JULY / AUGUST 2022
Interview JEOPARDY! CHAMP
Destination PALM SPRINGS
Guide INFLATION BUSTER CIGARS
editorials JULY / AUGUST 2022
22 MANCAVE ESSENTIALS We’re all about outfitting that special space, and we’ve stumbled onto a fine addition. It’s quiet, hangs upside down, and installs easily.
24 SUMMER GIFT GUIDE
30 PERFECT PAIRINGS REDWOOD EMPIRE LOST MONARCH / AGING ROOM RARE COLLECTION
32 PERFECT PAIRINGS ANDALUSIA WHISKY CO. STRYKER / LA FLOR DOMINICANA DOUBLE LIGERO
35 TRAVEL PALM SPRINGS The Desert Southwest is a land of mystery and warmth. We take a journey there to plumb this landscape of creosote, Joshua trees and cacti and come up with a royal flush in the form of luxe digs, some fine food and a perfectly placed cigar lounge.
40 FIRST CIGAR – BRAD RUTTER The Jeopardy! master shows us why he dominates the game show terrain and gives us a tour of his life so far, which includes winning two Camaros (at once!), Hollywood acting auditions, and going incognito as a trivia ringer.
70 INFLATION BUSTER
74 PCA ROUNDUP The annual trade show brought out the best and the brightest in a tribute to the spirit of the leaves and a sign that this cigar renaissance is nowhere close to peaking. Take the trek to The Show with us.
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features JULY / AUGUST 2022
14 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
16 FEEDBACK
18 WHAT’S BURNIN’
42 SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB FINER THINGS FEATURING JOYA DE NICARAGUA
55 RATINGS
80 TWITTER SCOREBOARD
82 INSTAGRAM SCOREBOARD
84 EVENTS 84 LIGA PRIVADA IN BROOKLYN 86 SMOKE INN’S 25TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY
88 TEXAS CIGAR FESTIVAL 90 RED MEAT LOVERS WITH FERIO TEGO 91 RED MEAT LOVERS
WITH DUNBARTON TOBACCO
92 SABOR HAVANA DINNER FEATURING PLASENCIA
94 DAVIDOFF AT THE PREAKNESS 96 EL PAMA EXECUTIVE CLUB 98 ROCKY PATEL CIGARS AT HOUSE OF CIGAR
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GIFT GUIDE
INSTINCT 2 SOLAR GPS SMART WATCH garmin.com
$449.99 CHAR-GRILLER® GRAVITY FED 980 CHARCOAL GRILL chargriller.com
$799.99 Gravity meets tech with this grilling and smoking machine. The Gravity 980 smokes, BBQs, grills, bakes, broils and sears using a digital temp control and a triple-lined charcoal hopper. Contrary to what you might read, (char)coal is not dead when the Gravity 980 shows up, it’s just more modern. The gravity part is the feeding of the coal underneath the grill, allowing the temperature to be adjusted to whatever you want to cook. You can control this grill with an app, so fire it up and go wherever you want. Meat probe included.
CAN-AM OUTLANDER Can-am.brp.com
$10,499.00 starting The Can-Am Outlander looks brutal, like a bulldog ready to dig into a thigh. Its top-ofthe-line engine is 91 horses and can tow a bass boat, and it’s a good bet that the needs of a rancher or rescuer are similar to yours for hunting, mudding or exploring the back 40. One of the tags is “everything you need to rule outdoors.” We DO want to rule outdoors, so thank you.
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Track every adventure and live connected is Garmin’s way of saying it’s staying in touch with technology after that directional thing went south. The Instinct® 2 Solar GPS smart watch is a fine way to stay in favor, just on looks alone. So much tougher looking than those watches made by that California outfit. Track your training, your health data, your place on the map and the weather, all on the back of your wrist with this customizable gem, which has options for sizes, colors and bands, among other things. The solar version has a lens that converts the sun’s rays to extend battery life.
FIRE & FLAVOR PREMIUM ALL NATURAL HARDWOOD LUMP CHARCOAL Fireandflavor.com
$22.95 20lb bag Folks say this charcoal burns long and hot, like a steamy, bodice-ripping paperback only better for the environment. At least it says, “clean burning,” and we’re inclined to believe them. Produced from North American hardwoods, Fire & Flavor’s Hardwood Lump Charcoal is a mesquite-flavored hot burning way to cook the meats. It comes in 20-lb and 8-lb packages and promises lump charcoal between two and four inches.
MOONSHADE moonfab.com
$350 The campsite is your sanctuary when you’re getting back to nature or have run out of free nights at the Hampton. The Moonshade is a light awning that attaches to your vehicle or camper and keeps things shaded and protected from the elements. If you don’t have a roof rack to attach it to, adapters are available. It covers a 9-foot by 7-foot area, weighs in at eight pounds, and folds up tight for storage. Breakfast buffet not included.
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INTRODUCING CAO BX3
Three times the Brazilian tobacco for three times the intense Brazilian flavor.
SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: Cigar Smoking Can Cause Lung Cancer And Heart Disease. 34 | CIGAR SNOB | JUL / AUG 2022 ©2022 General Cigar Co., Inc
CAOCIGARS.COM
by Steve Miller
©wollertz/Adobe Stock
THE PARCHED HEAT OF THE SOUTHWEST? FORGET IT. THIS COOL PALM SPRINGS HAVEN DELIVERS A SMOKING OASIS, LOFTY DINING AND GAMING AMID THE ARID ENVIRONS OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY.
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antano ct
48 CIGARS
PCA 2022
COVERAGE
amount of credit for having the courage to green light that 2021 show in spite of the widespread COVID fears and cancellations leading up to it. That small but hard-fought victory in 2021 was followed by more wins for the association. In March of this year, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released the results of a study on premium cigars focusing on the patterns of use, marketing, and health effects. Although the committee assembled was decidedly anti-tobacco, the 521-page report produced a fair assessment of
The Fuente y Padrón Legends project was, without question, the talk of the show. The unveiling ceremony, which took place on July 10 at 3:30 p.m., concentrated all of the energy from the show floor in a way that we’ve never witnessed in 16 years of attending the annual convention. The ceremony was marred by some audio difficulties but the massive crowd, which gathered in the area between the Fuente and Padrón booths, got the gist of what it was about. The emotion, honor, and love for the family patriarchs being honored came through in waves. What
PREMIUM CIGAR ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW BY ERIK CALVIÑO
In recent years declining attendance and major sponsors opting out have rocked the show. After the 2020 cancellation, the 2021 show was held but most of us who attended felt like we were part of a large-scale science experiment. It was among the first trade shows to take place in Las Vegas “postCOVID” and the attendance reflected it. The show floor was smaller, the booths were scaled back, and the foot traffic on the show floor was light. But it was unquestionably hailed as a success. The PCA leadership deserves a tremendous
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Rocky Patel’s booth was another one with buzz to spare thanks to several newsworthy releases. As we walked into the booth to meet with Rocky, we were greeted by the guys from the Juneteenth Foundation, whom we’d had the pleasure of meeting in Ohio back in May. It turns out they’ve partnered with Rocky Patel to release a Juneteenth cigar, which raises funds for the foundation, which in turn awards scholarships to young black students attending historically black colleges and universities. Rocky Patel Premium Cigars has had a number of exciting releases over the years but the one constant for the company has been The Edge, and after 20 years the brand is finally getting the star treatment. Unlike every RP Edge that you’ve smoked before, this one will come in a box of 20 with all of the Rocky Patel bells and whistles. Lastly, the Rocky Patel DBS caught our eye as well. The DBS in the name stands for double broadleaf selection, no relation to the famed Aston Martin DB lines.
PHOTOS BY JEROME BERRY & JAMILET CALVIÑO very year since 1934, with the exception of the 2020 cancellation due to COVID, the Premium Cigar Association has put on the largest premium cigar trade show in the United States. The Show, as it has always been called by those in the industry, has been an integral part of the business. Unlike most trade shows and conventions where companies only exhibit their latest products, cigar companies and distributors actively sell to retailers on the show floor. But that’s not the only reason the show has been so critical to the cigar business for all these years. In addition to the sales, companies host dinners and parties for their best retailers. Then after that many gather in bars and lounges in Vegas, and there’s a healthy mix of camaraderie and networking that goes on after hours, but that’s still not why it is so critical. The show acts as the Premium Cigar Association’s annual fundraiser, funds that are essential to continue the fight against anti-tobacco legislation at the federal and state levels.
Espinosa released three more limited editions with the Warhead 2022, Las 6 Provincias – CMW, and the Espinosa 10 Year Anniversary.
"Fuente Friday" was one of the interactive educational series seminars at this year's PCA.
premium cigars rather than a death knell. Then on July 5th, days before the trade show, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to regulate premium cigars was arbitrary and capricious. It was a monumental win for the Premium Cigar Association and co-plaintiffs Cigar Rights of America and the Cigar Association of America. The good vibes could be felt on the flights to McCarran International leading up to the show, at the check-in lines for the hotels, and at the bars and casinos the night before. As the doors to the show opened and hundreds of retailers rushed in, it was obvious this show was going to be different.
WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything released at the show; rather it is a collection of releases and events that truly jumped out at us in the short period of time allotted.
did not come through were the specifics about price, production quantity, and distribution logistics. We do know that the project will be presented in a 40-count box of Churchill sized cigars, 20 made by Fuente and 20 by Padrón, and the proceeds will be split between the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation and the Padrón Family Foundation. The Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich, a collaboration between Espinosa Cigars and celebrity chef and restaurateur Guy Fieri, generated a great deal of buzz thanks in large part to Guy Fieri’s presence at the booth – the line for Fieri’s autograph wrapped around several booths. The frenzy over the autographs reached a point where Espinosa had to shut it down prematurely. We couldn’t tell if it was Guy who got tired of signing or Espinosa who ran out of swag but it was a madhouse in the best kind of way for Espinosa. In the midst of it, however, they were able to launch a new expression for the Knuckle Sandwich, a limited edition figurado. Additionally,
Oliva had one of the larger booths at the show and used it to show off their latest release, the Cuba Aliados. Oliva purchased the defunct brand in 2021 and worked with E.P. Carrillo and JRE (Justo Eiroa) to develop 2 new releases. The E.P. Carrillo version is a limited edition called simply Cuba Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo while the JRE blend is a regular production that goes by Cuba Aliados Original Blend. We were fortunate enough to smoke both with the team at Oliva and were thoroughly impressed by the blends. The other exciting item on display at Oliva was the 2022 version of their Advent Calendar. Produced for the first time in 2021, the Advent Calendar was a hit, prompting the company to improve on it with a new box design and the addition of a bonus gift. La Flor Dominicana was hopping throughout the show and it was great to see considering this was the company’s return to PCA after a 3-year hiatus. Tony Gomez was peppered with endless questions about the Golden Bull NFT and just as many unfulfilled requests for samples of the Golden Bull. The La Flor Dominicana Solis, the brother to the La Nox, is a blend developed by Tony’s younger brother, Litto Gomez Jr. The Soli’s Ecuador Habano wrapper is a stark contrast
TRIPLE MADURO: THE DARK SIDE OF BOLD Darkness reigns when you’re burning the midnight oil. The Camacho Triple Maduro blend features a laborintensive process: the taming of 3 different maduro tobaccos into one power packed beast. Deep fermentation of each tobacco leaf provides a rich, musky smoke with deep notes of cedar, roasted nuts, and black pepper. Kicked-up even further by the three priming’s of Corojo filler and a sweet complexity throughout. Built exclusively for those willing to venture on the dark side of bold.
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EVENTS EL PAMA CIGAR EXECUTIVE CLUB LIQUE MIAMI WATERFRONT RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE
Miami El Pama, purveyor of luxury cigar accessories, held a luxurious event at Lique Miami Waterfront Restaurant and Lounge, where guests partied in the club atmosphere and enjoyed appetizers, live music and cigars – thanks to cigar sponsors Oliva Cigars and Plasencia Cigars. A wine tasting was held and if you had a taste for spirits, Jack Daniels and Dalmore also held tastings.
Yadira Creighton and Albert Sosa
Albert Sosa, Winston Lee, Byron Johnson and Manny Lherisson
Manny Lherisson, Sebastien and Danny Vilus
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Patricia and Shelda
Gaelle Petit Fond
Henry Infante, Bianca Espinosa, and Patrick Sterling
Caleb and Melissa Elie
Alain LLorente, Ibis Lu and Manny Lherisson
Alejandro Martínez Cuenca Joya De Nicaragua
Dion Giolito Illusione Cigars
Carlos "Carlito" Fuente, Jr. Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.
Erik Espinosa Espinosa Cigars
Karl Malone Barrel-Aged by Karl Malone
cigarsnobmag.com/podcast
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