25

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Toro 6 50 USA/Connecticut Nicaragua Nicaragua

La Galera Anemoi

N I CA R AG UA Ultra-flavorful and consistently well-constructed, this medium plus strength blend has a profile highlighted by molasses, charred oak, and sweet earth accompanied by notes of dark cherry and dark chocolate on the finish. The soft-pressed toro draws and burns exceptionally well.

$ 12.00

89 60 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

Beautifully balanced delivering a sweet core of white pepper, earth, grilled meats, and a touch of chicory complemented by subtle notes of toasted almond and cream. Consistently wellmade and covered with a dark, toothy wrapper with excellent sheen. Medium plus bodied.

$ 9.00

Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Maduro

N I CA R AG UA

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Toro 6 3/8 52 USA/Connecticut Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Opens with a sharp blast of pepper and earth, which settles to incorporate notes of sweet, ripe fruit, dark chocolate, and subtle wood. This medium plus strength maduro is covered with a dark, toothy wrapper with a coarse feel.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

TORO La Flor Dominicana Double Press

$ 10.20 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 52 Ecuador Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

My Father El Centurion H-2K-CT

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Toro 6 52 USA/Connecticut Nicaragua Nicaragua

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N I CA R AG UA Flavorful and beautifully balanced with a core of smooth pepper, cashews, and cedar accompanied by a touch of butterscotch and cinnamon. Develops slowly up to a medium plus strength along a perfect draw and burn that leaves behind a solid, compact ash.

$ 13.50 Toro-H 6 54 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

H. Upmann 1844 Añejo

N I CA R AG UA Opens with sweet spices and a pepper zing that settles to incorporate notes of cedar, American coffee, and a touch of cream on the finish. This medium to full strength blend is impeccably constructed and covered with a gorgeous wrapper with excellent oils.

$ 8.07

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Toro 6 54 Ecuador USA/Pennsylvania Honduras, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Diesel Sunday Gravy

H O N D UR AS Thick, consistently well-constructed, and covered with a beautiful reddish brown wrapper with excellent sheen. Opens with a medium bodied combination of red pepper, sweet earth, cocoa powder, and a touch of cream accompanied by a rich aroma of tanned leather.

$ 4.99

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San Marzano 6 54 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

Punch Fu Manchu

N I CA R AG UA Delivers a flavorful medium bodied profile with a combination of sweet and savory spices including cayenne pepper, cardamom, and cumin balanced by subtle notes of sweet cedar, molasses, and a touch of dried fruit. Consistently well-constructed delivering a flawless draw and burn.

$ 5.99

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Impeccably pressed and covered with an oily wrapper with a velvet feel. This medium bodied toro delivers a profile of nuts, cedar, and sweet cream balanced by notes of smooth pepper and a touch of baking spice. Draws and burns exceptionally well.

$ 9.10

Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C

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Toro 6 50 Honduras Indonesia Mexico, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

H O N D UR AS A two-toned toro finished with a unique pigtail that comes under part of the wrapper and stretches more than halfway down the front of the cigar. This medium bodied blend delivers an earthy core complemented by notes of roasted almonds, tanned leather, and a hint of sweetness.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

ROBUSTO Cavalier Genève White Series

$ 9.25 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Elegantes 4 1/2 52 Honduras USA/Connecticut Paraguay, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Florida Sun Grown 20 Acre Farm

A consistently well-constructed, short robusto covered with a clean, light brown wrapper and finished with a tight pigtail. Produces an excellent smoke output and leaves behind a solid, compact ash while delivering a medium bodied profile of nuts, spice, and cedar with a creamy finish.

$ 12.40 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Robusto 5 1/4 54 USA/Connecticut Honduras Nicaragua & USA

La Aurora Connecticut

N I CA R AG UA Covered with a clean, supple wrapper with a velvet feel, this mild to medium bodied robusto delivers a smooth, creamy core of cedar, smooth spice, and salted peanuts. Consistently well-constructed providing a flawless draw and burn.

$ 12.50

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Robusto 5 50 USA/Connecticut Dominican Republic Africa & Dominican Republic

Zino Nicaragua

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A consistently well-constructed mild robusto with a profile of wood, soft spice, and a touch of tanned leather. This mild blend is covered with a light brown wrapper, produces an excellent smoke output, and leaves behind a solid, compact ash.

$ 6.50

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Robusto 5 54 Ecuador Nicaragua Honduras, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Charter Oak Connecticut

H O N D UR AS Covered with a clean and neatly applied, light brown wrapper. This medium bodied robusto delivers notes of red pepper, savory spices, earth, and subtle hazelnut complemented by a sweet almond cream finish. Impeccably constructed leaving behind a solid, compact ash.

$ 5.70

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Rothschild 4 1/2 50 USA/Connecticut Indonesia Nicaragua

Saga Solaz

N I CA R AG UA Covered with a thin, light brown wrapper with a velvet feel, this mild to medium bodied robusto provides an easy draw with an excellent smoke output. Delivers a core of earth, smooth pepper, cashew, and a touch of cocoa powder.

$ 8.30

89 64 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

H O N D UR AS

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Robusto 5 50 Ecuador Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C An attractive-looking robusto covered with a golden-colored wrapper with a supple feel. Opens with tons of wood and sweet spice accompanied by nuts, floral, and a hint of cream. Provides an open draw with an excellent smoke output.

AVO HERITAGE A rich, enticing aroma intoxicates your senses. It is familiar. Memorable. Consistent. A ritual your day would be incomplete without. Your cigar, like your coffee, is a unique decision that exhibits who you are.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

ROBUSTO Highclere Castle Victorian

$ 1 4.00 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Robusto 5 50 Ecuador Brazil Nicaragua

Espinosa Las 6 Provincias Las Villas

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A beautifully constructed robusto covered with a toothy, reddish brown wrapper with an attractive sheen. This medium plus strength blend opens with a balanced combination of earth, pepper, wood, and caramel sweetness complemented by a pleasing spice on the finish. Excellent smoke output.

$ 22.00 Robusto 5 1/2 54 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

Rocky Patel Number 6

N I CA R AG UA An impeccably constructed, soft-pressed blend covered with a velvet-smooth, milk chocolate colored brown wrapper with a beautiful sheen and minor veins. Draws and burns perfectly while producing an output of full strength smoke with notes of black pepper, sweet cedar, salted nuts, and a hint of tea on the finish.

$ 10.50

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Robusto 5 1/2 50 Honduras Honduras Honduras & Nicaragua

Ferio Tego Timeless Prestige

H O N D UR AS A balanced blend with a profile highlighted by notes of cashew, cedar, soft pepper, and sweet cream complemented by an aroma of tanned leather. This medium strength robusto produces an excellent smoke output along an excellent draw and burn.

$ 10.50 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Hermoso 5 1/2 54 Honduras Dominican Republic Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Casa Cuevas Patrimonio

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Opens with a balanced and complex profile highlighted by notes of cedar, spice, dried fruit, and cinnamon accompanied by a touch of black pepper. This medium strength robusto is firmly packed and covered with an impeccable, medium brown wrapper with sheen.

$ 10.50

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Robusto Gordo 5 54 Honduras Ecuador Peru, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

SP1014 Love n’ Passion

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A flavorful blend that delivers a core of nuts, wood, and pepper accompanied by a hint of cream. This consistently well-made robusto draws and burns well while producing a good output of aromatic smoke.

$ 8.00

89 66 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

N I CA R AG UA

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552 5 52 Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A medium bodied robusto covered with a dark, reddish brown wrapper, topped with a tight pigtail and finished with a covered foot. Delivers an earthy core complemented by notes of pepper and roasted nuts. Draws and burns beautifully.

ROBUSTO Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua

$ 9.08

N I CA R AGUA Consistently provides superb construction and a smooth, flavorful profile with notes of pepper, cocoa powder, and sweet spice complemented by roasted nuts and a hint of vanilla cream. Draws and burns impeccably while producing an excellent smoke output and leaving behind a solid, compact ash.

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Robusto 5 50 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

91 Cain Daytona

$ 6.42

N I CA R AGUA Delivers a well-balanced combination of smooth pepper, nuts, and caramel complemented by notes of earth and tanned leather. This medium strength blend is consistently well made and covered with a clean, medium brown wrapper with a beautiful sheen.

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550 5 50 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

91 La Palina KB Series

$ 10.25

H O ND U R AS A medium to full strength blend with a core of earth, red pepper, oak, and roasted nuts balanced by a touch of saltiness. This slow-burning robusto is well made and covered with a somewhat coarse wrapper with good oils. Provides a firm draw and leaves behind a solid ash.

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Part Three 5 52 Honduras Honduras Nicaragua

90 Warped Chinchalle

$ 12.50

D OM I NI CAN REPUBLIC Opens with a blast of pepper and cedar that settles to incorporate notes of peanut, floral, and cream accompanied by a subtle, sweet spice. This attractive robusto is covered with an impeccable, colorado wrapper with excellent sheen. Medium bodied.

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Robusto 5 50 Ecuador Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

90 ADVentura the Explorer

$ 11.00

D OM I NI CAN REPUBLIC Smooth and flavorful with a core of wood, red pepper, citrus, and wheat complemented by a touch of cinnamon. This medium bodied blend is consistently well-constructed providing an excellent draw and leaving behind a solid, compact ash.

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Robusto Grande 5 54 Mexico Ecuador Ecuador & Dominican Republic

La Rosa De Sandiego Habano

$ 8.57

N I CA R AGUA A beautifully produced robusto covered with a reddish brown wrapper and topped with a neat triple cap. The blend draws wells and produces a medium to full bodied smoke output with a profile of heavy spice, sweet earth, and roasted nuts accompanied by a rich, leather aroma.

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Robusto 5 52 Ecuador Ecuador Nicaragua & USA

89 MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

ROBUSTO Crowned Heads Court Serie E

$ 11.50 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

5150 5 1/2 50 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

Curivari Achilles Mirmidones

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Robusto 5 52 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

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N I CA R AG UA A perfectly pressed robusto covered with a clean, dark brown wrapper topped with a neat triple cap. Flawlessly constructed and ultra-flavorful with a core of earth, bittersweet chocolate, and roasted nuts accompanied by a sweet creaminess on the finish. Medium plus strength.

$ 9.50 Bavarian 5 1/2 52 Mexico Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

Black Friday by HVC

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Opens with tons of pepper and dark chocolate, which settle to incorporate notes of cedar, leather, and coffee. Consistently produces an excellent draw and burn resulting in a solid, compact ash. This robusto extra is covered with a dark, toothy wrapper.

$ 8.50

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Robusto 4 3/8 54 USA/Connecticut Nicaragua Nicaragua

Gurkha Revenant Maduro

N I CA R AG UA A short, dark robusto with a flavorful profile of sweet earth, espresso, and black pepper accompanied by an aroma of cedar and tanned leather. This medium plus strength blend delivers a slow burn while leaving behind a dark gray ash.

$ 7.25 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Robusto 5 50 Mexico Cameroon Nicaragua

E.P. Carrillo Dusk

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Firmly packed and covered with a neatly applied, dark brown wrapper with only the slightest veins showing. This flat, pressed robusto burns slowly and delivers a core of earth, black American coffee, and smooth pepper accompanied by a hint of charred oak.

$ 7.55

88 68 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

A flavorful and ultra-smooth blend with a core of earth, red pepper, and bittersweet chocolate accompanied by subtle notes of molasses, chicory, and a touch of clove. This medium plus strength robusto is covered with a dark, opaque wrapper with a coarse feel.

$ 8.50

Quesada Oktoberfest 10th Anniversary

N I CA R AG UA

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Robusto 5 50 USA/Connecticut Ecuador Nicaragua

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Covered with a dark, slightly mottled wrapper, this medium bodied robusto has an intense profile highlighted by notes of ripe fruit, raisin, wood, pepper, and a touch of black coffee. Provides an excellent draw and burn leaving behind a compact, white ash.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

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Richard Seale has for years espoused the merits of rum purity from his distillery in the Caribbean, the birthplace of the spirit. Rum – the good stuff – is having a moment now, and Seale enjoys his beloved cigars as he basks in the rewards of his preaching. BY STEVE MILLER ichard Seale sidled up to the bar at Hong Kong’s Honi Honi Tiki Cocktail Lounge, a rum oasis in a city of vast alcoholic resources.

fragment due to the availability of English beet sugar, these operations shipped their cane for outside processing and most halted rum production. Foursquare focused on sugar, until it closed in 1988.

As CEO and Master Distiller of R.L. Seale and Foursquare Distillery, a premier rum producer based in Barbados, Seale was mixing business with pleasure. He had no distribution for his rum in Hong Kong. It was a shame to miss this international market of well-off expats and monied locals.

The current Foursquare distillery opened on the site of that abandoned sugar factory in 1996, three years

The lounge offered an outdoor terrace, a staggering selection of rums from all over the globe, and a devoted audience to soak up the ambience and spirits.

So ingrained is the rum culture to Seale, he doesn’t recall his first taste of rum. “It’s not a rigid enforced drinking age in Barbados, and it’s more like wine in France, it’s a part of life.” Seale is as devoted to spreading the gospel of Barbadian rum as he is to ensuring that the purity of the spirit is held sacrosanct. He loudly advocates for authenticity in rum production, with no additions or additives to the brew. He specifically targets “sweetening,” or adding more sugar to a blend, contending to one reporter in 2019 that any arguments that compare flavored rum to traditionally distilled rum are “inane.” Seale took to social media and crusaded for transparency in disclosing sweetening, cementing his role as a de facto detective by hitting up rum events with a digital meter that determines purity. “People don’t realize that you have regulated spirits, such as bourbon whiskey in the U.S. I can’t make some whiskey in Kentucky and decide to call it scotch because it sounds like a good term to market. For rum, there is this generic regulation, which many choose

RICHARD SEALE CEO & MASTER DISTILLER

He needed to get into this market, and this lounge, teeming with people who would surely appreciate the results of his hard work. The surprise was that someone had already beaten him to it. “It was the first time I went to Hong Kong,” Seale recalls now, several years later. “I had no official importer there. But I went to the bar and there was my rum. One of the bartenders had put it in their suitcase on his travels to get it behind their bar.”

The rum has in recent years received numerous accolades from the spirits industry, and the distillery itself is a destination for individuals questing to learn more and see the source of this elixir. Seale is the fourth generation in the family business, launched in 1926 in Barbados by his great grandfather, R.L. Seale, who purchased and blended rum from local distilleries. The years passed as the family-run company wound through the generations, as rum in Barbados became as ubiquitous as breweries in Germany. In the 1880s, the 167-square-mile island nation had 37 rum distilleries, agricultural operations that grew their own cane, which is what Foursquare did until the turn of the 19th century. When the sugar industry began to

82 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2022

Photo: Gayle Seale

Good news travels fast, as do the finer things, and Foursquare is considered, among discerning palates, as a mix of both.

after Richard joined the company in 1993. He and his father David became the first in the family to distill rather than purchase rum. The legacy of rum was a natural evolution to Seale, learned as he grew up. He never considered anything other than to become part of the industry. “I was expected to go into the business, although that didn’t mean I would be involved in the production side,” he says. He completed his master’s at the University of London, “but I didn’t entertain other things as an occupation. I suppose if I didn’t join the family business, I might have stayed in academe.”

not to recognize,” he says. Seale notes that Barbados and Jamaica are the birthplace of rum, as much as Ireland and Scotland are to whiskey. And the founding fathers in the U.S. relied on rum as their drink of choice, as the birthplace of whiskey was off limits for the time being. “George Washington had rum during the revolution, and at his inauguration,” he points out. The British Empire held the whiskey and consuming it seemed politically distasteful.

So given the history lessons and the high regard with which Seale holds rum, don’t get him started on Captain Morgan and its good-time party print and broadcast ads. “People tend to associate that with rum,” he says. “No

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cial provenance in rum, it has been made here since the 1640s and it is this extraordinary place in the rum world. This needs much more digging, as there was some done between the 1850s and 1950s but not much since. Broadly speaking, we will support any research that develops the understanding of the provenance of rum.” Seale’s tireless promotion of not only his rum but the exceptionalism of the rums of Barbados and Jamaica has earned him wide respect. “He is a big part of the world distilling community but more importantly he’s one of the few people outside of bourbon who got people really into rum,” Fred Minnick, a sprits journalist and author of several books on the subject, said in a 2020 episode of his webcast show. As Seale appreciates and waxes on the finest elements of rum, his relationship with cigars has moved slowly over the years. He started as a dabbler, switching between a pipe and a cigar.

from Nicaragua. “They’re better made. I really want something that is rolled right and burns right.” The future of Foursquare is more of the same, as he looks to create better rums for his devotees while tapping the newcomers to rum. Seale’s audience is the bourbon and whiskey drinker, he says. Whiskey drinkers with discerning taste enjoy a higher quality product. Seale feels he has a higher quality rum, therefore, those imbibers are more likely to try Foursquare. “These drinkers can be understood to look at the complexity and the length, and these are experiences that those people can immediately understand when they drink a rum of quality,” Seale says. “And on the taste side, to be fair, many [bourbon whiskeys] are using charred American oak casks, so there is an instant recognizability there. We do a lot of whiskey shows, which are having a rum element. The thing about a

Photo: patpitchaya/istock

One report claims colonists annually consumed 3.7 gallons of rum per head – produced locally using molasses from the Caribbean – in the 1770s. The colonies traded grain for the molasses.

SUGARCANE OR "WHITE GOLD" AS IT WAS ONCE REFERRED TO ON THE ISLAND OF BARBADOS.

FOURSQUARE MARK XV REDOUTABLE 2021 ISC SUPREME CHAMPION SPIRIT one mistakes Fireball for whiskey, but sadly, people will mistake Captain Morgan for rum. It’s a rum-derived product, and we as rum makers couldn’t give a hoot about rum-derived products, just as no whiskey maker cares about Fireball.” Seale is not just talking about educating the world, or at least his corner of it, on rum. He’s also funding education – three doctoral scholarships, as well as six-year postdoctoral fellowships – to support study of the history of Barbadian rum at the University of the West Indies’ department of history and philosophy. “The reason for this is because Barbados has this spe-

“Then when I was in a pipe phase, I’d say ‘why do I want a cigar? A pipe is so much better.’ Then I would go over to a cigar and think ‘why a pipe?’ Eventually, I stuck with cigars and haven’t gone back. “I smoke at home after work, that’s a modern thing as it’s hard to find a place to smoke anyway. We have this great climate here and during Covid, I was home a lot more and I could sit outside every day and have a cigar.” During the pandemic, Seale did interviews on YouTube while smoking a cigar. “During the pandemic, instead of master classes we did tastings via Zoom,” he says. “I was virtually attending the tasting and was here at home, so why not?” Ask him his favorites and he immediately summons the Romeo y Julieta 1875. In a place where Cuban cigars are scooped up by novice tourists, he favors sticks

bourbon whiskey guy is that it is a narrower range. We don’t necessarily convert that person, but we get them to add rum to their menu.” Europe and the U.S. are the biggest markets for Foursquare, but, as noted in the Hong Kong episode so many years back, Asia continues to be a haven for advanced tastes. Seale wants to grow the Asian-Pacific market. He sells in Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia. “We see [the region] as we saw the U.K. 20 years ago,” Seale says. “We’re getting somewhere but if you told me 20 years ago we would be selling in Singapore, I’d say you were insane.” His last trek to Singapore was November of 2019. As in Hong Kong so long ago, he found his rum at a bar. This time, it was part of the supply chain. “But you know, seeing my rum halfway around the world never gets old.”

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine gives reason for optimism. By Steven Miller

t took 12 months, over a dozen meetings and tens of thousands of pages of research to pore over. But by the time science and academe had its way with premium cigars, it was discovered that – shocker – there is scant evidence that the tobacco folks enjoy in the local cigar lounge causes deadly damage to the average smoker. That doesn’t mean that the 14-member panel assembled last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine thinks the federal government should back off its quest to further regulate premiums. Among the nine recommendations made in a 500-page report released in March is that the government needs to include premium cigars in tobacco use surveys, develop sales reports on premiums, and fund research to determine how premium purveyors conduct their marketing and advertising. The reported research also said that the inhaling of cigars should be examined, but that cigar smokers who have smoked cigarettes in the past have a greater tendency to ingest damaging amounts of smoke. It also differentiated premiums from other cigars.

“There is strongly suggestive evidence that health consequences of premium cigar smoking overall are likely to be less than those smoking other types of cigars because the majority of premium cigar smokers are non-daily or occasional users and because they are less likely to inhale the smoke,” the researchers found.

comments from health sources and cigar industry players. Yet it found a dearth of data specific to premium cigars, which it determined are smoked by 1% of the U.S. population. “Much of the information we had comes from the smoking of the little cigars and cigarillos,” said Steven Teutsch, chair of the committee that wrote the report and adjunct professor at the Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles. The committee found studies on how cigars are smoked, including inhalation habits, but “most of that information comes from cigars in general, not from premium cigars specifically,” said Teutsch, a former officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study was commissioned by the National Institutes of Health and the FDA, which in 2016 had its authority extended to regulate all tobacco products, including premium cigars.

um cigars along with e-cigarettes, flavored cigars, pipe tobacco, hookahs, and menthol cigarettes to its hit list. Much of today’s regulatory concern with premium cigars deals with underage smoking. Yet there is no evidence that minors are smoking premiums. Of the 4,452 citations issued by the FDA for alleged violations of underage sales between August 2019 and August 2021, over 90 percent were issued to

Drew Newman general counsel for J.C. Newman Cigar Co.

The panel also found that non-daily use of cigars did not pose noteworthy health risks. Similarly, there was also not enough evidence to chronicle the damage by premium cigars on young adults, who are considered highly atrisk for tobacco abuse by the government. But the panel, at this point, does not advise onerous oversight of the industry. And perhaps better, it couldn’t find the ‘there’ there in the federal effort to implement more costly regulation on the premium industry. “This is much better than I thought it was going to be,” said Drew Newman, general counsel for J.C. Newman Cigar Co., who spoke to the committee as it began its research. Newman called the report “fair and thorough” and noted that the study verified numerous points the premium industry has made in legal filings and testimony over the last several years. “We know there is no significant use by minors, and that there is not the same incidence of disease by premium cigar smokers,” Newman said, two points confirmed in the report.

The committee was created at the behest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to study the health effects of premium cigars.

The study also noted the difficulty of testing the smoke in large cigars, one of the mandates the Food and Drug Administration had sought to implement before a judge halted its pursuit in summer of 2020.

The panel members waded through existing research while also hearing

“We have talked about how expensive it is to go through FDA procedures and

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one of the big costs is testing,” Newman said. “Now the NAS says there is no way to test the smoke in large cigars. They are saying how frustrating it is as scientists, which supports our contention. It is hard to do.”

The last tobacco study to include premium cigars, at least peripherally, was done in 1998 by the NIH. This study was called for to get a more current understanding of the health impact of premium cigars. “It was unfortunate that the research in 1998 called for more work to be done, but that was never conducted,” Teutsch said. “So the information that we’d like to have was pretty limited.” The FDA, though, has been gearing up for a larger regulatory role in tobacco of all kinds. Its tobacco regulation department has grown 40 percent since 2015 and is now in full hire mode. “We have hired hundreds of employees in the last year and expect this hiring surge to continue for at least another 2-3 years,” the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products announced last year.

convenience stores, liquor hubs and other unspecialized retailers. Less than 20 went to cigar stores with humidors, which deal in high-end premium cigars. It’s not a report that will get the feds to back off, as it advises more examination of premium smoking be done. “I’d like to think that the FDA will be taking this report seriously,” Newman said. “If the FDA chooses to ignore the science, though, we can show this report to a judge. We can also take this to Capitol Hill,” where lawmakers can also consider legislation that would protect the premium cigar industry. “It’s one thing for me to testify on premium cigars,” Newman said. “But another for a scientific panel to report on it.”

The agency wants to hire chemists, physicians, and analysts, with future openings that include engineers and toxicologists.

While most in the cigar industry felt the panel was a gathering of anti-tobacco activists, Teutsch said he knows people who indulge in premium cigars. As for his own habits?

Since taking over the reins of tobacco regulation, the FDA has added premi-

“I don’t smoke, but I did enjoy a pipe in my salad days,” he said.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

TWITTER SCOREBOARD The cigar world is on Twitter and we aim to keep track of who’s leading who. The following is a scoreboard of the cigar world’s most relevant Tweeples. The list is sorted by number of followers and broken into groups: Top 20 Twitter Cigar Companies & Reps, Top 10 Twitter Retailers, Top 10 Online Cigar Tweeps, Top 3 Twitter Cigar Organizations, and Top 3 Cigar Radio Twitter accounts. If you have the numbers and belong in one of these groups, stand up and be counted! Set us straight via Twitter @cigarsnobmag. TOP CIGAR ORGANIZATIONS

TOP CIGAR COMPANIES ( sorted by Twitter followers ) Drew Estate Cigars @DrewEstateCigar .................................... Rocky Patel @RockyPatelCigar ................................................ Padron Cigar @PadronCigars ................................................... CAO International @CAOCigars ................................................ Alec Bradley Cigars @AlecBradley ........................................... La Flor Dominicana @LFDCigars .............................................. Ashton Cigars @ashtoncigar .................................................... Camacho Cigars @camachocigars ........................................... Jonathan Drew @JonathanDrewArt .......................................... Pete Johnson @TatuajeCigars .................................................. La Gloria Cubana @lagloriacubana ........................................... Xikar Inc @XIKARinc ............................................................... Nick Perdomo @PerdomoCigars .............................................. Davidoff Cigars @Davidoff_Cigars ........................................... Miami Cigar Co @miamicigar ................................................... AJ Fernandez @ajfcigars ......................................................... Ernesto Padilla @PadillaCigars ................................................ Punch Cigars @punchcigars .................................................... La Palina Cigars @La PalinaCigars ........................................... Avo Cigars @AvoCigars ...........................................................

51491 37153 28785 26961 20526 20402 20259 17866 17855 15997 15537 14887 13858 13260 12847 12757 12745 12642 11629 10991

TOP CIGAR RETAILERS & REPS Famous Smoke Shop @FamousSmokeShop ............................. Slippery Rock Cigars @SlipperyRockCig .................................... Mulberry St. Cigars @MulberryStCigar .................................... Cigar Hustler @cigarhustler ..................................................... Jeff Borysiewicz – Corona Cigar Co @CoronaCigarCo................ Cigar Row @CigarRow ............................................................ Barry – Two Guys Smoke Shop @Barry2Guys ........................... Michael Herklots @MichaelHerklots ......................................... Lindsay Siddiqi @TheCigarChick .............................................. Cheap Humidors @cheaphumidors ..........................................

16972 15405 12665 10534 7622 7416 6221 6206 4928 4851

TOP ONLINE CIGAR TWEEPLES David Voth–Sex, Cigars, & Booze @SexCigarsBooze ................. Cigar News @CigaRSS ............................................................ Cigar Events @CigarEvents ..................................................... Blind Man’s Puff @BlindMansPuff ............................................ Cigar Federation @CigarFederation ......................................... Robusto Cigar Babe @RobustoBabe ........................................ CigarHustler.com @CigarHustler ............................................. Cigar Dojo @CigarDojo ............................................................ Cigar Vixen @CigarVixen ......................................................... Stogie Boys @StogieBoys .......................................................

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139897 18001 15986 15095 11430 11118 10534 9802 8343 7982

Cigar Rights of America @cigarrights ...................................... 14348 Premium Cigar Association @PCA1933 .................................... 8864 Tobacconist University @tobacconistU ................................... 4343

TOP CIGAR RADIO Cigar Dave Show @CigarDaveShow ........................................ 10236 KMA Talk Radio @KMATalkRadio ............................................. 2114 Cigars and Scotch @CigarScotch ............................................ 1997

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE TWEETS, MENTIONS, AND RANDOM SOCIAL MEDIA GOODNESS.

@Joeydrewestate I had a little head start on #ligamonth. #ligaprivada #connecticutrivervalley #de4l @drewestatecigar #therebirthofcigars #wzrd #pssita #nowsmoking #cigarsnob

@robbinsd72 You suck when you stop thinking how great you really are! Cheers and Stay Smokey Friends. #emersonscigars #emersonscigarsgreenbrier #cigarsnlife #cigarsnobmag #cigarsnoblife #cigarsnobs #cigarsandwhiskey

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

INSTAGRAM SCOREBOARD Since its launch in October of 2010, the cigar world has become enamored with Instagram. Today the ‘Gram is unquestionably the most popular platform on which to share snaps of what you’re smoking and drinking. This scoreboard is sorted by number of followers and broken into groups: Top 20 Cigar & Cigar Accessory Companies, Top 10 Retailers & Reps, Top 10 Cigar Influencers, Top 3 Cigar Organizations, and Top 3 Cigar Radio accounts. If you have the numbers and belong in one of these groups, stand up and be counted! Set us straight via Instagram @cigarsnobmag. TOP CIGAR & ACCESSORY COMPANIES ( sorted by Instagram followers )

TOP CIGAR ORGANIZATIONS

Padron Cigar @padroncigars ................................................... Davidoff Cigars @davidoffcigars ............................................. Drew Estate Cigars @drewestatecigar ..................................... Rocky Patel Premium Cigars @rockypatelcigar .......................... Arturo Fuente @arturofuentecigars ......................................... Epic Cigars @epiccigars ......................................................... Xikar Inc @xikar ..................................................................... Gurkha Cigars @gurkhacigars ................................................. Boveda @BovedaInc ............................................................... Camacho Cigars @camachocigars ........................................... La Flor Dominicana @LFDCigars .............................................. My Father Cigars @myfathercigars .......................................... Ashton Cigars @ashtoncigar ................................................... AJ Fernandez @ajfcigars ......................................................... Oliva Cigar Co. @olivacigar ..................................................... Alec Bradley Cigars @alecbradleycigar .................................... Nick Perdomo @Perdomocigars .............................................. Joya de Nicaragua @joyacigars ............................................... E. P. Carrillo Cigars @epcarrillo_cigars .................................... Plasencia Cigars @plasenciacigars .........................................

Premium Cigar Association @PCA1933 .................................... 14586 Tobacco Plus Expo @tobaccoplusexpo ..................................... 6240 Cigar Rights of America @cigarrightsofamerica ......................... 3772

156018 129607 128867 100714 90886 88095 75658 75051 74648 70199 64376 60942 60814 59353 57729 54223 51747 49539 49275 49013

TOP CIGAR RETAILERS & REPS Privada Cigar Club @privadacigarclub ..................................... Famous Smoke Shop @famoussmokeshop ............................... Mulberry St. Cigars @mulberrystcigars ................................... Cigar Hustler @cigarhustler .................................................... The Cigar Culture @thecigarculture ......................................... Master Sensei @cigardojo ...................................................... Michael Herklots @michaelherklots ......................................... Angela Yue @angela_yue ......................................................... La Casa Cigars & Lounge Vegas @lacasavegas ........................ Jeff Borysiewicz – Corona Cigar Co @coronacigarco ................

54901 54782 46618 29768 29067 26896 26466 24702 21570 19124

TOP CIGAR RADIO Cigar Dave Show @cigardave ................................................. 3337 KMA Talk Radio @KMATalkRadio ............................................. 1563 Cigars and Scotch @cigar_and_scotch .................................... 833

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE TWEETS, MENTIONS, AND RANDOM SOCIAL MEDIA GOODNESS.

@cigher_cigars

FUN MORNING CAO NICARAGUA EARTHINESS SWEET PEPPERS SUBTLE CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO GRAHAM CRACKERS

TOP ONLINE CIGAR INFLUENCERS ON INSTAGRAM Whiskey Girl Josie @whiskeygirl_josie ..................................... Delicia-Creator-Influencer @cigarvixen ................................... Cigar Lover @cigarlover12 ...................................................... Nikki @cigarpassionista .......................................................... Cigars / Smoke.Laugh.Live @world.of.cigars ............................ Melanie Sisco @lilsiscokidd21 ................................................. Liz Cigar Life Style @remarkable_liz ........................................ Angela, CCST & IACS CCS @cigarsmokingchick ....................... HERficinado / Cigar Lifestyle @herficionado ............................. Elaine Lilley @elainelilleyhawaii ...............................................

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90289 86575 65381 43419 37962 37358 36659 30199 28846 28571

@mpov_mypointofvue ATL Magic - Full body Cigar with a Mexican San Andres wrapper. Binder and fillers from Nicaragua. Bold notes of leather and pepper.

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

Festival 2022 he Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers hosted the 14th installment of its beloved cigar festival after skipping a year due to the global pandemic. The festival’s more than 450 guests gathered in Santiago, Dominican Republic from more than 20 countries to celebrate the excellence of Dominican cigar manufacturing. The festivities kicked off with a welcome cocktail on the terrace of the Hodelpa Garden Court. This event, not to be confused with the welcome dinner, serves as a casual reception where participants can meet with the principals and tobacco men of many of the ProCigar member companies.

LA FLOR DOMINICANA FIELD AND FACTORY TOUR The following day everyone went on his or her preselected tour. We had chosen La Flor Dominicana’s tour, which is one of the few that provides a field and factory tour on the same day. At the farm we were greeted with coffee, pastries, and refreshments before Litto Gomez and his team showed off their beautiful paso fino horses. In the fields, Litto and Tony took us through every step of the process, from seedbeds to curing tobacco in the barns. The Gomezes’ attention to detail through every step of the tobacco’s journey never ceases to impress. We headed over to the factory in Tamboril where they had prepared a traditional over-the-fire barbecue on a contraption that would have delighted even the great Francis Mallmann. The feast was followed by a performance by a local dance troupe led by Analia Mari, the woman who taught Litto how to tango and whose school he has donated to ever since. We then toured the factory with Litto leading the way. Maybe it’s the layout, the rocking chairs in the center, or the workers themselves but this place has a very different feel from other factories. The term factory does not do it justice. NOTE: Tony Gomez handed me an Andalusian Bull – The Golden Bull that absolutely blew my mind. It is a lonsdale version of the Andalusian Bull that is Litto and Tony’s private blend; it is perhaps the best cigar I’ve smoked all year.

Kelvin Suriel and Carolina Ventura

Nirka Reyes and Belkys Sánchez

Adrian and Geniari Acosta, Jose Vásquez and Ben @sistersinsmoke

WELCOME DINNER PARTY Held at Santiago’s Parque Central (Central Park), the Welcome Dinner started with every guest receiving a beautiful cigar box evoking the tropical theme by combining vibrant colors and a wicker element on the lid. ProCigar president Henke Kelner spoke on the importance of tobacco in the Dominican culture and the quality of cigars being produced here. The night also included the now famous bachata dancing contest where the winner took home four collector’s cigar boxes from previous festivals.

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Henke Kelner and David Pérez

Ramez Taber and Bassem Toura

LA FLOR DOMINICANA FIELD AND FACTORY TOUR

WELCOME DINNER PARTY

Erik Calviño, Alberto García, Michelle and Guillermo León and Iturbides Zaldivar

Luis Tórres, Konstantinos Kagias, Peter Quinter, Rafael Noesi, David Stadnyk and George Tsafalas

Dr. Licurgo Cruz and Sara Tio

Mina and Tony Gómez

Danny and Karen Ditkowich and Enrique Seijas

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

LA AURORA FACTORY TOUR

Luis López

Mayerling Villar

TABACALERA PALMA FIELD AND FACTORY TOUR

Jochy Blanco Jr.

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Jochy Jr. and Jochy Blanco

Angel Alba, Tavia Petway and Andrew Fremming

WHITE PARTY AT MONUMENTO A LOS HÉROES DE LA RESTAURACIÓN LA AURORA FACTORY TOUR La Aurora hosted groups at their beautiful factory and learning center where every participant was gifted a painted hat celebrating the birds of the Dominican Republic. The groups were taken on a guided tour culminating in a multi-sensory, immersive presentation and cultural dance at the factory’s main rolling room. For lunch the groups were taken to el Centro León, a facility built to celebrate the family’s history in Santiago, where they were treated to a special guided pairing of food, rum, and La Aurora cigars.

TABACALERA LA PALMA This tour, also incorporating a field and factory component on the same day, took groups through Jochy Blanco’s operation where they produce, among others, La Galera. This tour had a very laid back style, starting off with freshly cut, chilled coconuts. The view of the mountains surrounding the tobacco fields lent a dreamlike beauty to this place. The group was then transported to the factory, followed by a guided rum, coffee, and cigar pairing with Café Bella Aldea and Presidencial Rum.

WHITE PARTY No other event can compare with ProCigar’s White Party. It is legitimately the hottest ticket of the year in Santiago. For many of us ProCigar festival veterans, it is the night that we all look forward to every year. This year’s party paid tribute to the Dominican woman with the help of the uber-talented artist Evaristo Angurria. He finished his portrayal of “Doña Patria, Belleza Dominicana” during the party and unveiled it for all to see. He also designed the commemorative cigar box that guests received featuring a stunning portrayal of a female Dominican tobacco worker. The event was held on the pedestal level of Santiago’s iconic Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración. It is the only event annually held at this spectacular venue. Klaas and Leticia Kelner

Muriel Álvarez, Gerald Penant and Maria López

Angel Elizalde

Evaristo Angurria

Rebecca Deroo and Emmanuel Claerbout

MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

FIELD DAY

ProCigar Ladies

Jassim Ibrahim Al Jaidah, Felipe Rojas, Litto Gómez and Miguel Salvador

Tichadelle Celia and Jourdan Pierre

Joseph Reyes, Kenneth, Richard and Teresa Escoboza and Jochy Blanco

600+ Tours starting from $1,200 pp

Speak to an expert at:

855-491-2567 Hours: 9 am - 7 pm EST Monday - Friday

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GALA DINNER AT CENTRO ESPAÑOL GALA DINNER AT CENTRO ESPAÑOL The culminating event for ProCigar was the Gala Dinner, where impeccably dressed guests received their final commemorative box of the festival; this one made by Vrijdag Premium Printing in Holland. The night kicked off with an excellent dinner, followed by a spectacular live performance. The auction followed, presided over by the dynamic duo of Michael Herklots and Manuel Quesada. The proceeds will benefit three Santiago charities: Voluntariado Jesús con los Niños (a non-profit organization for sick children), Sociedad San Vicente de Paúl (a senior retirement home for low-income elders) and ProCigar’s charitable initiative “A Home for My Family” (a housing program for disadvantaged employees of member cigar companies). Among the popular one-of-a-kind auction items were a General Cigars Globe humidor, a breathtakingly beautiful Saga humidor, a La Flor Dominicana Golden Bull humidor with impossible to get cigars, and a Fuente Fuente OpusX 25th Anniversary humidor designed by Manny Iriarte and loaded with limited edition OpusX cigars. All told the auction raised $350,000 US, a record for ProCigar. The evening continued with raucous dancing and revelry to put a bow on the 14th ProCigar Festival. Manolo Quesada and Michael Herklots

Ken Hamlin and Travis Johnson

Felipe Rojas, Geraldine Jiménez, Miguel Salvador, Zeyad and Jassim Al Jaidah

Yuri Guillén and Giselt Tórres

Agata and Timothy Forman

Ciro and Laura Cascella

Alan Rodríguez, Diego Castellanos and Enrique Seijas

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EVENTS THE 2022 PEGASUS WORLD CUP AND DAVIDOFF CIGARS Hallandale, Fla.

Life is Good took the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, and the after-party at the newly-opened Carousel Club took on the same theme. Davidoff Cigars provided the smokes, while DJ Cassidy delivered the goods by taking his “Pass the Mic” YouTube series to the stage for the first time before a live audience of over 3,000. The night included appearances by Ja Rule, Lil Kim, Mase, Lil Cease, and Jadakiss. Meanwhile, Life is Good, the horse, took a $3 million payday.

Camille Gaillard and Brianna Taylor

Juan Barboza, Carlos Escalona and Rafael Florez

Philip and Julie Lessard

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George Rami, Eddy Guerra, Dylan Austin, Lana Fraser & Garrett Damore

Jared and Virginia Ross

Kerly Tinajero and Denis Bugeja

Barbie and Erik Calviño, George and Jessie Rami

Rene Selemi and Diego Castellanos

April 23, 2022 | 8pm - Midnight

Cigar Snob Presents the

Featuring

universe.com/cigaroftheyear MAR / APR 2022 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS TPE 2022 INDUSTRY PARTY Las Vegas

The Tobacco Plus Expo industry party in Las Vegas turned the AZILO Ultra Pool at the Sahara Hotel into a zone of fun. It was called the Family Reunion, because it's been a minute since we all got together to hang and hug and all the other good things we missed. The cigar sponsor was Drew Estate, which provided the sticks for everyone all night, as folks jammed to a DJ and a live band. In between sets, partiers hit the open bar and dug into some food at the carving stations and noshed on the roving hors d’oeuvres.

Cody Macdade, Chandi Holmes and Cigar Mike

Tasha Kindred, Diedra Norman and Nicole Austin

Ian Blanken and Melina Brokmeier

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Matty Rock

Ryan Rayford and Pedro Gómez

Leonardo Hércules, William Pantoja, Carlos Hércules, Alvaro Villatoro and Charlie López

Nancy and Dave Bullock

Gabriel and Liza Piñeres and Humberto Áreas

Kailey Hunter and Amanda Rondeau

Rod Medrano, Nick Perdomo and Ralph Valdes

Nestor Andrés Plasencia, Javi Carranza and Starky Arias

Diab Ellan and Brian Diggins

Jason Carignan, Matt Booth and DJ Eli

Reinier Lorenzo, Jack Toraño and Justin Andrews

Melanie Sisco

Mikaela Winchester, Courtnet and Neil Nixon

Gil Altreche and Leonor Abzaradel

Jordan Guttormson, Eddie Guzman and Eric Guttormson

Grace Cabezas and Micky Pegg

Jorge and Cruz Juárez and An Phan

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EVENTS DOWNTOWN CIGAR BAR 7TH YEAR CELEBRATION Hollywood, Fla.

Downtown Cigar Bar celebrated its lucky seventh anniversary with a casino night. Food was presented by Eats 876 and also included a generous helping of stone crabs. Music spun by a live DJ, hand rolled smokes and killer cocktails livened up the blackjack and roulette tables, where everyone took a turn at making their fortune, a.k.a. raffle tickets that gave them a chance to win $100 gift cards or a year locker membership at the Downtown Cigar Bar.

Ozzie Gómez and Richie Otero

Mike Papsidero and David Forbs

Richard Rodriguez, Anthony Palacios, Richie Otero and Jhonathan Posada

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Richard, Maggie and Ciro Rodríguez

Jennifer Forte, Chris Ferrone, Ozzie Gómez and Tony Fonseca

Nikki Paliobeis and Diana Gavin

Anthony Richards and Mark Di Buono

Mike Papsidero, Jeff Wang, Ozzie Gómez and Nikki Paliobeis

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EVENTS THE GREAT SMOKE 2022 South Florida Fairgrounds

The Great Smoke was everything that was promised and then some, presented by the Smoke Inn in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Last Luau, as it was called, had a Polynesian theme and came with tiki torches, kalua pig roasts and Hawaiian cocktails. After last year’s successful virtual event, this time it was a jam-packed four days of events, including panels, drinks, smokes, and music, drawing a crowd of around 2,000 from all over. Michael Herklots and Kim Keeney served as co-hosts with a presentation that included a sit-down with Emmy-winning TV host and restaurateur Guy Fieri. The firetwirling exhibition was a thrill, the hula dancers were excellent, and it was all carried out with a celebration of fine cigars.

The Villages Cigar Hombres

Juan López and Armando Lapido

Carlito Fuente, Matthew Breiler, Joey Bianco and Erik Calviño

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Henderson Ventura and Ben Wills

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EVENTS GUY FIERI KNUCKLE SANDWICH DINNER AT SABOR HAVANA CIGARS Doral, Fla.

Sabor Havana Cigars in Doral, Florida, hosted the release party for the Knuckle Sandwich, a collaboration line of cigars from foodie celeb Guy Fieri and Espinosa Cigars. Attendees received a Knuckle Sandwich Maduro, a Knuckle Sandwich Habano, and an Espinosa Crema, with food provided by Ruth’s Chris Steak House, including the eatery’s fabled bread pudding for dessert. Erik Espinosa Sr. and Jr. greeted guests, who enjoyed a variety of wines and spirits.

Jorge Reyes, Erik Espinosa and John Cartaya

Erik Espinosa and Erik Espinosa Jr.

Andrew Hernández, Robert Singer, Frank Sotero, David Delancy and Joe Cauto

Mike, Shiric Sarasola, Jorge Valdés and Manny García

Aquiles Legra and Jose Barrera

Troy Prichard and Juan Mesa

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Eliana Osorio and Roger Peña

Marco Suárez, Wilson Medina and Sergio Roque

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EVENTS CITY CIGAR LOUNGE Downtown Miami

It was called a “grandiversary,” a clever turn of phrase to celebrate the City Cigar Lounge’s trifecta of grand opening, one-year anniversary and two-year anniversary, all dented by the pandemic. The Mardi Gras style party was held on Fat Tuesday at the downtown Miami establishment and featured beats by DJ Redd, smokes from Montecristo, and spirits from Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve. The featured food was jambalaya as guests spilled from the inside into the night air. Irving Padrón, Dr. Alexis Domínguez, Dr. Victor López de Mendoza, Tico Gutíerrez and Dr. Raul Roa

Albert Sosa, Tico Gutíerrez and Jill Meyers

Henry Infante and Lisa Concepción

Mimi and Oscar Rodríguez

Albert Sosa, Luis Cuevas, Mike and Betty González and Denise Cuevas

Alain Mulé & Eric Mitt

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George Domínguez

Gabriella Torrente & Lilia Gutíerrez

Alejandro Martínez Cuenca Joya De Nicaragua

Dion Giolito Illusione Cigars

Carlos "Carlito" Fuente, Jr. Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.

Erik Espinosa Espinosa Cigars

Karl Malone Barrel-Aged by Karl Malone

cigarsnobmag.com/podcast

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TRUE STORY.

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