Avo Uvezian Turns 85 +1

[Update: 85? What the??? Actually,  Avo just turned 86. This post is from last year AND we are still having to keep up with him. Look for some stuff from the 86th party coming soon!]

At a private party at an undisclosed location, I was honored to gather with friends to celebrate Avo’s 85th birthday.

If you don’t know Avo’s cigars, you are missing out. If you don’t know the man, you are truly missing out.

I have known Avo for some time. Although most people know him as one of the world’s premier cigar makers, he is also a world renown pianist.

Maybe you have heard Frank Sinatra’s, Strangers in the Night. Yeah, that was written by Avo.

But the depth of Avo goes well behind the cigars, music, and signature hat. [Read more…]

How to Refresh a Dry Smoke…

It takes only a few weeks for a cigar to become dry in adverse conditions, but it takes a few months to restore them.  And although dry cigars could be brought back to an acceptable smoking condition, they will probably never be as good as they originally were.

So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Don’t let a good cigar go bad.  Read up on humidors and storage options on this website. [Read more…]

Top Ten Cuban Cigars

cigarsstandardThe Top Ten Cuban Cigars? Well look no further, the votes are IN!

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on any of these, find a nice quiet area – or a loud one with friends – and enjoy!

1. Cohiba Esplindidos

2. Cohiba Robusto [Read more…]

Should I Buy Name Brand Cigars?

 

There is a lot of talk of whether you need to find a popular label to get a good smoke. Well, here is my take…

[Read more…]

How to Size up a Cigar

Not sure what size is what?

Click on this handy chart!

Create Your Own Flavored Cigar

Did you know you can easily create your own flavored cigars? Just take a few mild smokes (no maduro’s) and put them in a tight sealing container (no need for a humidor for this one). A tupperware bin works great.

[Read more…]

Cigar Talk…Zino Davidoff

Rumor is…Zino Davidoff was best friends with Rothschild family, they both traded wine for cigars every year. Zino named his cigars after the 5 best first growth wines and later named a cigar after Dom Perignon champagne. Davidoff was allowed to raid Rothschilds personnel cellar for cigars, which after 1992 were never made in Cuban again. [Read more…]

How to Blow Smoke Rings

The term “blowing a smoke ring” is something of a misnomer and probably the reason many cigar smokers fail when attempting their creation.  Most people think they have to exhale to form a ring when, in fact, just the opposite is true. [Read more…]

Cigar Store Etiquette

Let’s be honest – when you walk into a well-stocked humidor, it may feel a little bit like Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade’ – cigars to the left of you, cigars to the right of you.  Dozens of brands [Read more…]

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Cigar?

This is a surprisingly common question I get but it is an almost impossible answer. My friend Tommy laughs when I can make a smoke last as long as the “recommended smoke time.”

In a nutshell, the bigger they are the longer they smoke (like you had to go to a Cigar site to figure that out, huh?). Ok, ok, here are few benchmarks…

Presidente (8” – 10”) – about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Double Corona, Churchill, Lonsdale (7 ½” – 8”) – about 45 minutes to an hour.

Corona Grandes, Corona Extra, Rubusto, Belicoso, Pyramid (5”-7”) – about 30 – 45 minutes.

Petite Corona, Culebra, Ascot – under 30 minutes.