As a long time cigar smoker, I can cut through the haze of mythology and other crap that surrounds the pleasure of smoking a fine cigar in this Cigar 101 commentary. The most frequently asked question I hear when someone sees me smoking a cigar is: “Is that a Cuban cigar?” Yes, since all top tier cigars sold in America are made from Cuban seed tobaccos grown in other countries.
In 1959, when Fidel Castro’s 26 de Julio revolution seized control of the country, the famous Cuban cigar families such as Macanudo, Partagas, H. Upmann, and Montecristo left the country with their seeds and planted their crops in the Dominican Republic and Honduras under the same high quality control standards.
Castro’s Marxist regime quickly turned Cuba into a banana republic. Instead of a middle and upper class, everyone was the same – dirt poor – except Castro of course. Since trade embargos have been in place since 1960, Cuba could not export cigars to the free world, including America. And since the top quality cigar makers had left the country long ago, indigenous Cuban cigars are still being grown, but it’s illegal to own them, which only adds to their allure. If you could get a Cuban cigar, it may or may not be of the same quality as the transplanted name brands. If Castro dies, his brother Raul wants to deal with the U.S. to lift the embargo. Cuban cigars could be available in the U.S. again.
As I see it, if one is interested in getting into smoking fine cigars, go to a cigar bar and buy a variety sampler of quality name brand cigars to try. Like fine wine, moderation is the key. Savor the aroma and taste without inhaling. Unlike cigarettes, cigars burn slower and are all tobacco, which means they don’t give off carbon monoxide from the cigarette paper. Contrary to myth, premium cigar smoke smells aromatic, similar to pipe tobacco. Not surprisingly, cheap trashy domestic cigars smell and taste awful.
This brings us to the sensitive matter of the high cost of name brand cigars. Yes, handmade cigars are expensive. If one goes to a cigar bar one can order single cigars from the humidor. Like with most products, quality cigars are worth the price.
So what makes up a quality handmade cigar? The outside wrapper is the most important and expensive part of a cigar. These plants are typically grown under a gauze tent (shade tree) in places such as Connecticut. The shade tent prevents the leaf from growing too thick. The wrapper must be smooth and have very few veins. Mild wrappers are brown while Maduro wrappers are darker and taste stronger. Claro is a light green wrapper which is medium-mild. Cameroon wrappers are grown in Africa and are black. They have a distinctive nut-like flavor.
The binders usually come from the bottom part of the plant, where the leaves are thicker and have more strength. These leaves have little or no flavor and they hold in the filler in the cigar. Finally, the filler is a blend. Like a beer brewmaster blends hops, the tobacconist mixes various flavors until he or she achieves the brand’s trademark taste. This is the artistic part of making cigars that burn evenly and have a particular taste.
For the guy or gal who wants to go whole hog, there are all the trendy peripheral cigar products like cutters, special lighters, humidors, leather cases, etc. I stay away from them except for a temperature controlled humidor to keep my cigars fresh. I cut the top of my cigar with my teeth and use a Zippo to light it. Like wine, premium cigars are a relaxing, guilty pleasure. It’s a civilized alternative to cigarettes to feed one’s nicotine jones.
The newest addition to the cigar bar phenomenon is the Island Girl Cigar Bar located at Gate Parkway and 9-A, just off the UNF exit from JTB. I was out there two weeks ago to cover Debra Rider’s Blues Trio. This place is huge, with a large walk-in humidor. It has a spacious main room with comfortable easy chairs, tables and a large bar that serves wine and beer. Its package store is fully stocked with fine wines as well as domestic and imported beers. There is an area with cigar accessories for sale. Joyce and Rick Lay just opened the club a month ago and it’s already catching on with cigar devotees who want to socialize and enjoy the laid back atmosphere. The wait staff is friendly and they keep the big cigar ashtrays emptied. Order single cigars from the humidor to sample certain brands. The Friday night I visited the Island Girl, the place was packed. Its motto is, “relax, you’re on island time,” depicting the shadow of a girl smoking a cigar. Monday is 24 night where fans can gather to watch Jack Bauer save the world one hour at a time on The Island Girl’s big plasma screen TVs mounted on the walls around the room.
The concept of a cigar bar is relatively new to Jacksonville. The first such establishment to open was Aromas Cigars Wine & Martini Bar on Southside Boulevard across from Tinseltown. I’ve been there numerous times to cover live music and once for a special Playboy cigar promotion. It includes a fully stocked humidor with a complete line of quality handmade cigars. Aromas also has a small package store selling fine wines. When it opened in 2003, it was an instant success because of its outdoor patio and comfortable interior with easy chairs and tables. The place has three big smoke eaters in the ceiling, keeping the interior smoke-free. They also have recently added one of the largest ice bars in the Southeastern US, which features a lighted, frozen surface and sub-zero freezer full of premium vodkas, so you can keep your scotch cold without watering it down with ice, or enjoy a martini that is as cold as ice. Ask about their new menu if you are hungry for a top-quality meal while you are there.
Aroma’s co-owner/operator James Morrow and partner Scott Dreicer opened this second Aromas location December 2004 in plenty of time for the Superbowl. It is located at 880 A1A North, Suite 18-B. It’s larger than the Southside store and also features an ice bar. The 4,600 square foot club also features a baby grand piano with piano bar top seating, plasma screen TVs, a centralized Jumbotron and separate stage area for a DJ or live music. The spacious cigar bar has an adjoining 1,200 square foot package store. Its large humidor is stocked with a variety of quality handmade cigar brands and more than 700 premium cigars. Also, Aromas in Ponte Vedra Beach carries a large selection of cigar accessories such as humidors, cutters, lighters, and more than 50 wines by the glass, as well as decadent deserts and appetizers. Overall, this is a larger version of the Aromas on Southside, featuring appetizers and more room.
Both Aromas offer Club Robusto for members only. It’s an exclusive, private cigar club located within Aromas. They provide members with luxury services, a relaxing environment where you can meet Jacksonville’s VIPs, use of the club for meetings, wireless Internet access, and private use of its conference room. The club features special events, exclusive gatherings and travel experiences. I always enjoy going there, smoking a cigar, sipping wine, and listening to the live music.
In today’s anti-tobacco world, it’s gloriously politically incorrect to fire up a cigar inside a club. I would recommend any of these cigar bars to the serious cigar aficionado. They are great havens for cigar smokers like me who are usually relegated to smoking in our cars or at home.
Aromas co-owner, Scott Dreicer, is also a well-known cigar blender. For his two Jacksonville locations, he blended two special Aromas private cigar brands. To find out more about these quality products, I called Scott for a confab.
“We are especially proud of our two private cigar brands. I personally blended them and I’m very pleased with the results. The first blend is called the Aroma Swirl. It features two wrappers in a barber-pole-like swirl. One is Cameroon and the other is Connecticut. It looks strange but tastes great. It comes in 5 ring sizes.”
“The second blend is our Aromas Signature Cigar. I used a combination of Dominican and Honduras’ filler and a Connecticut wrapper. It also comes in 5 ring sizes. We sell these at $10.00 a piece,” Scott said.
Scott went on to say that his annual charity Golf Tournament is coming up on July 10, 2007 at the World Golf Village course. Last year, the tournament raised over 90,000 for local charities. There are more details on Aromas’ website aromascigars.com.
Back in the late seventies, when I lived on Hendricks Ave. in San Marco, I used to walk to Edwards at least once a week. It was a hangout for cigar smokers who would smoke cigars and chat about a variety of subjects. Sandra Jones owned the store for years and in the 1990s she had moved to a bigger location and expanded into a variety of gifts as well as cigars, pipe tobacco, custom cigarettes and Lampe Bergers, which are French aroma oil lamps.
The new owner, Bob Wright, has continued Sandra’s tradition with the largest humidor in the area and plenty of room for people to relax in luxury. Edwards has a knowledgeable tobacconist on hand to answer your questions and help you find the right cigar for anyone. They serve complimentary wines and beverages to their patrons inside of the expanded lounge room with easy chairs. It’s a great place to get away from the rat race, smoke one of their 450 brands of fine cigars (or bring your own) and meet with other cigar smokers.
Bob Wright bought Edwards Cigar Shop in San Marco from Sandra Jones in October 2005, although Edwards has been a tobacco enthusiast’s institution in Jacksonville since 1969. To get some more personal information from Bob I called him for an informal interview. As it turned out, he just got back from a General Cigar Company tour of their Dominican Republic operations.
I asked Bob what motivated him to buy a cigar shop after the boom waned in 2000.
“Well, I’m a long time cigar smoker and a friend of Sandra Jones. When I retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield, I was looking for something to do with my time. One day Sandra mentioned that she was thinking of selling the place. So, I saw it as an opportunity to get involved with the cigar business.”
“Since I took over the shop, our business has grown and we are up 20%. It seems we are on the brink of another cigar boom like in 1996. So, I’m ecstatic about the business and my trip to the Dominican Republic was very informative and gave me a new perspective on the entire cigar business.”
We discussed the buzz about Cuba after Castro dies. Fidel’s brother, Raul, has expressed a desire to work with the United States to lift the embargo which has got cigar sellers salavating over the prospect of Cuban cigars being legally available in the United States again. I asked Bob if he discussed that possibility with the General Cigar managers in the DR.
“Yes, we discussed it. They said they have secret strategies in place for if and when Raul takes over the country. However, there are many legal entanglements to producing cigars in Cuba again. And besides, they have big operations in place in the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Essentially, they produce Cuban cigars now because after Castro took over Cuba most of the cigar-making dynasties left and took their seeds with them. Of course, the allure of the Cuban cigar is still strong.”
“Interestingly, The General Cigar Company sends its managers to Texas A&M to get their Masters. The university has a famous agricultural program and the gentlemen I spoke to are serious about the growing cigar market in the United States and other countries.”
Edwards is located in the historic San Marco area, just up San Marco Boulevard from the San Marco Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville. This quaint strip of upscale shops is reminiscent of an old European shopping district, so not only can you enjoy your cigar inside of their lounge area, but you can also enjoy a nice stroll through one of Jacksonville’s treasured neighborhoods.
by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Swisher has been part of Jacksonville since 1913, when the Swisher Family was seeking a new home for their speedily growing business. They settled into Jacksonville because of its proximity to raw materials, shipping lanes and mild climate.
They pioneered the use of mechanized rolling machines in the 1920’s and thrived during the Depression, hiring more workers rather than firing people. Swisher was able to do this because they found ways to sell their cigars at a lower price, providing a luxury item at a lower cost. Swisher’s hiring record earned the company Forbes’ Certificate of Merit for having had “the vision, courage, and faith in America’s future to make large investments in the face of Depression problems.”
Since the 1920’s Swisher has introduced a number of cigar lines. They ship their product to all fifty states and forty-seven different countries. Now, as in their early days in Jacksonville, Swisher has a positive impact on the area’s economy and has become part of the city’s consciousness and landscape. Currently Swisher’s Jacksonville facility is the world’s largest cigar factory, producing more than 11 million cigars per day.
Swisher Historical Fast Facts:
· David Swisher got the cigar business as settlement of a debt in 1861.
· Approximately 1,100 people work at the Swisher Plant today.
· Over 1,000 people rolled 300,000 cigars a day for the company in 1895.
· In the 1920’s Swisher was the first to wrap individual cigars in cellophane.
· The Jacksonville Swisher Factory housed the nation’s first industrial children’s nursery in 1939.
· The Swisher Sweets brand was introduced in 1958.
· Swisher’s Jacksonville facility is world’s largest cigar factory, producing more than 11 million cigars per day.
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