A Local Legend!

There are so many rich traditions in the cigar industry it's easy to see why it keeps thriving.  A trade that dates back to 1492, when you know who landed in Cuba and found Cuban natives smoking a type of cigar, much less reformed than the product we enjoy today.

None the less, many Cuban families began to cultivate their fields and make their mark in this trade as far back as the mid 18th century.

These are the stories that draw me in, much like a good cigar draws you in.  One such story is that of the Salazar family.  Since 1810 when the Salazar family settled in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, they have been growing some of the worlds best tobacco and handcrafting fine Cuban cigars.

At 12 noon every day, the 4 Salazar brothers would meet in the porch of elder brother Mario's house.  Mario would open his burlap bag which contained the finest tobacco leaves of the farm's harvest. The cured leaves were perfect in appearance and taste.  They were envied by all the farmers in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba's prime tobacco growing region.

I had the privilege recently to take part in this tradition when I lit up a J.L. Salazar Hermanos Reserva Especial Maduro Torpedo I purchased at The Cuban Crafters store.  It was so obvious to me as I walked around the humidor that this was going to be an incredible cigar, and I was not disappointed.

You know you're in for a treat when the look and feel of a cigar is enough to tell you about the quality of it's craftsmanship.  The cigar had a nice spice when I first put it in my mouth, and just lit up like a Christmas tree, ready to shine and sparkle for all to see.

The cigar is no longer made in Cuba of course, but the filler is sun-grown Cuban Seed Habano from Tabacalera Esteli, cigar factory in Nicaragua, and the brain trust of another industry legend Henry Kiki Berger, or 'Don Kiki' as everyone calls him.

The binder is a Cuban Seed Habano leaf and the wrapper is a smooth, silky, oily Maduro Cuban-seed leaf.  This triple threat Cuban delivers on every level, and has made me a true fan for life!  Their website says the leaves are aged for over 4 years through 4 hanging fermentations.  They claim it's the same curing process that the Salazar brothers brought over from Cuba and what makes the cigar so special.

No argument here, as I and everyone else lucky enough to get their hands on these will be quick to attest. This is the type of premium cigar that could easily retail for top dollar, but in fact, the cigar is moderately priced and just makes it the icing on the cake.

If you're a fan of maduro cigars, medium to full-bodied, earthy and peppery tones - grab this one up quick.  They are made in limited quantities and you don't want to be left out.  Thank you Salazar brothers for continuing such an awesome tradition and giving the cigar industry another top quality smoke.

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Let me Introduce you to PDR!

Ok, so you may already be well acquainted with this maganificent smoke (and I know many people are based on the 'Likes' on our FB page), but I don’t believe it gets the respect and attention that it deserves.

I came across this PDR (Pinar Del Rio – just so happens to be where my Dad was born in Cuba) 1878 Capa Oscura as I was skipping along in the giant humidor of Cuban Crafters in Miami.  I practically came to a dead stop as if the cigar was staring at me and saying, go ahead, I dare you.

I’m not sure if I’m at the point where I can actually hear cigars speak, but I promise you that this one was talking to me!  I answered, ‘Oh, you think you're big time…you’re gonna get smoked, BIG TIME!’.  And with that I grabbed a couple of these beauties and headed for the register.  We had several more words on the ride home, but that same evening I couldn’t take it any longer.  I gave it my favorite V-cut, and took a torch to it, then POOF, it came to life!

This is an all Dominican cigar, made by Abe Flores of Pinar Del Rio.  The oily 5x52 was looking for trouble and boy did it find it.  It was a smoky and flavorful journey that excited my pallet, but never overwhelmed me.  Despite it’s darker (Oscura) color, it remained mild to medium and just kept delivering solid flavor all the way down to the nub.

The draw was even, the smoke continued to billow out of the cigar after every puff, and ultimately was an extremely enjoyable smoke.  I need to dig around a little more and see what else Abe Flores has to offer, and if it’s anything like this, I guess many more are gonna get ‘smoked!’.

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As close to Cuba as you can get; A trip to Cuban Crafters in Hialeah, FL.

I’m all over the Cuban Crafters cigar company right now having made the pilgrimage to their headquarters in the Hialeah area of Miami this week.  Walking into this store is like taking a trip back in time to when good friends got together over a cigar and just shared a real good time together, for no particular reason except the comradery.

The building is huge, the cigars are everywhere, the walk-in humidor is bigger than most other entire smoke shops.  When you first walk in there is a giant counter/cashier area where a few of the lovely ladies that work there are happily attending customers.

To the left is a large area where master cigar rollers are throwing down!  Leaf after leaf, these craftsmen delicately turn, mold, cut and press this precious cargo into some of the best local smokes in town.  Across from the center counter is the largest walk in humidor I’ve ever been in, with just rows and rows of cigars from floor to ceiling.

To the right of the humidor is, get this, a barber shop!  Where else can you enjoy a premium cigar and get your haircut at the same time?  Just to the right of that is a Cuban coffee counter, where all the espresso coffee you want is FREE!  In front of that is a collection of humidors like you’ve never seen before, every size, color and shape you can imagine.

Walk into the next room and you’ll find a dozen or so rocking chairs, just waiting to gently rock your worries away as you puff on a juicy maduro!  In the same room there are racks of Cuban Guavera shirts, in all colors and sizes, more humidors as well as beautiful artwork depicting scenes from Cuba.

But wait, there’s more! 

The next room is decorated to look like your walking down a street in Old Havana.  Complete with the ‘Bodega Del Medio’ sign from a famous store in Cuba, this section has four domino tables, and at 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon, you had to wait to get a seat to play!

This is some hard-core old school, double nine Cuban domino so you better bring your A game.  In this room there are also beautiful laminate domino tables for sale with authentic artwork mostly based on Cuban landmarks and culture.

The cigar I tried was a J.L. Salazar “Hermanos” maduro.  Man oh man, just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, this cigar seriously blew me away.  From start to finish, it was smooth, strong enough for my tastes and delicious down to the nub!  A must definite buy by the bundle!

To say I felt like a kid in a candy store would be an understatement.  Top it all off with some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and it’s not an exaggeration when I say I wanted to move in.  Thanks to Don Kiki for making me feel right at home, this place really embellishes all that is good about the cigar industry and I can only hope that it remains that way for generations to come!

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Love that cig’GAR’!

There’s a man by the name of George Rico, who has quite a family history in the cigar industry. Now in the company’s fourth generation it’s George who has been tasked with growing the family legacy.

I saw George recently at The Great Smoke in West Palm Beach, and he passed me a stick of the new GAR Opium. He also more than kiddingly suggested I should turn that band into a ring for him, which we would be honored to do.

In any case, last night I pulled out the Opium and gave it a proper cedar stick light! Already a big fan of the brand and the Gran Habano’s which I probably smoke more than any other cigar, I was truly looking forward to this one.

 I am glad to say it did not disappoint even in the slightest. The stick lit up instantly and gave me some delicious flavors and spices right off the bat. It had a very unique flavor that also came through and lent a bit of sweetness to it, which balanced it off nicely. The first third was just about as pleasant as a cigar can be.

The second third continued to draw easily, burn evenly and offer plenty of flavor and smoke. I actually saw as I exhaled the swaths of smoke escaping through my screened in porch riding on the breezes of the beautiful day. Oh what a site!

The last third did push back a little bit, and turned somewhat stronger to the palette. It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying it, I think I was just hungry and decided to turn it off before I got to the true nub. I always try and smoke cigars I enjoy down to the nub, and although I did enjoy this one, it didn’t quite make it.

Overall, loved the smoke, and the band is just as awesome. If I can only get George’s ring size we can get this done! Thanks again George, you are making the cigar tradition proud. Keep up the great work.

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