A Good Reason To Go To Baltimore

It was starting to confuse me! There’s a beautiful cigar bar and lounge in Weston, FL called “Smoke on the Water.”  It’s owned by a friend, Dan Husley. He formerly owned Alligator Alley in Weston. So, I know where Smoke on the Water is. So why did I have to fly to BWI and head for the Inner Harbor in Baltimore for “Smoke on the Water"? I was pondering it as I boarded a plane Thursday, 13 May.

This “Smoke on the Water” was a fantastic event staged at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, right on Baltimore’s Inner Harbour. It was a terrific setting and the weather cooperated. The event has been run for ten years by The Humidor Cigar Shoppe (10721 York Road, Coceysville, MD 21030 – 410.666.3212 – www.humidour.com) owned by Chris and Finnie Helmuth. 

Litto Gomez, of La Flor Dominicana was there giving out his fabulous Air Benders, while Meera Levin of Holt’s/Ashton was nearby providing attendees with Ashton Heritage Cigars and the Pepin Garcia made La Aroma de Cuba. Padron was represented by Jeffrey Padron and offered their 2000 Series. Considering the number of Padron’s now working in the family firm, they can always provide a Padron for events. Selim Hanono was handing out Drew Estate’s Liga Privada #9s. Other cigar companies represented were Xikar for their HCs. Kurt Van Kempel, himself, was present. Gurkha was there as was Davidoff, CAO, Torano, Punch and several others. Of course, Fuente was present, represented by none other than the affable, extremely thin and tanned, Wayne Suarez. 

I hung out with Glynn Loope at the CRA table and we managed to sign up about ten percent of those present. I still don’t get the refusal of some smokers to plunk down $35 to help defeat all this anti-cigar madness in the form of proposes taxes and implemented smoking bans and restrictions on where we can smoke. CRA is the only one fighting for us.

There was food provided by Aldo’s, a local Italian restaurant, Morton’s Steakhouse and a local Irish restaurant and bar. The name, alas, escapes me, but the memory of corned beef sliders, sausages and superb cole slaw lingers.

As for raffle prizes, they were abundant and worth pursuing. Finnie had devised what was called a “Greel Auction.” Why I don’t know; and, I was enjoying myself too much to enquire! But, you could purchase raffle tickets in three different volumes: $100 bought you 60; $60 bought you 30 and $25 dollars bought you 10. You could then put as many raffle tickets as you wanted on the item you wanted. I threw 30 tickets in the bucket for the Drew Estate basket which contained Liga Privadas, a variety of other things and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. No…a ticket of mine was not drawn!

There were Ravens players present as well as some devoted Raven fans. I would say there were 300+ people present and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

After the event, bunch of us went to The Havana Room, a private smoking lounge above Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse near the harbour. Due to the anti-smoking law in Maryland, this is the only such place in the whole state…because it is grandfathered in! Imagine in the whole bloody state; one smoking lounge!

And, it could happen anywhere. This is what we need CRA to fight and the fight requires money,

I stayed over at The Tremont Hotel, as did Glynn Loope, and the next day, after breakfast we set out for Cockysville. I have no idea how Glynn gets to all those meetings and conferences he attends in executing his responsibilities at CRA…he has no GPS and he has, absolutely, no sense of direction!

We did, however; arrive at The Humidor…thanks to my navigating. The shop or “shoppe,” is in an old house that, I understand, the Helmuth’s spent a fortune restoring. Mind you, they only rent. The place is beautiful with every single amenity one could want. And that’s the shop.

Upstairs is a private smoking lounge/club…it is The Ashton Lounge, with beautiful décor and the requisite lockers. The club has special events once a month and the members get a discount on purchases.

We sat and talked with Finnie for an hour or more before taking our leave and departing for Washington. We intended to visit David Berkebile at Georgetown Tobacco and the guys at Curtis Drapper. Lunch was on our agenda as well.

With a phone call, I was able to get to Courtney Smith, VP of Sales for La Palina and she was able to meet us for lunch at Shelly’s Back Room (1331 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004 – 202.737.3003 – www.shellysdc.com). Physically it hasn’t changed much since my erstwhile friend; Shelly Jacobs started to open the lounges/restaurants in the early 1990s. This location is the only one, of an intended chain, that survives.

Honestly, I enjoyed seeing my photos still on the wall, although I couldn’t find my locker!

Bill Paley, the owner of La Palina slipped in as we were on our coffees, but we had some interesting con- versation about La Palina, CRA and cigars in general.

Time had flown and we did not want to get ensnared in afternoon traffic on the Beltway which seems to build up at 3:30 PM each day; so, we took our leave and started to drive to Roanoke, VA. It was a four (4) hour drive through beautifully rolling hills before we reached Roanoke.

We arrived at the Loope home, freshened up and joined Glynn’s wife, Jill, at a local watering hole where we talked with their friends, drank and ate a great NY Strip before repairing to the Commonwealth Cigar Club across the street. 

Glynn stuck his finger on the biometric lock keypad and voilá we were admitted!

In the interests of brevity, I am not going to detail Friday evening at the club, nor Saturday, when we gathered to watch the Preakness. I think the photos will speak for themselves.

The recently established club has a membership, diverse in age, but I don’t think in politics! They were warm, welcoming and delightful to spend time with.

I do want to tell you that Milan Tobacconist (309 South Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011 – 540.344.5191 – www.milantobacco.com) will celebrate their 100^th Anniversary in 2012. I spoke to Rene Meyer, who with her husband, David, owns the shop, the building and the club premises, about her plans for the Anniversary. I will not disclose them, but Milan customers; the Commonwealth Cigar Club and downtown Roanoke, in general, are in for a very good time.

The shop is very attractive with a nice walk-in humidor containing the best cigars. Again, I will let the photos speak for themselves.

I will tell you to look for the date of “Smoke on the Water” 2011 and try and get there; it is worth the ride, or flight, to Baltimore. And a little time at The Humidor will only enhance the experience!

 

Attendees enjoying themselves

 

Selim Hanono of Drew Estate

 

Jeffrey Padron of ... yes, Padron!

 

Cigar lover also an avid Ravens fan

 

Attendees sitting outside overlooking Baltimore's Inner Harbor

 Meera Levin of Ashton 

Wayne Suarez of Fuente, firing up another one!

Litto Gomez & David Berkebile, former Pres. of RTDA and owner of Georgetown Tobacco   

David with Tom Kim and Stephen Pfrang of the Congressional Cigar Association 

Nish Patel with Tom Kim and Stephen Pfrang

Jill Loope, Karl Phillips, Publisher of The City, a Roanoke arts and culture magazine, with Gary J. Arzt

 

Gary J. Arzt and David Meyer, of Milan in Roanoke, at the Commonwealth Cigar Club

Aaron Moses, a Commonwealth Cigar Club member, giving GJA a superb Davidoff Belicoso (I lost the band, damn it!)

GJA looking very pensive at Milan

The Commonwealth Cigar Club, located above Milan in Roanoke, VA

Rene Meyer, owner with her husband, Dave, of Milan, packing pipe tobacco

GJA regaling Commonwealth Cigar Club members with cigar history, information and acerbic comments

The Commonwealth Cigar Club members on Saturday, 15 May, watching the Preakness

View of Milan, Roanoke, VA

Glynn Loope, Exec. Director of CRA and Karl J. Phillips in the Milan humidor

Members enjoying the Commonwealth Cigar Club