| JC's
Cigar Travels
December
2005
December 14, 2005 - The
Cigar Box customer appreciation sale kicked off with
some great discounts. They have bundles of cigars for as low
as $10 during their week long sale. I Hadn't been there for
a while and there's some new cigars in stock. Also noticed they
now have 5 TV screens to enjoy while smoking a cigar in the
store.
Houdini's Coffee &
Cigar Lounge on Valley View, one of my favorite quiet
places to enjoy a cigar, is closed for good. The signs have
been taken off the building.
BABYSITTING CIGARS? - Recently
I had the pleasure of babysitting a friend's cigar collection.
I was told to help myself to anything I wanted to smoke and
to make sure the temperature & humidity was maintained.
My friend had to go out of town for about a month and
wanted to make sure his 2,000+ cigars got some lovin'. Easiest
thing I've ever had to do and certainly my highlight of 2005! |
November
2005
November
20, 2005 - There were lots of events last week at Chicago Brewing
Co., CigarBox, Monte's Cigars, Tobacco Leaf and Tinder Box.
The new Bolivar (Dominican) was introduced. Not bad,
but I still prefer the Bolivar Fuerte (Honduran), which
has been changed to Bolivar Cofradia to avoid confusion with
the regular Bolivar.
Also, there were a couple of Macanudo events that featured the
Macanudo Ambassador. Silly me, I thought it was a new cigar.
It's what they call the female representative of the company.
She was quite knowledgable about the Macanudo cigars and gave
us the opportunity to rediscover Macanudo. After all, they are
the biggest selling cigar in the U.S. The one I sampled wasn't
bad, but had a tight draw. However, I did hear favorable reviews
from others who attended the events.
We enjoyed the great hospitality at Monte's Cigars. John
informed me that Monte's will soon be carrying one of my favorites,
The Edge "Missile" by Rocky Patel.
Also, we sampled some cigars from Extreme Cigars, a new Nicaraguan
cigar. Our thanks to Dice and Extreme Cigars.
We
had a nice turnout on November 9th at the Cigar Lounge on W.
Sahara and I just had to get me a few more of my favorites,
the EDGE MISSILES by Rocky Patel ...what a great smoke!
Well
the annual Big Smoke weekend has come and gone and as usual
it was jam packed. The event moved back to Bally's Paris after
2 years of being at Mandalay Bay.
We hung out at Napolean's Bar on Saturday and saw many familiar
faces. The service was very slow, after waiting an hour for
a cocktail waitress to come to our table we ended up going to
the bar ourselves to get our drinks. There was entertainment
in the bar from a couple of guys that called theirselves the
Dueling Pianos. They kept the crowd happy by playing requests,
but they seemed to be lacking when it came to the old R&B
standards.
Several events during the first
week of November ...just in time for the Big Smoke Weekend.
Bad Habits Cigars on 4th St. downtown had an
event featuring La Aurora cigars and a cigar roller on Nov.
2nd. Reuben has a surprisingly large selection of cigars in
his walk-in humidor and the shop has comfortable seating for
cigar enjoyment in his shop.
Cigar Lounge on W. Sahara had an event on Nov.
3rd featuring the new La Aurora 1495 along with a cigar roller
and special discounts.
Tobacco Leaf on Eastern near I-215 had a CAO
cigar night on Nov. 3rd with plenty of food & libation,
live music and a special price and the CAO family was there.
Will was a great host and I liked the little red baskets they
have for you as you walk into their humidor. |
October
2005
Congratulations
to Phil at Phil's Cigars on W. Charleston & Rampart
in Boca Park celebrating their first anniversary.
I was disappointed with the health insurance plan at work, when
they decided to charge an extra $20 a month to all tobacco users.
First, they ask if you're a smoker or tobacco user then they
put you in the same category and doesn't matter how often you
smoke. If you lie, you could be fired. I wonder what's next.
Alcohol? Food?
I attended the Halloween Spook Smoke at Monte's Cigars on Desert
Inn near Eastern. Nice turnout and I found out there's plenty
of parking behind the store.
Ramone at Cigar Lounge on W. Sahara has been making some nice
changes to his store. They've got some new brands in and he's
got a box of Pre-Embargo Jose Piedra Cuban Cigars from 1930
on display. He also has a little art gallery room in his shop. |
September
2005
Things
slowed down a bit over the summer, but September seems to be
a busy one. We missed the event at Monte's Cigars on September
9th because nobody provided me with info.
Wednesay, the 14th I received the new JR catalog.
It's a lot smaller than it used to be. Maybe with all
the money they'll be saving they can lower their prices. (Don't
hold your breath!) Also on the 14th we got together at
Bahama Breeze and burned a few. Stinky brought in the
prototype of his new cigar ashtray stand. Looks pretty
cool ...like a cigar.
One of the waitresse was telling us that she travels often to
Cuba and went on the cigar factory tour. She said they
use the vein of the tobacco leaf to make perfume. At first
I didn't believe her, but after further investigation found
out that's a common practice with perfume & cologne. |
June 2005
Buck shows off his winning longest ash at the recent cigar event
on June 28th at the Casa Fuente Store in the Forum shops at Caesars
Palace. Check
out the Pictures
June
4th Bad Habits Cigars - Downtown
I discovered a nice friendly cigar shop downtown on 4th street
just around the corner from the Harley Davidson souvenier shop
and the Fremont Street Experience. The store has a well
stocked humidor and a couch & chairs if you want to sit, smoke
and watch TV there. Prices are reasonable. Also, expresso
& coffee is avaliable along with cold drinks.
May
2005
May
18th Stinky Super Mex Wednesday Smoker
It was a bust, I was the only one that showed up. The Bar
portiion of the Restaurant is cigar friendly and I enjoyed watching
sports on their big screen TV's.
Phil's Cigars Eureka tasting
After waiting almost 2 hours waiting for somebody to show up,
I left Super Mex and went over to Phil's Cigars in the Boca Park
Shopping center to check out the Eureka Cigar tasting and found
some of the Cigar Posse there. Cigar industry Veteran Joe
Dickman was there to host the event. There 3 blends of the
Eureka, Mild, Medium & Full Bodied. I chose the Platinum
full bodied and was impressed with the cigar from Costa Rica.
Very good construction quality to that of a Fuente, nice
even burn and a great smoke. Phil's is offering a $2 discount
on them thru the end of the month.
May 12th Cigar Lounge (formerly R.D. Gomez)
The event was to introduce the Edge cigar made by Rocky Patel.
A wonderful cigar that doesn't have a band or cellophane.
I enjoyed the tasty maduros and didn't realize what a powerful
kick it has half way through.
There's been a lot of changes at Cigar Lounge and I was pleasantly
surprised at what they've done to the place since my last visit
in December. They now have a better selection of cigars
and decent pricing. They also feature a room with a gallery
of pictures taken in Cuba. That's worth the trip by itself!
We had a nice turnout there and made some new friends.
There were also some people there who were marketing a Cigar Bobble
Head (yeah, it had to happen sooner or later.) Click
Here to see the pictures.
May
11th Road Runner Lounge Chicago Brewing Company
Well, our smoker at the Road Runner didn't happen because there
was a private party taking up all the space in our cigar smoking
area. So some of uf took our business down to the Chicago
Brewing Company. I enjoyed a Cohiba & Monte#2 ISOM that
were good but not great. As always at the Chicao Brewery,
we had a great time.
I received a phone Call from Holt's today letting me know that
the box of Padron Anniversarios that I had ordered was in.
I had been on the waiting list for over 4 years. I thought
they had forgotten all about me!
May 4th El Stinko De Mayo at Cigar Box
Michael Frey went all out with the Coyote Ugly Girls, Alcoholic
& non-alcoholic beverages, Mexican Food catered by Super Mex
Restaurant & Cantina and Camacho Corojo cigar for everyone,
which apparenly is a new blend. Door Prizes were given away
and it was another opportunity to check out the new diggs for
Cigar Box, after moving one door over earlier this year.
It's bigger & better with more seating room.
A couple days later I smoked my Camacho Corojo and got a little
sick from it. It was a great cigar, but lately I've been
having problems with the Double Ligero, LG's & Chisels from
La Flor Dominicana and now with the Camacho which was a first.
Maybe I should toss it before smoking it all the way down to the
end. Like I said, it was a Great Cigar!
May 1st 4th Annual Big Al Barbeque
At Big Al's house this has become a tradition with the Las Vegas
Cigar Summit. Invitations in the form of directions on a
napkin were passed out at the Cigar Summit. It didn't seem
as crowded as it was in previous years. Al knows how to
do a Beef Tip Right. Awesome food and great libations to
go along with our cigars.
April
2005
April 29th Hofbrahaus
Located on Paradise across from the Hard Rock. A good gathering
of Cigar Summit attendees in the big beer hall. A fun time
enjoying the real German beer and enjoying cigars.
April 27th Casa Fuente Cigar Lounge
Located in the new area of the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.
The upscale cigar shop only has Fuente & Ashton products.
But if you're looking for an Opus X, you'll find the best selection
anywhere. There's a bar inside and an area outside with
tables and chairs. Drinks are pricey but it's a wonderful
place to sit, drink and enjoy a fine cigar along with the view
of the tourist action walking by.
April
20th Billy Bobs at Sam's Town
Located in the Atrium area outside of the restaurant area.
Comfortable chairs in a pleasant atmosphere. Was disappointed
that you had to go inside the bar area to get your drinks.
No cocktail service.
April 6th Road Runner on W. Flamingo & I-215
Nice turnout everyone enjoyed the outdoor patio and the warm fire
in their pits. We will be having more events there in the
future. We actually went back on the 13th and 20th as well.
March 2005
March 31st
In the morning I stopped by Tobacco Leaf (formerly
Havana Cigar Co.) on Easter near I-215 in Henderson. I met
Will the owner and picked up a couple of CAO Italia cigars.
Nice shop and full stocked humidor and reasonable prices.
I especially noticed El Rey Del Mundo Tissue wrapped Robustos
and Maria Mancini cigars in stock. Most people have to purchase
them via Mail Order because not too many places stock them.
After work I stopped by the Las Vegas Paiute Smoke Shop.
They were having a daily sale on different cigar lines that week
to celebrate the Grand Opening of their new "state of the
art" Walk-In Humidor.
If you haven't been there in a while, you're in for a surprise.
Everything is open where you can see and priced.
Another thing I like about shopping at the Paiute Store is NO
SALES TAX! They have a great selection and are probably
the lowest prices in town.
The selection is limited, and I have yet to see Fuente or Padron
Anniversarios in their store, but there's plent more to choose
from. Store Manager Bill Sooly has done a remarkable job
with that store. When I was there General Cigar products
were on special. 20% off and Buy 2 of their product and
get a free Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte. I picked up some Punch
Grand Puros. I also noticed they carry those 18-inch long
Puros Indios Cigars that come in their own box.
March 30th Phil's Cigars in Boca Park
A great turnout, I got there early, had forgotten that it started
at 7pm. It was a Carlos Torano tasting event. Everybody
got a free cigar and there was a Buy 3 Get 1 Free Deal on Carlos
Toranos Cigars. When I was browsing in their walk-in humidor
I couldn't help notice how reasonable Phil's cigar prices are
and a nice variety to choose from.
Every time I go to an event at Phil's I stay longer than I planned.
It was an enjoyable evening and we met some new fellow
cigar smokers. Pictures will be posted soon.
March 29th Cigar Box Grand Opening
A big turnout for the celebration of moving next door. I
saw a lot of the familiar faces and many new ones. Everyone
who attended received 2 cigars. A LaRoma de Cuba (mine had
a tight draw) and an Ashton Maduro which was very good.
The Coyote Ugly Girls were serving up the Drinks and Cuban Sandwiches.
Cigarbox is much bigger now with a larger walk-in humidor more
seating and 2 LCD TV Screens. And with its larger size there
is more room for the memorabilia that graces the walls.
Just to come to check that out is worth the trip.
According to owner Michael Frey, a wireless network will be installed
next month so that customers can enjoy a cigar and surf the net
on their laptops. Also during Football season they plan
on being open Sundays.
March 27th - Easter Sunday
I made it thru Lent and am back in action! I enjoyed 3 cigars
on Easter Sunday.
I started with a Freyboy Royal Chieftan robusto, then went to
a flavorful La Gloria Cubana Series R #7 Maduro (excellent) and
a Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 that was pretty good.
Congratulations to the Las Vegas Paiute Tribal Smoke Shop on winning
the Annual Las Vegas Review Journal "Best of Las Vegas"
Reader's Poll for best tobacco shop.
March 10th
It's
been over a month since I gave up cigars for Lent. I'm doing
good ...haven't killed anyone yet. I miss our weekly
herfs but I will be back in action after Easter, March 27th and
will be attending the Carlos Torano event at Phil's Cigar Company
on March 30th.
February
2005
Last
month I celebrated my 10th anniversary as a cigar enthusiast and
"what a journey it's been!" I've
decided to give up cigars for Lent. Why? Because I want to see if
I can do it.
Btw, Cigar Posse member Paul, is taking bets on whether I will be
able to make it to Easter. It's going to be tuff. Cigars bring great
pleasure to me but this is something that I feel I need to do. On
the upside, I'll have 47 days to decide which cigar to choose as
my first cigar to smoke on Easter Sunday. Business will be as usual
with the posting of events on this website. I'm just not sure I
will be attending all of them as it may prove to be too tempting.
February
8th Fat Tuesday - Chicgao Brewing Company
Decided
to take my last fling with cigars before Lent started. I started the
day with a Padron Anniversario, then I smoked a Royal Jamacan Parklane.
After work on my way to Chicago's I lit up an LG by La Flor Dominicana,
my next one was a Fuente Fuente Opus X. At Chicago's I met up
with Paul, Carlos and Jack Daniels who was visiting from Rhode Island.
Paul gave me a CAO Brasilia Anaconda which I enjoyed more than the
Opus X. Before we departed I lit up a delicous Ashton VSG. On
the way home I finished the VSG and went right to a Bolivar Fuerte
which I finished at home on the patio. I looked at my watch, it was
11:10pm. Thinking lent is going to be a long 47 days, I decided to
sneak in one more before midnight. I went to my humidor and picked
out a Fuente Don Carlos Robusto and that took me to 11:52pm. Maybe
by Easter my tastebuds will be back to normal.
JC's Cigar Travels
January 2005
Jan. 5th Wednesday After Work Herf At Chicago Brewing Company
This
place is a favorite with the Las Vegas Cigar Posse and that's why
we're going back again on February 2nd. Chicago Brewing Company
is open 24 hours, but the cigar lounge located upstairs doesn't open
until 6pm. Nice place to enjoy cigars, food & drinks and
watch sports on their monitors. Occasionally they close it for
private parties.
The Posse was in full force including Stinky, George, Mike, Lance,
Dave, Paul, Greg and David. Irene's son Zack was there and it
was a rare sight -- Mother & Son enjoying a cigar. Last
time we were there we set off the smoke alarms, but this time they
were ready for us with extra air purification devices. Big
thanks to Tony for the Air Purifiers.
I enjoyed a Maria Mancini Magic Mountain, a CAO Brazilia Anaconda,
a Hoyo De Monterey Excalibur Epicure and finished the night with a
Royal Jamaican Parklane. |
