**Note: I wrote this article in 2018, and for reasons unknown I saved the draft, but never published it. I hope you enjoy it! -MDG Before I ever started coming to Havana on a regular basis I was told of the man who would be king. Alejandro Gonzalez may not be the best cigar roller… Continue reading La Escogida: Home of the Master
Category: Cigars
The Cigar Contract
A contract is, by definition, a binding agreement between two or more parties. A contract should never be one-sided. Both sides have obligations and expectations. So, if the contract is a rental agreement, I am obligated to pay rent. In exchange for that, I expect to have full and exclusive access to an apartment. As… Continue reading The Cigar Contract
Cigar Style… with the female touch
I met Shawana Isaacs through numerous cigar networking events here in Los Angeles, and as I got to know her I realized she was not only a fine lady, she is also an entrepreneur. She founded a company called Aficonado Style, making cigar accessories with the female touch. As the overwhelming majority of cigar tools… Continue reading Cigar Style… with the female touch
Is Cuba Panicking?
Today is my tenth day in Cuba. My last day. I am sitting at a restaurant called Farmacia on Callejon de Los peluqueros and Peña Pobre, where Old Havana and Modern Havana meet the harbour. I am here because the restaurant where I had planned to eat - and with whose staff I spoke as… Continue reading Is Cuba Panicking?
Life Goes On…
It has been two days since I posted my last article about tourism and Covid-19 in Cuba, and things are progressing as I expected. Yesterday no fewer than three restaurants in high-traffic tourist areas told me they are closing this weekend, and the staff are worried. The same four guests who were at the Posada… Continue reading Life Goes On…
Havana is Sick…
I love Havana. I always have and I always will. So it is sad to walk around the city and see what is usually a bustling tourist destination practically silent. If the recent renewal of sanctions, along with the banning of cruise ships that came with them wasn’t bad enough, the worldwide coronaviraus quarantine has… Continue reading Havana is Sick…
What NOT to Pair…
Recently I was sitting in my favourite cigar lounge in San Jose, California, in conversation with a group of people who know me to be a cigar sommelier. One of them asked me an interesting question. “Mitch, is it true that you are never supposed to pair a cigar with certain drinks?” This, and several… Continue reading What NOT to Pair…
Event Etiquette
I attend a lot of cigar-related events, and have had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people… people who I speak with once, people I meet at these events all the time but do not speak with apart from these events, as well as people who become friends and/or customers. I love that… Continue reading Event Etiquette
What Makes a Cigar Sommelier?
According to Wikipedia, the following is the definition of the word sommelier: A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role in fine dining today is much more specialized… Continue reading What Makes a Cigar Sommelier?
18 Years in the Making
'Mitch, I have a cigar for you tonight that not even YOU have ever smoked.' (Video at the bottom) I have been smoking cigars for twenty-five years, and in that time I have had some great cigars... and some not so great ones. When people asking me about aging cigars, I am usually on the… Continue reading 18 Years in the Making
