The last time I was in Cuba with my friends, we spent an afternoon drinking Cuban rum and smoking cigars at the tobacco farm of Alejandro Robaina. He became friendly with many of us, including taking a genuine affection for my father.
Senor Robaina will be missed by many.
Senor Robaina passed on Saturday April 17, 2010. Here are some of the reports:
This past Saturday night I was thrown into a time warp of epic proportions. The place was Manhattan… New York City…the Big Apple… you’ve heard of it, I’m sure. I started the afternoon hooking up with my friend Denny, who was visiting from the left coast. We met at Club Macanudo on East 63rd for lunch, cigars, and a major-league round of throwing the bull. Ah, the food was great, but now we’re off to midtown to a cigar shop for more smoking and hanging with the locals. Seven o’clock the place closes and we kill an hour at a ritzy hotel bar on 6th Avenue. But then the clock strikes eight, and we are magically teleported to a time when life was a bit simpler and men were truly men.
Denny has set up our evening for some classic New York cool at the Carnegie Club on 57th Street. I’ve wanted to go there forever though I just never seemed to make it, but my buddy makes it his stomping ground each time into the city, so I tagged along for the night… and wow am I so glad that I did.
For you cigar lovers in the audience, the Carnegie Club is a swank throwback to the forties and fifties, a time when men were kings of the castle… a time when you could groove on music of the era, enjoy a nice pour of whisky, good conversation, and of course, your favorite cigar. Thank God that the tyrannical Mayor Bloomberg has somehow grandfathered this place, allowing cigar smoking to continue in the tradition of old New York.
The club itself is elegant, stylish, with a nostalgic feel that transports you to a time and place of decades past. The look and feel is plush – small couches and leather chairs, along with a well stocked bar and humidor. There are 18th century hand-carved wooden bookcases filled with leather-bound classics, a stone fireplace, funky art deco wall covering, and a more private mezzanine 
above. And best of all, the patrons are wonderfully friendly, well dressed, and all there for the same reason – to enjoy life the way it was truly meant to be.
While the club was just what I needed, the best part was yet to come. Denny happens to be good friends with Mr. Steven Maglio – and Steven Maglio just happens to sing the world’s finest renditions of Frank Sinatra – a performance so fabulous that even old blue eyes himself does a double take from the great beyond each time Stevie sings. And the best part is that Maglio does two Sinatra sets each and every Saturday night at the Carnegie Club.
Now admittedly, I’ve grown up on a steady diet of Zepplin, Queen, Judas Priest, Metallica and Alice In Chains – and Sinatra was never really my bag. It’s not that I didn’t like him or appreciate what he did, I just never really got into that scene. But I have to tell you, Steve Maglio blew my doors off with his voice and style and I have walked into a new world of cool and sophistication that I never, ever thought I would embrace. Now he’s not an impersonator – to me impersonators are so karaoke. Steve’s voice is flawless and his charisma lights up the room, and in his own words, “I do it my way.” Hey plays in front of a live eleven-piece band, the Stan Rubin Orchestra and goddamn, they get 
the place jumping, starting with some classic swing era faves, then straight into the Frankie serenade. Steve does two completely different sets at 8:30 and 11:30 pm, and the place is packed (or shall I say, Rat Packed) with old fans, and new fans, just like myself.
So picture hanging at the swanky bar with a group of ultra cool cats – including boxing legend, Renaldo Snipes (what a gentleman) singing, smoking premium hand-rolds, sipping single malt, and listening to music that was from a time when the politically correct weren’t trying to protect us all from ourselves (and least I not forget – enough fine tail to get any man just a little bit crazy.) The term “It don’t get any better than this” certainly applies, my friends. I had such an amazing time and simply can’t wait to go back. Hopefully, I’m hooking up with Denny and Steve later in the week, and fun will continue on! It’s up to you. New York, New York.
So there you go – a pretty wild ride in the Big Apple this weekend and I’m game for another round. I think a MaCallans 12 and a Montecristo Certified Vintage for lunch is certainly in order.
JR CIGARS Blog With the Zman
The Casa Fernandez Arsenio 2009 is named after Arsenio Ramos, who blends cigars for Tabacalera Tropical. What compelled me to pick some of these up was the price, and the fact that this is a nice looking cigar. As always, I paired this cigar with water and offer you my thoughts.
Wrapper: Nicaragua Cuban seed 2006
Binder/Filler: Nicaragua
Size: Robusto 5 1/4 x 54
Price: Around $5.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
The wrapper looked good, with no major flaws and small to medium veins here and there. When I sniffed the wrapper and foot, I got a mild cedar. Squeezing the cigars length, I found it to be tightly and evenly packed. The pre-light draw was a little stiff, and had a woody/earthy flavor.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch.
Flavor:
The first third immediately hit me with pepper and espresso. Slight sweet notes were in the background, but I couldn’t pin a flavor to it.
The second third kept that nice spicy peppery zing. Espresso or coffee remained the dominant flavor, while a slight dry cocoa appeared from time to time.
Like before, espresso kept it’s lead position in the flavor profile. Right up there with it was a creamy cocoa taste. The pepper kept it’s zing but mellowed out significantly.
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed this medium to upper medium bodied cigar. Sure, the flavor profile was simple. Where it lacked in complexity it made up for in being refined and smooth. The snug draw became less of an issue as I progressed, so I am not faulting it. In the end, this was a very good cigar.
I picked up the Henry Clay from a small local cigar shop. What initially intrigued me was it’s strange packaging, which I will talk about in a bit. As usual, I paired with a glass of water and got to smoking.
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 6 1/2 x 48
Price: Around $5.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
These cigars are tightly tied together and placed in a box, so the first thing you notice is the odd shapes they take. The wrapper was rugged looking, with bumps and a few large sized veins. When I squeezed the length of the cigar, I found a couple tight spots. The pre-light draw was decent and had earthy, natural tobacco notes. The wrapper had almost no odor. I could only detect a slight sweetness.
The burn required only a couple small corrections, and the ash held for under an inch.
Flavor:
The first third had earthy flavors, with a slight spice when passed through the nose. It took a while, but eventually I detected an unidentified sweet note that was very slight and easy to miss.
The second third had an additional woody taste, but that’s about it in terms of change. Earthy flavors still remained up front, with a slight spice and sweetness. The smoke feel became thicker and coated the inside of the mouth.
The last third literally had no change at all. It remained exactly like the second third.
Conclusion:
This was an OK medium bodied cigar. The simple and consistent flavors were good, but uneventful. Although there was nothing blatantly bad about this cigar, I probably won’t be running out to pick up any more. In the end it was just another cigar…
Turns out I threw together a review last month and forgot about it. I spliced it together and here it is in all it’s glory.
For this episode of “A Quick Smoke With Tom,” I review the Arturo Fuente Flora Fina 8-5-8 Maduro. Like previous episodes, this is a pretty crude video that was filmed using a MacBook webcam.
This was a decent medium bodied cigar. The flavor profile was simple and consistent. Personally, I prefer the Hemingway line as far as Fuente cigars go, but this one was enjoyable too. Check out my thoughts in this 9 minute review.
I now give you the short version of the announcers commentary for this past weekend’s Master’s Open Golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia…
Tiger Woods… Tiger… Tiger… Elin… Tiger… Mistress… Earl Woods… Phil Mickelson… Tiger… Par…Tiger Woods… Mickelson’s wife… Cancer… Tiger Woods… Tiger… Birdie… Tiger… Tiger Woods… Eleven Under… Tiger… Tiger… Earl Woods Commercial… Nike… Mickelson’s wife… Cancer… Tiger… Tiger… 3 Putt… Elin Nordegren… Bogie… Phil Mickelson… Mickelson’s wife… Cancer… Tiger… Tiger Woods… Eagle… Phil Mickelson’s wife… Cancer… Nike… Tiger… Tiger… Mickelson 
wins… Tiger Woods… Tiger.
The media is always brutal at beating a story to death, but the Tiger tale (tail?) is a non-stop circus act, complete with jiggling bimbos, a raging Nordic hottie, and a deceased family member giving lil’ Tiger a rump reaming. If you ask me, Woods, the PGA, and Nike are all whores, getting into bed with one another while orchestrating the admonishment of the prowling cat. I usually love to watch the Masters, but this year I couldn’t stomach 24/7 coverage of the rabbit toothed, Asian/Black/American Indian/ White golfer.
This Wednesday will be a cool gig for your friendly neighborhood Zman as I interview some awesome brothers for Cigar Magazine. Not too long ago a reality show called Rescue Ink was on the National Geographic Channel, featuring a group of born and bred, tattooed, New York tough-guys, who rescue abused and abandoned animals throughout the Big Apple. I’ll be hanging with Joey Panz and Big Ant over at Club Macanudo down by central Park South in Manhattan, smoking, eating, drinking and getting 
down with a manly-man interview. No, it don’t really suck to be me. Hey, wonder if the boys could help rescue Tiger Woods? A big thanks to Victoria McKee at General Cigar for having us at Club Mac. I have personally hung there for years and it is a quintessential must stop when exploring the isle of Manhattan. The ambiance is just gorgeous and the food is excellent. There’s not too many places left to enjoy a cigar in New York City, and Club Macanudo is a well-deserved rest stop for any lover of the leaf.
Hey… did you guys know that I love cigars? No, really… were you aware? Well, last night I was a guest on WIND Radio in Chicago on Livin’ Large with Geoff Pinkus. Geoff is a real Man’s Man whose 2-hour Sunday night guy-fest features cigar talk and all kinds of testosterone laden goodness. It was nice of him to introduce me to his audience as a feature writer for Cigar Magazine and the JR Blog Meister General, as we b.s.’d about our love for premium stoags and finely aged COUGAR mamas. The Pinker (as he’s affectionately known) is so enamored with the lore of the leaf, that he even has Gurkha making him his very own Pinker Gurkha – a girthy smoke, measuring in at a hefty 6 x 60. We are truly like brothers from another mother and hopefully I’ll be infesting the Illinois airwaves on a frequent basis! His website is great, and features live streaming of his show as well as past recorded shows. I highly recommend checking out his entertaining brand of manly-man bravado. Just great stuff.
Well, the beauteous weather this weekend (70 here yesterday in north Jersey) allowed me partake in a bevy of tobacco goodness. After much lawn work, rest time beckoned for a puff of the good stuff, and I just enjoyed the hell out of an El Rey Del Mundo Olvidados torpedo, right down to the ol’ nub-a-roo. Before dinner, I downed a Gurkha Legend, and after a pork chop barbecue, a rich, full bodied Macanudo 1968 hit the spot so well (I really do love that cigar. God bless the great Daniel Nunez!) Holy damn, I’m hungry again and I need a good smoke. The story of my life.
Hey… it’s nice out again today… SPRING IS HERE and after that brutal winter, I’m going to smoke cigars like a maniacal tobacco wacko. Of course my wife won’t let me anywhere near the bedroom, but sometimes you’ve gotta stand up for what you believe in. I know… I have no morals or common sense, whatsoever.
So that’s the scoop for this week. Take care my Brothers of the Leafy Goodness,
Tommy Z.
JR Cigars Blog With the Zman
Not long ago I was watching a review from Walt over at The Stogie Review. He started talking about his table top torch lighter, and casually mentioned how you could get a similar lighter for a cheap price.
A big gripe of mine is how expensive even the most basic table torch lighter is when you buy one from a cigar/tobacco shop. I could understand the price if the torches offered some kind of superior quality, but they are generally all mass produced in China like everything else. So I took Walt’s advice and stopped by Bed Bath and Beyond.
In the cooking/kitchen area I found a Creme Brulee set for $19.00. It came with a table torch and four small dishes.
After getting home and unpacking the torch, I immediately was annoyed with the childproof lever on the back right under the ignition button. Removing two screws exposed the lever, which came right out, and the problem was solved. I had to use a dab of super glue on the top tabs, since I broke the original glue that was applied from the factory.
I’ve only had this torch for a few days, but it feels and performs like any other table torch I’ve used. It has the same features you’d expect, flame adjustment and a lever to lock the flame on when you let off of the ignition button. If you are on a budget I’d say this is worth your while. Thanks for the tip Walt!
This post will be stuck at the top of the site for a week. I’ll still be posting normal content.
So Ed scheduled the Oliveros event on the same night of some other local happenings. Although the turnout was good, a lot of people missed out on the one day deals.
The only solution was to extend the deals for an entire week on all Oliveros cigars. Go to Ed’s website for more details!
This applies to all Oliveros cigars and runs from Saturday, April 10th to Saturday April 17th.
I picked up today’s review at a now defunct local shop. Since I gravitate towards medium and full bodied cigars, I thought this may be a nice change of pace. I have very little information on this Dominican made cigar. As always, I paired with water and got to smoking.
Wrapper: Natural
Binder/Filler: Dominican and Brazilian
Size: 5 x 50
Price: $6 to $7.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
I removed the cigar from the cedar lined tubo and found that the wrapper had minimal flaws with small to medium veins. Overall it looked good, and had a sweet odor of cedar. The foot had a similar smell with an added mild spice. The pre-light draw a little stiff, almost to the point of being annoying. When I took a draw it tasted of cedar and an interesting liquor type of flavor.
The burn required a couple corrections, and the ash held for under an inch.
Flavor:
The first third was pretty mild in body. There were simple notes of cedar to start, with nutty undertones. When passing the smoke though the nose, I found very slight notes of spice.
The second third picked up slightly in body, but still remained in the mild range. Other then that there was no noticeable changes. The flavors remained exactly the same as they were in the first third.
Like before, the last third didn’t see any significant change. The nuttiness may have increased slightly, as did the cedar. The spice developed a cooling effect.
Conclusion:
This was a good mild cigar. Despite it being incredibly one dimensional, I enjoyed it in the morning as the first cigar of the day. The stiff draw loosened up a little and I didn’t pay too much attention to it. If mild cigars are your thing, I’d say this is worth trying.
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