Cigar Snob Magazine May June 2021 by Cigar Snob Magazine

MAY / JUNE 2021

In Love

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons

Started From The Bottom

UNDERCROWN

Gifts

forDad

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editorials MAY / JUNE 2021

22 FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE We love this celebration of the paternal bonds, and what better way to appreciate the dad in your life than with a heartfelt offering of thanks? Here are some suggestions to remove the guesswork.

25 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY Charleston, South Carolina, packs a lot of punch into a small peninsula, full of food, fine smoking and some nice walking. Here’s a roadmap for the next time you find yourself aching to check out the Old South.

35 UNDERCROWN TURNS 10 What started as a mandate to quit sampling the goods turned into one of Drew Estate’s premier offerings, crafted by the guys on the floor. It’s an unusual story, and we’re proud to tell it.

58 THE BACKSTORY We went to Big Sur, California, for this issue’s Big Shoot. You see the result on the cover. But it’s never easy. Cue the frantic man who thought he was seeing something less than classy in our photography expedition.

62 FIRST CIGAR: BILLY GIBBONS You’ve seen ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons with his 1957 Gibson Flying V blazing, but often clutched between those fretting digits is something else ablaze. We talk to the man about his lifelong love of stogies.

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features MAY / JUNE 2021

14 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

16 FEEDBACK

18 WHAT’S BURNIN’

42 SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB BIG SUR PACIFIC PARADISE FEATURING OLIVA CIGARS

65 RATINGS

82 TWITTER SCOREBOARD

84 INSTAGRAM SCOREBOARD

86 EVENTS 86 DOWNTOWN CIGAR BAR 6TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY

88 ROCKY PATEL 60TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

90 INDUSTRIAL CIGARS DERBY PARTY

92 MY FATHER EVENT AT

EMPIRE CIGAR LOUNGE

94 ESPINOSA CIGAR LUNCH AT CAFÉ CATULA

96 NESTOR MIRANDA PRIVATE

RESERVE LAUNCH AT EMPIRE CIGAR

98 OLIVA CIGAR EVENT AT TWIN PEAKS

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MAY / JUNE 2021

VO L . 13 IS SU E 3 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 WRITER Sean Chaffin CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Florin Safner CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Benoliel Andy Astencio Ramsey Yanney EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Ramon Santana Go Local Group Melvin Silverio/ Main Course Hospitality Natalia Garcia Jamilet Calviño Cover Photography by David Benoliel www.davidbenolielphotography.com Cover Model - Bianca Richards 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

(SUBSCRIBE TODAY) - Only $18 for one year (six issues) of -

- Magazine delivered to you Visit: www.cigarsnob.com or write: subscribe@cigarsnobmag.com

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It felt like we had all just collectively woken up from a terrible dream. Most of us had been in this same hall, probably smoking the same cigars with the same people back in late January 2020. The Tobacco Plus Expo 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center was the last cigar trade show before the shutdown. Since then we’ve had to settle for virtual hugs and Zoom calls with our friends in the cigar industry. I know what you’re thinking; “Boo hoo, these are business friends, that’s no big deal,” but it is. I’ve been attending cigar trade shows and festivals since we launched Cigar Snob Magazine in 2006; some of these friendships date back to those days when this publication and I needed every bit of luck and goodwill to make it. Over the years we have established traditions of meeting for dinner with some, drinks and cigars with others, and trading knowledge about cigars with just about all. We come from every corner of the world; every color, creed, and ethnicity and we’re bound by our shared love of a product that starts as a miniscule seed that rapidly grows to a tall, beautiful plant that is then handled by hundreds of human hands until it ends up as a luxurious product that gives us an hour or two of pleasure, moments before it returns to the earth as ash. You can have the artificial relationships of the digital age; you can have all of them. I wouldn’t trade all of the “followers” in the world for one cigar in-person with a friend that against his better judgment gave me the time of day while I peddled a startup magazine in a beat up cardboard box around a convention center not unlike this one in 2006. Thank you to the organizers of the Tobacco Plus Expo 2021 for getting us all back together. We’ve got a loaded issue for you! Let’s address the 800-pound gorilla first; the photo shoot titled Big Sur – Pacific Paradise (p. 42) featuring the Aussie bombshell Bianca Richards smoking an assortment of Oliva Cigars’ finest. That stretch of land in California’s central coast offers a seemingly endless collection of breathtaking views. I found myself voraciously wanting to capture all of it on every device at my disposal; drones, high-end SLRs, iPhones, GoPros, I almost bought a disposable camera just to make sure I had all of my bases covered! Thanks to the beautiful Bianca Richards, our incredibly dedicated and talented photo shoot crew, and Oliva Cigars for trusting us to produce something truly epic. Lastly, a special thanks to Ian Blanken of Oliva, not only for making the shoot happen but also for being my navigator through the wilderness of Big Sur and flying the drone like an absolute badass. For our travel editorial we sent Steve Miller to Charleston, South Carolina, where he ate, drank, and smoked his way through the low county in a story title Southern Hospitality

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(p. 25). If you were into blues-rock at any point from the mid-1970s through the MTV days, you will appreciate Sean Chaffin’s interview with the “Sharp Dressed Man” in the First Cigar section (p. 62). Last but certainly not least is the fact that we have Father’s Day coming up so we figured you could drop some subtle hints by leaving the magazine open to this page on your desk with a fluorescent green tab stuck on your favorite item on the page, like the Framed Cigar Snob Cover… just throwing it out there. From the team at Cigar Snob, we hope you enjoy these pages and the cigars they feature in the company of family, good friends, or a good podcast.

Keep ‘em lit,

Erik Calviño ecalvino@cigarsnobmag.com

WE SALUTE YOU I read the advertisement for the March/April edition. In that advertisement it said that there was a chat with an ex-Marine. With all due respect there is no such thing as an ex-Marine, only former Marines. We all swore an oath: “Once a Marine ALWAYS a Marine.... Oooorah!!!” Johnny V. via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com

You’re right; we should’ve known better. We appreciate your service and have a tremendous amount of love and admiration for all members of our Armed Forces. Thanks for the clarification.

FROM WAY BACK IN THE DAY I love your magazine, been getting it since back when it was still regional/ local and now a long time subscriber. Thank you! Jonathan K. via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com

You, sir, are one heck of a loyal Snob! We’ve come a long way since those early years – thanks for sticking around through the typos, botched photo shoots, and grainy event pics. We do it for you!

TO UNWRAP OR NOT TO UNWRAP, THAT IS THE QUESTION Thanks for another great issue. Two part question – Should I always remove the wrapper prior to placing the cigars in my humidor and how long should I expect to have to keep them in the humidor prior to smoking them? James S. via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com

Let’s not “remove the wrapper” because then you’d be smoking the binder! Sorry, that was a geeky cigar dad joke. The wrapper is what we call the outer leaf of the cigar. What you are likely asking about is the cellophane that protects the cigar. There is nothing wrong with leaving the cellophane on and placing the cigar in your humidor as is. Cellophane is a natural product made of plant cellulose and therefore breathes; it also does not give off any unwanted odor. However if you are aging a group of the same cigars together, we like to remove the cellophane and let the entire group age as one. As for your second question; you don’t “have” to keep a cigar in your humidor for any amount of time before smoking it. You can start enjoying a cigar from the moment it comes off the rolling table at the factory. That’s not to say that it won’t go through some changes with a little age. As it ages the cigar’s internal humidity drops and the tobacco settles into the blend. This typically makes for a better smoking experience until it reaches a point of diminishing returns. This varies from blend to blend but no matter the blend, you should be able to store your cigars for at least 6 months before you notice much of a change. In some blends it could take a year or more. We have smoked cigars from the 1920s that have still been quite flavorful and enjoyable and we’ve smoked some from 2019 that already started to lose balance. Short answer is buy good cigars and enjoy them whenever you like!

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INTRODUCING THE CAMACHO FACTORY UNLEASHED Camacho Cigars will release the Factory Unleashed, a 6 x 50 shaggy foot Toro, with an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper, Honduran binder and filler from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The cigar will retail for $7.80 and will be available in 100-count wooden crates with an additional 2,500 paperwrapped bundles of ten cigars reserved for eCommerce platforms. The Factory Unleashed is scheduled for U.S. release at the end of May.

MONTECRISTO AND WATCHMAKER B.R.M PARTNER FOR LIMITED-EDITION LUXE PACKAGE Montecristo and French watchmaker B.R.M Chronographes have partnered to create 32 luxury humidors that arrive featuring custommade timepieces and a selection of limitededition cigars. Each numbered Montecristo B.R.M Edition humidor features 40 Montecristo B.R.M Edition 6 x 52 Toros, made by Plasencia. The watches feature a skeleton dial, sapphire crystal on the front and back, and a custom leather strap in the Montecristo color scheme. The crown, which winds the watch, is tightened for water resistance and sports the Montecristo logo. The package - humidor, smokes and watch goes for $11,000. “It’s a great privilege to add a French name to [this] legendary cigar and we are looking forward to a fantastic adventure by launching this exclusive timepiece combined with some special cigars and this truly amazing box,” Frederic Gasser, president of B.R.M Americas, said in a statement.

DREW ESTATE 25TH BIRTHDAY BASH SET FOR TEXAS ON SEPTEMBER 25TH To mark Drew Estate’s 25th year and its “Rebirth of Cigars” movement, the company is holding a birthday bash on September 25 at Southfork Ranch in suburban Dallas.

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Attendees of the event, called DE25, will receive a package of gifts and swag, starting with a pre-party delivery of stuff mailed to their homes. At the event, guests will also land a numbered commemorative box with nine premium Drew Estate cigars and a DE25 backpack filled with event-branded items, including cigar accessories. The extravaganza will begin at 2 p.m. with a tailgate pre-party, where attendees will enjoy appetizers, then at 6 p.m. everyone will head into the event space for live music, a full dinner, good booze and more Drew Estate swag and smokes. Southfork Ranch was used in exterior shots for the television show “Dallas,” including the house, known as Ewing Mansion. “I imagine that most people are drawn to DE because of our company culture, lifestyle brand, and product innovation,” Drew Estate President Jonathan Drew said in a statement. “But first and foremost, we are a company with a huge heart, which has served as our North Star through 25 orbits around the Earth’s sun. I look forward to DE25 in the deepest sense, to spend this emotional and proud moment with each of you. I can’t wait to see everyone with us, together, on this historic day.” Attendance is limited to 2,500 guests. Drew Diplomat members and Drew Estate retailers may purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $350 beginning from May 7 at 3 p.m. ET through May 13. Tickets go on sale to the general public on May 14 and cost $400. General admission tickets may be purchased at drewestate.com/de25 starting May 14.

MACANUDO GOLD LABEL RETURNS TO RETAIL Macanudo Gold Label has for 19 years come to market annually and returns this year with a limited edition parejo. Originally released in 2002, the line is inspired by a golden Connecticut Shade leaf. This year’s new edition is a 6 x 60 Gold Gigante that sells for $10.49. Macanudo Gold Label will be available for shipment to retailers through July 30 or until this year’s allotment has been depleted. In addition to the Gold Gigante, Macanudo Gold Label cigars available include the 5.5 x 42 Hampton Court Tubo at $10.29, the 7 x

49 Lord Nelson at $10.79, the 6 x 52 Tudor at $10.49, the 5.25 x 54 Duke of York at $9.99, the 5 x 54 Gold Pyramid at $10.49, the 6.5 x 45 Shakespeare at $9.79 and the 5.5 x 50 Crystal at $10.79.

AGANORSA LEAF DEBUTS FRESH LUNATIC VITOLA, TIPS HAT TO PCA Aganorsa Leaf is launching the El Grande Maduro, a new vitola in its Lunatic brand. The 5.5 x 80 torpedo has a San Andres Maduro wrapper and will be available starting in April. For its first month, it will be sold exclusively to Premium Cigar Association members through the organization’s new product hub, with a percentage of the sales donated to PCA. “PCA provides vital support for our lobbying efforts at both the state and federal level and so we felt launching the Lunatic El Grande through PCA will help in those endeavors,” Terence Reilly, vice president of sales and marketing for Aganorsa Leaf, said in a statement. The El Grande comes in 28-count boxes and retails for $9.10 a stick.

JOYA DE NICARAGUA CELEBRATES CENTRAL AMERICA’S BICENTENNIAL WITH THE LIMITED EDITION DOS CIENTOS Joya de Nicaragua marks the 200th anniversary of Central American independence from the Spanish empire with the limited release of the Dos Cientos, a 6 x 54 Gran Toro that will be available in retail stores in August. Each of the 2,000 boxes contains 21 cigars, including one cigar encased in a unique paper wrap that’s intended to be smoked during a special virtual celebration on Central American Independence Day, on September 15. “We will invite people to smoke it together with us and talk about our history, the value of that history and the significance of who we are, not only for ourselves but for the rest of the world,” Joya de Nicaragua owner Alejandro Martínez-Cuenca said in a press release.

MYFATHERCIGARS.COM

The release of the cigar will be celebrated with a virtual Central American Independence Day party, during which everyone who has purchased a box of Dos Cientos will be invited to smoke a cigar together while sharing the region’s road to tobacco fame. “For us there is always a link between the past and the present,” Juan Ignacio Martínez, president of Joya de Nicaragua, said in a statement. “We are who we are today because of the decisions that were made hundreds of years ago. Dos Cientos pays tribute to those 200 years and who we are today.” Dos Cientos means “200 years” in Spanish. Central Americans won the right to selfgovernment on September 15, 1821, officially gaining independence from Spain and setting up the formation of the nations of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Dos Cientos will be part of Joya de Nicaragua’s Obras Maestras line, which includes Cinco

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Decadas, Cuatro Cinco and Numero Uno.

DAVIDOFF OF GENEVA USA WILL DISTRIBUTE FERIO TEGO IN U.S. Ferio Tego’s portfolio in the U.S. will be distributed by Davidoff of Geneva USA, the two companies announced, with products expected to begin shipping in the summer. Ferio Tego was formed earlier this year by Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott, two former Nat Sherman executives. “This is quite a proud moment; one of excitement and exhilaration but also one of profound gratitude and appreciation,” Herklots said in a statement. “Reflecting over the last year, our lives have been disrupted in unimaginable ways, and yet through all of the tumult, here we are with renewed energy and new opportunities.” The initial distribution plan will be phased,

starting with the launch of the company’s flagship Ferio Tego brand in a limited 2021 release, followed by the Timeless Collection and then the Metropolitan Selection. The Ancora brand of accessories is also expected to return this year. Davidoff will integrate the complete Ferio Tego portfolio into its current portfolio and will be represented by Davidoff ’s sales team. “Together, we will be restoring iconic and longtenured product lines, along with implementing strong innovation plans for the future,” Dylan Austin, president of Davidoff of Geneva Americas, said in a statement. “Michael’s history and legacy within the premium cigar industry and our company are well known, therefore his return to working with Davidoff is a natural fit.” Herklots and Scott in January announced they had acquired the brands formerly owned and distributed by Nat Sherman International and their respective intellectual property, including Timeless, Metropolitan and Ancora.

The Art, Tradition, and Style of Cuba.

MYFATHERCIGARS.COM

Father’s Day GIFT GUIDE

WE’RE SO READY FOR FATHER’S DAY 2021 AND THE CHANCE TO GET A COOL, THOUGHTFUL GIFT. HERE’S A HANDY GUIDE FULL OF SUGGESTIONS THAT WE WON’T BE RETURNING OR REGIFTING. AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK ON 70S MUSCLE CARS, CLASSY GIN AND TONIC GLASSWARE, A HIGH TECH KNIFE SHARPENER, A CELL PHONE CASE THAT GETS BETTER LOOKING WITH AGE, AND BLOWUPS OF CIGAR SNOB’S FAMOUS COVERS ARE AMONG THE GOODS. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

1970 MAXIMUM MUSCLE: THE PINNACLE OF MUSCLE CAR POWER BY MARK FLETCHER AND RICH TRUESDELL quarto.com

$45.00 If you savor the sight of a Nixon-era Detroit muscle car, this book delivers. The speed demon era of the American auto industry was a good time, and 1970 Maximum Muscle offers color photos of the giants including the Oldsmobile 442 and the Camaro Z28. 1970 was also the beginning of the end of domestic dominance of the auto segment, and the authors provide some perspective on that as well. So you can show up for the mancave-worthy snaps of the cars and stick around for some learnin’.

ANYSHARP X-BLADE KNIFE SHARPENER anysharpusa.com

$89.00 The PRO sharpener handles anything you have, from that machete you scored on safari to the wedding present knife set you still cling to. It means it’s the last time you slice a digit while hacking into something with a dull kitchen knife, and we’re made more confident by the use of the term tungsten carbide in the company’s description of the sharpener. We’re told tungsten carbide is used in mining, ammunition and surgical instruments. Knife sharpening should be a snap.

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RIEDEL GIN & TONIC GLASS SET riedel.com

$49.90 (set of 4) Not all gin tastes like sucking on a pinecone, and these glasses are here to allow this underrated spirit to breathe and taste right when enjoying that summertime favorite, the gin and tonic. The rotund bowl of the glass is designed to draw out the refined flavors and leave plenty of room for the tonic. Flavors of juniper and other spices dance in these glasses with some tonic, and you’ll be drinking like a 19th century British officer.

SEARBQ GRIDDLE & PRESS searbq.com

$49.95 This is one of those items you never knew you needed. The SearBQ is a BBQ griddle and press that promises to cut your cooking time in half. Throw the meats on the griddle, slap the press over it, things sizzle and you’re ready to feed the masses. Works for seafood and vegetables too, and if you can’t grill all the time, it works just as well in the oven.

Father’s Day

GIFT GUIDE

AUTOPILOT BRUCE WINE & CIGAR TOTE autopilotworldwide.com

$360.00 Getting ready for the party? Going on a fishing trip? Some golf? Hell, even if you’re having a modest evening hitting a double feature at the drive-in, this will work. You can stick a couple bottles of nameyour-poison in this carrier along with up to four cigars, plus there’s compartment space for cutters and lighters. The top zips, it comes with a removable shoulder strap and the soft leather wipes clean.

FRAMED CIGAR SNOB COVER cigarsnobmag.com

$145.00 (20”x24”) / $215.00 (30”x36”) It’s time to showcase an underrated part of the Cigar Snob experience: the cover. We know you read Snob for the smart writing and cigar insights, but the tastefully shot covers of beautiful models are worth a second glance, as you can see by this sample. To that end, we’re offering high-resolution prints on metal of our cover shots in two sizes, large and larger. They’re a great way to class up any den, cigar lounge or garage.

ALLOI COPPER PHONE CASE getalloi.com

$39.00 Ever wish that cell phone case got better looking with age? Of course you have, and this case is here to grant that wish. It’s made with real copper, which somehow gets more attractive with age. It’s like the Sharon Stone of cell phone cases, and even better, it is self-sanitizing, so you can save the disinfecting time.

ANYSHARP SMART SCISSORS anysharpusa.com

$17.99 For the guy who digs sharp edges, AnySharp has the goods. The 5-in-1 scissors can cut through the armor of a tank – ok, not tank armor, but with those curved blades, they can rip through a lot of tough things. The promo pitch touches on a few: blister packs, credit cards, carpet, boxes and chicken bones. It’s also got a serrated edge nutcracker, wire cutter/trimmer, and a garlic press. And when you’re done cutting things up, a bottle opener.

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Photo: Explore Charleston, ExploreCharleston.com

By Steve Miller

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f Charleston, South Carolina had a politically incorrect office in its chamber of commerce, Jon Whitley would be its leader. “I’m into alcohol, firearms and tobacco,” says Whitley, owner of five of the city’s cigar lounges and stores and a former Green Beret who also owns a gun shop in suburban Mt Pleasant.

Whitley’s first customer of the day pulls up in a shiny blue customized Corvette and buys hundreds of dollars in ammo. The sun is shining, a breeze ripples the grove of oaks outside the shop and the temps are going to hit the 80s. It’s already looking like a good day. Charleston is a town that lures visitors by the millions each year with good days, consistently

Photo: Charleston Area CVB

He stands behind the counter of his Coastal Firearms on a spring morning preparing for the day, a Springfield Hellcat 9mm on his right hip and freshly lit cigar in his left hand. He’s just poured a visitor a sample of some home brewed, 130-proof brandy, a concoction he created from the remnants of bottles of wine from his lounges.

ranking near the top of travel polls as a go-to destination for travelers. For decades, Charleston has been considered a must-see place for a complete Southern culture sweep, a reputation that gives it a largerthan-life image. And this bastion of the Old South has

lots of room for feisty individualists like Whitley, who has smoked cigars since Reagan was president. The lowland setting of Charleston – about 19 feet above sea level – gives way to diverse sightseeing that features famed plantations and a harbor area that highlights Fort

Top to bottom: Charleston Carriage Tours; The lounge area at Charlestowne Tobacco and WineKing Street. Sumter where the Civil War began in 1861. Harbor cruises are among the most popular attractions, sunset sails and dolphin watching optional. The city also offers a familiar downtown area: If Broadway in Nashville, Beale Street in Memphis, 6th Street in Austin and Bourbon Street in New Orleans are your things, a long night of loud revelry on King Street is for you. Food, booze and live music makes evenings in Charleston a festival for the senses. But that night scene is a contrast to the laid-back vibe of the city, and doesn’t reflect the sensitive and refined culture that defines the folks who live here.

Photo: Ramsey Yanney Photography

Refined means little without some primo cigar experience, and Charleston checks that box as well, from the long oak bar at Whitley’s Charlestowne Tobacco & Wine on King Street, in the middle of the tourist maelstrom, to the smaller confines of King’s Leaf Cigar Lounge a few blocks south. Both Whitley and King’s Leaf have locations outside of the downtown,

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where locals plunk down and smoke and talk and work. It’s a necessity in a tourist town; ensure a presence on the well-traveled path of visitors but make sure the hometown folks have a place to enjoy the cigar life where they live. On King Street, “we get all kinds of people coming in to smoke with all different levels of experience,” Whitley says. “In the other stores, there are more regulars and people who smoke more frequently.” Complementing the cigars is the restaurant scene. The city has long been known as a foodie haven, featuring dozens of quality places to eat, both low and high brow. It’s a competitive market; the state was featured by Anthony Bourdain in a 2007 No Reservations episode, and two of the Charleston eateries featured on the program are now closed.

Clockwise from top: King's Leaf Cigar and Lounge; The humidor at King's Leaf; a glass of red from the solid wine selection at Charlestowne Tobacco and Wine- King Street. time, and starting in May, you can wander down to the ports and see the boats come in, brimming with the day’s catch.

The Darling Oyster Bar took advantage of that competitiveness when it succeeded a failed eatery in 2016 in a prime spot on King Street. The Darling features a 14-seat raw bar overlooking street traffic and two spacious, high-ceilinged rooms with another perpetually busy bar in the middle. The Darling has whitetiled floors, brick walls and stylishly utilitarian décor, along with wooden tables and a clutter that says, ‘we move a lot of grub here.’ The menu is simple and you know that shrimp – a staple in these parts – are going to appear on your plate at some point. Shrimping has been part of the local economy for a long

Photos on this page: Ramsey Yanney Photography

We get a few Lowcountry oysters that were pulled by locals from up to 18 feet down, to get an idea of what they have that the northern waters don’t. It’s immediately apparent what they offer – a briny flavor that only the smaller oyster can deliver. To the oysters we add a popular Darling dish, the creole shrimp, which offers a generous heap of smallish crustaceans over rice that wilts into a tasty risotto under a tangy, mustard-based sauce. The sauce is a lesser-known local flavor dating back to the state’s German settlers. It usually basks in the shadow of more heralded items including the bountiful shrimp, but restaurants take pride in their mustard sauce. The Darling has something to crow about, as its heavy reliance on the condiment over its richer counterparts in Memphis, for example, makes a nice dent in the palette. Add to

the meal some kale slaw tossed in a buttermilk dressing and dashed with sliced carrots and it’s a full dinner. The kale is uncooked and stiff, and even the most ardent greens grazers may not dig the texture. Yet it tastes so fresh and clean that the dressing should have come on the side.

Things of cigars, weathered and homey, cramped in a lived-in way. The leather chairs are cracking in places, the chess tables are creaky and the décor is mid-20th Century museum, with vintage signs, cigar boxes and rustic light fixtures, along with ceiling fans lazily swinging as they turn.

After dinner, we stroll south and find Nick Howard, the manager of King’s Leaf Cigar Lounge, sifting through stacks of boxes of cigars, mostly major brands, that stuff his compact humidor. The downtown store, one of three King’s Leaf locations, is a Needful

We grab a Punch Clásico and a chair and watch the parade of folks come in, most of them from other places. A couple guys are taking some time down from a convention, another guy from Myrtle Beach mentions he’s been here a few times. Concerns about what can

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and never fails to take the time to appreciate it. He spent 16 years as a commodities trader in Chicago, followed that up with 23 years as a Chicago fireman, and in early 2020, bought Carolina Cigar. “It’s been a dream come true to be here and be in this business,” Tom says. He’d been to Hilton Head on vacation and liked it so much he bought a house there, renting it out with the idea to live in it after retirement. The local cigar shop had been in business since 2008 and he’d stop in when he was in town. “If you ever want to sell this place, let me know,” he told the owner at one point. Peterson wondered, just what if it happened, what if he really called. Was he ready to upend his life in Chicago and be a cigar merchant? In early 2020, the call came.

Top to bottom: The Darling Oyster Bar sits on prime real estate on King St; The Darling's Seafood Plateau is as impressive as it gets. be transported on an airplane come from a couple guys buying some smokes. “The town itself is a tourist-based economy,” Howard says. “We get some locals here but everything lives and dies with tourism and Charleston is always voted as one of the top tourist destinations in America. So that’s this location.” Downtown King’s Cigar is about 1,500 square feet, while the other locations range to 3,000 square feet. One of those other places is “across the bridge,” as Howard calls it. Which reminds us that Charleston is a peninsula, sandwiched between two rivers, the Cooper and the Ashley, with the Atlantic Ocean a straight shot through the harbor. For a run to the King’s Leaf in West Ashley, we’re joined by Tom Peterson and his son Eric, who have made the two-hour drive from Hilton Head, where the Petersons run Carolina Cigars. Tom is an ebullient, glass-half-full guy who has fallen into his dream

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“I knew why he was calling when I looked at my phone and I almost drove off the road,” Peterson says. “I was ready to take the chance.” He, Eric and his wife, Carrie, run the shop, which has done better than he dreamed. “It’s the best job I ever had,” he says. The West Ashley King’s Leaf Cigar Lounge that is 15 minutes off the peninsula is a different world than the downtown establishment. It’s a large, clubby open room with hardwood floors, set in a strip mall. There is a pool table, a dartboard and two Golden Tee video games to one side, a long series of leather chairs to the other, with coffee tables strewn with Car and Driver magazines. The humidor is beefy, and the booze is a solid selection of canned beer, a couple of drafts, or wine. South Carolina cigar lounges are hamstrung by a law that requires food to be served in order to allow liquor. We pull something from the humidor – I get a favorite, a Tabernacle Havana Seed CT #142, and watch the locals. Golf is on the televisions, as required by law, while a couple guys work on their smokes and laptops at the same time. Another couple guys in deck shoes come in from the links and grab some cans of Cigar City Jai Alai IPA and some

Photos on this page: Explore Charleston, ExploreCharleston.com

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sticks. Yet another guy works over the Golden Tee machine. It’s 1:30 in the afternoon and the sun shines in. “The other two stores we have are more hometown regulars, everyday guy type of places that are more like Cheers, with lounge rats and all,” Howard says. It’s time to eat and the state’s favorite dish is on the menu. Shrimp and grits is the elephant in the room, food-wise, when you get here.

The bill declared that “every community in the State of South Carolina used to be the site of a grist mill and every local economy in the State used to be dependent on its products and grits has been a part of the life of every South Carolinian…”

Photo: Explore Charleston, ExploreCharleston.com

To begin with, grits are crucial for the state. So much so that in 2000, a bill was introduced in the statehouse to make grits the official state food of South Carolina.

Top to bottom: The Historic Charleston City Market; Pan roasted jumbo sea scallops at the Peninsula Grill Bourdain during his 2007 visit. “It started with people sending their kids to get shrimp, which is everywhere here, and they would come home and that would be breakfast, shrimp and grits,” Rogers says. “Then someone elevated it and you can get it with spices, sausage, all kinds of things.”

Slightly North of Broad – we love the acronym it goes by, SNOB - is a converted warehouse in the lower reaches of the tourist district. It’s got a big wooden bar, white tablecloths and a wide open kitchen at the back with a chef’s table. It wasn’t enough promo talk to get the measure approved but it’s the thought that counts and almost every eatery has some form of shrimp and grits, which are boiled corn meal that can either be great – or a disaster. Some South Carolina natives prefer catfish and grits, or even steak and grits, says Aïda Rogers, a former food writer who was among the locals who dined on-camera with

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It’s time to check into this Carolina favorite. The shrimp and grits came with ham and sausage that joined the shrimp atop the bed of grits. While some grits are creamy and massaged as to become a soup, these were in between, firm to the tooth as a good al dente pasta should be. The smallish shrimp were excellent, chewy and full of flavor. The only thing lacking was spice, always

a culinary conundrum in a tourist area. A side of hot sauce, which was Texas Pete, oddly, brought the plate to life. My experience with shrimp and grits is limited. But I still remember, after almost 20 years, a plate of the stuff I had at a now-defunct restaurant/ bar next to a railroad track in Starke, Florida, the name of which I cannot recall. It was magnificent enough to stick with me. Catching up to that is a tall order. A 10-minute walk north from SNOB is Lianos Dos Palmas Cigars, but if you’re looking for a post-meal smoke, forget it. This place is a tiny storefront and a big window into the rolling of cigars. The only thing to let you know what’s behind the door is a single word on the plate glass window facing the street: Cigars. While the face of the shop is unwelcoming, walk inside and you’re greeted first by a black-andwhite bulldog, then by a friendlyfaced woman who welcomes you in Spanish, then turns back to toil at a rolling table next to her gentleman colleague, who never looks up from his rolling. The small room is filled with plastic

bins of tobacco, leaves hanging, and the floor littered and display cases jammed with the stuff. On the counter sits trays packed with cigars of all kinds and sizes, including Double Corona, Churchill, Torpedo, Robusto, and Petite. In addition to the singles, they’re available in bundles and boxes. The place buzzes with hurry, and it’s a lot to take in with one gander. Between the leaves, the rollers, the dog, the amazing selection and the rather impatient fellow behind the counter, we’re looking and feeling like tourists rather than the seasoned smokers we are. Lianos Dos Palmas is one of a few U.S. establishments, probably under 100, that hand roll in-house, and that in Charleston, South Carolina, there are at least two people who put “cigar roller” on their IRS tax form, making it a special thing. For the record, the Panatela with the Ecuador Connecticut wrapper that I grab turns out to be excellent. Go to Lianos Dos Palmas for the smokes, not the socializing. More affable is Charlestowne Tobacco’s Jon Whitley, Charleston’s cigar maestro, gunsmith and lounge

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owner, who owns Charlestowne Tobacco & Wine and four other cigar establishments in addition to Coastal Firearms.

The square is also the original site of The Citadel military college, opened in 1842 with 20 students and now housed a couple miles away with 3,700 students. But if the history makes your eyes cross, the scenery opens them, as the vast courtyard comes in a shade of bright green that throbs with intensity, the outer ring of the park ringed with palm trees, fountains and monuments.

Whitley, 58, spent two decades in military service and was deployed around the world, leaving with the rank of major. His first cigar was a Tampa Nugget he smoked during basic training in 1982. He kept with the low rent smoke until he got a lesson in upscale.

It’s a good place to enjoy a smoke and let the sun do its thing.

“In 1985, I was in officer candidate school out on field exercise and lit a cigar, to keep the bugs off,” Whitley recalls.

The Charleston cigar market is varied enough that there are plenty of options and room to grow. King’s Leaf handles the young adult crowd while Charlestowne takes a lot of tourists and older smokers.

His commander came by and asked what he was smoking and when seeing the cheap smoke, pulled it from Whitley’s mouth, threw it on the ground and stomped it out.

“It’s competitive, but I don’t pay attention,” Whitley says. “I just focus on what I need to do, try to keep innovative and give the other guys their niche.”

When he settled down, the native of Fort Mill, South Carolina found work in Charleston. Whitley was an HVAC guy selling cigars to bars and restaurants on the side when he realized that being a middleman wasn’t for him. “I opened my first store in 1999, and saw a lot of opportunity around here,” he says. At the time, he was a volunteer deputy sheriff with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Department, working with the SWAT and undercover narcotics teams. “We all smoked together and I thought ‘I could make this work.’” Whitley’s shops all have a modest yet upscale touch, with the furniture clean and new, beer and wines that are fine but not fussy, and the cigar selection wide without pandering.

Photo: Brandon Lata Photography Copyright

“I thought he was against me smoking, but instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an H. Upmann and gave it to me,” Whitley says. “And I’ve been smoking premium cigars ever since.”

two more brand new humidor cases stocking the overflow. He’s got nine reds by the glass and plenty of bottles, complemented by a smaller selection of whites and sparkling wines, as well as a wide array of beers by the bottle and on tap. We’re drawn immediately by the Palmetto Secession Robusto, a heavy hitter made for Whitley by Alec Bradley and brought to market in 2015.

It personifies Charleston, a place where you can get dirty without trying but still enjoy the better things.

Later that evening, we find Halls Chophouse for a late dinner. It’s a noisy, teeming two-story with a classic menu and likewise classic service. We’re seated upstairs and the roar in the room, bouncing off a brick wall, makes conversation lively and animated, at the least.

His downtown lounge is a narrow, well-restored storefront with exposed brick walls and ceiling, hardwood floors, a long bar and a primary humidor at the back with

The wine list is a book, suitably heavy on the reds, with the internationals divided into northern and southern hemisphere and the domestics leaning on Napa Valley.

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A round of Bloody Mary's w/ Shrimp at The Grocery on Cannon St. The menu is obviously beefy, and seafood is an afterthought yet ambitious. We didn’t take the lobster thermidor and still came out fine, as the scallops came with an extra sear to bring out the natural flavor, served over a bed of vegetable risotto. A good halfdozen of these gems, which the menu says hail from Nantucket. Season there ended in March and this was late April, so fresh isn’t a deal here. But nice food is, and the scallops are worthwhile. The next day, we take a walk to Marion Square, an historic oneblock park in the center of town. It’s the site of the British capture of Charleston in 1780 during the American Revolution, a hairy 42day battle that ended up with the Brits taking over the place for a couple of years.

For Howard at King’s Leaf, “we don’t actively try to find a [young adult] customer, but it’s more of a trend. We’ve seen that demographic visit our shops, which is fine – you need new blood if you want to move forward.” On the way out of Mt. Pleasant, looking for a quick bite, we hit the See Wee Restaurant, a Jon Whitley recommendation. It’s a former general store that dates back 100 years, with weathered, well, everything. It teeters when you walk, and a generous back porch has plenty of room to sprawl with a bowl of excellent tomato-based fish stew and an iced tea (unsweetened, yes, I’m a Yankee). The stew is flecked with whiting and the See Wee is as unpretentious as Whitley. It’s a fitting sendoff from a region of the country that is content with itself, hardly trying to be something it’s not and populated by people who mostly follow that same sentiment. People say Charleston is getting fancy and expensive, and if so, that’s the progress that it wants. For us short timers, it’s no worry, as the next plane is just a few minutes away. Meanwhile, we leave with a memory of good smoking, fine food, excellent company and a place with a rich history.

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UNDERCROWN TURNS BY STEVE MILLER

HOW A CIGAR BORN ON THE FACTORY FLOOR ASCENDED TO STARDOM.

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n March 2009, an all hands on deck meeting was called at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, a 96,000-square-foot edifice on the west side of Esteli, Nicaragua’s tobacco center. The factory, art space and headquarters of Drew Estate was a loud but tasteful tribute to the importance of the cigar in Nicaragua and was part of an industry that delivered jobs and brought tourism to the impoverished country.

was an underdog lying in wait. *** Jonathan Drew will tell you he graduated seventh in his class at Brooklyn Law School, the private college that cites New York Mayor David Dinkins, entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman and John Gotti defense attorney Bruce Cutler as alums. It’s impressive for a second until the skipped beat is filled: “Seventh

degree at State University of New York at Oneonta that allowed him to work for the gutsy, candid D’Amato. “He was a fiery Italian guy known for being a best friend of Israel,” Drew says. “He called Saddam Hussein the ‘butcher of Baghdad’ and he was known for his sense of local politics.” D’Amato launched his national political career taking on established big dogs and he espoused support for the middle class through deeds

with the establishment. When he ensured that any success he had was shared with the locals – his constituents – it was in part due to what he learned working with D’Amato. “That local feeling, the way Alfonse worked, was something we brought with us to Nicaragua,” he says. *** The floor workers were crushed, disappointed and a little angry when they heard they had to stop smoking the Liga.

On this day, the success of the company was the subject of the meeting, although not in the usual pep rally fashion. The gathering of managers, flacks and assorted other employees were told they had to quit sampling the goods.

“In addition to everything else I did, I was the guy in charge of announcements over the P.A.,” Gomez says. “So I’d be the voice to greet people, announce birthdays and any other information that had to be passed along.”

Specifically the Liga Privada No. 9, or “private blend,” a cigar composed of seven tobaccos. The popularity of the cigar had grown as the brand exploded, and they needed every stick produced to meet demand.

When part of that information was the ‘no smoking Ligas,’ the floor guys were like ‘what the [hell] bro?’ I told them, ‘hey don’t blame me.’”

“They said ‘no more smoking the Liga on the production floor,’” recalls Pedro Gomez, who started with Drew in 2006 as an errand guy. Now he was management. The floor workers, in particular, were enjoying the Ligas in abundance. “They were smoking as many as they wanted,” says Gomez, who is now factory spokesman for Drew Estate. “It was outrageous, we had so many back orders and we just couldn’t allow it any longer.” But, in his wisdom, Jonathan Drew, who co-founded the company as a retail cart at the World Trade Center in 1995, added one figurative note to the Liga off-limits order. “The one window they left open was that the rollers could use the other parts of the leaf we were using for the Liga,” Gomez says. Drew says he told the torcedores to “take this tobacco and go wild.” That caveat would launch what has become Drew Estate’s grassroots success story, a cigar created by and for the people. The Undercrown

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A young Jonathan Drew poses near tobacco hanging in a curing barn during Drew Estate’s early days in Estelí, Nicaragua. from the bottom,” adds Drew, 51 years old. At the time he attended law school, in the mid-90s, he was working four jobs, including spending time in his parents’ Long Island antique store. But cigars had been his calling ever since the driver for New York Sen. Alfonse D’Amato turned him on to one of the Republican senator’s favorite smokes, a Partagás Serie D No. 4. It was 1992, and the introduction to premium cigars were a byproduct of what Drew calls “a great period of my life.” He’d gotten into a prestigious program after finishing his undergrad

and words, enough so to keep him in office for three terms. Drew worked on D’Amato’s 1992 campaign as the youngest deputy political director in the senate, first helping the incumbent D’Amato fend off challenger Laurance Rockefeller in a primary battle then defeat Robert Abrams in the general election. Drew, though, was drawn more to the cigar world, and began procuring premium cigars for himself and his friends, learning more about the finer points of the trade. That led to his opening a retail cigar cart on the ground floor of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. It became clear that the cigar business was his calling. A couple years later, Drew made the move to Estelí, Nicaragua in 1998 to launch Drew Estate, rubbing shoulders

But, says factory manager Manuel Rubio, that’s when they started looking for something else to smoke. Rubio was on the floor when Liga was taking hold, and he saw what was going into it. Hell, he’d smoked a few just like the rest of his troops, before the edict to halt came down. “They’d been told not to smoke Liga, but they also had to make sure they would not run out of material to produce it,” Rubio says. There were no managers around, only the order not to smoke the Liga and the blending team that had produced that cigar. Plus the same leaf that had been used to roll the Liga Privada No. 9 and the boss’s suggestion to “go wild.” That was easy. “The team that worked on the Liga blend was so familiar with the tobacco they were using for it, they knew that it had a great taste,” Rubio says. “It wasn’t being used for the Liga but it was the same vintage leaf. So they said ‘hey, we can’t use this tobacco, but we’re familiar with the rest of it.’ It was very similar to the Liga and they could make

Maria Yesenia Moncada Director of Production Marlon Javier Zamora Quality Control Manager

Joel Centeno Arcia Production Technical Assistant

THE TEAM Manuel Ernesto Rubio Centeno Factory Operations Manager

Luis Angel Meza Urrutia Production Chief

Jose Maria Ruiz "Chema" Preindustry Chief MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

something they could smoke that they liked just as much.”

to carve up a huge niche of the U.S. auto industry.

So it started. The rollers used different primings of the same tobacco, creating a cigar that would be as pleasurable as the Liga Privada No. 9, which was one of the most sought-after cigars on the market.

When Gomez was hired, he noticed Drew would stop and shake hands, sometimes hugging employees. There was no hierarchy, he noticed.

*** Drew Estate blossomed in Nicaragua, as the style Drew and friends brought from New York caught the attention of some of the elders of the cigar community. They came around to see this brash newcomer and his tattooed crew with their affinity for street art and hip hop. “We were irreverent, belligerent, doing our own thing,” Drew says. “We are doing the opposite of the twist, we were rocking, hitting from all sorts of unusual angles, being our New York selves. I think we were a breath of fresh air.” Pretty soon, the invitations came. From the heavyweights, too. Nestor Plasencia. José Orlando Padrón. Juan Francisco Bermejo. Perdomo Jr. and Sr. All of these venerated cigar giants reached out to these crazy kids from the U.S. The acceptance came through accomplishment. In 1998, Drew Estate launched ACID cigars and the boutique brand became a smash. Drew Estate was on the map, big time. But even as they blew up, building their La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory/headquarters, developing brands that made them one of the biggest sellers on the market, Drew never forgot an early lesson. “Those guys like Juan Francisco Bermejo, José Orlando Padrón, Kiki Berger, are about being good people and taking care of employees,” Drew says. “I learned from them how to treat people, watching Don Orlando Padrón treat his people. That’s how you want to be remembered.” Part of that was empowering employees and having faith in them, the same business approach that allowed the Japanese automakers

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“This is so damn cool,” Gomez thought to himself, feeling lucky to have landed his first job in the cigar industry with Drew Estate. *** “Out of the blue, what became the Undercrown was the factory smoke,” Pedro Gomez says. “It was a cigar that was for the torcedores, first known as the Liga Undercrown.” While the blenders and rollers were smoking it, the yet-unnamed cigar became a sample handed out to visitors, who became very interested in it.

Top to bottom: Pedro Gómez with one of La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate’s young tabaqueros during a Puro Sabor Festival; Like most of Central America’s cigar factories, the tabaqueros at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate work in pairs; one bunches and the other applies the wrapper.

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“People would come back and say, ‘give me more of these,’” Manuel Rubio says. Then some managers noticed how it was catching on. “When these guys found out about it, they smoked it and saw the potential,” Gomez says. "Ordinarily, a cigar is developed with the concept first and you build the product around it," Drew says. “Undercrown was the cigar first, and we had nothing on the palette,” Drew says. “This was inside out for us. The blend was there from the time we told the rollers to stop smoking the Ligas to the time we started tasting what they were using. They were just using different primings from the Liga, and they went all out. Then we realized this brand is not about the leadership at Drew Estate; It’s about the workers.” In 2011, the cigar that was born on the factory floor became a new Drew Estate brand, using many of the same tobaccos as Liga Privada No. 9. The Undercrown has become a swirling success, growing from the Maduro in 2011 to the Undercrown Shade four years later to the Undercrown Sun Grown, which features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Special editions, including the Undercrown ShadyXX, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Eminem’s Shady Records label in 2019, pop up on occasion. Now, the Undercrown 10 honors the brand’s 10th anniversary as the fourth regular production cigar in the line, made with tobaccos that have a little more aging. Drew says that after 10 years, he realizes the Undercrown lineage taught the company leaders how to think from the inside out. “The Undercrown has impacted and influenced how we do things,” Drew says. “We need to be curious to ask question after question, and listen and learn. It’s part of the Torah

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Blended to commemorate the brand’s tenth anniversary, the Undercrown 10 features a Mexican San Andres dark wrapper, broadleaf binder from the Connecticut River Valley, and a filler blend of all Nicaraguan tobacco. and Socratic thinking, the deeper thinking and the art of listening. Your curiosity is what brings you to a new spiritual level. In Undercrown, we have learned that and it has reminded us to stay humble, and even more than that, it’s to be appreciative. Undercrown is this gift.” *** A sweep of Drew Estate’s social media shows enthusiastic support of art, cigars, fine booze and music. Videos are sometimes delivered with

bearded intensity and insouciant spirit and street art abounds. The Drew Estate tagline is “the rebirth of cigars,” and it’s an apt slogan. The age of participants in its world skews young and tattooed, and while Drew Estate entered the field when wholesale public declarations were in their infancy, the company has grown up online, allowing it to stake a rightful claim as the new breed. “The rebirth is, ‘how do you make every album be the first album?’” Drew says, referring to the oftentruthful notion that many bands’ first release is their best. For him to do that, “it’s about being grounded in culture and sticking to our roots. It’s not about tradition…or heritage…

but we bring graffiti to our canvas.” His awareness of the culture leads him to the future of the Undercrown. Will it be around in 2031? Would that be ensconcing Drew Estate in the world of the status quo, perhaps contradicting the “rebirth” concept? “I believe in planned obsolescence, to destroy and rebuild,” Drew says. “I think with the Undercrown 10, the 10th year of this cigar represents two things: A decade of dedication and being all decked out and just being fly. And from there I think the next stage is to not be so fly and to look into our roots and break it down to the simple. If anything, we will have to destroy and rebuild it.”

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BY IVAN OCAMPO Mark Twain once said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Although I’m not sure he ever actually said that and it wasn’t quite summer yet, I get where Twain or whoever said that was coming from. On The Ground The moment we set foot on the tarmac at Monterey Regional Airport in California, I tell Erik Calviño (Cigar Snob’s publisher and editor), “Holy shit it’s cold. I thought it was supposed to be 65 degrees?” and he responds “It is.” Sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, looks like a beautiful spring day – yet how can it be so bitterly cold? We were in California to produce an ambitious photo shoot in the breathtakingly beautiful Big Sur featuring the Australian bombshell Bianca Richards smoking Oliva Cigars. So we have a killer location, excellent cigars, and a drop-dead gorgeous model. What could go wrong? Big Sur is an 85-mile stretch of land in California’s central coast. The day before shooting we spent the entire day navigating those 85 miles looking for the ideal spots to shoot and at the end of it all, I felt good. We’d driven in circles, climbed, hiked, and crawled to find the perfect locations, but we almost didn’t get to capture any of it. To Pull or Not to Pull I’m just going to come out and say it; I had the bright idea of not pulling film permits for any of the locations for this project. There. I said it. I decided against it and it almost ended up coming back to bite me. In the industry they call this

“going guerilla,” where productions shoot in certain locations without permission. Not that we were doing anything illegal, but some places require documentation in case an accident were to happen resulting in damage to the location or otherwise. Nevertheless, no matter how needless it seems, nor how arduous or expensive the application process is (it's almost always pricey), you should always have permits. We always, always, always pull permits, including our last big production in Utah. It was similar to Big Sur in that we were in an expansive, remote area. Because of the remoteness of the Utah desert, we were never asked for a permit, heck we hardly saw anyone else while we were out there. Getting the permits in Utah was a gigantic waste of time and money but we did it because we always pull permits… almost always. I figured this one time, with Big Sur being so large and secluded, we would be just as unnoticeable as we were in Utah. Also Big Sur’s coastline is made up of a series of state parks, one after the other and I didn’t know exactly which ones we’d be shooting until we scouted and by then it

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MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

was too late to submit documentation. Toplezz Trouble You can expect pretty much every Cigar Snob production to start in the same manner every time. We start with what we like to call “layups.” Layups as the name implies are nice and easy shots just to get warmed up. They are usually pretty straightforward, basic shots that get everyone comfortable and confident for the long day ahead. The wardrobe is standard, the backdrop pretty straightforward. It’s always like this. On this fine day though, right as we were about to hit that first layup, our photographer David Benoliel turns to me and says in his serious but suave French accent, “I think ze model should be toplezz for this foto.” Hold on; did he just say toplezz? Ok, forget everything I said about starting off with layups. We’re about to come out of the chute with guns a-blazing at Point Lobos State Park. NOTE: We would never run a topless image but sometimes we do run certain shots that are quite sexy, not nude sexy but in order to get it to the optimal sexy point it may require the model be topless. Let’s take stock of the situation; we’ve forgotten about layups, we’re in a state park, which to my amazement was full of people hiking early on a Tuesday morning, we didn’t pull permits, and we’ve gone toplezz. So there we were, suns out guns out, in plain sight of seemingly every husband and wife hiker team west of the Sierra Nevadas. “Howdy!” I nonchalantly greeted all the passersby. Nothing to see here, I thought to myself. To their credit, everyone who hiked on by pretended they couldn’t see a half-nude goddess perched on a giant rock smoking an Oliva Serie V Melanio. Maybe these nonworking Californian hikers were used to seeing this type of thing every day… not quite. In the blink of an eye I see far off in the distance what seemed like a frantic man in a brown uniform racing in our direction. I’m sitting atop the aforementioned giant rock holding a scrim that looks like a giant sail in the wind and straining my eyes to get a clearer look at who is hurrying towards us and it hits me, it’s a park ranger. In an instant I knew what happened. One of those unemployed hikers must have caught a glimpse of a boob, gave us a fake smile, and hightailed it to the nearest ranger post to report what most certainly was

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described as something along the lines of The Porn Shoot Atop Big Sur Falls. “You can’t be here!” the ranger yells at me nervously as I intercept him on his beeline to the model’s bare chest. On to plan B. Do we have a plan B? Plan B I took solace in the fact that we managed to get an amazing shot before we got the boot. It was meant to be a layup but we ended up dunking. But now we might be up Schitt’s Creek thanks to the unexpected monkey wrench. I decided, or it was decided for me, that it was time to roll out. “Let’s get out of here and hit the next park then we’ll work our way south from there.” I told the team. “And for God’s sake, can we keep the model’s clothes on from now on? Who goes topless when its freezing cold anyway?”

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

Billy Gibbons

ZZ TOP’S BILLY GIBBONS TALKS CIGARS, MUSIC, TEQUILA, AND MORE

INTERVIEW BY SEAN CHAFFIN ike many fans of the Old West, there was just something about The Man With No Name for a young Billy Gibbons. The 1964 spaghetti western Fistful of Dollars hit home with theatergoers and made Clint Eastwood a star. The chiseled looks, the poncho, the guns, the cigar – Eastwood’s character just oozed cool. The ZZ Top guitarist and frontman couldn’t shake the image of that cigar-smoking antihero rebel he’d seen on screen. The teenaged Gibbons saw a bit of himself in this wild west rogue. That attitude would be seen in his music years later and that cigar smoking would be part of his life as well. Gibbons’ own stogies have now become synonymous with his on-stage persona. Regularly sporting a Stetson hat only added to his look. “It was Clint and that sawed-off cheroot that captured our imagination back to the antiquity of the Old West,” he says of growing up and checking out Eastwood on screen. “You know, it was an imagination of the gunslinger days from Texas up to Tennessee and back out Tucson way.” The Old West wasn’t the only inspiration for lighting up. True to Gibbons’ blues roots, music played a role as well. “I had also seen blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins many times smoke a stogie on stage earlier and that mark of swagger impressed me,” the 71-year-old says of the Texas blues legend. “The question of where to get something cut square at both ends fell firstly on deaf ears until a few vendors took deference to our desire and brought us what we were calling, ‘those irregular things.’ Come to find out, there’s quite a wealth of fine smokes that might not look like much, yet the delivery can certainly satisfy.” When partaking of a cigar himself, a few of Gibbons’ favorites include Partagas, Royal Jamaica, Montecristo, and H. Upmann. His personal preference leans on the smallish side though larger Winston Churchill smokes are also a regular indulgence. A victory cigar has also become a big part of shredding onstage during any ZZ Top performance. “We usually close our shows with our intrepid guitar tech, Mr. Elwood Francis, coming out front and center stage and giving my Romeo y Julieta Mini a light while I’m bashing a solo,” Gibbons says. “Although brief, it’s a nice way to relax and charge up while working.” Texas Rock Roots and Beyond The Texas rock legend was born in Houston in 1949 and music permeated the Gibbons household. His father performed as an orchestra conductor and concert pianist. Rock and blues legends inspired Gibbons in his early years. At age 5, his mother took him to an Elvis Presley concert and at 7 he sat in to watch a B.B. King recording session. Little did he know, King would be recording with that same youngster years later.

Gibbons produced the album along with Matt Sorum and Mike Fiorentino. Sorum is a veteran of Guns ‘N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and the Cult and also serves as drummer. Guitarist Austin Hanks joined Gibbons and Sorum for the album’s core band, and all three also recorded The Big Bad Blues. The new album comes with more rock-tinged elements than that album. Recorded at Escape Studio in California’s high desert near Palm Springs, the environment seems to have played a major influence on the Hardware sound and vibe. “The desert settings, replete with shifting sands, cacti, and rattlesnakes makes for the kind of backdrop that lends an element of intrigue reflected in the sounds created out there,” Gibbons says. “We holed up in the desert for a few weeks in the heat of the summer and that in itself was pretty intense. To let off steam we just let it rock and that’s what Hardware is really all about. For the most part, it’s a raging rocker but always mindful of the desert’s implicit mystery.” Music and More After decades performing, it’s obvious Gibbons still loves shredding on the guitar and putting lyrics down on the page. Despite a pandemic shutting down live music, the artist stayed busy recording and writing. As a songwriter, what goes into his process? “Sometimes it’s a riff that springs to mind or a lyric fragment,” he says. “It can also be a title where it requires having to figure out the meaning and bring it to life. There’s not any sort of set pattern to it, so chalk it up to spontaneity for the most part.” That approach has served him well. Along with ZZ Top and his solo work, Gibbons has collaborated with numerous artists through the years ranging from Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell and Queens of the Stone Age to Kid Rock and Ronnie Dunn. A couple artists stand out when looking back on his varied career – Jeff Beck and B.B. King. “In recent times, getting to play with Jeff has been especially gratifying,” Gibbons says. “I’ve long thought of Jeff as a true fret master. And, along the way, we got to play with B.B. King and that’s something to keep close to the vest over the years, especially since I got to see him record when I was just a young kid, thanks to my entertainer dad. When I reconnected with B.B. decades later he specifically remembered that kid from the session way back when.” Gibbons also has a few collaborations away from music. He’s a major investor in the awardwinning Pura Vida Tequila. The premium brand is based in Houston and receives nice reviews among tequila connoisseurs. “We became friendly with the brand’s founder, Mr. Stewart Skloss, who explained that his aim was to purvey a fine, uncompromising product – 100 percent blue Weber agave,” Gibbons says. “A few sips later we were convinced that it’s a ‘first cabin’ beverage.”

After performing with several bands in the 1960s, the guitar virtuoso formed and fronted ZZ Top with Dusty Hill (bass and vocals) and Frank Beard (drums). By the mid-1970s with the release of Tres Hombres, ZZ Top exploded on the rock landscape with hits like La Grange and Tush.

Along with tequila, Skloss and Gibbons have also teamed up with Houston-area restaurateurs Ken and Christina Bridge to launch Tres Amigos Cafe y Cantina in the city’s Garden Oaks area. The eatery debuted in April and serves up classic Tex-Mex as well as Pura Vida margaritas and Texas beers.

The ‘80s brought even more fame. The band’s Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985) albums sold more than 15 million albums combined. MTV viewers ate up hits like Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs, garnering the trio major awards and accolades. Gibbons and the band toured the world and even appeared as an Old West house band alongside Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future III. A ZZ Top show became the hottest ticket in town, but Gibbons still takes pride that he’s stuck to his roots in the Lone Star State.

Fine spirits and food apparently mix well with blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Gibbons has also teamed up with musician and ZZ Top collaborator Tim Montana for Beez + Teez Whisker Bomb Pepper Sauce. Buyers can spice up any meal with the original flavor or the “Have Mercy Hot” blend.

“We’re, of course, all from Texas but, more importantly, of Texas,” he says. “There’s an independent streak that typifies the state. Years ago, we used to be grouped in with other bands as ‘southern rock,’ but while Texas is, of course, in the South it’s its own thing so we always realigned that categorization to reflect that fact.” Back in the Studio Gibbons shows no signs of slowing down. In 2018, he released his second solo album, The Big Bad Blues, with his band the BFGs. This followed 2015’s Perfectamundo. Fans of ZZ Top’s blues sound will appreciate the hard-charging, guitar strutting with Gibbons’ understated yet growling vocals. On June 4, Gibbons will release his third solo album, Hardware, with the first single West Coast Junkie already available for download and on streaming services. The song is a rip-roaring delight, taking listeners on a California surfing safari by way of the Lone Star State.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BILLY GIBBONS

Hot sauces, restaurants, and tequila don’t take up all his efforts, however. Gibbons still has plenty of time for music. A new ZZ Top album is in the works and he’s excited, although he can’t divulge any details just yet. The band is also gearing up to hit the road with plenty of U.S. and Canadian dates. A residency at The Venetian in Las Vegas is also planned with shows already announced for October, 8, 9, 13, 15, and 16. Sin City is always a fun stop for Gibbons, Beard, and Hill. Band members have been known to play some poker on the road and Vegas offers a unique atmosphere. With the coronavirus pandemic ebbing, fans will be glad to see live music returning. That goes for Gibbons and ZZ Top as well. When the band hits the road, you can bet this sharp dressed man will be lighting up plenty of cigars along the way. Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

LIVE LIFE FROM A TO

SOME PEOPLE ARE HAPP Y BEING A TO B. AND SOME PEOPLE WANT THE WHOLE A TO Z VIA ANY WHERE THE Y LIKE THE LOOK OF. JUS T LIKE ZINO DAVID OFF. THE CIG AR S ROLLED IN HIS NAME SUIT HIS SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY.

A UNIQUE BLEND OF FLAVORS FROM A– Z FOLLOW US | @ZINOCIGARS

48 CIGARS

CHURCHILL AJ Fernandez Días de Gloria

$ 9.00 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Short Churchill 6 1/2 48 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Churchill 7 50 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Churchill 7 1/2 50 Ecuador Ecuador Dominican Republic

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Reserva SW 7 47 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A long Churchill covered with a pale brown wrapper with slight veins showing. This flavorful blend delivers a complex combination of cedar, salted peanuts, savory spice, and leather accompanied by a delicate floral aroma. Medium bodied.

USA Covered with a clean, light brown wrapper with a supple feel, this well-made blend delivers a balanced profile of smooth pepper, cedar, and leather joined by more subtle notes of bread and cocoa. Medium strength.

$ 9.40 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Centuria 7 49 Honduras Honduras Nicaragua & Honduras

Espinosa Warzone

H O N D UR AS A slow-burning smoke finished with a thick and oily wrapper with a reddish hue. Medium bodied with a core of red pepper, earth, leather, cedar, and roasted nuts accompanied by a rich, creamy note.

$ 8.99

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Impeccably constructed and covered with a neatly applied, reddish brown wrapper with sheen. Produces an abundant smoke output with a rich and flavorful profile of nuts, pepper, cocoa, and cedar accompanied by a touch of cream.

$ 13.00

Alec Bradley Tempus Natural

N I CA R AG UA

$ 16.00

Tatuaje Miami Reserva SW

Consistently delivers a flavorful combination of roasted nuts, cocoa powder, and tanned leather balanced by deep pepper and a touch of wood. Impeccably constructed and covered with a reddish brown wrapper with excellent oils. Full bodied.

$ 9.30

AVO Improvisation Series 2021

N I CA R AG UA

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Short Churchill 6 1/2 48 Cameroon Honduras Colombia & Nicaragua

N I CA R AG UA This soft-pressed short Churchill produces an excellent smoke output with a profile of wood, gritty earth, and black pepper complemented by a subtle touch of dark cocoa and leather. Medium plus strength.

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LONSDALE Sobremesa

$ 11.45

N I CA R AGUA Covered with a reddish brown wrapper with a beautiful sheen, this medium strength blend delivers flavors of earth, smooth pepper, and black American coffee balanced by a creamy caramel flavor on the finish. Medium to full strength.

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Cervantes Fino 6 1/4 46 Ecuador Mexico USA & Nicaragua

92 Illusione Fume D’Amour

$ 10.90

N I CA R AGUA Delivers an extremely well balanced profile loaded with flavors of almond, cedar, and cream accompanied by a touch of pepper and caramel. Consistently provides an excellent draw producing an output of aromatic, medium bodied smoke.

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Clementes 6 1/2 48 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

92 Padrón Series Natural

$ 7.83

N I CA R AGUA A rustic-looking Lonsdale with a smooth core of chocolate, leather, and roasted nuts balanced by subtle notes of pepper and earth. This medium strength blend draws perfectly while producing an excellent output of thick, aromatic smoke.

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Churchill 6 7/8 46 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

Crowned Heads Las Mareas

$ 9.60

N I CA R AGUA Covered with an oily, walnut colored wrapper showing thin veins and finished with a neat triple cap. This medium plus strength blend draws and burns well while producing a profile of black pepper, earth, and roasted nuts complemented by a touch of sweet cream.

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Olas 6 1/8 46 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

90 Rocky Patel Decade

$ 11.10

H O ND U R AS Impeccably box-pressed and covered with a dark reddish brown wrapper with only the slightest veins showing. This medium bodied blend has a core of earth, red pepper, and chocolate accompanied by a touch of ripe fruit sweetness.

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Lonsdale 6 1/2 44 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

90 Room 101 The Farce

$ 10.50

D OM I NI CAN REPUBLIC Delivers a core of sweet wood and pepper complemented by toasted almond and a hint of coffee. This medium plus bodied blend is finished with a somewhat rustic-looking wrapper with several prominent veins showing.

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Lonsdale 6 1/2 42 Ecuador Indonesia USA, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

89 MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

TORPEDO Joya de Nicaragua Antaño CT

$ 9.90 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Belicoso 6 54 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

Oliva Connecticut Reserve

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Torpedo 6 1/2 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Prestigio 6 1/2 54 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

Consistently well constructed and covered with a clean, supple wrapper with only the slightest veins showing. Mild to medium strength with flavors of wood, smooth spice, and subtle earth complemented by a touch of creamy sweetness.

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N I CA R AG UA A well-made torpedo covered with an impeccably applied, golden colored wrapper with a supple feel. Produces an excellent output of thick smoke with a profile of black pepper, tea, and wood complemented by a hint of sweet cream.

$ 19.00 Belicoso Fino 5 1/2 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

The Griffin’s

USA A short and somewhat loosely packed figurado covered with a light brown wrapper with an orange tint and finished with a covered foot. Medium to full strength with a profile of oak, black pepper, and cream accompanied by a touch of caramel.

$ 12.05

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Piramides 5 1/2 52 Ecuador Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

Montecristo White Series

88 70 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

N I CA R AG UA

$ 13.00

Tatuaje 15th Anniversary Habano Rosado

A beautifully balanced blend producing an excellent smoke output with a smooth profile of cedar, soft spice, and a hint of earth complemented by raw almonds and vanilla cream. This medium strength figurado leaves behind a tight, compact ash.

$ 10.40

Perdomo ESV Connecticut

N I CA R AG UA

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Delivers a subtle core of wood, soft spice, and a hint of sweetness. This consistently wellconstructed belicoso draws and burns flawlessly while leaving behind a tight, gray ash. Mild strength.

$ 16.70 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

No. 2 6 1/8 52 USA/Connecticut Nicaragua Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Covered with a clean, golden wrapper with a supple feel. This mild blend produces tons of thick smoke with a core of spice, wood, and tea accompanied by a touch of vanilla cream.

"Collect them all, limited edition”

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

TORO Oliveros Gran Retorno 2 Connecticut

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

$ 8.1 4 Fiddle 6 54 Honduras Nicaragua Nicaragua

Gurkha Real

A flavorful blend with a balanced profile of cedar, cashews, and cream joined by notes of citrus and subtle spice. This mild to medium strength toro is covered with a light brown wrapper with an orange hue.

$ 8.50

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 54 Ecuador Dominican Republic Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Debonaire Daybreak

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Creamy and smooth with a core of nuts, cinnamon, tea, and a touch of spice and leather on the finish. This mild to medium bodied blend is covered with a clean, golden colored wrapper and provides a firm draw and an even burn.

$ 13.00

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 50 Ecuador Dominican Republic Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Victor Calvo Connecticut

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Opens with a profile of wood, cinnamon, and allspice complemented by cream, nuts, and a hint of leather. Mild to medium bodied and covered with a supple, light brown wrapper with slight veins showing.

$ 6.50

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 50 Ecuador Ecuador Nicaragua

Matilde Serena

N I CA R AG UA Impeccably constructed and covered with a beautiful, golden colored wrapper. This firmly packed toro draws and burns exceptionally while producing flavors of wood, smooth pepper, and earth balanced by a touch of creamy sweetness.

$ 8.50

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro Bravo 6 1/2 54 Ecuador Dominican Republic Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Balmoral Añejo XO Connecticut

88 72 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

N I CA R AG UA

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Covered with a thin, light brown wrapper with a soft, supple feel. This mild smoke is consistently well-made providing an excellent draw and a slightly wavy burn while producing a profile with subtle notes of wood, soft spice, and a touch of cream.

$ 11.03 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Gran Toro 6 52 USA/Connecticut Ecuador USA, Brazil & Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Delivers a core of wood, sour apple, and subtle pepper accompanied by a touch of black tea. This mild bodied smoke is well-constructed and covered with a matte, light brown wrapper with a bit of tooth.

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

TORO Crowned Heads Mil Dias

$ 10.75

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Double Robusto 6 3/8 50 Ecuador Nicaragua Peru, Costa Rica & Nicaragua

Casa Fernandez Reserva Corojo

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 54 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

USA A thick, well-made toro covered with a milk chocolate colored wrapper with a beautiful sheen and thin veins. Medium to full bodied with a core of earth, pepper, roasted nuts, and cedar accompanied by a rich, creamy sweetness.

$ 9.50 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

Cohiba Serie M

H O N D UR AS Draws and burns beautifully while producing an excellent output of thick, medium bodied smoke. Delivers a smooth core of cedar, roasted nuts, and tanned leather balanced by a pepper zing. Covered with a neatly applied, light brown wrapper.

$ 2 9.99

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 52 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

CAO Zócalo

USA A beautifully constructed toro with a toothy, walnut brown wrapper finished with a neat fantail and a covered foot. Opens with a smooth and slightly sweet, pepper, and earth core accompanied by subtle notes of citrus and tanned leather.

$ 8.1 9

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 1/4 54 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

Punch Signature

H O N D UR AS Opens with a combination of earth and ripe fruit sweetness joined by subtle pepper and wood. This slow-burning toro is covered with a medium to dark brown wrapper with slight veins showing. Medium strength.

$ 8.19

88 74 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

Impeccably constructed and covered with a nearly flawless, rich brown wrapper with excellent oils. This medium to full strength toro has a core of pepper, earth, and wood complemented by a slightly sweet creaminess on the finish.

$ 10.6 8

Oscar Valladares Ciseron Yellow

N I CA R AG UA

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Pita 6 50 Ecuador USA/Connecticut Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

H O N D UR AS Delivers an easy draw producing a core of earth, wood, pepper, and nuts accompanied by subtle notes of citrus and tea. Mild to medium bodied and covered with a toothy, medium brown wrapper with good sheen.

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

TORO Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial

$ 10.80 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 50 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 52 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

N I CA R AG UA Rich and flavorful with a medium to full strength profile of dark chocolate, sweet espresso, pepper, and roasted nuts accompanied by more subtle notes of cedar and cream. Flawlessly constructed and covered with a near perfect, dark brown wrapper.

$ 21.10 Toro 6 54 Ecuador Mexico Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Undercrown Maduro

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Exceptionally balanced and flavorful with notes of oak, leather, and almond cream accompanied by a touch of sweet spice. This medium bodied blend draws and burns perfectly while leaving behind a solid, compact ash.

$ 8.92

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Gran Toro 6 52 Mexico USA/Connecticut Brazil & Nicaragua

Villiger Cuellar Black Forest

N I CA R AG UA At once earthy and sweet with a flavorful complement of smooth pepper, raisin, dark chocolate, and a touch of wood on the finish. This medium strength toro is consistently well made and covered with a dark, oily wrapper.

$ 8.40 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro Gordo 6 54 Mexico Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

CAO Arcana Mortal Coil

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Impeccably box-pressed and finished with a dark brown wrapper showing thin veins. This medium-plus strength blend is ultra-flavorful with a core of oak, red pepper, and dark chocolate accompanied by toasted nut and ripe fruit.

$ 10.99

89 76 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

Beautifully balanced and complex with a flavorful profile of dark chocolate, smooth pepper, cedar, and roasted almonds complemented by a rich leather note on the finish. This dark, well-constructed cigar produces an abundant smoke output.

$ 13.00

Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour

N I CA R AG UA

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Toro 6 1/8 50 USA/Connecticut USA/Connecticut Nicaragua, Honduras & Dominican Republic

N I CA R AG UA Covered with a dark and highly aromatic wrapper, this medium to full strength toro has a profile of sweet, overripe fruits, black pepper, wood, and a touch of espresso. Draws and burns well while leaving behind a solid, white ash.

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

ROBUSTO Viva la Vida

$ 11.00

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Robusto 5 54 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

My Father La Promesa

This exceptionally constructed, medium to full strength smoke delivers a flavorful profile of pepper, wood, and earth balanced by a creamy blend of chocolate, roasted nuts, and a hint of leather. Consistently produces a perfect draw and burn.

$ 8.80

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Robusto Grande 5 1/2 54 Ecuador NIcaragua NIcaragua

Herrera Esteli Habano

N I CA R AG UA Covered with a dark brown wrapper showing good oils and a toothy texture. This exceptionally constructed smoke has a profile of earth, oak, and pepper balanced by notes of chocolate, almond cream, and a touch of brown sugar. Medium to full strength.

$ 9.12

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Robusto Extra 5 1/4 52 Ecuador Honduras Nicaragua

E.P. Carrillo Encore

N I CA R AG UA Exceptionally well made and covered with a nearly flawless wrapper. This medium bodied smoke produces an excellent smoke output while delivering a core of soft pepper, roasted nuts, and earth accompanied by more subtle notes of coffee, earth, and brown sugar.

$ 12.50

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Majestic 5 3/8 52 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Extremely flavorful and creamy with a core of cedar, roasted almonds, milk chocolate, and red pepper. This medium strength, pressed robusto is covered with a nearly flawless, reddish brown wrapper.

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

Robusto 5 50 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Casa Cuba

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Delivers a profile of earth, smooth pepper, and molasses accompanied by more subtle notes of leather and cocoa finished with a touch of cream. This medium plus strength robusto is covered with a clean, darkish brown wrapper.

$ 11.90

90 78 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

N I CA R AG UA

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Doble Cinco 5 50 Ecuador Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A flavorful and creamy robusto covered with a thin wrapper and finished with a slight boxpress. Delivers a medium strength blend of cedar, cinnamon, and nuts complemented by smooth pepper and a touch of caramel.

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

ROBUSTO HVC Hot Cake

$ 8.50

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Laguito #4 4 1/2 52 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

Espressivo 5 50 Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

No. 5 5 50 Ecuador Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

Ultra-flavorful and consistently well constructed. Covered with a flawless, dark brown wrapper with excellent sheen, this medium plus strength blend opens with a core of pepper, oak, and clove complemented by a sweet and creamy finish.

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Opens with tons of bittersweet chocolate, black coffee, and cedar accompanied by more subtle notes of currant and leather. This wellmade robusto draws and burns well producing tons of thick, aromatic smoke.

$ 15.60 Robusto 5 50 USA/Connecticut Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

Rocky Patel Tavicusa

D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C Covered with a dark, oily wrapper showing prominent veins, this medium strength robusto delivers a core of wood, ripe fruit, and spice accompanied by a touch of bittersweet cocoa. Provides an easy draw leaving behind a solid, light gray ash.

$ 10.55

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Robusto 5 1/2 50 Mexico Nicaragua Nicaragua

Nat Cicco Aniversario 1965 Liga No. 4

87 80 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

N I CA R AG UA

$ 12.50

La Aurora 100 Años Edición Especial

A complex and exceptionally balanced blend delivering notes of dark chocolate, cedar, espresso, and leather complemented by sweet pepper and a hint of earth. Produces an abundant output of thick, heavy smoke. Medium plus strength.

$ 10.65

Diamond Crown Maximus

N I CA R AG UA

VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:

N I CA R AG UA Opens with a blast of red pepper and earth accompanied by bittersweet chocolate, ripe fruit, and oak. Medium plus strength and covered with a dark brown wrapper with a coarse texture. Consistently draws easy and burns even.

$ 7.20 Robusto 5 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua

N I CA R AG UA Aesthetically near flawless, this dark robusto is covered with an oily wrapper and finished with a pigtail and covered foot. Delivers a core of sweet earth, graphite, charred oak, and chicory. Produces a dark gray ash.

MAY / JUN 2021 | 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 ) Rocky Patel @RockyPatelCigar ................................................ Drew Estate Cigars @DrewEstateCigar .................................... 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 ................................................... Punch Cigars @punchcigars .................................................... Ernesto Padilla @PadillaCigars ................................................ AJ Fernandez @ajfcigars ......................................................... La Palina Cigars @La PalinaCigars ........................................... Avo Cigars @AvoCigars ...........................................................

35624 34012 28376 26173 20524 20426 18820 18211 18180 16184 15200 14794 13483 12931 12904 12683 12611 12455 11506 11208

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

15921 12827 10738 7644 7461 6309 6225 5044 4993 4169

TOP ONLINE CIGAR TWEEPLES David Voth–Sex, Cigars, & Booze @SexCigarsBooze ................. Cigar News @CigaRSS ............................................................ Cigar Events @CigarEvents ..................................................... Cigar Federation @CigarFederation ......................................... Robusto Cigar Babe @RobustoBabe ........................................ Cigar Dojo @CigarDojo ............................................................ Stogie Boys @StogieBoys ....................................................... Cigar Evaluations @CigarEvaluation ........................................ The Stogie Guys @stogieguys .................................................. Cigar Inspector @CigarInspector .............................................

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143029 16782 14605 11607 10878 8405 8179 7984 7610 7205

Cigar Rights of America @cigarrights ...................................... 14386 Premium Cigar Association @PCA1933 .................................... 8465 Tobacconist University @tobacconistU ................................... 4411

TOP CIGAR RADIO Cigar Dave Show @CigarDaveShow ........................................ 10399 KMA Talk Radio @KMATalkRadio ............................................. 2174 Cigars and Scotch @CigarScotch ............................................ 1925

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

@stogiechik So great to meet @ chasefireclub at the @tobaccoplusexpo She’s so lovely inside & out! Be sure to visit her new lounge and follow her lounge page @la_biblioteca_ placentia

@toscanocigars Our 40 female cigar rollers are the key to Toscano cigar’s uniqueness. Their manual skills, patience and concentration are fundamental factors for the success of the Toscano cigar. #Toscanocigar #Toscanocigars #firecured #cigarsnobmag

HANDMADE IN ESTELI, NICARAGUA W W W. D R E W E S TAT E . C O M MAY / JUN 2021 | 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 ................................................... Drew Estate Cigars @drewestatecigar ..................................... Davidoff Cigars @davidoffcigars ............................................. Rocky Patel @rockypatelcigar ................................................. Epic Cigars @epiccigars ......................................................... Arturo Fuente @arturofuentecigars ......................................... Xikar Inc @xikar ..................................................................... Gurkha Cigars @gurkhacigars ................................................. Boveda @BovedaInc ............................................................... Camacho Cigars @camachocigars ........................................... La Flor Dominicana @LFDCigars .............................................. Ashton Cigars @ashtoncigar ................................................... AJ Fernandez @ajfcigars ......................................................... My Father Cigars @myfathercigars .......................................... Alec Bradley Cigars @alecbradleycigar .................................... Oliva Cigar Co. @olivacigar ..................................................... Joya de Nicaragua @joyacigars ............................................... Nick Perdomo @Perdomocigars .............................................. E. P. Carrillo Cigars @epcarrillo_cigars .................................... Plasencia Cigars @plasenciacigars .........................................

Premium Cigar Association @PCA1933 .................................... 12456 Operation: Cigar for Warriors @cigarsforwarriors .................... 10805 Cigar Rights of America @cigarrightsofamerica ....................... 3171

143695 117785 109734 96205 94916 83592 72203 71515 68489 66875 60742 57307 54191 54167 50155 49469 45297 45073 44613 40495

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

54596 48745 47567 30068 27567 26310 24989 23908 20574 17908

TOP ONLINE CIGAR INFLUENCERS ON INSTAGRAM Delicia-Creator-Influencer @cigarvixen ................................... Naked Cigar @nakedcigar ....................................................... Cigar Lover @cigarlover12 ...................................................... Eric Theoneandonly @scotchandtime ...................................... Cigars / Smoke.Laugh.Live @world.of.cigars ............................ Nikki @cigarpassionista .......................................................... Liz Cigar Life Style @remarkable_liz ........................................ Melanie Sisco @lilsiscokidd21 ................................................. Elaine Lilley @elainelilleyhawaii ............................................... Girls With Cigars @girlswithcigars ...........................................

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82528 63253 59978 49091 38773 34534 32866 28268 28043 27623

TOP CIGAR RADIO Cigar Dave Show @cigardave ................................................. 3213 KMA Talk Radio @KMATalkRadio ............................................. 1578 Cigars and Scotch @cigar_and_scotch .................................... 823

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

@davidangeloroman

The first show where I can (legally) smoke cigars DURING show hours!!! The TPE21 in Las Vegas... where the best of the best come! PS, this Blanco Cigar is amazing! @tobaccoplusexpo #blancocigars

@cigarloveaffair

What a beautiful evening to enjoy Mike G premium cigar @8eightyeightcigarlounge @mikegthatsnice

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS DOWNTOWN CIGAR BAR’S 6TH ANNIVERSARY Ft. Lauderdale

Downtown Cigar Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, celebrated its sixth anniversary with an open-air party featuring the musical stylings of Bamboo Taxi with Ms. Desiree on vocals. The Eats 876 Caribbean Grill food truck provided complimentary food for everyone in attendance and the cocktails were flowing from the top shelf of Downtown Cigar Bar’s extensive selection. After having to cancel their 5-year anniversary party due to the pandemic, owners Ozzie Gomez and Ciro Rodriguez went all out to celebrate year 6.

86 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS ROCKY PATEL’S 60TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Naples, Fla.

Rocky Patel held a private birthday bash for his closest friends and family at Stock Ranch in Naples, Florida. The venue, with its immaculate stables and impeccable landscaping, made for a stunning backdrop for the evening. There were open bars serving high end wine and spirits at every turn and food from local restaurants including some of the best Indian food on Florida’s west coast. The highlight of the evening was the pre-release tasting of the Rocky Patel Sixty, a beautifully box-pressed blend coming to cigar stores in the summer.

88 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS SECRETARIAT DERBY PARTY AT INDUSTRIAL CIGAR CO. Frisco, Tex.

Derby Day at Industrial Cigar Co. in Frisco, Texas, and the cigars, hats and whiskey created the winning trifecta for fans of “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” The event was the official bottle drop for the Woodford Reserve Rye Secretariat, a special selection rye named after the legendary Triple Crown winner. Participants also took part in an unofficial ‘slow smoke’ competition hosted by Principle Cigar’s Darren Cioffi, himself a former Cigar Smoking World Champion.

Ty Demery, Beglije Frakes and Mo Sauls

Andrew Frakes and Diana Sullivan

Brandon Frakes, Bizzy B and Joe Young

90 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

Megan Byers, Kathleen Borunda, Kecia Klause, Kayla Parker, Rhonda Alexis and Clarissa Hutkowski

Adrian and Kathleen Borunda

Ryan Mangabang and Denise Caudill

Brandon and Dave Frakes

Johnnie Goodner and Dave Frakes

Megan Byers and Niki Hensley

Adam Daskivich

Clarissa Hutkowski and Rhonda Alexis

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS MY FATHER CIGARS & EMILIO SAUMA AT EMPIRE SOCIAL Brickell, Fla.

An event catering to art and cigar lovers drew a packed house at Empire Social in the Brickell neighborhood in Miami. The team from My Father Cigars was on hand with deals on all My Father lines as well as raffle items including a limited edition Flor de Las Antillas humidor. In addition to the world-class smokes on display, Emilio Sauma’s acclaimed art lined the walls of Empire Social for one night. Josef Joudeh, Joaquin Saladrigas, Mike Freire and Jose Ortega

Emilio Sauma

Joaquin Saladrigas and Melanie Sisco

Jose Ortega, Santiago Jiménez and Joaquin Saladrigas

Willie González, Nelson Olive, Anibal Ruiz, Joaquin Saladrigas and Santiago Jiménez

92 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

Chris Malek and Peter Bernsten

Raj T and Kiana Wise

Massiel Prieto and Max Artaza

Alexis García, Andre Artidiello, Eddie García and Adrian Artidiello

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS ESPINOSA CIGAR OF THE YEAR LUNCH AT CAFÉ CATULA Miami

The private lunch outing at Café Catula celebrated Espinosa Laranja Reserva Escuro’s ranking as 2020 Cigar of the Year. The event was organized by friend and customer of Espinosa Cigars, Nawfal Ziane of Miami, and was attended by fans of Espinosa as well as Erik Espinosa himself along with AJ Fernández, Cava Cigar’s Angel Aguayo, and the Cigar Snob team. The food was excellent, the wine was flowing, and the cigars were second to none, literally.

Erik Calviño and Erik Espinosa

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AJ Fernández, Nawfal Ziane, and Erik Espinosa

Raul Caminero and Isabel Zaiter Ciccone

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS NESTOR MIRANDA PRIVATE RESERVE LAUNCH AT EMPIRE SOCIAL Miami

Miami Cigars kicked off the release of the super-limited Nestor Miranda Private Reserve with a launch party at Empire Social Lounge in Miami. Attendees were among the first to smoke the 6 ¾ x 40 lancero and Nestor Miranda autographed all boxes purchased that night. The box’s blue Spanish tile pattern is a nod to the city of Miami’s vibrant Hispanic community. Nestor Miranda said, “I wanted this brand to not just be a celebration of my birthday but also my adoptive city of Miami.”

Dr. Bobby Singer and Nestor Miranda

Felix Valdés, Belkys Sánchez and Gio Bertolotti

Jacoub Guirguis and Juan López

96 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

Patrick Bush, Nestor Miranda and Danny Delgado

Yirka and Alex Marban, Willy Marante and Janette Díaz

Jairo Feria and Frank Delgado

Gustavo Pallais, Juan Díaz and Elmer Hidalgo

Gustavo and Valeska Chacón

Matthew Falla and Carlos Prieto

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

EVENTS OLIVA CIGARS AT TWIN PEAKS Hollywood, Fla.

The Broward Cigar Board teamed up with Oliva and Neptune Cigars to unite the cigar community for a night of cigars, brews, and good times. The event was held at the newly opened Twin Peaks restaurant in Hollywood, Florida, on the second floor terrace. Albert Sosa from Oliva Cigars engaged with guests and hosted the evening’s raffle for Oliva swag including cutters, ashtrays and killer wall art.

Rick Cordova and Katherine Kimoto

Daniela and Dino Morales

98 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021

Josh Nyce, Omar Paz, and Dan Nelson

Mr. and Mrs. Julian Spring

Arnesah Jones, Jessika Musawwir, Sedric Lowery, and Jesus López

MAY / JUN 2021 | CIGAR SNOB |

100 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2021