MARCH / APRIL 2019
Getting Wired in
SEATTLE p. 41
Jim Jackson's College Basketball Breakdown p. 103
RITUAL
of the Sacred
Fire p. 99
p. 57
editorials MARCH / APRIL 2019
26
PERFECT PAIRINGS
MONTECRISTO NICARAGUA SERIES / HAVANA CAFÉ COCKTAIL Two brands with deep Cuban heritage — Montecristo and Havana Club — have adapted to life in their new homes.
28
PERFECT PAIRINGS LAS 6 PROVINCIAS / CIGAR CITY BREWING
Espinosa Cigars’ latest blend comes together with a Tampa brewery’s homage to Cuban espresso.
41
DESTINATION: SEATTLE
57
BEAN TO CUP
64
COFFEE GEAR
99
SPIRITUAL SMOKE IN GUATEMALA
103
JIM JACKSON’S NCAA CONFERENCE TOURNEY PREVIEW
Two and a half days in America’s coffee capital. The caffeine flowed like a river, but cigars aren’t quite welcome. We didn’t let Seattle rain on our stogie parade.
Like your favorite cigars, a great cup of coffee requires a coffee bean to pass through the hands of countless passionate artisans from the time the fruit is harvested.
Stock up and practice. You’ll be showing your barista who’s boss before you know it.
Venture to Guatemala’s Tikal National Park for an excursion that takes you from luxury accommodations to a shamanic cigar ritual.
Jim Jackson has found hoops success in college, the pros and the broadcasting world. Check out his conference tournament roundup.
10 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
11
features MARCH / APRIL 2019
16
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
18
FEEDBACK
22
WHAT’S BURNIN’
32
BRAND BREAKDOWN ROCKY PATEL 32 33 34 36 38
68
SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB
81
RATINGS
96
TWITTER SCOREBOARD
CAFEINA
106
EVENT COVERAGE 106 110 112 114 116 118 120 122
12 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
OLDE WORLD RESERVE COROJO OLDE WORLD RESERVE MADURO SUN GROWN MADURO RP SPECIAL EDITION TAVICUSA
PROCIGAR FESTIVAL THE GREAT SMOKE ROCKY PATEL AT SMOKE INN BOYNTON BEACH CIGAR SOCIAL AT THE WHARF FEATURING OLIVA CIGARS SUPER BOWL PARTY AT DAVIDOFF OF GENEVA ATLANTA MY FATHER AT SEMINOLE CASINO NICK’S CIGAR SHOP SINATRA’S EVENT BELÉN JESUIT TOMBOLA CIGAR LOUNGE
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
13
MARCH / APRIL 2019
VO L . 11 IS SU E 2 www.cigarsnobmag.com PUBLISHER & EDITOR Erik Calviño SENIOR EDITOR Nicolás Antonio Jiménez COPY EDITOR Michael LaRocca SALES & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Oscar M. Calviño PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ivan Ocampo ART DIRECTOR Andy Astencio DIGITAL RETOUCHING SPECIALIST Ramón Santana CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Florin Safner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andy Giambarba Jim Jackson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Benoliel Andy Astencio EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Jamilet Calviño Ramón Santana Zubari of Fånkphotography Ronald Pollard Cover Photography by David Benoliel www.davidbenolielphotography.com Cover Model - Ana Boyar Cigar Snob is published bi-monthly by Lockstock Publications, Inc. 1421-1 SW 107th Ave., #253 Miami, FL 33174-2509 Tel: 1 (786) 423-1015 Cigar Snob is a registered trademark of Lockstock Publications, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction in part or full without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Cigar Snob is printed in the U.S. Contents copyright 2006, Lockstock Publications, Inc. To subscribe, visit www.cigarsnobmag.com
(SUBSCRIBE TODAY) - Only $18 for one Year (six issues) of -
- Magazine delivered to you Visit: www.cigarsnobmag.com or write: subscribe@cigarsnobmag.com
14 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
We are admittedly and unashamedly crazy about Cuban coffee at Cigar Snob. If you listen to our podcast or follow us on social media you’ll see and hear plenty of references to our love/addiction/obsession with the stuff. So three quarters of the way through producing this “coffee heavy” issue, I noticed a severe and disconcerting lack of Cuban coffee content. This will cost someone his or her job! Cuban coffee is the fuel that powers this magazine and thanks to my sister, our commercial grade Rancilio coffee machine, and Pilon Coffee Service, which keeps our coffee cupboard stocked, we happen to make excellent Cuban coffee. It’s also likely the reason that we get so many visitors. If you’re not from one of the bastions of Cuban-American culture — Miami, Tampa, or Jersey City — you’re probably wondering what the difference is between Cuban coffee and espresso. After all, it’s brewed with espresso roast coffee beans and using an espresso machine or a moka-style stovetop coffee maker, both of Italian origin. The only difference makes all the difference. Unlike espresso, where the end consumer adds his or her sugar to taste, the Cuban variant gets its sugar before the first drops of piping hot coffee have hit the cup. These extremely hot first few drops of coffee hydrolyze the sugar producing a sweeter, more viscous coffee where the sugar is fully integrated. When making Cuban coffee without the benefit of a super-hot commercial grade coffee maker, you help the hydrolyzing process by taking the first few drops that land on the sugar and whipping it into a coffee infused sugar paste we call “espumita.” Then pour the rest of the coffee in to mix it all and integrate the sugar that way. Either way, you get an espresso that gives you a jolt when you drink just a thimble’s worth. How else do you think such a small team can produce this magazine? It’s a PED for publishers! I still have the coffee shakes from how much caffeine was consumed for this issue. In addition to the aforementioned overindulgence in coffee that is part of our every day, we actually tasted a ton of specialty coffee under the tutelage of our dear friend and coffee nut Andy Giambarba. He wrote a wonderful piece (p. 57) along with a gear guide and how-to section to help you get started on your journey into the world of specialty coffee. While we were buzzing on the stuff in Miami, our senior editor Nick Jiménez and art director Andy Astencio were getting wired in Seattle (p. 41). Thanks to Jim Jackson of FOX Sports for breaking down the college basketball postseason for us (p. 103). And finally I took a trip to the heart of Guatemala’s Petén region in search of a deeper
16 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
connection to tobacco and in the process uncovered the ancient Mayan ritual of the sacred fire (p. 99). Let us know what you think about this issue. Too much coffee? Too little coffee? Not enough Cuban coffee! Thank you for being a reader and never forget that you are the reason we make this thing so if there’s something else you’d like to see just say so. Keep ‘em lit,
Erik Calviño ecalvino@cigarsnobmag.com
AVO IMPROVISATION SERIES LE19
The events also serve to raise awareness for Cigars for Warriors, a 501(c)(3) charity whose sole focus is to support the American military. Drew Estate is introducing a VIP package to its Barn Smokers for the first time. VIP tickets will get you access to a dinner hosted by Jonathan Drew the night before the Barn Smoker as well as three “rare Drew Estate cigars,” according to a Drew Estate press release. VIP attendees will also get some extra swag (lighters, rocks glasses, etc.).
AVO Cigars announced the seventh installment in its Limited Edition Improvisations Series. LE19, as it’s called, is also only the second installment to come in a boxpressed format. Its three-country blend of tobaccos includes Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Peru. “The AVO Improvisation LE19 packaging is inspired by the box pressed cigar molds used to shape the cigars in the rolling process,” said Scott Kolesaire, Director of Marketing at Davidoff of Geneva USA, in a press release. “The cigar’s secondary band draws further inspiration from the mold and ties in this concept with a unique typographic ‘2019’ lockup incorporated into a mold pattern.” The LE 19 is a 6 x 52 box-pressed toro and has a retail price of $15 per cigar. Production is limited to 2,500 boxes, all of which will make their way to the U.S. market. The same blend will be made available in other markets, but that cigar won’t be boxpressed.
Here’s what the 2019 Barn Smoker lineup looks like: May 18: Florida Barn Smoker in Clermont, Fla. July 20: Pennsylvania Barn Smoker in Strasburg, Penn. Aug. 10: Connecticut Barn Smoker in South Windsor, Conn. Oct. 5: Kentucky Barn Smoker in Hopkinsville, Ky. Oct. 26: Louisiana Barn Smoker in Convent, La.
ASSOULINE PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES THE IMPOSSIBLE COLLECTION OF CIGARS BOOK
22 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
In an Assouline press release, the company describes the book this way: “‘The Impossible Collection of Cigars’ envisions the ultimate humidor brimming with the most remarkable cigars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries from the most prestigious makers. Like the pop of the Champagne cork, the flick of the lighter or the strike of the match and the first draw of the smoke are synonymous with celebration, relaxation, and comradery. A luxurious pause from the world around, an exceptional, hand-rolled cigar has cemented itself as a civilized passion and genteel hobby over the course of centuries.” … “Considering the differences and attributes of cigars like Nicaragua’s Padrón to Dominican Republic’s Arturo Fuente and Davidoff of Geneva, Honduras’ Rocky Patel to the Bahamas’ Graycliff, and, of course, Cuba’s arsenal of legendary smokes, Sigmund’s is a list any connoisseur could only dream of.” Learn more about the book at assouline. com.
VILLIGER LA MERIDIANA IS COMING TO THE U.S.
DREW ESTATE 2019 BARN SMOKER DATES Tickets to Drew Estate Barn Smoker events in Florida and Pennsylvania are now available at barnsmoker.com. Kentucky, Connecticut and Louisiana Barn Smoker tickets will go on sale later in the year. The event series is designed to bring smokers closer to the source of the American tobaccos that play a role in some of their favorite cigar blends.
lection volumes on Rolexes, wine, golf, and more. As you might have guessed by now, the next installment focused on cigars. The Impossible Collection of Cigars was written by Aaron Sigmund, an award-winning publisher, editor and author as well as founding editor of Smoke Magazine. Hand-bound and presented in a cigar-style box, the 14-by-17-inch book contains more than 300 illustrations in its 232 pages and sells for $995.
Villiger Cigars announced that it will bring the Villiger La Meridiana — a cigar that’s been available in Europe since 1998 — to the U.S. market.
Assouline Publishing announced an upcoming addition to a new volume in its Ultimate Collection, a series of ultra-highquality books that are as beautiful as they are content-rich. There are Ultimate Col-
The cigar, named for a forgotten Havana cigar factory, is a Nicaraguan puro available in five formats, all packaged in 10-count boxes: Corona (5 1/2 x 42), Robusto (5 x 50), Torpedo (6 x 52), Churchill (6 7/8 x 48) and Toro Box Pressed (6x54). The cigars range in price from $6.50 to $10.60.
Montecristo Nicaragua Series Havana Café cocktail In many ways, the premium cigar industry is about taking Cuban culture and adapting it to a new home outside of Cuba. Take, for instance, the Montecristo Nicaragua Series. One of the most iconic brand names in the Cuban cigar tradition as applied to a Nicaraguan puro by A.J. Fernández in collaboration with Rafael Nodal — two men whose stories connect Cuba, Nicaragua and the United States. We’ve paired the cigar with a cocktail whose ingredients tell a similar story. The Havana Café makes use of Havana Club rum (as Bacardi notes, “the real Havana Club”) and cold brew coffee. It’s a refined take on the carajillo, a Spanish and Caribbean favorite for anyone looking to get their caffeine and their party in one glass.
HAVANA CAFÉ * 2 oz Havana Club Añejo Clásico * ¼ oz Demerara * ¾ oz Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth * ½ oz Cold brew coffee * Garnish with lemon twist * Single large ice cube in rocks glass
THE PAIRING The Montecristo Nicaragua Series delivers a core of earth and pepper on the palate that acts as the perfect base for this cocktail’s combination of sweet coffee and rum but what sets the pairing apart is the way that the vermouth cuts through all of it. We found that drawing in the smoke from the Montecristo first, followed by a sip of the cocktail gave us a fun sequence of earth and pepper up front followed by sweet rum and coffee, cleaned up by an austere vermouth finish. It’s a fun, boozy way to take your morning coffee. LOCATION AND MIXOLOGY COURTESY OF: Havana Club brand embassador Gio Gutierrez
26 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
27
SUN GROWN MADURO
ROBUSTO COUNTRY
Nicaragua
WRAPPER
USA
BINDER
Nicaragua
FILLER
Honduras & Nicaragua
PRICE
$ 9.20 - $ 11.15
Rocky Patel Owner
How would you describe the smoking experience with Sun Grown Maduro? The Sungrown Maduro is a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with fillers from Estelí and Condega. That brand has a lot of caramel, coffee, espresso, some lingering white pepper. I would describe that brand as medium plus in flavor profile. Very complex, very rich. It’s a really well aged cigar with a lot going on. Right there in the name, you’ve got sun grown. For the person who’s not as familiar with the process, what’s the significance of it being sun grown? There are two types of tobaccos grown on a farm. There’s sun grown tobacco and there’s shade grown tobacco. The sun grown tobacco is literally grown in the sunlight. The plant gets to be about five and a half feet tall, the leaves are very thick and rich and deliver a lot of flavor.
You’ve been among the cigar makers most involved in the fight against FDA regulation of premium cigars. What’s your involvement looked like? I was lucky to be able to enter into this industry, work hard and be successful. Others should have the same opportunity. In wine, for example, there are always incredible young entrepreneurs doing incredible things. That same opportunity should be available to people in cigars. You don’t want an industry controlled by three or four large manufacturers. The best thing for consumers is choice. This regulation would suck the creative energy out of the industry. Having my legal background and being a bulldog, I got tied up in persuading people in Washington. We’re speaking the truth here. There is no reason to regulate an industry that is so well behaved, that makes a legal product, that is truly an art form. There are families like the Padróns, the Fuentes, the Plasencias, that have generations of history in this art form, and that’s what drives me every day to protect it. It’s a matter of principle. You’ve also got all these Burn lounges. What was the vision there?
I would recommend Robusto or Toro.
In all my travels, there hasn’t been much change in where and how you smoke cigars. We wanted to show that smoking cigars can be fun and can be enjoyed by everybody. Women, men, any adult who wants to enjoy a nice place where you can have a drink, enjoy good music, and a have a cigar. Each Burn lounge is completely different in design and architecture. You’re in a very cool room with clean air, a fun atmosphere, the finest spirits, and the ability to enjoy a cigar.
Was there a product or a moment in your career in cigars when you can remember thinking, “All right… We’ve made it”?
People are learning about this culture. We’re creating a culture of awareness and making it fun to enjoy a cigar.
Shade grown tobacco is grown under cheesecloth that blocks out about 75 percent of the ultraviolet rays. The plant gets about nine feet tall, the leaves are very thin, very long, and usually the tobacco is lighter in flavor. Is there a specific vitola that you’d recommend people go to to try these cigars?
AVAILABLE IN 5 SIZES INCLUDING:
I think probably the launch of The Edge. We had had success with the Vintage 1990 and the Vintage 1992, and when we launched The Edge, which was a total departure. It was in a 100-count box, no cellophane. We just wanted to show a raw product from the factory. It was a big change also because half the filler was from a country nobody was using. That’s still one of the staple brands.
SWEET
Lancero 7 1/2 x 38
Petite Belicoso 5 1/2 x 52
34 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
Sixty 6 x 60
CHOCOLATE
NUT
EARTH
CREAM
WOOD
COFFEE
SPICE
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
35
OUR CAFFEINE-FUELED TOUR OF RAIN CITY TOOK US TO GREAT FOOD, GREAT COFFEE AND EVEN BETTER PEOPLE — BUT SEATTLE SHOULD ALSO BE A CAUTIONARY TALE TO CIGAR LOVERS IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
BY NICOLÁS ANTONIO JIMÉNEZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDY ASTENCIO Space Needle, Seattle
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: El Gaucho, one of Seattle’s favorite chop houses; Union Cigar Society; Rain City Cigar; steaks are cooked over charcoal at El Gaucho; [bottom right] the private bus lounge at Rain City Cigar
so many other anti-smoking measures, this one left premium cigars as collateral damage in efforts to curb cigarette smoking. “What they did was they passed a law that said you can’t smoke within 25 feet of any door, window or ventilation shaft.” rep Shaun Lieb made us some coffee and we took my travel humidor up to Conduit’s roof for our first cigars of the day. It’s always a good time when you meet people who are not only hospitable and knowledgeable, but also down to share a smoke. Maybe you’ll get a similar invite if you bring stogies — maybe not. After all, these guys still have beans to roast. If you’re not able to make it to this part of town or available tour times don’t quite work for you, there are plenty of other places in Seattle where you can try Conduit products. Jesse and Shaun recommend Intrigue Chocolate Co.’s Capitol Hill Chocolate & Coffeehouse (intriguechocolate.com) at the south end of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Just down the road from Conduit is Union Cigar Society, a small cigar shop with a walk-in humidor that punches well above its weight — especially when it comes to its selection of boutique cigar brands. Shop owner Daniel Jensen curates the selection himself, though he got his start at Rain City Cigars (we’ll get to them later), which places less emphasis on boutique brands. While Union Cigar Society can’t offer you a place to smoke, there is a common area in the complex that’s far enough away from any entrances for you to enjoy a cigar legally. It’s outdoors, so the weather will have to cooperate, but it is an option. From here, we made our way to one of the very few places you can go in Seattle to get out of the cold or rain with your cigar. Although, it’s not quite what you might think of when you hear “smoking
46 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
indoors.” Rain City Cigars has a small storefront, but because they remove every cigar from its box and put it in a tray, the shop packs a huge number of cigars into its floor-to-ceiling cabinet humidor. But the thing that really sets Rain City apart is its private club — which is a bus in the parking lot. “We call it the short bus, but we also call it our mobile lounge,” said Rain City owner Joe Arundel. “We’ve had this for three years and it’s set up as a private club to comply with local laws and restrictions. We base it on purchases in the store, so if they want to check on whether we have true members, we can go into our system and show the purchases that justify the use of the bus.” There is a day pass system in place. Spend at least $12.50 in the store, and you’ve got access to the bus for 24 hours from the time of your purchase. To be clear, the bus really is one of those short, handicap-accessible buses, and there hasn’t been any modification to the interior of the bus beyond heating and ventilation. When we visited, there was a handful of guys in there smoking and chatting like they might have been in any other cigar lounge. Except these guys, like I said, were on a bus in the parking lot. “[The ban] was passed by voter initiative. A voter initiative is that you as a citizen can put anything on the ballot so long as you collect enough signatures. In the case of this particular initiative, there were paid signature gatherers and it was backed by the pharmaceutical industry,” Joe said, noting that like
In addition, the law bars smoking in any workplace, which is why the private bus club has to be separate from the store. No employees go into the bus club. While it is of course unfortunate that Joe and his customers are forced to deal with these laws, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the atmosphere in that bus was pretty great. It is, after all, all about the people, and I got the sense that there’s something about being a member of a private club that is a parked short bus that creates a sort of we’re-all-in-thistogether camaraderie among members. If you’re in town, stop by and meet the bus crew. By this time it was getting a little late. We’d had a full day, but skipped lunch in anticipation of the heavy meal we knew was coming at El Gaucho. You might think from the name of the place and the gaucho-inspired embellishments on the servers’ tuxedos that there’s something Argentinian about El Gaucho. You’d be wrong. Aside from those two things, this is about as classic and nostalgic an
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
47
56 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
Seed to
cup Like any great tobacco, your coffee takes a long journey — guided by the expert hands of passionate farmers and artisans — to get from the farm to your mug. - WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ANDY GIAMBARBA MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
57
COFFEE GEAR ONE CUP. SIX CUPS. NO MATTER HOW MUCH COFFEE YOU’RE MAKING, MOST OF THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED IS THE SAME. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED IF YOU WANT TO ARM YOURSELF TO BREW LIKE A PRO. If you grind your own coffee each time you brew, you can control the consistency of the grind size, which will mean much more uniform extraction. Blade grinders are less expensive, but the size of the grind will be less consistent than if you use a burr grinder. Here are two burr options for a uniform result.
ACAIA PEARL acaia.com
$140.00 You want to measure out the beans you grind and brew as well as the exact amount of water you use, so a digital scale you can zero out is important. Make sure the surface area is large enough to hold your mug and not obscure the display. If you’re looking for the coolest scale on the market, the Acaia Pearl is functional art as well.
HARIO CERAMIC MINI-SLIM PRO hario.jp
$34.00 If you’re just grinding for one or want to grind even when you travel, this is an excellent, dependable manual option.
BARATZA ENCORE CONICAL BURR GRINDER baratza.com
$140.00 This is a good entry-level grinder that’ll last you years without giving up performance. The Baratza Encore is bulletproof.
You’ll need to decide on how you want to brew. There are two basic methods: immersion (French Press or Clever Dripper) or pour over. Pour over methods require a kettle with a spout that you can control the pour with. Coffee is extracted as water is poured over the grounds slowly.
THE STAGG KETTLE fellowproducts.com
$79.95 Since water temperature is key to brewing delicious coffee, you’ll want a kettle that allows you to keep the water in the perfect 195 to 205 degree range. There are many kettles with programmable bases on the market. There’s also this one that comes in matte black, has a thermometer in the top and looks like a piece of sculpture.
64 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
EIGHT CUP CLASSIC CHEMEX chemexcoffeemaker.com
CLEVER COFFEE DRIPPER espressoparts.com
$45.50
$22.00
Chemex is a carafe and brewer in one as long as you purchase the correct paper filters, and they offer a large format size for brewing for you and all of your friends.
This gives you the full flavor of immersion, but the use of a filter yields a cleaner product. The mechanism that drains the coffee into your mug is a very neat touch.
HOW TO PAUL MASSARD OF PER’LA COFFEE ROASTERS OFFERS THIS RECIPE TO START YOU OFF ON YOUR HOME BREWING JOURNEY. PAUL KNOWS THAT, LIKE MOST PEOPLE STARTING OUT BREWING SPECIALTY COFFEE, YOU PROBABLY DON’T HAVE FANCY GEAR LIKE SCALES AND GRINDERS. SO HE SUGGESTS THAT YOU HAVE YOUR LOCAL ROASTER GRIND THE BEANS FOR YOU. SURE, THEY’LL LOSE FLAVOR MORE QUICKLY, BUT THE ROASTER PROBABLY HAS A VERY EXPENSIVE GRINDER THAT WILL GIVE YOU A MUCH MORE UNIFORM GRIND THAN YOU WOULD GET AT HOME. ALSO, THE USE OF THE FRENCH PRESS ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR A SCALE. For the perfect French press: Coffee amount: For every 8 ounces of water that your press holds you want to use 2 rounded tablespoons or, if you have a scale, 10 grams. So with a 32 ounce press you would use 8 rounded tablespoons or 40 grams of coffee. Coffee: Preferably something local or a coffee that has been roasted within 2 weeks. Grind: If you don’t own a burr grinder, have your roaster grind the coffee for French press; if you do have a burr grinder, use the coarsest setting on the grinder. Water: You want your water to be between 195 and 205 degrees. You can achieve this by bringing your water to a boil in a tea kettle or pot and then letting it sit for 30 seconds before using it. Time: 4 minutes Steps: 1 - Place measured, ground coffee into your press. 2 - Add your water to the press making sure all the coffee grounds are saturated, filling it all the way to the bottom lip/pour spout of your press or if your press doesn’t have a lip, leaving enough room to be able to insert the filter without it spilling over. 3 - Place the filter of your press on top of the grounds, pushing it down only enough so that all of the grounds are submerged under the water. 4 - Let sit undisturbed for 4 min. 5 - Once the 4 minutes have passed, push the filter of the press down slowly until it reaches the bottom. 6 - Serve and enjoy.
BODUM CHAMBORD FRENCH PRESS bodum.com
$34.99 Designed in the ‘50s, this is the classic, original French press coffee maker. It’s durable, attractive, and easy to use. For best results, use fresh, coarse ground beans with water between 92 and 96 0C.
BEANS A WORD ON BEANS: BUY A LOT OF THEM AND BREW A LOT OF THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU LIKE. THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD SPECIALTY ROASTERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY NOW. SHOP LOCAL AND SUPPORT ONES IN YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS, OR TRY THESE STELLAR ONES
PARLOR COFFEE - BROOKLYN parlorcoffee.com
RUBY COFFEE ROASTERS NELSONVILLE, WISC. rubycoffeeroasters.com
SIGHTGLASS COFFEE SAN FRANCISCO sightglasscoffee.com
HEART COFFEE ROASTERS PORTLAND heartroasters.com
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
65
Coffee hopping in Miami's Wynwood Arts District
80 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
48 cigars
LOCATION: All Day (alldaymia.com)
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
81
ROBUSTO My Father Connecticut
$ 7.70
)
N I CA R AG UA
)
91
VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:
Robusto 5 1/4 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua
Davidoff Grand Cru
$ 19.99
)
D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C
)
91
VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:
Robusto 5 1/4 52 Ecuador Dominican Republic Honduras & Nicaragua
)
Casa Cuevas Connecticut
)
90
) )
90
Silky smooth and creamy with a profile of cedar, vanilla, and light coffee complemented by a gentle touch of spice. This mild smoke is covered with a supple, impeccably applied wrapper with a beautiful sheen. Consistently perfect draw and burn.
$ 6.90 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:
Robusto 5 52 Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua & Dominican Republic
Balmoral Añejo XO Connecticut
D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A mild and ultra-smooth smoke with soft notes of toast, almonds, and wood accompanied by a hint of honey. This consistently well-constructed robusto draws perfectly and produces a tight, compact ash.
$ 9.75 VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:
Rothschild Masivo 5 55 USA/Connecticut Ecuador Brazil, USA & Dominican Republic
Brick House Connecticut
D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C A thick, impeccably constructed robusto covered with a clean, supple wrapper. Mild with a core of wood, soft pepper, and light coffee. Delivers an excellent draw and an even burn leaving behind a solid ash.
$ 6.40
)
N I CA R AG UA
)
89
VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:
Robusto 5 54 USA/Connecticut USA/Connecticut Nicaragua
Viaje Circa ‘45
Opens with a dose of pepper and earth, which quickly settles to incorporate notes of coffee, nuts, and a hint of vanilla. This medium strength blend is finished with a neatly applied, clean, light brown wrapper.
$ 12.00
)
D O M I N I CA N R E P UBLI C
)
88
90 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
Well balanced and flavorful with highlights of nuts, cream, and leather along a core of earth and smooth pepper. This medium bodied robusto produces an excellent smoke output along a flawless draw and burn.
VITOLA: LENGTH: RING: WRAPPER: BINDER: FILLER:
No. 1 5 52 Ecuador Indonesia Dominican Republic
Finished with an attractive, classic-looking, medium-brown wrapper and topped with a neat triple cap. Delivers a medium strength profile with notes of wood, nuts, and a bit of cream with a short finish.
Alejandro MartĂnez 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
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
91
98 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
THE RITUAL Finding a deeper connection to tobacco through an ancient Mayan ritual
Words and photos by Erik CalviĂąo MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
99
102 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
PHOTO: Elliot Hess UK Athletics
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
103
OOP STAR AND FELLOW CIGAR LOVER JIM JACKSON PUTS HIS NCAA, NBA, AND FOX SPORTS EXPERIENCE TO WORK WITH THIS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP. PHOTO: Keenan Hairston Duke Men’s Basketball
As a basketball fan, I love this time of year. Announcing games for FOX Sports gives me a chance to be part of conference tournament play and makes it all the more special. This college basketball season has been unique. People have been drawn to college basketball earlier than usual this year because of the dynamic freshmen at Duke. I call it the “Zion Williamson effect.” On the whole there’s been some unpredictability and changing of the guard. Kentucky started out slow but is now catching fire. Kansas seemed poised for a 15th straight Big 12 title before injuries struck. And Villanova, winners of two of the last three Final Fours, has been up and down. Within each conference there has been a lot of parity.
BIG EAST I’ve been calling a lot of Big East games this year, and you can never count out Villanova, but the team to beat in the Big East Tournament is Marquette. It has one of the best scorers in the country in Markus Howard who can go off for 30 or 40 points on any given night. He can catch and shoot or shoot off the dribble. His mid-range game is effective, and he can finish at the rim. His shooting range basically starts when he enters the gym. Villanova has struggled — at least by its high standards — because it lost four players to the NBA. The Wildcats are not shooting as well from the perimeter or defending as well as they have in the past. I think Jay Wright knew it would be a transition year for his great program. St. John’s might have the conference’s most talented starting five and has the home-field advantage of playing in Madison Square Garden. Seton Hall has Myles Powell and has beaten Kentucky and Maryland. Patrick Ewing has done a heck of a job of getting his young Georgetown team to believe and play the right way.
BIG TEN I want to hedge toward Michigan State winning
104 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
Freshman phenom Zion Williamson takes flight
the Big Ten Tournament despite injuries to Nick Ward and Joshua Langford. Going on the road to beat a tough Michigan team really impressed me. Matt Painter’s Purdue squad has a marquee player in Carsen Edwards, and his team defends well, is physical inside, and can shoot from the outside. Ohio State, where I played, is tough on defense but can struggle on offense. Keep an eye on Maryland as a bit of a sleeper in the Big Ten Tournament. The Terrapins are young, but they’ve proven they can win on neutral courts. They have an excellent point guard in Anthony Cowan Jr. and have Bruno Fernando inside.
ATLANTIC COAST In the ACC Tournament, Duke is the odds-on favorite, depending on the status of Williamson. Virginia is a close second with North Carolina right behind. A lot of people have compared Duke’s freshman class to the Michigan Fab Five of the early 1990s. I played against those Chris Webber-led teams and give the slight edge to the Fab Five. That group was different, more balanced. Webber was such an excellent facilitator, Juwan Howard could post up and Jalen Rose had such height at the point guard position. And Jimmy King and Ray Jackson were so versatile de-
fensively. But Duke does have RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish and a player the likes of which I’ve never seen before in Williamson. With freshmen Coby White and Nassir Little plus experienced upperclassmen, North Carolina has gotten better and better. Florida State, an Elite Eight team a year ago, is an X-factor because it’s long and athletic, and Virginia Tech has played extremely well.
PAC-12 Washington has proven all year that it’s not only the best in the Pac-12, but it’s also a viable threat going forward. Washington plays like Syracuse, extending that tough 2-3 defense. Arizona State has been up and down, but when the Sun Devils get it going, they can play. If neither Washington nor Arizona State wins the Pac-12 Tournament, it will burst the bubble of a team hoping to get in the NCAA Tournament. Normally a power, Arizona has gone through a lot of issues off the court. I’m sure that is weighing heavily on the minds of the young men.
BIG 12 When I think Big 12 Tournament, I think of Kansas, but losing Udoka Azubuike really hurt. During the regular season, Kansas split with Kansas State, who I really like. I’m a big Coach
PHOTO: Elliot Hess UK Athletics
Kentucky and Tennesse will be battling it out in the SEC
SOUTHEASTERN In the SEC’s conference tournament, Kentucky’s freshmen, like Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro, have gotten better as the season has gone on. The young guys are reacting instead of thinking too much now. Tennessee has two dynamic scorers in Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams, and LSU has proven itself with wins against both Kentucky and Tennessee. Don’t take your eye off what Bruce Pearl has done at Auburn either.
MOUNTAIN WEST, MID-AMERICAN, WEST COAST CONFERENCES The Mountain West Conference, Mid-American Conference and West Coast Conference each has a dominant team who should win its re-
spective tournament. Nevada is an experienced squad and viable Final Four threat that should take over the Mountain West Tournament. The Nevada coach, Eric Musselman, was my assistant coach when I played with the Atlanta Hawks. He coaches just like his father, Bill, a former NBA coach. He’s fiery and demands a lot from his players, but he lets his players play. He doesn’t hold his players back; he just holds them accountable. In the MAC Tournament, Buffalo, who upset Arizona in the NCAA Tournament last year and defeated Syracuse on the road this year, should win out. The conference doesn’t quite have the same challengers it had in years past. Look for Gonzaga to win the WCC Tournament. I love Mark Few, and this may be his best team, even though Gonzaga lost big man Killian Tillie to injury. The Bulldogs have a senior leader in Josh Perkins and a great shooter in Zach Norvell Jr. Rui Hachimura, a junior, has made great progress from where he was as a freshman. The Bulldogs don’t turn it over and hit three-pointers and free throws. A complete team, Gonzaga is as good as anyone in the country.
Jim Jackson is a college basketball game and studio analyst and NBA studio analyst for FOX Sports. He attended Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-American, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and was named National Player of the Year by United Press International in 1992. Jim was selected fourth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1992 NBA Draft and played in the league for 14 seasons.
PHOTO: Ian Bailey
Weber fan. It’s a physical team that plays without fouling. The Wildcats have experience in guard Barry Brown Jr., and Dean Wade is their catalyst. He can do a little bit of everything; he can post up, shoot the ball, put the ball on the deck. Chris Beard also has done a phenomenal job at Texas Tech.
It’s going to be an exciting week. I can’t wait.
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
105
EVENTS
TABACALERA DE GARCIA EVENTS
PROCIGAR 2019
Dominican Republic Dominican cigar makers say theirs are the world’s best cigars. The annual Procigar festival is where they bring smokers to the source and make that case, creating lifelong fans along the way. The event draws people from all over the world. What they have in common is that they love cigars enough to spend a few days learning all they can and sharing the experience with like-minded people.
Karla Díaz, Isis Lawrence and Yasemin Ozoncul
Every Procigar festival involves lots of factory and farm tours, incredible dinners — often hosted right at the cigar factories and tobacco farms themselves — and a party atmosphere at night that you can’t help but be sucked into. The event was capped by a gala dinner and live auction that raised $175,000 for area charities. The Dominican Senate also took this gala as an opportunity to present Davidoff’s Henke Kelner with a resolution recognizing him “as a fundamental promoter of the development and modernization of the national tobacco industry and a driving force for the Dominican Republic to become the largest cigar exporter in the world.”
Regine Wolfgramm, Pedro Ventura, Yasemin Ozoncul, Nestor Rodríguez and Javier Elmudesi
106 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR / APR 2019
Josefina Pichardo and Lili Wang
LA FLOR DOMINICANA FIELD AND FACTORY TOUR
David Podber, Mariska Kelch, Mirko Lorenzo, Marco Van De Horst and Rianne Dankers
Litto Gómez leads a tour of LFD tobacco fields
Thomas Beamon, Thomas and Michael Cunningham
TRADITIONAL DOMINICAN DINNER PARTY
Guillermo León, Karl and Kadee Malone and Albert Montserrat
Jim Young, Sara Tío and Dylan Austin
Catherine and Monika Kelner, Augusto “Fufi” Reyes, Nirka Reyes and Catherine Llibre
Victoria McKee and Ernest Gocaj
MAR / APR 2019 | CIGAR SNOB |
107