15 February Column
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 6:52AM I published a comment about CA’s Top 25 Cigars, which elicited a ‘correction’ from Gordon Mott. I wrote my mea culpa immediately and put it in my next column. This was Mr. Mott’s message to me, via Facebook:
January 21
glad
Glad you friended me...in your next blog you should do your homework about our top 25...we never suggest that the 700 cigars we smoke are new cigars...they are cigars in the market...
Then, a friend pointed out that I was completely correct! Gordon, CA’s executive editor was wrong about what his web site said! What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. I sent Gordon the following e-mail:
Gordon:
I wrote what I knew to be true, regarding the 700 “new cigars” smoked. You corrected me; I published the mea culpa. Now, I’d like to correct you. You, of all people, as Executive Editor, should know – precisely – what you publish. From the CA Website:
“After a year of puffing on 700 new cigars from all around the world…”
Is an apology in order, perhaps?
Cordially,
Gary
Gary J. Arzt
Mobile: 561.212.5104
I have had no response. Perhaps Gordon has adopted Marvin’s droit de seigneur attitude!
What an amazing month February has been! Abe Dababneh of Smoke Inn(s), in Florida’s Palm Beach County, just held his fourth Annual ”Great Smoke!” on 5 February.
It was a fantastic event, with about 850 attendees, and some 40 cigar makers present, handing each visitor the best of their cigars.
Guests at "Great Smoke"
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and Steven Hernandez - Yes, the figure to the left of EPC is only one person!
The event began Friday evening with a dinner which introduced the Padron SI-15 – a cigar Padron made for the 15th Anniversary of Smoke Inn. Jose Orlando Padron, Jorge Padron, Jeffrey and Marco Padron were at the dinner – which was held at Rachel’s Steak House. I spent days trying to figure out how we would be able to smoke in a steakhouse.
Well, now I understand. Rachel’s is a Gentleman’s Club & Steakhouse. And I have to admit they did a hell of a job on the steaks, in the face of all that female pulchritude flying around the other part of the establishment!
Alas, the management wasn’t totally fair – we diners were separated from the lap dancing by a wall of gushing water!
Be that as it may; it was a terrific evening and only the beginning of “The Great Smoke IV.’ By the way, I can’t tell you how many people I heard say, “I won’t attend another Big Smoke.” Not only is Abe’s event more elaborate and more fun, but it benefits a charity.
Abe has been tweaking his “Great Smoke” since its first version four years ago. There is excellent music, great food from Chef Richard of Flair Catering, beers, wines and all other forms of drink. In addition to the General Admission ticket, there is a VIP ticket where guests can see and enjoy waitress service while taking in the whole event.
Nestor Miranda - "The most interesting man in the cigar industry"
Jonathan Drew
Nick Perdomo, III and Nick Perdomo, Jr.Among the prominent cigar makers, I saw, and spoke with Avo Uvezian, Nick Perdomo, Dion Giolito, Eddie Ortega, Nestor Miranda, the Garcia’s, Glenn Case of Kristoff, and on and on.
Avo Uvezian
Cigar Dave broadcast his Saturday show from the event.
When the “Great Smoke” ended, at 5:00 PM, a few of us repaired to the John Bull Tavern, next to Smoke Inn, to await the start of the ‘after party’. Well, by the time (6:00 PM) that rolled around, Dave Zeplowitz, Brian Chinnock – a wine maker from Napa that now has a cigar line (Chinnock Cellars) were engaged in conversation – and I were perhaps, partied-out. We remained eating and talking until about 11:00 PM.
On the 8th, I left for the Santiago leg of the 4th Annual ProCigar Festival in the Dominican Republic. What an event that was!
What with factory tours, tobacco field tours, seminars and elegant dinners each of the three evenings, one could be on the go non-stop.
ProCigar, formed by MATASA, Altadis, General Cigar, La Aurora, Davidoff and Jean Clemente (who, unfortunately passed away at last year’s IPCPR Show), keeps attendance at about 225 – 250 so as to maintain the ‘intimacy’ of the events.
The Founders of ProCigarLunches included Guillermo Leon and Jose Blanco from La Aurora, Henke Kelner and his son Hendrik from Davidoff, Dan Carr from General Cigar, special guests Nestor Miranda, Jonathan Drew, Jose Seijas and other luminaries from the Dominican Republic cigar industry.
One very important reason for the success of ProCigar is the ‘Ladies of ProCigar’, Catherine Llibre and a group of beautiful, intelligent, efficient young women that made the whole schedule move like clockwork.
Now, I do know all of them, but, if I left out one name, I would feel terrible, so I’m going to leave it at that – the ‘Ladies of ProCigar’, and thank them all for making us all feel as welcome as anyone possibly could feel.
Jose Blanco conducted one of his highly educational Tasting Seminars at the La Aurora factory. This time, he had created a cigar with five different wrappers over the same filler and binder.
Jose Blanco, La Aurora, conducting his Tasting Seminar.
We smoked through this stick going from only filler/binder, to Connecticut Shade, Cameroon, etc, etc. This experience surely proved the fact that the wrapper is an inordinately amount of the flavour of a cigar.
To my mind, this was the quintessential tasting experience as regards the impact, for various reasons, of the wrapper on a cigars taste and flavour.
We lunch and have dinner with cigar makers such as Manolo Quesada and the ‘Q5’ – the fifth generation of Quesadas in the tobacco/cigar industry. Daughters Patricia and Raquel, nieces and nephews Esther Quesada, Jose Manuel Bermudez, Hostos Fernandez, Terence J. Reilly.
Manual Quesada and the Q5Its obvious Manolo is being moved to the back of the corporate bus…but with enormous appreciation for what he has taught his “young ones and the opportunity he has given them.
The cigar industry is focused around family, yet, in reality, there are two really large families involved in manufacturing cigars: the Padrons and, yes, the Quesada’s.
Last year’s presentation at MATASA was emotion filled because it involved the launch of the Tributo – a cigar created to commemorate the loss of family members.
This year’s best presentation, again, took place at MATASA with Manuel Quesada opening the ‘show’ and each one of the fifth generation, or Q5 as they call themselves, speaking to us. It was really awesome!
MATASA is introducing its Casa Magna Domus Magnus – a heavy limited edition that, while we saw it; we didn’t smoke it – except perhaps Michael Herklots and Frank Seltzer!
A couple of photos of the soon to be released Fonseca Domus Magnus
I must confess the lunch that followed was something special and unexpected for me, as the strains of “Happy Birthday” blared from the restaurant’s speakers and my fellow guests joined in the singing of Happy Birthday, acknowledging my 70th Birthday!
In addition to retailers and smokers and other luminaries, the guests at ProCigar did include Jonathan Drew, Nestor Plasencia, Sr. and Jr. All in all, there was something in the neighbourhood of 300 people – including the press, from 21 countries.
And it was with those 300 people, at the White Dinner – held at the base of the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration – that Dan Carr, VP & COO of General Cigar, in welcoming the people to the evening’s dinner, made note of my 70th Birthday. Ergo, I celebrated my birthday with some 300 people from 21 countries – and the funny thing is, due to the ‘cigar connection’ I knew, or was familiar with the vast majority of them.
Janny Garcia at the White Party
GJA and Pete Johnson
Not quite the Merengue!
My good friend, Berta Bravo, The Guayabera Lady, was present as a sponsor having supplied beautiful white guayaberas – that were delivered in our ‘goodie bags’ upon registration for the Festival. They were embroidered with the grey and gold logo of this year’s festival.
Berta, who has always been Miami’s Guayabera Lady, has gone well beyond the boundaries of that provincial second tier city. She now is the World’s Guayabera Lady!
At the Press Conference, Manuel Quesada announced that conversations were on going with certain Dominican manufacturers with regard to them joining ProCigar. This was part of a conversation at least year’s ProCigar Press Conference, when it was announced that the organization had amended its by-laws in order to accept new members.
Ergo, the more recent development bodes very well. I suspect that the conversations might well be with Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo of E. P. Carrillo as well as Carlos Fuente, Jr. of A. Fuente.
I’m sure an announcement will be forthcoming well before next year’s Pro Cigar Festival.
The wunderkind who runs Viaje has some bizarre ideas about cigars. For example, he’s not interested in construction or burn…according to Thor Nielsen’s interview with him in Cigar Press. Forgive me for not having made an effort to remember his name. In the long run, I don’t think it will be necessary.
Now he is going to produce a cigar with “late harvest tobacco,” inspired by “late harvest wines.” What an imagination!
Late harvest wines, usually sweeter dessert wines, are created by allowing the grapes to remain on the vines past the normal picking season. The grapes develop more and more sugar. I love the wines they produce.
Now…late harvest tobacco? Sounded to me like tobacco you forgot to pick. It will get darker and darker and become less and less flavourful.
Perhaps he’s planning to produce blunts. Wouldn’t want the flavour of the tobacco to overwhelm whatever it is he will be smoking in it!
THIS & THAT…there’s an amateur photographer in Miami that decided he could create advertising. The last word to apply to that work is “create.” Now he’s designed the box for Altadis’ Warlock. I’m sure he thinks it’s his original design. Apparently he’s never seen the Cubao box designed by Cuban artist Edin Gutierrez for EO Brands. Nor is it the first ‘design’ he’s created that stirred my memory.
Janny Garcia’s Cigar…is being created by Pete Johnson & Jaime Garcia. Look for something very special. It is being blended to Janny’s taste and she is actively engaged in the process. Pete has designed the graphics and the cigar. I couldn’t learn the name – yet – but, it will not be called the “Janny Garcia.” It will have a broadleaf wrapper.
Speaking of My Father, the new Jaime Garcia is a very unusual size. Now we’ll see how far the envelope can be stretched. I remarked to Janny that, perhaps, it should come with batteries.
So, a Rep for a new cigar sends a blogger samples and asks the blogger to comment on the cigar. The blogger smokes ‘em and does so – which turns out to be unfavourable! What does the rep do? He threatens a law suit. Now, if I were really inclined to tell the full story, I’d name the cigar. But I will not.
Oh hell…the cigar is Illuminati, which is not making Dion Giolito very happy either! But…Jack Sanseri, the brand owner, and, obviously, a gentleman, straightened it out with the blogger, and even with Dion.
Bob |
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