As I was running out of the house this morning I realized I had no cigars in the car, and I reached into my coolidor and grabbed what was easiest. A few weeks ago I ordered a bunch of sampler packs from Neptune Cigars, and I figured today would be a good day to grab… Continue reading It was a Dark and Stormy Sampler…
Author: Mitch Garvis
I am a renaissance man of the IT Industry... Virtualization, Cloud, Security, Networking, Deployment, anything about Windows client. I am also a father, a Black Belt, and a really nice guy. I am a Certified Cigar Sommelier and cigar blogger, but I usually separate that out to my alternate site, www.passionforcigars.com.
Air China Boeing 787-9: Leaving Havana
Standing in line waiting to board Air China flight CA880 from Jose Marti airport in Havana, I listened to the standard airport announcements in Spanish and English, warning passengers that it is forbidden to bring certain objects on board. I can understand the warning about nunchaku and aerosol sprays and all, but in this day… Continue reading Air China Boeing 787-9: Leaving Havana
La Ultima Noche…
The last night of a vacation is usually the hardest, but this time is an exception. Liza left yesterday morning and I have been going it alone for two days... with my cigars. Because I'm a pretty personable guy, I've made some friends here... including seventy-seven year old Pete from Edmonton, who has latched onto… Continue reading La Ultima Noche…
Welcome to Turquesa!
As much as I love Havana, it seems I am always on the go there. So when Liza and I arrived at our resort in Varadero yesterday, the stress (whatever little there was) melted away completely. There was a minor mixup checking in, but that was an easily rectified problem. Welcome to a week at… Continue reading Welcome to Turquesa!
LCDH Hotel Nacional: a fine selection of singles
My pedometer reads a hair shy of 19,000 steps as I sit down in the Salon de Fumadores in the LCDH of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, and it is just about 7:00. I have had a full and excellent day, and i have several hours to kill. Because of an event I was invited… Continue reading LCDH Hotel Nacional: a fine selection of singles
Banana Leaf and other things to avoid…
I have written before of he perseverance of the Cuban people. That quality has, for the nation, served them well in times of great hardship. It does, however, have a downside... mostly for tourists. It is hard to walk through Old Havana, or really any area where tourists congregate, without being accosted by myriad taxi… Continue reading Banana Leaf and other things to avoid…
Calle 63: Alphonso’s Domain.
I have spent more time in Varadero than I have in Havana, so it only makes sense that I have a couple of stores that I enjoy in town. No trip to Varadero is complete without stopping in to see Alphonso at the LCDH at the corner of 1st Avenue and Calle 63. Alphonso has… Continue reading Calle 63: Alphonso’s Domain.
Balcon de Habanos
My invitation to this incredible and exclusive event came as a real surprise. Sometimes it is who you know, and sometimes it is the people you just start speaking with that leads to new and wonderful experiences. Liza and I met a group at a bar the other night, and it turns out that one… Continue reading Balcon de Habanos
Hotel Nacional de Cuba: A paradisic patio
Al Capone. Winston Churchill. Meyer Lansky. Fidel Castro. Ernest Hemingway. Mitch Garvis. These are just a few of the famous, infamous, and unknown people from the past century who have sat on the patio of the Hotel Nacional, ordered a drink (mojito for some, whisky for others, a cerveza Cristal for me), and lit up… Continue reading Hotel Nacional de Cuba: A paradisic patio
La Grande Dame de Los Puros: Juanita
For years my friends who come to Havana often have spoken of the lovely Juanita, the in-house cigar roller at the Melià Cohiba hotel in Vedado, but I had never gotten down to meet her... until this trip. I walked into the LCDH at the Melià, only to find out she had been transferred. I… Continue reading La Grande Dame de Los Puros: Juanita
Passion For Cigars 