Oh What an Awful Feeling, Toyota… & Tiger
A Couple of Asian American Meltdowns In a horrible economy where new cars aren’t selling at all, it’s un-fathomable that a leading automaker like Toyota could f@#k up so severely. To this date they have recalled 8 million cars with severe accelerator problems, a load of Prius green-mobiles with brake problems, Tacoma pick-ups, and now a [...]
Categories: Cigars, Uncategorized Tags:
First Impression – Gurkha Evil
I believe this cigar was given to me either by Ed or someone at Ed’s shop. I can only go by my first impression of this cigar, as I only have one to smoke. I think I recall Matt not liking the Evil very much. I thought I’d let mine sit awhile before offering my [...]
Categories: Cigar Reviews, Cigars, evil, Gurkha Tags:
Day Three: A Tribute to Cigars
They stood at the back of the makeshift room set up inside the cigar factory with a podium at the front and rows of tables arranged for a cigar seminar conducted by the owner of Matasa , and the creator of the Casa Magna , Fonseca and the new Quesada brands.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
A Lot of Tobacco
Some people collect stamps, others collect fine wines, but the cigarmakers in the Dominican Republic collect cigar tobacco. The big companies that roll cigars here tend to have amazing stocks of tobacco—bale upon bale upon bale. Catching up from my last update, I spent Wednesday at General Cigar Dominicana , one of the biggest cigar factories in the Dominican Republic.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
Day Two: ProCigar Festival
I won't give you the details about last night's ProCigar Festival dinner. Suffice it to say I did not escape the merengue dance contest, which was officiated by Jos é Blanco of La Aurora. He called on me to come up to the stage and show the world how little I knew about the local dance step; all I can say is, "Wait 'til next year's Big Smoke, Jos é.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
Jameson Declaration
The Declaration is the latest offering from the Jameson Cigar Company. Not long ago Brad Mayo of Jameson Cigars offered to send me a couple to review. Naturally I accepted his gracious offer and shortly afterwards the smokes arrived. After some rest in my humidor, I filled up a glass of water and smoked the [...]
Categories: Cigar Reviews, Cigars, declaration, jameson Tags:
Back in CigarLand
I'm back in the Dominican Republic, land of cigars. I'm always amazed when I realize how much time has passed since my last visit here because it always feel like I should come here all the time. At the same time, I always remember my first visit here back in 1992.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
In the Fields of La Canela
Tuesday in the Dominican Republic. The ProCigar Festival doesn't officially begin here in Santiago until Wednesday, so I planned to spend this day meeting people who aren't part of the organization. The idea was to spend the morning with Mike Chiusano of Cusano Cigars, but he had to cancel at the 11th hour, so that left my morning free.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
Visiting a Cigar Master in the Dominican Republic
I spent Monday afternoon in Santiago, Dominican Republic, with one of the true masters of the cigar business, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. You know him from his years at La Gloria Cubana, first in Miami, later in the Dominican Republic. La Gloria was the first real star of the American cigar boom of the mid-1990s, and that was due to the hard work of Ernesto, who made a damn fine cigar and sold it at an honest price He's no longer with La Gloria, and now he's making a new cigar brand in a new cigar factory called Tabacalera La Alianza.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
Back in the Dominican Republic
I just landed in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where more premium cigars are made than any other place on earth. I'm here for the annual ProCigar Festival, a gathering of some of the country's biggest names in cigars, for a week of immersion in cigar country.
Categories: Cigars Tags:
