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May Events |
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Sunday May 10 - Mothers' Day
12noon - 7pm
All mothers receive a free flavored cigar!
Friday May 15 - Miami Cigar Event
4pm - 10pm
Join us for a free cigar and Buy 3, Get 1 Free specials on all Miami Cigars. We will have some great raffles, food and fun! We will also be discounting all Miami Cigars for this event (10% off singles, 20% off boxes)
- 601
- Aurora 1495
- Aurora 100 Anos
- Aurora Barrel Aged
- Aurora Preferdios
- Aurora Vintage Puro
- Cubao
- Don Lino
- Don Lino Africa
- Leon Jiminez
- Mi Barrio
- Nestor Mirandez Special Selection
Monday May 24 - Memorial Day
10am - 8pm
Show your Military ID card and receive a free cigar. Thank you for your service! |
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 New in the Humidor
- Avo Companero (LE09)
- Cabaiguan Petites (new size)
- Rocky Patel Decade Emperor (new size)
May Specials
- AVO Cigars - 10% off singles, 20% off boxes
- Griffin's Cigars - 10% off singles, 20% off boxes
- Zino Cigars - 10% off singles, 20% off boxes
- La Tee Da! Effusion Lamps - 20% off GREAT MOTHERS' DAY GIFT!
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Guest Column
Gary Korb is the Content Editor for CigarAdvisor.com
Why I Don't Buy Cuban Cigars
by Gary Korb
Sure, I've smoked Cuban cigars - guilty as charged - and have even enjoyed many of them, but I don't buy Cuban cigars. Actually the last time I bought Cuban cigars was about five years ago in Tijuana. They were Cohiba Robustos, and who even knows if they were genuine.
Let's face it, there is something to be said for Cuban cigars, but here's the rub: Whenever I speak to a cigar smokers who claim to buy Cuban cigars on a regular basis - they always have "a connection" - I tend to get this visceral reaction. Is it because I'm jealous that they can afford a $300 box of cigars? Maybe a little, but it's not about money. It's about principles. Sure, there are still some very fine cigars made in Cuba, and the Cuban soil and climate are perfect for growing prime leaf, but remember, the government makes the cigars, and we all know what happens when the government takes control of an industry. (Beware auto manufacturers.)
If you're a cigar smoker, they you're probably aware that many of the manufacturers of premium non-Cuban cigars are themselves Cuban expatriates. Moreover, the cigars are all produced from Cuban seed tobaccos. Families like the Perdomos, Olivas, Padróns, Toraños, Eiroas, Plasencias, the Carrillos, Quesadas - I could go on ad infinitum - have all been able to create some amazing cigars working with different soils in other countries. In many ways, the cigars created by the aforementioned are every bit as Cuban as a Havana Partagas Serie D or Montecristo No.2.
Using the skills that have been handed down for generations, these grandmasters working in Miami, Tampa, The Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua have worked their tails off, independently from scratch mind you, to exceed the standards of their native country and create the fine brands they are today.
When an American buys a box of Cuban cigars, I doubt they ever consider, or can even relate to, the brutality many of these same Cuban families have had to endure at the hands of Castro's goons, as illustrated in this quote taken directly from the Perdomo cigars website:
A quiet and peaceful man steadfastly opposed to Castro and the communist revolution, Silvio Perdomo was soon arrested in his own home and quickly tried and incarcerated in the notorious Isle of Pines prison where he endured his harshest treatment. Three years later he was transferred to La Cabana, a murky 18th century fortress overlooking Havana Bay. For the next 12 excruciating years, Silvio suffered through squalid conditions, torture and near-starvation at La Cabana and four other Cuban prisons. Nick, Sr. was also a target of the wrath and violence inherent in establishing Castro's "New Cuba." Ambushed by pro-Castro guerillas, he was shot and critically wounded - within view of the very home his father Silvio was arrested and abducted from.
José Oliva has often told me of his personal disdain for the Castro regime. David Blanco of Los Blancos Cigars once told me a story about a relative of his who, despite hating Castro, had an important job in the regime. One day he received a call from a friend telling him he was being set up for a "hit." In a heartbeat he was on the next boat to Miami, and had to send for his wife and children later. Can you imagine not even having time to say goodbye to your wife and children? There are countless untold stories of families enduring dishonor, oppression, strife, and death.
So when someone tells me about the great box of Cubans he just picked-up, I think of it as a slap in the face to these fine gentleman, and all that they have achieved since putting their families' homeland behind them. Just walk through any cigar store today and look at all the marvelous cigars the free market has created! I don't see the need to buy Cuban cigars. And anyone who actually believes that Cuban cigars are superior to all other handmade cigars, is seriously misguided.
I think its fair to say that many of the manufacturers would like to see the embargo lifted, if only to blend their cigars with Cuban tobacco. Maybe when that happens, I'll buy a Cuban cigar. But realistically, I'd say the Cubans have a lot of catching up to do first.
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Random Thoughts
Twitter
Blue Havana II Cigars is now on Twitter! We will no longer be sending our emails as frequently. You can now expect two email per month, the newsletter and a mid-month update. We will use Twitter to announce daily specials, new product arrivals and other exciting news. Follow us on Twitter now!
Monthly Contest!
Check out our new contest page! Every month we will have a new contest with great prizes. This month we are giving away a box of Griffin's XIII Limited Edition 2007 Cigars.
Our Lockers Have Arrived!
We have purchased a beautiful piece of furniture for the store - 16 lockers! Rent a locker now and take 20% off all purchases during your rental period (regularly priced merchandise only). Hurry... only 6 lockers remain! |
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Cigar Review
Brian Hewitt is a friend of ours from Atlanta and reviews cigars on Stogie Review
Cigar Review: Hoyo de Tradicion Toro
Cigar Stats:
Size: 6 x 52
Wrapper: Honduran Rosado
Binder: USA Connecticut
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua
The Pre-Smoke
The band on the Hoyo de Tradicion is another one I really like. It’s a sharp combination of red and gold that looks regal. From a distance, the golden combination of ribbons and crowns in the center of the band looks like a decorative bit of Kanji. (I know even less about Kanji than Spanish, so I won’t even try to guess what it might say if it were.) Underneath the eye-catching band is a reddish hued, box-pressed stick that also looks pretty nice.
The sticks I smoked for this review were mostly smooth, with just a few larger veins. I noticed some minor superficial flaws in the appearance, an unusually dark spot near the foot of one cigar, and an extremely lopsided triple cap on another. I didn’t see it initially, but as I smoked the cigars, I noticed there was some finer toothiness to the wrapper as well.
The scent of the wrapper was your standard compost, really funky on one stick, and a little sweeter on the others. I was only able to get a good read on the cold taste on one of them, and that was a pretty mild cocoa-graham combination.
The Burn
I’ve smoked fair number of Hoyo de Tradicions in the past, and I’m drawing on that experience when I say that generally this cigar has a great burn. However one of the cigars I took notes on did have some issues. It became very uneven in the second half, and was a hand holding exercise bringing it home. Additional fire was required to keep it burning evenly and it required a relight toward the end. Fortunately, the draw was just fine.
In all other cases, I’ve found this to be a good, no-maintenance, long ashes kind of stick. As an added bonus, it seems to burn a little on the slow side. It’s also one of the few cigars I’ve smoked recently that didn’t get an irritable, that-cigar-stinks comment from the wife. (She actually asked me why it didn’t. I think she was a little disappointed.)
The Flavor
The cigar got things going with a smooth cinnamon and cocoa flavor in the first couple of puffs. It wasn’t long before a lightly sweet fruity flavor moved in to stay. I noticed this fruit flavor was a bit tangier and more like cherry in the cigar that would eventually have some burn issues, and a bit more like either pear or apple in other sticks. By the end of the initial third, I had noticed graham, cocoa, cinnamon and even a bit of caramel in short intervals.
The second third struck me as being more about that fruit flavor and cinnamon laid over top of a coffee flavor that eventually became more leathery. There was also a bit of earthiness in this third and some mild, tongue-tingling spice.
The final third continued to have a fruity, spicier leathery flavor with occasional notes of black coffee. The cigar requiring all the burn intervention had more prominent coffee notes and a coppery element that was also enjoyable.
The Price
No complaints about the price here. A two hour smoke is worth a Lincoln and a couple shiny FDR’s in my book. In a price-per-stick limbo contest, the Hoyo de Tradicion easily beats most non-bundled, long filler cigars.
The Verdict
Even with the burn problem I experienced with one stick, I have no reservations about saying the Hoyo de Tradicion is a good medium bodied cigar with a comfortable price tag. Even when burn problems had an impacted on the flavor of the cigar, it still turned out to be an enjoyable experience. And that doesn’t happen very often.
I don’t always get around to buying more of a cigar I recommend, but in this case, I have. It’s definitely worth consideration the next time you’re browsing the boxes at your local cigar shop. And as the saying goes, Everyman deserves a Hoyo.
Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: Yes, and I have
Recommend It: Yes |
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Blue Havana II Cigars & Gifts is the premier destination for cigar aficionados in the Alpharetta, Milton and South Forsyth County area.
Our 250 sq ft humidor is stocked with a great selection of premium cigars and high quality accessories for the cigar smoker. We have a comfortable cigar lounge offering free Wireless Internet Access, High Definition Satellite TV, a game table and a small conference room for our customers.
Blue Havana II Cigars & Gifts is located in the Village at Crooked Creek (1/2 mi S of McFarland Pkwy), 6320 Atlanta Highway Suite 8, Alpharetta. 678-867-2886 |
