Monday, July 8, 2013

The CCBR Miami Cigar Tour!

The CCBR Miami Cigar Tour – Trial Run

On Friday, July 5th a good buddy and I decided to give our tour a trial run.  Our goal was to stake out some of the best shops and cigar factories in Miami, and see how feasible a tour from Palm Beach would be.

The start and end points were very easy for me to decide…it would be The Smoke Inn in Boynton Beach.  Owner Abe is the hardest working man in the cigar biz, and just does every event right.  I knew that if The Smoke Inn was involved, this would have to be a high quality tour, with lots to see and do.


Our first stop on the tour was the Nick Perdomo cigar factory.  It was fitting that as we drove up there were two giant 18 wheeler trucks in front, and one was still unloading!  Imagine not one, but two giant trucks bringing a payload of fresh cigars ready to be shipped all over the world.


We were greeted by Daisy at the front desk, and even though she’s at the front desk, you can tell she runs the whole thing!  We knew we had to stay on Daisy’s good side in order to get the private tour we were hoping for.  Daisy did not disappoint, and neither did our tour.  From the giant humidor, to Nick’ office, where he has a pair of Shaq’s size Gigantic sneakers, to the warehouse in the back were thousands of cigar boxes were getting ready to go out.  This one stays on the list a must stop on our tour.


Second stop was a shop that epitomizes the Miami cigar culture, Cuban Crafters in Hialeah.  It’s just that this place has a little bit of everything.  We started with the newly redesigned lounge and restaurant, and although different proprietors own it, you get the vibe it’s all one big place.  This is a sure bet to be our midday stop so we can eat here as well.  Then you walk into the store, and it’s just one overwhelming scene after another.  From the 10 cigar rolling stations, to the humidors, rocking chairs, domino tables, giant humidor, thousands of cigars and of course, a barber shop, just in case you need a ‘little off the side’ while enjoying your cigar.  This is an absolute stop on our tour.


From here things opened up a bit, and we both agreed, it would be a perfect way to continue the tour.  We headed down to SW 8th street, more famously known as ‘Calle Ocho’ in ‘Little Havana’.  This is a little slice of earth that remains deeply grounded in the Cuban culture.  From the shops to the art to the dominos and people playing, to of course, the cigars, this is as close to Cuba as you can get.

We hit three different shops within walking distance of each other, La Tradicion Cubana, Cuba Tobacco and The Little Havana Cigar Factory.  Each had it’s own distinct flavor and history and each had amazing cigars for sale.  We particularly enjoyed the Little Havana Cigar Factory, which for all intensive purposes is one big giant humidor.  From the minute you walk in, and everywhere you go in the store, you enjoy the perfect temperature and humidity for all those yummy cigars on display.  Not to mention, one of the biggest selection of Padron Cigars we’ve ever seen.

We’re thinking we may need to come up with 2 or 3 different tours to get everything we think you’ll enjoy.  Other tours we’re considering would include stores like ‘Sabor Havana’, ‘Nepturn Cigars Superstore’, ‘Havana Humidor Cigars’ and ‘Absolute Cigar Shop’.  We’d also like to include other lounges like ‘Deco Drive Cigars’, ‘Havana Group Cigar Club’, ‘El Clique Cigar Lounge’ and ‘Aromas of Havana’.  And of course, no tour is complete without a few more cigar factories like ‘Wynwood Cigar Factory’, ‘Padron Cigars’, ‘My Father Cigars’, ‘El Titan De Bronze’, ‘G.R. Tabacaleras, and….I guess we’re gonna need more than 3 tours!


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