Photo courtesy of Aspiringgentleman.com
On September 14, “Pub Talk” from 6:30pm until 7:30pm at The Stafford London by Kempinski continues with an exploration of a perfect paring of Cigars and Cognac. Along with U.K.’s premier cigar importer Hunters & Frankau and the world reknown Rémy Martin for a tasting and tutorial. You’ll learn about storage cigars, smoking etiquette and selecting a smoke that will please your own palette. And of course, you’ll be guided along on how to expertly match your cognac to the cigar’s flavor. A live cigar hand-rolling demonstration will also take place.
The American Bar at The Stafford London by Kempinski; weather permitting, all events will be held outdoors in the adjacent courtyard.
* The American Bar requires all gentlemen to wear jackets.
Reservations are recommended as space is limited. Please e-mail rsvp.london@kempinski.com to reserve a spot.
Want to find out where Vin Lee likes to smoke an Opus X while eating a Kobe burger? Check out the profile in Haute Living on the CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club. Lee gives some insights into where and what he eats at home in Los Angeles and other aspects of living the good life.
According to Haute Living:
Visit De La Concha on September 23, 2010 to dine and smoke with master cigar maker Jose Fuego. He will be on hand to promote his latest cigar, the Xikar HC series. The in-store dinner starts at 8 PM and includes a three-course meal from Rue 57 and a full open bar. Tickets cost $125 each.
Habanos S.A. has just released the tenth volume of the Habanos Collection. The 2010 edition has the Bolivar Gran Belicoso front and center. The cigar was made at the Partagas factory in Havana and is 7 1/8 inches long with a 54 ring gauge. Known as the “rodolpho” size in Cuban cigar factories, only the San Cristobal de La Habana Murella has the same dimensions.
Only 1,000 of these boxes of 20, known as “Habanos books,” were made – and they are exclusive to La Casa del Habano shops.
The biggest cigar in the world is back! To protest the executive order issued by Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty that prohibits tobacco use in any workplace or public area on or in county property, Corona Cigar Co. has put the largest cigar in the world on display. I ran into this mammoth stick at Cigar Expo in Pennsylvania back in June.
Image courtesy of Businesstraveller.com
Here’s another example of the quickly evolving and adaptive cigar culture in the UK: Dukes, St James’s, the boutique hotel located close to Green Park in London, has just launched its Cognac and Cigar Garden. The garden is a newly refurbished outdoor area that perfectly accommodates the luxurious pairing of cognac and cigars.
Gigantes? Gordos? Grandes? Call them what you want, but they’re 6 inches long and have a ring gauge of 60. These are the hot new sizes in the cigar market, according to Cigar Aficionado, and the amount 6×60 cigars hitting retailer shelves is on the rise, particularly based on what came out last week at IPCPR. A Cigar Insider survey found that the 6×60 is the third best selling cigar (behind toros and robustos) and are perceived to deliver greater value than thinner sizes.
Photo Courtesy of W. Curtis Draper
The much anticipated 11th Annual Draper’s Little Puff in Washington DC is quickly approaching. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at the W. Curtis Draper website. If you’re going to be in the DC area on Friday, September 24, 2010, you should go to this worthwhile event. The “Little Puff” is W. Curtis Draper’s, Washington DC’s premier tobacconist, signature fundraiser to benefit three local DC academic scholarships: The Erik Kristensen Memorial Scholarship in honor of a Navy SEAL killed in action; The Pat Krimm Scholarship & The Anne Berman Memorial Scholarship. As it was in the past, this fundraiser is an intimate gathering of cigar lovers (limited to about 300 people).
This year, you’re going to have a treat hanging out with the best names in cigars (i.e., Ashton, Fuente, Padron, La Flor Dominicana, La Aurora, CAO, Carlos Torano, Rocky Patel, Camacho, Davidoff, Zino Platinum, Cuesta-Rey, Gran Habano, Hoyo de Monterrey) and Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. Past attendees have included: Carlito Fuente, Arturo Fuente; Pete Johnson, Tatuaje Cigars and Jorge Padron, Padron Cigars among many others.
There are three levels of tickets:
- VIP Tickets (Limited to 25; includes early access and exclusive giveaways): Cost $600
- General Admission Tickets (Limited to 225): Cost $175
- Non-Smoker Tickets (Limited to 50): Cost $100
Cuisine will be provided by: Charlie Palmer Steak & Shelly’s Back Room
Cocktails Courtesy of: Jim Beam Global, Future Brands and Republic National Distributing
Friday, September 24, 2010
6:00pm – 10:00pm
The Roof Deck at Charlie Palmer Steak DC
101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
Via Juan Ulloa (DC cigar examiner) and WCurtisDraper
Back Story:
Serie JJ range was developed by Don Pepín Garcia and his son Jaime García. Medium- to full-bodied, the wrapper is a Nicaraguan Corojo oscuro, and the binder/filler is Nicaraguan. Packed in plain boxes of 24 except for the Salomon, which comes in boxes of five. The band is similar to the “Blue Label”, but is white with a red border. There is also a second, straight band, white, with “Serie JJ” printed on it.
While I don’t want to bring up “October” to folks who are just getting over summer, the Single Malt & Scotch Whiskey Extravaganza is coming up, starting in Chicago on October 7 and running through Boston, Philly, San Francisco, and LA.
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