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
Category: Cigars
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
CDS Salomon: Perfecto!
“Mitch, why don’t you come up San Jose for the launch of our new cigar line?”Several months ago I met Ozhen and Chris at the IACS Cigar Sommelier course, and they told me about the LG Cigar Lounge in San Jose, California. They told me about the new cigar line they were developing in the… Continue reading CDS Salomon: Perfecto!
Casa de Sueños: A Dream!
I love when friends launch their new cigar lines. There are two things that I know:I know that I am going to be asked to try and review the cigar for my blog; andI know that none of my friends would give me a bad cigar to smoke, let alone write about.So, when my friends… Continue reading Casa de Sueños: A Dream!
Passion For Cigars 