MAY/ JUNE 2020
CORONA lockdown edition
VITOLA 101 / CHARITY / FAUX PAS / MOVIES
editorials MAY / JUNE 2020
37
5 TO TRY – BELGIAN BEERS
49
ALL HANDS ON DECK
54
VITOLA 101: CORONA
56
FAUX PAS COVID EDITION
58
MOVIES FOR THE ‘RONA
60
ESSENTIALS
62
UNITED WE SMOKE
When you think of a craft brewer today you may think of a hippie, mad scientist type who maniacally tinkers with his or her brewing recipes endlessly to achieve perfection in beer. In this 5 to Try we go back to the Old World to find the original hippie, mad scientists, the Trappist monks of Belgium!
In a way, the pandemic has been an amplifier of a person or company’s true self. Thankfully there are cigar and spirits companies among us that make us proud to be associated with them.
Consumer demand along with other factors have pushed the corona shape to the fringes but this once benchmark size still holds sway with some of the biggest names in premium cigars.
A faux pas is an embarrassing or tactless act in a social situation but during these times of COVID-19, the stakes have been ratcheted up. Here’s a guide on how to not be THAT guy.
Grab a cigar, your TV remote, and get on the couch! We’ve enlisted the help of a Hollywood insider turned cigar industry executive for what we should be watching during the times of the ‘Rona.
Nothing wrong with that branded ashtray you got as a gift with purchase but now that you’re ready to take the next step, we’ve got the ashtray for you.
In the midst of a national racial crisis, Industrial Cigar Company has emerged as a leader in their community with a project called Smoke Together – Stay Together.
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features MAY / JUNE 2020
16
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
20
FEEDBACK
22
WHAT’S BURNIN’
28
BRAND BREAKDOWN 28 LUNATIC – TORCH 30 AVO CLASSIC MADURO 32 AGING ROOM QUATTRO CONNECTICUT 34 VILLIGER DO BRASIL MADURO
64
SMOKING HOT CIGAR SNOB THE BACKSTORY
Photo shoot producer Ivan Ocampo pulls back the curtain on some of the wildest moments that happened behind the scenes of your favorite Cigar Snob pictorials.
85
RATINGS
102
TWITTER SCOREBOARD
104
EVENT COVERAGE 104 AGING ROOM DINNER AT SABOR HAVANA 106 SMOKING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER AT BURN BY ROCKY PATEL 108 AGING ROOM AT AFICIONADO’S PREMIUM CIGAR & WINE 110 FIRST RESPONDERS LUNCH AT SABOR HAVANA
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VO L . 12 IS SU E 3 www.cigarsnobmag.com PUBLISHER & EDITOR Erik Calviño 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 MANAGEMENT Gianni D’Alerta Natalia Marie García CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Gaby Gadtoons CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Clay Roberts Sean Chaffin Pedro Alcazar Ivan Ocampo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Benoliel Andy Astencio Bryant McCain EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Jamilet Calviño Cover Photography by David Benoliel www.davidbenolielphotography.com Cover Model - Yara Khmidan 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 -
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14 | CIGAR SNOB | MAY / JUN 2020
You don’t need to read it in a cigar magazine to know that we are going through an unprecedented time in our country’s history. It isn’t the first time that we’ve dealt with a global pandemic and God knows this isn’t the first time we’ve experienced a racial divide. The difference is that we’ve never, to my knowledge, faced both at the same time. This fact is critical; we were locked down in our homes going stir crazy. Unemployment, which had previously been at historic lows, was now skyrocketing and financial tension was mounting. As a country we were collectively stressed out but still hanging on when George Floyd was senselessly murdered by a police officer. It was too much to bear and we snapped. The timing was so perfect that it’s no wonder that conspiracy theorists are seeing red flags at every turn, but conspiracy theories are a topic for another day. What I do want to talk about, or rather, what I am asking of you is to not take the bait. I’ll explain what I mean. There are groups at work that want to tear us apart, and why shouldn’t they? This is the single greatest country in the history of mankind and unless they can hoodwink us into ripping each other apart from the inside, these groups don’t stand a chance. I am asking you to not take the bait that they are dangling in front of us. I’m asking everyone on both sides of the divide to be reasonable. I think I look at this issue from a slightly different vantage point than most of you. Here’s the quick version: I was born in Cuba, raised in the US, during the first half of my formative years we lived in a low-income/ high-crime neighborhood, my middle-school years were spent in the epicenter of Miami’s ganglands, and then I went to high school in the posh neighborhood of Coral Gables. There’s even more diversity in my story but I won’t bore you with it; suffice it to say that I’ve seen some of the kindest, most gentle moments in the hood with gunfire and police sirens blaring in the background and in the mansions surrounded by priceless art on the walls. I’ve also seen the most vile, hateful behavior in both. The bottom line is that the vast majority of people are good and want to do good unto others but those stories don’t make the news. They don’t get talked about often enough so we don’t see it and when we do see it, we look at the kind act as an exception because we are conditioned to see bad from the other side. Believe me, those videos of a random act of kindness that occasionally make it to your social media feed are not the exception, they are the norm. They happen every day on both sides. I’ve lived it. Don’t let them bait you into thinking otherwise. Producing this issue has not been easy but I am proud of our team and of the incredible effort they put forth to get it done. The highlight of this issue is unquestionably The Backstory (p.64). It was written by Ivan Ocampo as a behind-the-scenes account of some of our most adventurous photo shoots. He should know since he produces all of
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them. In it there are stories of animals going wild, photo equipment floating away in the surf, and zig-zagging our way through Italy. We hope you enjoy the backstories and aren’t bothered too much by the beautiful images we also managed to put on those pages. We billed this issue as our Corona issue, as in coronavirus. But rather than talk about all of the bad that this virus has brought us, we decided to tell you about how much good has come from the cigar and liquor industries as a result of the pandemic in a piece we called All Hands on Deck by Sean Chaffin (p.49). Staying on the corona topic, we created a new section called Vitola 101 (p.54) where we dig into the corona cigar size; we’ll do more sizes/shapes in upcoming issues. Finally and in support of the point I made at the beginning of my letter, we highlighted the good work that the fine folks at Industrial Cigar Company are doing in a short piece titled United We Smoke (p.62). I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue but above all I pray that you continue being kind to one another and don’t take the bait.
Keep ‘em lit,
Erik Calviño ecalvino@cigarsnobmag.com
FIRST THINGS FIRST Just thought I would drop a note to say that I really enjoy your magazine, so much so that it has pushed me into a round of entrepreneurship. I want to know if there is any way that you could direct me to who I need to talk to about starting my own cigar lounge. If there is any way that you can help me, any way at all, please get back in contact with me. I am very serious about this. I only recently learned about your magazine within the last two years and I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Your magazine has inspired me. Again, please contact me.
Jimmy M. Lynchburg, VA Via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Thank you for the kind words Jimmy! It’s humbling to hear that our work has inspired you to get deeper into your cigar passion. It truly is humbling but I’d hate to get more feedback from you in a few months blaming us for the end of your marriage. You asked for direction as to whom you should speak to about starting a cigar lounge. SPEAK TO YOUR WIFE! Before you go investing your retirement in a cigar lounge, run it by the ol’ missus. Then reach out to the tobacconist association in your state and start the journey.
DISAPPEARING PROBLEMS SINCE 1949 Hello my name is Armando. I am from Tampa Florida. It’s so refreshing when you call Customer Service and you hear a voice of an actual person, in this case Oscar Calviño, who is courteous and friendly and makes whatever problem you have disappear. I want to say thank you and send my gratitude to Oscar and Jamilet Calviño for their quick response. I love the magazine and keep up the good work.
Armando P. Tampa, FL Via feedback@cigarsnobmag.com Thank you Armando! We have a small but incredibly dedicated team that goes above and beyond to solve whatever subscription problem you may have. We’re not perfect, we make mistakes, but we strive to make every subscriber proud to be a part of our family.
MY FAVORITE PODCAST Like a blend of cigar that is a pleasure to smoke, these guys make the world a more fun place to be. I recommend this podcast to all the people in my life. Cigar geeks, casual smokers and even friends who don’t partake. Great cigar information, fun sports and world news talk without the stressful drama. If you like listening to people who seem like they would be cool to hang out with this is your place. Cigar Snob is a cool name but just the opposite of what they appear to be. Fine ambassadors of the cigar world for the CEOs and the working man.
Hammer640 via Apple Podcast Review In the words of Jasper, “I like the cut of your jib.” When we started the podcast back in 2017, we did it because we knew that people like you would eventually find it and enjoy it. We wanted to make the podcast an audio version of our print publication and your words are confirmation that we are on the right track. All we can say to you is that since you like the podcast, you will certainly like the magazine and our website. Check us out at cigarsnob.com
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VISIONARIES
LUNATIC TORCH create our signature profile.
COUNTRY
Nicaragua
WRAPPER
Nicaragua
BINDER
Nicaragua
FILLER
Nicaragua
PRICE FACTORY
$ 9.99 - $ 10.50 Aganorsa Leaf
Terence Reilly
VP of Sales & Marketing All three sizes in the Lunatic Torch line feature an exposed foot. Some people love it while others don’t care for it. What was the motivation behind leaving the foot exposed? In our events, we do this “Fuma Experience” where the participants get to smoke the binder and filler tobaccos separately before getting to smoke the entire cigar. The idea behind leaving the foot exposed was to provide a type of “Fuma Experience,” so the smoker tastes only the binder and filler in the beginning and that is unbalanced but the flavors are very distinctive and it kind of wakes up the palate. Then you hit the wrapper and it creates a little more complexity and stabilizes the blend. So the goal is to show that transition. At Cigar Snob we see all kinds of cigars and have smoked plenty of them with this feature but I wonder if a regular smoker at a store asks about it. Do they ask if it is a mistake?
AVAILABLE IN 3 SIZES
No, I think most of the time they don’t think it’s a mistake but they are usually curious as to why it’s that way. They typically want to know the purpose of doing it, in other words is it purely aesthetic or is there a purpose to it. And as I said earlier, the purpose is to give them some insight into how we
With that in mind, what kind of smoker are you targeting with this line? I think we’re trying to hit between the regular Lunatic smoker and the guys that go more for the Aganorsa Signature, Supreme Leaf, and that kind of cigar. Pricewise this is in between those two but size-wise it is more reminiscent of the Lunatic sizes. But in the end the experience of the brush foot is more interesting to the smoker who is more into the geek-out aspect of cigar smoking. Whenever I’m in a store and bring up that this is a way to see how much the wrapper affects flavor, those guys are immediately interested in that. We smoked and even rated the original Lunatic Torch back in 2016. Aside from the packaging, what is different about this iteration? The original Torch was released in only one size and it was packaged in a 30-count box. Also that one was a shag foot instead of a brush and you had to smoke the shag foot for a long time before you got to the wrapper and it was a little bit of overkill. The smoker would be tired of it by the time he got to the wrapper; it took too long to get to the part he liked. So we cut that down and then made it in three sizes and put them in 10-count boxes with packaging that is more in line with the rest of the Lunatic brand. The good news is that the blend is the same as it was back then because it was a good blend. How have Aganorsa Leaf’s operations in Nicaragua been affected by COVID-19? We haven’t had any significant delays or interruptions in our production or shipments from Nicaragua. In terms of how we go about making cigars during this time, we check everyone’s temperature as they walk in to work each day, we have them wear masks, enforce social distancing and require rigorous and frequent handwashing. We also use a disinfectant liquid on their shoes to ensure they’re not bringing the virus into the factory that way.
SWEET
Visionaries 6 1/2 x 52
Dreamlands 6 1/2 x 60
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Mad Folk 4 3/4 x 70
CHOCOLATE
NUT
EARTH
CREAM
WOOD
COFFEE
SPICE
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29
BELGIAN BEER
THE EXPLOSION OF THE CRAFT BEER SCENE IN THE UNITED STATES HAS DRAWN AN EVER-GROWING NUMBER OF BEER DRINKERS AWAY FROM GUZZLING LIGHT BEER AT THEIR LOCAL WATERING HOLE AND INTO THE TAPROOMS OF THOUSANDS OF DOMESTIC BREWERIES. BUT AS THE COVID PANDEMIC PUMPED THE BRAKES ON BEER GARDENS AND TAPROOMS, MANY ARE TURNING TO THE WARM BLANKET OF CLASSIC, OLD-WORLD BEER FROM THE OG OF ARTISANAL BEER, BELGIUM.
IT ND. R I P S A HA D N A LEND R A CIG ST TO , S IKE HE FIR R T S GT R E ST AMON A S I D ARE N E WH ANIES P M O C
BY S
EAN
CHA
FFIN
UNITED WE SMOKE
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Since opening their doors back in September of 2017 in Frisco, Texas, Industrial Cigar Company has been preaching that “the cigar is the great equalizer.” Since their earliest mission statements and public communications, they’ve made it clear that diversity and unity would be front and center at this cigar lounge. It comes as no surprise that in the midst of this racial crisis, Industrial Cigar Company has emerged as a leader in their community. They launched a new project named Smoke Together – Stay Together. “The idea came to us when witnessing peaceful protests nationwide, with the potential of real positive justice reform,” said co-owner Brandon Frakes. He added, “We see this in our lounge every day, people of different races and backgrounds coming together to share a moment in time.” The project culminated in a photo wall that was unveiled on June 18th. The wall is made up of a series of framed photographs by Bryant McCain where he had a diverse group of Industrial Cigar Company’s customers hold up a raised fist with a cigar placed in the center of their hand. Frakes described it as, “A project about unity and the power of the cigar during times of division and racial tension. We are all brothers and sisters of the leaf and stand together in unity through these challenging times in our country.” We couldn’t have said it better if we tried.
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63
The popularity of the Cigar Snob photoshoots is an amazing phenomenon. Besides being our most “read” section in the magazine, both in print and online, it is also the section that engages the most conversation with the folks we come across out in the wild. Especially when we’re able to sit down for a smoke and tell old war stories over a drink. Inevitably the stories people want to hear the most are the ones about the unbelievable adventures we’ve experienced while producing these shoots. Since I’ve been in the middle of just about all of the madness, I’ve put together a behind-the-scenes look at some of our craziest moments on location. by Ivan Ocampo
Artwork by Andy Astencio
48 CIGARS
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............................................. Davidoff Cigars @Davidoff_Cigars.................................... Ernesto Padilla @PadillaCigars......................................... AJ Fernandez @ajfcigars.................................................. Avo Cigars @AvoCigars..................................................... La Palina Cigars @La PalinaCigars....................................
34866 32986 28108 25758 20981 20200 18790 18749 18167 16518 14946 14946 13237 13010 12872 12537 12444 12205 11747 11542
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.........................
14811 13261 11164 7962 7524 6466 6342 5207 5193 4355
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..........................................
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146778 16212 14829 12263 10722 8471 8335 8164 7956 6445
TOP CIGAR ORGANIZATIONS CRA @cigarrights............................................................. 14743 Premium Cigar Association @PCA1933............................. 8352 Tobacconist University @tobacconistU............................. 4537
TOP CIGAR RADIO Cigar Dave Show @CigarDaveShow................................. 11438 Smooth Draws @SmoothDraws....................................... 4259 KMA Talk Radio @KMATalkRadio...................................... 2265
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE TWEETS, MENTIONS, AND RANDOM SOCIAL MEDIA GOODNESS.
@thecigarmadame via Instagram Your path is your own and the pace at which you travel is a matter of choice. The key to maximizing the pace of your process lies in the degree to which you are able to let go and cease directing the scenarios of your drama. Allow life to unfold for you... they key to all you could become lies in your willingness to let go ...Learn to dance with the energies of life (allowing the ebb and flow to determine the direction ) Have a power filled weekend family
@cinnamoncigar via Instagram Today I just want to enjoy a good smoke #cigarsociety #cigars #cigarbabes #thecigarculture #cigarsmoking #cigarboxnation #cigarwoman
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EVENTS AGING ROOM AT SABOR HAVANA Doral, Fla.
Sabor Havana in Doral hosted another one of their famous cigar dinners, this time featuring Aging Room cigars in a memorable evening of food, cigars, spirits and friends. The event, which was held before the city-wide shelter in place orders for COVID-19 took effect, was catered by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and featured a bourbon sampling with generous pours of Jim Beam Barrel Select, Legent Bourbon, and Basil Hayden’s. As for the cigar portion of the dinner, everyone received a four-pack of Aging Room cigars to enjoy throughout the evening. In addition, Altadis USA’s Rafael Nodal was on hand to personally sign purchased boxes of Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua.
Ernesto Kranwinkel, Gabrielle Winchester, Rafael Nodal, Jill Meyers, Jorge Valdes & Aquiles Legra
Ragnar Antonio Jamieson and Gus Martinez
Adrian Hernandez, Wilson Medina and John Cartaya
Claudia Ceballos
Elizabeth and William Silva
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Yasser Pichardo and Jose Barrera
Javier Macedo and Alfredo Michael
David Delancy and Rafael Nodal
Jill Meyers, Ernesto Kranwinkel & Gabrielle Winchester
Fernando FariĂąas, Sergio Roque & Ammer Cabrera
Elizabeth Silva and Jorge Valdes
KC Miller, Eliana Osorio and Magda Miller
Leo Valdes Recio, Gus and Fernando Martinez
Claudia Ceballos, Elizabeth Silva and Eliana Osorio
Team Ruth's Chris Steak House
Dorian Pakeman and David Morales
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105