Rubens Smoke Stack- Hackensack, NJ

 Here is an excerpt from an article I did for Jersey Man Magazine. Pick up their August issue for a complete look at this fantastic cigar lounge in New Jersey.

Have you ever walked into a cigar shop to be met with blank stares of, “Who's the new guy?” I recently found a cigar shop in Hackensack, NJ that has quite the opposite theology when it comes to cigar shop stigma, for cigar newbies. Ruben Abreu, owner of Rubens Smoke Stack, has a philosophy for welcoming new and old patrons to his shop. It's simple and yet profound. “Treat everyone like a million bucks.” The proprietor of the shop since 2004, Ruben comes

from a background of being a hospital administrator and executive director for substance abuse at Burgundy Medical Center.

Now retired from his medical career, Ruben finds himself facing hard choices everyday, like what cigar should he start his day off with. This may not be as easy as you might think. Ruben keeps a stock of fifty thousand plus cigars in his shops' walk in humidor. A small sampling of brands you will find are Alec Bradely, Oliva, CLE, Tatuaje, Fuente and the list goes on and on. At any particular time, you will find him lighting up some of his favorites that include Padron, Flor de Dominicana, and the Oliva Master Blend. The daunting task spills over to the cigar shops patrons as well. Ruben has an easy fix for that though - The second part to his philosophy is to take care of his customers. So, don’t be surprised if you find yourself torn between two different cigars; Ruben just might have a bogo stick waiting for you at the checkout.

The shop boasts a large smoking lounge in the front, complete with leather chairs and big screen TV's. In addition, there is a private lounge in the rear of the store with thirty cigar lockers and a second smoking lounge. A private entrance and parking lot is available, while the overstuffed leather chairs beckon you to sit down, light up, and watch the number of sporting events or movies playing on the fifty inch flat screen TV's.............

Photos courteous of  http://www.rubenssmokestack.com/

Te-Amo Revolution

Today, I'm taking a look at the Te-Amo Revolution; A box pressed beauty boasting a 6.25 x 54 ring gauge. The appearance of the cigar is quite nice. The cigar band makes a bold statement with its wide one inch band that consists of a red and black background. The name of the cigar, Revolution, is written in antique white lettering.

This cigar uses a unique blend of tobaccos starting with a San Andres habano wrapper. It shows oily characteristics, but retains more of a satin finish with slight veining. A blend of Mexican San Andres Negro, Mexican Corojo, and Nicaraguan long fillers are used and then capped off with a San Andres Corojo binder.

Toasting the foot of the cigar, I'm treated to a grassy tone that has hints of wood mingled in. The cigar is drawing very nicely and producing lots of smoke. With a one inch ash on the end, the flavor profile has been pretty consistent, thus far. The grass and wood noted are enhanced by a slight hint of cashew nuts that have crept in. The smoke and flavors are smooth with aromatic features starting to become noticeable.

Entering the halfway point, spice tones have entered the fray and have added a nice depth to the cigar. Additional notes of an earthy profile have started to creep in, with the cigar moving to a medium-bodied smoke, at this point. The ash has held on quite well and is white with a black background. The burn remains even and cool with no touch-ups needed during the hour plus smoke. The Te-Amo Revolution has performed perfectly, so far. I'm impressed with the qualities and the smoothness that it has portrayed.

The back half stays pretty consistent with the same flavor profile. The spice and earth pick up and water chestnut tones can be added to the mix. In my opinion, The Te-Amo Revolution is a great cigar. With it being medium-bodied, it makes a great after lunch smoke. The cigar has performed flawlessly and is remarkably consistent. It is available here at Corona Cigar for six dollars a stick. It won't break the bank and can easily be added to your regular smoking rotation. If you're looking for something that is a bit different then the run of the mill cigars that you find on the market, try this Mexican beauty. It finishes long and is one of the smoothest cigars that I've smoked in sometime. 

All pictures courtesy of AltidisUSA.com

NAT SHERMAN INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES INAUGURAL POP-UP SHOP

NAT SHERMAN INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES INAUGURAL POP-UP SHOP

IN COLLABORATION WITH BROOKLYN’S WIDOW JANE DISTILLERY AND CACAO PRIETO

NEW YORK (JULY 23, 2013) – Nat Sherman, Tobacconist to the World, announces the opening of its inaugural pop-up shop in conjunction with Widow Jane Whiskey, a fast growing cult favorite for whiskey lovers at Cacao Prieto, a chocolate factory and distillery in Brooklyn, New York. Located at 218 Conover Street, in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, the 500-square foot pop-up shop inside the Cacao Prieto Apothecary will feature the full Nat Sherman Premium Cigar Portfolio including the award-winning Timeless Collection, The Nat Sherman Host Selection, The Metropolitan and Metropolitan Maduro Selections. The pop-up will also feature a variety of Nat Sherman’s latest product offerings including The Nat Sherman 1930 and The Nat Sherman Sterling, along with the full range of their all-natural luxury cigarettes. The Nat Sherman pop-up is expected to remain open through the end of October 2013. Official hours of operation as well as a schedule of events will be posted on both Nat Sherman’s and Widow Jane’s Facebook pages.

Cacao Prieto was founded by Daniel Prieto Preston, whose family has been farming organic cacao in the Dominican Republic for more than 100 years. The Prieto family farm, Coralina Farms, provides the entirety of cacao for Cacao Prieto’s chocolates and spirits. Cacaco Prieto is also home to the distillery that produces Widow Jane Whiskey. Known as The Foundation Spirit of New York, Widow Jane is distilled with the pure, sweet water of the Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale, NY, whose limestone quarry was essential in building both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.

"We are extremely excited to partner with Daniel and his team at Cacao Prieto for Nat Sherman’s inaugural Pop-Up concept," said Michael Herklots, Executive Director of Brand and Retail Development at Nat Sherman. "We strongly support Daniel’s vision for the distillery, and as both Cacao Prieto and Nat Sherman are New York routed - family-owned and operated, there is no better partner. We look forward to bringing the Nat Sherman experience to Cacao Prieto’s clientele, and the entirety of the Red Hook community.”

The Nat Sherman Pop-Up is adjacent to Botanica, a specialty cocktail bar modeled after the lounge of a bourgeois Venetian hotel. Botanica will join in on the collaborative concept with Nat Sherman, featuring an exclusive list of cocktail and cigar pairings, curated by Michael Herklots, throughout the duration of the pop-up.

"We are truly thrilled to offer the Nat Sherman experience at our Brooklyn facility," said, Daniel Prieto Preston, Founder of Cacao Prieto. "We are always looking for ways to innovate what we do here in Redhook, so it’s an honor to partner with Nat Sherman to bring their first Pop Up to fruition.”

The $45.5 Million Dollar Global Express XRS

The Bombardier Global Express excites in ways that few aircraft can.  It is the most expensive, longest range, baddest jet available currently.  This ultra long range corporate and VIP high-speed jet is produced by Bombardier Aerospace, who obviously knows a thing or two about competition. 

The Global Express XRS is actually an improved version of the original Global Express, offering a higher cruising speed, increased range, and improvements in both cabin layout and lighting.  The Global Express is still cool, because it is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofans.

There is a slightly shorter version of this high-profile jet available, the Bombardier Global 5000, but if you are going to do it up, you may as well go all the way at these prices.  There are also special versions that have been modified for military use, like the Raytheon Sentinel R1.  But we are interested purely in the extravagances of the corporate line of jetliners. 

These ultra-luxe liners are capable of intercontinental travel without being bothered with little things like refueling.  So, if you need to travel from New York to Tokyo, but do not want to be burdened by stopping for fuel, and need to do so in the lap of luxury, they have you covered. 

The 1,486 lb fuel tank sits at the wing root, making the incredible range capacity possible.  If it is time to refuel, it takes approximately 15 minutes less than its predecessor to fill up.

Basic specifications of the Global Express XRS include:

·       2-4 crew members

·       8-19 passengers

·       2 Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR710A220 turbofans

·       94 foot wingspan

·       Cabin length 48 feet

·       Cabin width 8 feet

·       Cost: $52 Million Dollars

·       Cost $8,000 per hour to charter

Competitors of the Global Express line of luxury jets include Boeing Business Jet, Airbus Corporate Jet, Gulfstream G550, and Dassault Falcon 7X. 

Overall, this is among the most elite ways to travel.  We would like to rent this for our next office party, and have a few luxury car rentals including a Ferrari 458 Italia rental, and maybe an Aston Martin rental waiting for us upon landing. 

 Photos courtesy of  Bombardier Global Express

New Cigar line from the Graycliff Cigar Company

Press Release:

JOHN HOWARD GRAYSMITH – A MARRIAGE OF OLD & NEW TOBACCO

New Cigar line from the Graycliff Cigar Company evokes its pirate legacy

NASSAU, Bahamas (July 14, 2013) – Graycliff Cigar Company acknowledges the past, and staying true to its roots, has created a blend that is fit for a king and harnessed by a pirate. Named after the original proprietor of the Graycliff residence, this cigar is a wonderful marriage of old and new tobacco and truly a celebration of the pirate that founded Graycliff.

Captain John Howard Graysmith, once a famous pirate of the Caribbean, commanded the notorious schooner Graywolf and plundered treasure ships along the Spanish Main before trading his seafaring days for a pardon from the British and settling down in Nassau, Bahamas to build his beloved home, Graycliff, in 1740.

“We delved into our much-treasured stockpile of the original tobacco we had when we started the company to bring to you this special blend,” said Paolo Garzaroli, President of the Graycliff Cigar Company. “We always knew that there was going to come a time for us to use these amazing keepsakes and could not find a better-fitting tribute to our pirate founder.”

This new blend, John Howard Graysmith, launched at the annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association Convention in Las Vegas this week, is available for shipping this August.

Packaged as a five-pack in sleek black boxes with a pirate theme. Inside one will find the a bit of Captain Graysmith’s history printed on parchment along with a replica Spanish coin from the 1700s, these cigars are available in two vitolas, both with a slight shaggy foot:

· Cannon (straight) Ring Gauge of 60 x 7"

· Buccaneer (torpedo) Ring Gauge of 60 x 7"

The suggested retail price is $29 per cigar, or $145 per five-pack.

Specifications:

Country of Origin: The Bahamas

Manufacturing Method: Hand Rolled / Entubado

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Costa Rica

Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras

Each cigar is unique in shape, being hand-rolled without the use of molds. The new larger sizes and shapes are fitting to carry the name and remind you of the ‘good old days’ when life was simple and the only tools used to make a fine cigar were the hands of the torcedore behind the craft.

PDR Cigars

Press Release:

 

PDR Cigars Announces New Signature Lines

(Miami, FL) – June 17, 2013:
Doral, Florida based boutique cigar maker, PDR Cigars is excited to announce the release of two new signature cigar series to debut at this summer’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas, to be held at the Sands Expo Center from July 13-17. The AFR-75 is a rich, full bodied cigar with a balanced blend of Nicaraguan Criollo 98, Connecticut Broadleaf, & Dominican filler enveloped in a beautiful San Andres Maduro wrapper. The AFR-75 will be available in three sizes; the Sublime(5x56), the Edmundo(6x58), and the Inmenso(7x60). There will only be 500 boxes per size made available this year. The AFR-75 marks the second release in a series of signature lines from PDR. AFR-75 references the initials for Master Blender Abraham Flores Rosario and his year of birth, 1975. "I’m really excited about the new lines. We had a lot of success with the A. Flores Serie Privada line and we’re going to be doing more special release small batch projects. As a blender I have a lot of fun creating different blends that we can put out in smaller amounts for the hardcore cigar guys to enjoy", says Abe Flore of PDR Cigars.

Accompanying the AFR-75 this summer as a new release will be the A. Flores Gran Reserva. As is the AFR-75, there will only be 500 boxes of each size of the A. Flores Gran Reserva made available. Replete with a delicious Corojo 2006 Domican wrapper the Gran Reserva delivers a rich, creamy, medium body smoke. The filler is a complex blend of Corojo Dominican and Habano Nicaraguan tobaccos. The A. Flores Gran Reserva will be made available as a Half Corona(3.5x46), Robusto(5x52), Gran Toro(6x54). The Half Corona will also be available in a 5-count tin as a regular production line. Both the AFR-75 and the A. Flores Gran Reserva will begin shipping in July as this summer is shaping up to be a very exciting one for PDR Cigars. The factory is also producing new releases for El Primer Mundo Cigars with its Costa Fuerte line as well as new lines for Kristoff Cigars and Ortega Cigar Company.

www.pdrcigars.com

Back into the archives we go to take a look at:

  “The Secrets To Picking The Perfect Suit” 

By: Martin A. Berrios

Originally published in Cigars In Review Magazine

Finding the right suit is the key to looking your best. Regardless of your experience with fine garments or tailoring this can be a daunting task. There are many variables to consider during the hunt. The following tips will definitely help you nail the perfect suit.

Set A Budget: Before stepping into any retailer always have a budget in mind, this will save you and the sales associate time. With a budget in place you will be informed of what suits, sales, and sections of the store fit your finances best.

Get Measured: Even if you have a good idea of your numbers always get measured when browsing for a new suit. You may have gained or lost weight since your last purchase which will affect the overall look. This is also your chance to state any special needs or personal preferences that make up your “ideal” fit.

Communicate The Occasion: The type of suit you would wear to a job interview or a big business meeting will differ greatly from what you would wear to a beach wedding. Go for a classic and clean look for anything business related so that means wool, polyester or tweed. If you’re looking for something to sport in the warmer months linen and tropical wool are sure bets. A formal or black tie affair traditionally calls for a tuxedo depending on the event.

Purchasing a suit is an important choice so keeping these factors in mind will make your decision an informed one.