p. 92
MARCH / APRIL 2020
Texas BBQ
If p. 35
HEMINGWAY Were a Chef...
p. 53
editorials MARCH / APRIL 2020
28
PERFECT PAIRINGS 28 DIPLOMATICO BY MOMBACHO CIGARS / RUM DIPLOMATICO AMBASSADOR 30 PLASENCIA ALMA DE FUEGO / CORLEY STATE LANE VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON
32
BRAND BREAKDOWN
35
EATING ALL THE MEATS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS
MI QUERIDA TRIQUI TRACA
The Lone Star State’s might be America’s purest expression of barbecue. Austin and the small towns that surround it are the epicenter of a proud culture that reveres brisket, beef ribs and smoked sausage. We made a pilgrimage to meat Mecca and so should you.
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63 102
10 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR/ APR 2020
CHEF NORMAN VAN AKEN No South Florida chef has been more consequential than the father of New World cuisine, Norman Van Aken. Learn about his journey from small town Illinois to Key West and how he changed America’s relationship with Caribbean ingredients and Florida cooking.
CIGAR FESTIVALS WHERE TO SMOKE IN CHARLOTTE, NC
MAR / APR 2020 | CIGAR SNOB |
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features MARCH / APRIL 2020
16
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
20
FEEDBACK
22
WHAT’S BURNIN’
46
SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB
77
RATINGS
92
SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB
CODE RED
SPRING LOVE
100
TWITTER SCOREBOARD
104
EVENT COVERAGE 104 THE GREAT SMOKE 2020 106 DAVIDOFF GRAND OPENING AT HARD ROCK GUITAR HOTEL 107 DIPLOMATICO BY MOMBACHO CIGAR LAUNCH AT CASA DE MONTECRISTO 108 DITKA & JAWS CIGARS WITH THE STARS 110 DAVIDOFF 2020 AVO & CAMACHO INNOVATION EVENT AT HARD ROCK GUITAR HOTEL
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MAR / APR 2020 | CIGAR SNOB |
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MARCH / APRIL 2020
VO L . 12 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 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Jamilet Calviño DIGITAL RETOUCHING SPECIALIST Ramón Santana DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Gianni D’Alerta CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Florin Safner CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Benoliel Andy Astencio Natalia Marie García Natalia Aguilera EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Jamilet Calviño Ramon Santana Michy Watchao Natalia Marie García Cover Photography by David Benoliel www.davidbenolielphotography.com Cover Model - Callie Herd 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 2020
The panic on the streets over coronavirus is way out of hand. I’m not taking this virus lightly, but people are fighting over toilet paper all over the country! Speaking of which, am I missing something or is coronavirus attacking our indoor plumbing and electricity? True story: I was at Home Depot this week buying spackling compound, sandpaper, and touch up paint for a home repair project unrelated to coronavirus and the guy in front of me was buying flashlights, tons of batteries, and a generator. In what was clearly an ill-timed joke, I asked the gentleman, “Have you put your hurricane shutters up yet?” The mix of panic and rage in the man’s eyes made me chuckle nervously and shut my trap. People are going crazy. Just to be clear on my stance here, I do not believe that you need to stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, and baby wipes in preparation for coronavirus. I also don’t think you need to fill your shopping cart with water, flashlights and generators. If your city or town goes on full lockdown in response to a local outbreak, that doesn’t mean that they will cut your power or water. Will you be bored at home? Yes. If anything you should go to Blockbuster and stock up on VHS movies. Yet another ill-timed joke. Jokes aside, as cigar smokers I do think we need to go into what I am calling coronavirus protocol. 1.
Under no circumstances are you to use a community cutter at a cigar store. Always bring your own and don’t share it with anyone.
2.
No handshakes.
3.
Cover all sneezes and coughs.
4.
Wash your hands often.
5.
When holding your cigar, don’t hold it near the area that goes in your mouth.
6.
When shopping for your next cigar, don’t reach into the box willy-nilly touching all the cigars in there. Try to only touch the cigar that you plan to buy.
7.
This one should be unnecessary, but don’t share your cigar with anyone.
In spite of the coronavirus madness, we put together one helluva fun issue. We sent Nicolás Antonio Jiménez and Natalia García to Austin, Texas to get loaded up on Texas BBQ on p. 35. I swear they both came back at least 5 lbs. heavier. Nicolás also wrote an interesting profile on one of the country’s most influential chefs, Norman Van Aken, on p. 53. Coincidentally, my wife and I went to Norman’s in Coral Gables on our first date in 2002 so I have a soft spot for Van Aken. My sister Jamilet and I attended both major cigar festivals this year, Puro Sabor in
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Nicaragua and ProCigar in the Dominican Republic, and our coverage of it starts on p. 63. Finally, we ran two fantastic shoots in this issue, both with the same model, the Texan beauty Callie Herd. The first, titled Code Red, is on p. 46 and in it we help you crack the code on pairing red wine with our Top 5 cigars from last year. The second, titled Spring Love, is just Callie looking outrageous by the pool and smoking cigars. Thank you to our entire crew for working tirelessly on this issue in spite of the aforementioned panic on the street. You guys rock. Stay safe, wash your hands, and relax with the toilet paper.
Keep ‘em lit,
Erik Calviño ecalvino@cigarsnobmag.com
FIRST-CLASS FEEDBACK To all concerned, I want to thank everyone who makes your magazine possible. If consistency merits an award, Cigar Snob gets the Medal of Honor. Thanks again for another first-class issue. Keep up the great work and “keep ‘em lit.” Respectfully,
Arco Wilmington, NC via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Thanks for the kind words, Arco! Nobody publishes a cigar magazine looking to win a medal of honor, but we’ll take it! Hope you like this one as much as you did the others.
MAKING THE GRADE Absolutely love Cigar Snob Magazine… A+ to the entire team!
Jeff F. Alamo, Calif. via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com And we love you… Gold star!
MAKING MOVES Hi Erik I moved a few months ago and am slowly getting caught up on my reading. [In reference to your November/December 2019 letter from the publisher], I agree that kindness is needed. I think the world sucks right now. Thank god for music as it keeps me sane. Gov’t Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, and Joe Bonamassa to name three. All the best,
Dan M. Media, Penn. Hope the move went smoothly and glad to hear you’re getting caught up on Cigar Snob. As for your musical selections, you had me at Gov’t Mule. Rock on brother. Erik
NAME THAT FACTORY! Love your magazine, but I think you guys should list the name of the factory and brand on your ratings. Thanks.
@secretocigarbar Ferndale, Mich. via Instagram Thanks for the feedback, guys! We currently name the manufacturers (not just the brands, as they’re not always the same thing) only for cigars that make our annual Top 25 list. Maybe we should start doing it for all cigars rated. Point well taken!
WRITE US AT FEEDBACK@CIGARSNOBMAG.COM 20 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR/ APR 2020
C I G A R S O F C H A R AC T E R
THROUGH THE DAY
I N TO T H E N I G H T
WHATEVER THE TASK, WHATEVER THE HOUR, WINSTON CHURCHILL KNEW THE RIGHT CIGAR CAN BE A TRUSTED COMPANION. SO THE CIGARS WHICH CARRY HIS NAME ECHO HIS CHARACTER. FROM «THE ORIGINAL COLLECTION» THROUGH TO «THE LATE HOUR» CIGARS, THEIR QUALITY NEVER SLEEPS.
A M A N A N D A C I G A R FO R A L L T I M E S AVAILABLE AT AUTHORIZED DAVIDOFF DEALERS NATIONWIDE & DAVIDOFF OF GENEVA LOCATIONS NEW YORK
·
ATLANTA
·
HOUSTON
·
TAMPA
·
LAS VEGAS
#davidoffwinstonchurchill
·
HOLLYWOOD
MAR / APR 2020 | CIGAR SNOB |
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NO. 648
MI QUERIDA TRIQUI TRACA COUNTRY WRAPPER BINDER FILLER PRICE
Nicaragua USA/Connecticut Nicaragua Nicaragua, Dominican Rep. $ 10.75 - $ 11.75
Steve Saka Owner
What’s the background of Mi Querida Triqui Traca? Where did that brand come from? Well, it kind of came as a result of a little bit of a misunderstanding on my part. I had played around with some variations of Mi Querida before the [FDA] deadline because, you know, you just didn’t know what was gonna happen. And I had made a heavier, denser version of that cigar. In the end I had to choose between the two final blends and I ended up choosing one that ultimately became Mi Querida. And then Dave Garofalo approached me about doing a Mi Querida Firecracker for his annual Firecracker release. It’s called Firecracker. To me that meant stronger, heavier, more robust. So in keeping with that concept, I ended up giving him the alternative Mi Querida blend to use as the Firecracker. Where the confusion comes in is that I didn’t realize people in the past, when they make Firecrackers, just make the same exact blend just in his Firecracker size, which is like 3 ½ x 50 with this really weird long pigtail on it to make it look like a fuse. You’ll have to ask Dave about it. He’ll know better than I will, but I think it was his most successful one ever. The first one sold all 500 boxes out in like a day and then he actually did a whole repeat order for another 500 boxes and those sold out also. And then it became a regular part of your portfolio.
AVAILABLE IN 2 SIZES
Obviously there were a lot of people that really liked
the other blend and I decided, “Well, gee, I should offer it in additional sizes.” Because the thing with the Firecracker size is it’s good but it’s over so quickly. You know what I mean? So that’s where the Triqui Traca came from. Triqui Traca is actually slang for this very particular style of firecrackers that they use in Nicaragua. What they do is they take these large firecrackers and they string them in a line and then they lay them down in the center of a street and then light them. The firecrackers just keep going off as booms cascading down the entire length of the street in a series of explosions. In Nicaragua they use these primarily for celebrations. Sometimes it will be for religious festivals, sometimes it’ll be for an anniversary of an important date or something. But they’re primarily used at a celebratory setting. How would you describe the difference between Triqui Traca and the core Mi Querida? I’ve started referring to them as blue and red because the bands are blue on the original and the Triqui Traca is red. In the red Triqui Traca version, there’s additional ligero. It’s a tobacco grown by Leo Reyes in the Dominican Republic that happens to be incredibly potent. The other difference is that on Mi Querida I use broadleaf mediums, but on Triqui Traca I use number one darks. Otherwise they’re very similar. Triqui Traca is considerably stronger, but it’s not stronger in a biting, peppery way. It’s a heavier, denser kind of sensation. You just feel it more as you’re smoking it, but it isn’t that it’s necessarily more spicy or more peppery. Maybe a touch, but not a crazy amount. It’s not for someone who prefers mild to medium cigars and it’s probably not even for someone who prefers medium. Definitely for the consumer who wants them stronger, more robust. But because it doesn’t have that sharp peppery bite, it’s also a way to smoke a really strong cigar that’s still approachable. It’s not going to make the back of your throat hurt. It doesn’t give you that sharpness.
SWEET
No. 552 5 x 52
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CHOCOLATE
NUT
EARTH
CREAM
WOOD
COFFEE
SPICE
No. 648 6 x 48
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DIGGING INTO BARBECUE IN THE MOST DOGMATIC CORNER OF THE MEAT-SMOKING WORLD
by Nicolás Antonio Jiménez / Photography by Natalia García
No 1 PADRÓN 1964 ANNIVERSARY SERIES The Padrón’s flexible flavor profile makes it a good partner for just about any of the classic red wine regions but we find that left-bank Bordeaux from Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac, and St. Estephe bring that beautiful balance of silky tannins and delicate fruit to the pairing. Recommended vintages: 2018, 2016, 2015, 2010, 2009
Super-hot Callie Herd helps us crack the code to pairing the Top 5 cigars from our 2019 Top 25 rankings with the some of the world’s best red wine growing regions.
By Erik CalviĂąo
52 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR/ APR 2020
Norman Van Aken is widely known as the father of New World Cuisine. The midwestern chef found his voice in a Key West Kitchen and went on to bring the flavors and sensibilities of the Caribbean to diners and cooks all over America. Now he’s focused on cementing his legacy and making sure the knowledge he’s gained is available to the next generation. LOCATION: Books & Books in Coral Gables, Fla.
by Nicolás Antonio Jiménez / Photography by Natalia Aguilera MAR / APR 2020 | CIGAR SNOB |
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We invite you to discover and enjoy our combined artistic expression, DUETO.
SERIE SIGNATURAS DUETO is the result of a special collaboration between two of the most passionate and dedicated Dominican boutique premium cigar makers, Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo and Boris Wintermans. While each cigar maker has a unique and distinguished personal tobacco history, they share the philosophy that relentless, passionate curiosity is essential to discovering and enjoying the best life has to offer. Blended by the legendary Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo to excite the senses, DUETO captures the complex intersection of two distinct premium cigar blending signatures. Incorporating each cigar makers’ hand-selected, preferred tobaccos, this cigar blend delivers a special, one-of-a-kind sensorial experience for the curious – the signature elegant robustness of Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo cigars and the signature balance of sophisticated complexity and smoothness of Boris Wintermans’ Balmoral handmade cigars.
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BALMORALCIGARS.COM
Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic host annual festivals to celebrate their tobacco prowess and flex their cigar-making muscles. These events are the best way for you to immerse yourself in the premium cigar culture. Here are firsthand accounts of some of what we did and saw during this year’s Puro Sabor and ProCigar festivals. MAR / APR 2020 | CIGAR SNOB |
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The cigar world is on Twitter and we aim to keep track of who’s leading who. The following is a scoreboard of the cigar world’s most relevant Tweeples. The list is sorted by number of followers and broken into groups: Top 20 Twitter Cigar Companies & Reps, Top 10 Twitter Retailers, Top 10 Online Cigar Tweeps, Top 3 Twitter Cigar Organizations, and Top 3 Cigar Radio Twitter accounts. If you have the numbers and belong in one of these groups, stand up and be counted! Set us straight via Twitter @cigarsnobmag.
TOP CIGAR COMPANIES (sorted by Twitter followers) Rocky Patel @RockyPatelCigar......................................... Drew Estate Cigars @DrewEstateCigar............................. Padron Cigar @PadronCigars............................................ CAO International @CAOCigars......................................... Alec Bradley Cigars @AlecBradley.................................... La Flor Dominicana @LFDCigars....................................... Jonathan Drew @JonathanDrewArt.................................. Camacho Cigars @camachocigars.................................... Ashton Cigars @ashtoncigar............................................. Pete Johnson @TatuajeCigars........................................... Xikar Inc @XIKARinc......................................................... La Gloria Cubana @lagloriacubana.................................... Nick Perdomo @PerdomoCigars....................................... Miami Cigar Co @miamicigar............................................. Punch Cigars @punchcigars............................................. Ernesto Padilla @PadillaCigars......................................... Davidoff Cigars @Davidoff_Cigars.................................... AJ Fernandez @ajfcigars.................................................. Avo Cigars @AvoCigars..................................................... La Palina Cigars @La PalinaCigars....................................
34476 32738 27974 25663 21053 20221 19013 18968 18050 16633 14968 14901 13201 13015 12955 12401 12342 12129 11878 11607
TOP CIGAR ORGANIZATIONS CRA @cigarrights............................................................. 14794 Premium Cigar Association @PCA1933............................. 8334 Tobacconist University @tobacconistU............................. 4579
TOP CIGAR RADIO Cigar Dave Show @CigarDaveShow................................. 11477 Smooth Draws @SmoothDraws....................................... 4316 KMA Talk Radio @KMATalkRadio...................................... 2288
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE TWEETS, MENTIONS, AND RANDOM SOCIAL MEDIA GOODNESS.
TOP CIGAR RETAILERS & REPS Famous Smoke Shop @FamousSmokeShop...................... Mulberry St. Cigars @MulberryStCigar............................. Cigar Hustler @cigarhustler.............................................. Cigar Row @CigarRow..................................................... Jeff Borysiewicz – Corona Cigar Co @CoronaCigarCo....... Michael Herklots–Nat Sherman @MichaelHerklots............ Barry – Two Guys Smoke Shop @Barry2Guys................... Cheap Humidors @cheaphumidors................................... Lindsay Siddiqi @TheCigarChick....................................... Palm Desert Tobacco @palmdsrttobacco.........................
14593 13393 11322 8077 7251 6542 6350 5293 5237 4892
@Izambar_cigars via Instagram IZAMBAR CIGARS Lifestyle by izambar Sculpture artiste “Sigismond” Genève #cigarboss #cigarclub #izambarcigars #izambar #cigarporn #cigarofthedayclub #morningcigar #whyareyourcigarsneverburning #cigarsnobmag #cigarworld
TOP ONLINE CIGAR TWEEPLES David Voth–Sex, Cigars, & Booze @SexCigarsBooze......... Cigar News @CigaRSS .................................................... Cigar Events @CigarEvents............................................... Cigar Federation @CigarFederation.................................. Robusto Cigar Babe @RobustoBabe................................. Stogie Boys @StogieBoys ............................................... Cigar Evaluations @CigarEvaluation................................. Cigar Inspector @CigarInspector ..................................... The Stogie Guys @stogieguys........................................... Tom Ufer @cigarsmonkingman..........................................
100 | CIGAR SNOB | MAR/ APR 2020
147953 15947 14839 12379 10599 8575 8505 8256 8020 6500
@cigarwalk via Instagram Pappy said, start the day with #drewestate #Acid #Kuba #Arte #cigar #breakfast #de4l #acidcigars #sotl #cigarporn #cigarsociety #cigarsmokers #cigarpress #cigarsnoblife #botl #cigars #experienceacid @drewestatecigar @experienceacid @drewdiplomat
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