Kevin Godbee
In Part III and the conclusion of our interview with Alan Rubin, the President of Alec Bradley Cigars, we talked about industry challenges, such as the FDA threat and taxation.

We discussed the challenges that Alec Bradley faces as a company, and we learn about some of the real people, families and lives that are touched by this fast growing, popular boutique cigar company.

Alan describes an fascinating method on how to determine the amount of flavor a wrapper contributes to a cigar. It’s a trick question, but he got it right. You’ll hear some interesting information on the Maxx cigar, and find out what Alan’s favorite cigars is. Sort of. He had a great answer to the question, so watch for it near the end.

Read the rest of this entry →

Russ Ouellette
Ocean State Cigars haven’t been around all that long, and I remember being pleased with the original J. Grotto, but it didn’t make it into my favorites. When I received samples of the new J. Grotto Series Reserve to review, I was surprised by how attractive the cigar was. An oily chestnut colored wrapper with only a couple of noticeable veins covers a nice, firm 6 x 52 cigar with a small pigtail cap. The elaborate main band sits above a secondary band with "Reserve" to differentiate it from the original. The tawny wrapper is Honduran Criollo as is the binder, and the filler is a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan Ligero.

I don’t want to sound like I’m channeling Andy Rooney, but why are there so many oversized and double bands? Certainly they can be attractive, but how many sticks are damaged by removing monster-sized bands and ripping the wrapper? I’m okay with cigar art, but only if the band is glued to itself without the adhesive getting on the leaf. But that’s enough kvetching.

Read the rest of this entry →

Angye Fox
Lexi Thompson, at the age of 12, was the youngest golfer to ever qualify to play in the U.S. Women’s Open. She turned pro at the age of 15 and in September of 2011, Lexi set a record as the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA tournament at the age of 16 when she won the Navistar LPGA Classic.

In an interview in October on the PJ Sports Talk Show at the Red Bull (Lexi’s major sponsor) Flugtag Event, Lexi shared her story about the positive impact her two older brothers have played in her passion for the game of golf. She also looks up to other professional lady golfers like Nancy Lopez for inspiration.

Lexi Thompson interview on YouTube

And taking the (Red) bull by the horns, Lexi successfully petitioned the LPGA to receive a waiver to the rule that LPGA Tour members must be at least 18 years old, allowing her to enter the 2011 LPGA Qualifying School for Tour membership in 2012.

Read the rest of this entry →

Kevin Godbee
There are several cool cigar stores and lounges to hang out at all across the country, but one of my favorites is King Corona Cigars in Ybor City. Whether you’re a local or planning to vacation to the Tampa Bay area, you must include King Corona Cigars in your itinerary. Why is King Corona such an remarkable place? Well, first of all it is in the heart of "Cigar City" – Ybor City / Tampa, Florida. You can smoke inside or outside on the covered patio and enjoy people watching. They have wine, port, craft-beers and mass-market beers and of course espresso … and they even have food including authentic Cuban sandwiches.

They carry a broad selection of all the major national cigar brands, plus you can find locally made cigars, and their own line of King Corona Cigars, which we will be reviewing in the near future. There are on-theme gift items such as Panama hats, Guayaberas, Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar – both imported from Italy, and fresh coffee beans.  There’s a large lounge section with the mandatory plush chairs and dark paneling, which includes a flat-screen TV and even good old-fashioned hard-cover books.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tommy Zarzecki (aka: Tommy Zman)
Over the last decade, smoking bans have become all the rage. The anti smoking bullies have gone berserk with their rules and regulations, laws and fines, and will not stop until the world is 100 percent smoke free. Countless numbers of cigar bars have gone bankrupt, places where the owners put their life savings into a business, only to have their hearts ripped out with no exceptions to the rule. My thought has always been, how can you tell a business owner what he can and can’t do in his place of business? It’s always been pretty damned simple to me: If you don’t like smoke, don’t visit or work at a cigar friendly restaurant or bar. Wow, regular everyday common sense, will you look at that. But, after all is said and done, at least we can still smoke outside, I mean they can’t that away from us, right? I said right?

WTF?…

Read the rest of this entry →

Gregory L. Pease, Associate Editor
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, if only for my own benefit: A single experience of something worthy of deeper consideration is always insufficient for critical evaluation. One cigar, one bowl of pipe tobacco, one sip of a great whisky does not, cannot, tell the whole story. This was brought home in rather bold relief just the other day when I was smoking the second example of a really good cigar, and found myself enjoying it even more than the first. Here’s the back story.

One of the perks of my job as Associate Editor of a cigar magazine is that I get the occasional free cigar to smoke. (Yeah, okay. Nothing is ever really free.) Sometimes, it’s a single, and though I always appreciate them, I am not likely to write about them, especially if I don’t have much good to say, because it’s unfair to harshly judge a cigar based on a single sample. (The probability of one bad cigar in a box of good ones is higher than the probability of a good cigar in a box of dog rockets.)

Read the rest of this entry →