Pirates Smoking Cigars?

Now this is what every ballpark needs. What a better way to enjoy a baseball game than with an ice-cold beer, a dog, some peanuts and your favorite cigar. It seems the powers that be in Pittsburgh have decided to move forward with a plan that will incorporate cigar and martini bar called the Montecristo Club on the club level of season ticket holders.

Not everyone is excited over this news, for some say that smoking will drive out those non-smoking fans, however the cigar smoking section would represent less than 9 percent of the seating area in the club level. PNC Park experimented last year with a half-dozen cigar nights where aficionados could “light up and lose themselves in a cloud of pleasure”.

This could be the start of a new trend in ballparks, for Comerica Park in Detroit and Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay currently have cigar bars. Personally, I think it’s a great idea that can only fuel the upturn in the cigar industry. Read more about what the fans think here.

Little Known Facts #3

Way back on 11/21/1871, the first US patent for a cigar lighter was issued to Moses F. Gale of New York City (Patent No. 121,049). It was described as “an ornamental mechanical device to be attached by a flexible tube to a gas supply”. The gas then traveled through the hollow body of the lighter, and is regulated by an internal valve controlled by a pivot motion from a control screw.

I still feel as though matches and raw cedar sticks are the best ways to light up a stick, however the lighter industry has come a long way from the days of 1871.

Smokin' Turkeys

With the Thanksgiving holiday already upon us (didn’t Labor Day just pass??), we’re all getting ready to expand our belts a notch, eat enough cranberry so that our eyes turn red and slip into a tryptophan induced coma; but what about the turkeys? When do they get to have any fun? Well, Mr. Holiday of the Norton Mirror has something to say about that:

In reality, studies have shown that Thanksgiving turkeys are remarkably well treated. They run free on spacious turkey farms, relaxing in little turkey saunas and smoking rich little full-bodied turkey cigars. Then they're slaughtered and plucked, but in a well-treated kind of way.

Full-bodied turkey cigars? Now there’s a sight to see! Maybe Drew Estate is producing a new line for our fowl feathered friends called the Gobble Gobble (you can find it next to the Kuba Kuba). You can read the article (and a number of other holiday queries answered) in its entirety here.

Tampa's Cigar Heritage Festival

Hot off the heels of the Big Smoke, one must travel east to partake in this year’s seventh annual Tampa Cigar Heritage Festival. The event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. and will smoke away until 6:00 p.m. at Centennial Park, the Ybor City Museum State Park and surrounding streets.

The festival features cigar vendors and cigar-related items, live entertainment, a sports pavilion and activities at Ybor City Museum State Park, including cigar rolling demonstrations, guided tours, family entertainment and food. Here’s a breakdown of the events of the day:

·Cigar vendors and cigar related items vendors
·VIP Experience: a limited number of tickets will be sold to an exclusive area where VIPs can meet true legends from the cigar world, sample fine food and spirits from some of Tampa's best restaurants and liquor companies, and receive a goodie bag of sample cigars and novelties from the Tampa Bay's best cigar manufacturers
·Live entertainment stage with a cultural dancers and bands
·Sports Pavilion with live broadcasts of some of NCAA football's biggest games plus favorite game room activities including foosball, darts and billiards
·Ybor City Museum activities throughout the day including:
o Museum tours recounting Ybor City's cigar manufacturing past and multicultural heritage
o Children's activities
o Fresh Cuban bread
o Cigar rolling demonstrations
·Charity Beer Garden with proceeds benefiting the Ybor City Museum Society
·Food vendors from some of Tampa's best restaurants
·Ybor City Fresh Market with arts, crafts, produce, plants, and novelty vendors
·19th Street tea room, shops and galleries featuring handmade clothing and accessories, jewelry, pottery, glass and paintings.

Admission to this event is free (unless you’re willing to purchase an airline ticket just to get there). Since I have no current plans to travel to Florida this weekend, I’ll just have to light up a smoke in honor of the festival.

A New Cigar Magazine On The Block

There’s a new cigar magazine on the block, coming from one of the industries most popular US locations, Tampa Florida. A group of women, headed by Lisa Figueredo, wondered why, in a town so rich with cigar culture and lure, had there not been a magazine dedicated to the region and cigars? Well, with the help of family friends and colleagues, Cigar City Magazine was born.

The magazine is free and should circulate 6 times a year. The first edition was rolled out roughly 3 weeks ago to the tune of 25,000 copies. The magazine focuses mainly on “photos and stories from Tampa families with roots in the cigar industry” according to Marilyn Figueredo (an aunt to Lisa).

It’s always refreshing to see passion rise to this level, and these women deserve all the best. Good luck!

You can check out, and listen to the great music on their website here.

Big Smoke Rolls Into Vegas (Part 4)

Now that the Saturday Seminars have all wound down and the attendees are more than likely floating in cigar-filled bliss, what better to start the following morning off than with breakfast with Charlie Palmer? On top of that, why not breakfast accompanied by a Padrón Serie 1926 40th Anniversary? That’s exactly what the lucky ones who attended the Sunday Seminars were treated to.

Michael Moretti has again provided those of us unable to make it (and those who weren’t sure what the seminars had to offer) a wonderful detailed account of the festivities. Morning cocktails, fantastic cigars, eggs Benedict atop black pepper and scallion biscuits draped with hollandaise sauce; my mouth is watering already. There’s no better time than this to dive into food and cigar pairings (all of which you can read here).

“After the meal, coffee was served and the discussion turned to food and cigar pairing. This year, guests were given a booklet containing recipes to the food that Palmer plated at the Big Smoke evening sessions under the banner of two of his 10 restaurants, Charlie Palmer Steak House and Aureole. Dishes in the guide included a crispy pork belly and fig hors d'oeuvres, a Guinness braised short rib entrée and a smoked duck breast appetizer.”

“Palmer gave advice on a variety of topics dished up by the audience, including cookware, kitchen appliances, slow-braised ribs, and how to barbecue meat for better flavor.”

Now that all the stomachs in the room were full, and appetites still wet, the weekend seminars were nearing an end with an incredible hands-on demonstration of how to roll your own, which you can read here. Not only was this a hands-on learning session, but a contest for the best rolled cigar, sending the winner on an all-expense-paid trip to Florida for a factory tour of El Credito cigars from Michael Giannini (director of marketing for El Credito).

Now that cigars have been collected and smoked, copious amounts of food and drink have been consumed and brains ached from the tremendous amount of information gathered, it’s now time for the last of the weekend seminars, Rum and Cigars. I’ve always found it challenging to pair liquor with cigars to draw out the best that my smokes have to offer, and this seminar (should I have been there) would be at the top of my list. Here’s a little taste from Mike Marsh of Cigar Aficionado, and you can read the article in its entirety here.

“As for pairing the rums with the cigars, Bettridge discussed how it is a subjective and individual thing. "The one rule to consider is trying to pair full-bodied cigars with full-bodied spirits," Bettridge said. "Also pairing opposite flavors like sweetness and saltiness." He said that this rule doesn't always apply and that, in the end, it was all about experimenting with which cigars and spirits you like to find combinations that complement one another.”

And that about wraps it up for the Annual Big Smoke in Las Vegas. I’d like to give a big shout-out to the good folks at Cigar Aficionado for putting together events such as these for all of us enthusiasts to enjoy, and to recapping them for all of us unfortunate enough not to attend. As I’ve mentioned before, don’t find excuses not to go, but find those that will get you there. I regret not going this year, however after reading all about the fantastic seminars throughout the weekend, I feel as though this year will be my last regret. Besides, it’s Vegas baby! VEGAS!!

Little Known Facts #2

In 1896, the Tampa Morning Tribune wrote that "the cigar industry is to this city what the iron industry is to Pittsburgh, or the cotton mill industry to Manchester.''

Davidoff Limited Edition 2005

Our good friends over at Luxist have stumbled across the newest Limited Edition smokes by Davidoff.

If six is your lucky number, then don’t pass this one up, for it’s blended with, you guessed it, six tobaccos. It consists of Piloto, Olor, San Vicente and Havana Seed Criollo tobacco varieties. Whereas the Ecuador wrapper and Havana Seed Criollo is stored for 3 years, the Olor and San Vicente tobacco has been stored for 4, not to be outdone by the Jicomé and Piloto filler tobacco aged for 5.

This is a Robusto cigar, weighing in at 52-ring gauge that comes in sealed and varnished wooden boxes of 10.

For those looking for a gift this holiday season for that full-bodied smoker, you may want to check these out. No more than 10,000 will be available worldwide at $145 per box. If I can get my hands on one of these little baddies, I’ll quickly post a review.

The First Race Is In The Books

The first race of the season is in the books! As the sun was cresting over the horizon in Tempe yesterday, there was a slight chill in the air as we warmed up in the festivities surrounding the Phoenix New Times 10K Run + Walk + More. In training for the ½ Marathon coming up in January, I thought it would be best to attend as many races as I can. The 10K seemed like a great place to start, for it’s just under ½ the distance of the ½ Marathon, and races of this size will help in getting the feel for running in large crowds.

Everyone participating was in good spirits, some more than others (yes, I’m talking to the guy running in only a thong!!). The crowds thinned out pretty nicely around mile 3, and really never felt that crowded from the get go considering there were over 3000 runners. We had volunteers at each mile shouting our current times. Unfortunately at mile 3, the time seemed to be misrepresented, for I seemed to gain quite a bit on my pace, only to find at mile 4 that my pace dropped considerably. I tried to quicken a bit through mile 5, and really picked up the pace once I had my sights on the finish.

My goal was to keep the race under 1 hour, however when I eyed the race clock, it was already at 1:00:37 with about 200 yards to go. As I kicked through the finish, my official time was marked at 1:01:20, so I was a bit disappointed to find myself over the hour mark. To my surprise, I forgot about the .2 miles above the 6 for a 10K, so my official pace was 9:53; 7 seconds under my pace goal. Considering I’ve been fighting a chest cold for the past week-and-a-half and consuming too many alcoholic libations the prior evening, keeping under a 10:00 mile pace was just fine with me.

The next race is a shorter 4-miler on Thanksgiving morning, and my pace goal will be 9:00. Only time will tell to see what turkey-day has in store for me!

I’d also like to give a quick shout-out to Lady Fumo Santo who also raced yesterday and finished with an impressive 1:09:08. For a girl who doesn’t like to run, she proved yesterday that she has what it takes to run the ½ Marathon. She kept by my side for the first 3 miles and still managed to finish strong despite some defective shoe pain in her foot. Great job honey!

Cigar Enthusiasts Talk It Up

It’s always nice to see good word of mouth in the press when it comes to smoking cigars. Everywhere you turn lately there seems to be some anti-smoking campaign attempting to take our rights and freedoms away, heck, even at a 10K race I attended this past weekend these “activists” were badgering everyone who walked by. Luckily, staff writers of papers such as the Hometown Annapolis out of Maryland still recognize the joy that cigar smoking brings to those who enjoy the finer things. Recently Theresa Winslow published an article discussing the joys of a good smoke. Here’s what she and some fellow cigar smokers had to say:

"I look forward to this, yeah," Mr. Thibodeau said one day last week as he took a long, thoughtful draw on a cigar while leaning back on a chair at the tobacco shop. "This is like the TV show 'Cheers.' Everybody knows you when you come in. It's the most relaxed I feel all day. You can take the weight off your shoulders and relax."

“Others have been smoking cigars for decades, through the boom in the '90s and the subsequent downturn in popularity. Whether or not cigars are currently on another upsurge is a matter of debate. What's clear, though, is that there's a loyal group of aficionados in this area who compare the attributes of a fine cigar to a fine wine. They discuss nuances of taste, the type of wrapper and filler, and even their favorite cigars burn. And although men are in the vast majority when it comes cigar smokers, there are some women who like to light up, too.”

You can read the article in its entirety here. In the meantime, I think I’ll start an anti-campaigners campaign.

Photo courtesy of Joshua McKerrow--The Capital

Big Smoke Rolls Into Vegas (Part 3)

Now that the first night of the Big Smoke event had passed in Las Vegas, Michael Moretti of Cigar Aficionado has provided us with a recap of the Saturday Seminars. It turned out for all who attended, a special treat was in store for the Saturday cigar tasting, three rare cigars, one of each from Altadis, Daniel Nunez and Carlos Fuente Jr. Here’s some of what the roughly 400 enthusiasts were treated to:

"The first cigar lit was from Seijas, the Altadis U.S.A. Inc. cigar authority who heads the world's largest premium cigar factory… All the components in the Signature have been aged for three years and reserved for the best rollers in the factory to assemble. Once rolled, the cigars are kept for three months in order to marry the various flavors of the tobaccos, which hail from various regions and countries."

"The Daniel Nunez Selección Especial," said Menendez, "is a cigar that a master blender has put together -- it's Daniel's cigar." The Nicaraguan filler is especially interesting in that is comes from a volcanic island in the center of Lake Nicaragua called Ometepe."

"The last man to take the stage was Carlos Fuente Jr., creator of the Fuente Fuente OpusX cigar and head of Arturo Fuente y Cia. He introduced his latest creation to the crowd, the Fuente Fuente OpusX Rising X."

After the introductions and tasting, it was on to another highlight, showcasing how to blend a cigar:

"As the audience smoked their first anniversary cigar, David Savona, senior editor of Cigar Aficionado, began his seminar on blending by discussing the difficulties and nuances of balancing tobacco to make the perfect cigar. He was joined on stage by master blenders Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, famous for La Gloria Cubana cigars, and José Seijas of Altadis U.S.A Inc."

"Seijas and Perez-Carrillo each elucidated on the difference between a cigar with strong flavor and a harsh one, noting that often times harsh blends are mistakenly referred to as strong. The term strength refers, more aptly, to full-body, depth of flavor, and complexity. A cigar could very well be harsh and at the same time weak and unbalanced. It is elegance and balance, not harshness, that the true master blender strives to achieve."

It’s always a treat to read such detailed accounts of the events, and for those of us unable to attend this year’s event, Michael Moretti makes it feel like we were there. Head over to Cigar Aficionado to read the articles Michael has put together in their entirety, and look out for yet another update tomorrow.

Big Smoke Rolls Into Vegas (Part 2)

As I had mentioned in my previous post, the good folks at Cigar Aficionado started a recap on the Big Smoke festivites this past weekend, well they've already added to that by giving us a recap of the 10th Anniversary event. Here's some of what you'll find:

"This past weekend, Cigar Aficionado held its tenth annual Big Smoke Las Vegas, hosting nearly 6,000 lovers of the leaf at the Paris Las Vegas hotel for three days of cigars, spirits, fine cuisine and camaraderie."

"Midway through the evening, tote bags brimmed with handmade cigars from around the world, many of them handed out by the owners of the companies making the cigars. The brands included Arturo Fuente, Ashton, Bolivar, Brazil Cigars & Tobacco, C.A.O., Flavours by C.A.O., Carlos Toraño, Cuesta-Rey, Cusano, Don Tomás, Felipe Gregorio, Helix, H. Upmann, Kahlúa, La Aroma de Cuba, La Aurora, La Carolina, La Flor Dominicana, La Gloria Cubana, Maria Guerrero, Montecristo, Oliva, Padrón, Puros Indios, Romeo y Julieta, Rocky Patel Premium, Saint Luis Rey, The Griffin's and Zino Platinum. (The Miami companies who distribute Camacho and Padilla cigars could not make the event from Miami due to problems arising from Hurricane Wilma.)"

"To keep the mood of Sin City in the spot light, dancers gyrated center stage silhouetted in soft glowing hues behind transparent screens."

Head over to Cigar Aficionado to read the article in it's entirty, and thanks to Michael Moretti for such a detailed recap!

Big Smoke Rolls Into Vegas

Another Cigar Aficionado Big Smoke puffed on through Las Vegas this past weekend. I was there in 2004 for the first time, and had an absolute blast, however I had to regretfully pass this year. For anyone who hasn’t been there before, you must dig deep in your book of excuses for one that will buy you a ticket, for it’s an event not to be missed.

The good folks over at Cigar Aficionado have started to put together a recap:

I spent the last few days in Las Vegas with my co-workers, many of the prominent players in the premium cigar industry, and a few thousand of our cigar-smoking friends.

What a weekend.

It was the 10th annual Big Smoke Las Vegas, a celebration of cigars and the good life that spanned Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. We had Big Smokes on Friday and Saturday nights, and seminars Saturday and Sunday. You're going to read all about what happened here later this week, but I thought I'd remind you of what a great cigar town we have in Las Vegas.

Head on over to Cigar Aficionado to read the rest.

Store Your Smokes in the White House

Have you ever thought of storing you most precious cigars in the White House? Thanks to Altidis and Montecristo, you can now store up to 200 of your best sticks in the Oval Office. In the first of 4 limited editions of the American Heritage series of humidors, the White House measures 24” x 14” x 12”. With The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials soon to follow in Spring 2006, we’ll see The Capitol available in Summer 2006.

Suggested retail price on the White House is $900, but can now be yours at the buy-it-now price on a current ebay auction of $479.

Thanks to Luxist and Cigar Cyclopedia for the heads-up on this one!

Little Known Facts #1

Before President John F. Kennedy signed the embargo on Cuban exports in 1962, he had Press Secretary Pierre Salinger purchase about 1,000 Cuban cigars for his own stash.

Red Is Extinguished

Sports championships and cigars go together like wine and cheese, Linus and Lucy, Hannibal Lecter and fava beans… You get my point. At what time did we see a Chicago Bulls Championship without Michael Jordan lighting one up? Heck, even the Sox of the Southside enjoyed a few at the end of the Fall Classic. The only image I have of basketballs winningest coach of all time, Arnold “Red” Auerbach, is with a cigar in hand. It’s sad to say that doctors have finally convinced Auerbach to extinguish his 50-year-old habit for good.

I say it’s sad because he’s become one of the legendary icons of the cigar smoking culture. We’ll no longer see Red savoring a good smoke as he cheers on his Boston Celtics. Recently he had spent over 10 days in a hospital, on a respirator after suffering breathing complications from two surgical procedures in August. When asked about snuffing out cigars for good, he only paused and gave the question a “cranky, dismissive wave”.

Red is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame with a career record of 1,037 – 548. Under Auerbach, the Boston Celtics forged one of the great dynasties of basketball history, winning nine divisional titles and eight straight NBA titles (only to be matched by Phil Jackson).

Ban the Ban!

There seems to be a growing trend in ideas of statewide smoking bans as of late, and rumblings have now been felt in the state that I call home, Arizona. As the Arizona Republic points out, “A statewide smoking ban is far from reality, but the prospect of one was enough to spawn a group ready to battle the idea: The Arizona Cigar Lobby”.

It’s always refreshing to see individuals who still have the spark to fight state politics. With the tremendous growth in population and development in Arizona over the past few years, now is the time for more voices to be heard. I applaud the Arizona Cigar Lobby for anticipating upcoming changes in the law, and proactively fighting to keep their freedoms.

Read below for the entire article:

A statewide smoking ban is far from reality, but the prospect of one was enough to spawn a group ready to battle the idea: The Arizona Cigar Lobby.

It represents about 30 to 40 small, owner-operated retail outlets that are appalled at the notion of a state law that would ban smoking at workplaces, including bars, restaurants and cigar stores.

"These are adult establishments," said Eric Ulis, a Goodyear resident who is directing the new group. The prospect of a statewide ban is "a little Big Brotherish," he said.

Of primary concern is that a ban would effectively shut down many of the agreements cigar stores have with bars and restaurants. Ulis said the stores in his coalition estimate they would lose 25 to 30 percent of their revenue if they were no longer able to sell their cigars at bars and restaurants.

"It's unlikely someone is going to walk into a bar or restaurant, buy a cigar and take it home," he said.

The group will make its voice heard at the state Capitol and on the campaign trail if the proposed ban makes it onto the November 2006 ballot.