Las VegASH TV » Cigar Shops

New Orleans

Sean — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:18:23 +0000

Ok gang I’m finally in New Orleans and at the end of my multiple city run from hell. So just for ease sake and because I am lazy I’m going to lump the shops I have been hanging out at in one post.

Esteli Cigar 515 Saint Louis New Orleans. It’s a nice shop with a fairly decent selection. Prices are a little high but not crazy. They have some nice leather chairs and a couch to sit and smoke and chess board if you want to play. I picked out a Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Perfecto (which was $10.99)and sat down for a pre-dinner smoke. As it almost always does the conversation turned to Vegas once they find out that’s where I’m from. We had a great conversation about several different topics including hurricane Katrina and what it did to the area. it’s a very laid back place even though it’s in the French Quarter and it seems locals like to hang out there which is way better than hanging out with tourists.

Cigar Factory New Orleans 415 Decatur New Orleans www.cigarfactoryneworleans.com. All of the cigars they sell are their own brands which are rolled in the shop all day. I never get tired of watching the rollers work. It is such a cool process to watch. I picked myself out a Tres Hermanos which is their Maduro cigar. It was good smoke, not much in the way of complexity but it was consistent all the way through. Then I smoked the Vieux Carre which is their Cameroon wrapper. Kind of the same thing going on with this one, not very complex just the same all the way through. So the shop is really big, they have plenty of tables to sit at and you can bring your own drinks in. Since it is New Orleans you can pretty much drink anywhere. It’s kind of loud in the shop and not much conversation goes on. So I just sat at my table and smoked my cigars and drank my beer.

Don Leoncio Cigar Lounge 430 Canal Street New Orleans www.donleonciocigars.com. I found this place completely by accident I was walking up Canal St. heading to my hotel and decided to cross the street earlier than I usually do and there it was. This place is huge, it has several couches and leather chairs to sit in. There is also a fully stocked bar in the back with plenty of drink options. Their selection is pretty good and the prices are a little high but not overboard. Since it is right in the heart of the tourist area it’s not a surprise about the prices. They have their own brands but I wasn’t feeling very adventurous so I picked up a Casa Magna Torito. You just can’t go wrong with this cigar. Anyway, so I sat down by the front door and people watched while I was smoking and I was not disappointed!!! There were plenty freak shows walking around.

So if you find yourself in New Orleans check out these shops (there are several others, i just didn’t have time to get to them). My next scheduled trip is Los Angeles in June so as usual if you have any suggestions for a shop I should visit or want to meet for a smoke drop me a line at sean@lasvegashtv.com.

See Ya,

Sean

Excalibur Cigar and Hookah Bar

Sean — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:36:00 +0000

So here I am in San Diego again (yeah I know poor Me) and I found another shop to write about. The company I am working for put me in a hotel off the beaten path so I am glad I found it.
I’m sitting at Excalibur Cigar and Hookah bar 3858 5th Ave. San Diego. It’s a really nice shop with plenty of seating and a seperate lounge area for hookahs. It’s a little hard to find you have to go through an iron gate and down an alley past a hair salon. Their selection is a bit limited but the prices aren’t bad. I picked out a Perdomo Grand Cru and I am pleasantly surprised. It is a great smoke medium to full body with a nice earthy and spice flavor to it. Sorry this is a shop review not a cigar review. Anyway Matt who runs the shop is really cool and a fellow Jersey boy so we got to talking about living in New Jersey and our old Manhattan stomping grounds. It kinda made me miss it but then I thought about wearing shorts in December and got over that quick. He is very knowledgeable about cigars and reccomended some cigars to try. Of course I can’t remember any of them so I have to ask him again and actually write it down this time.
Well I’ve been kind of a slacker. I’m almost done with my trip here and now I am finishing the review.
They have a large table in the shop that you can book for poker games and meetings. They also let you order or bring in food. The hookah lounge is big with plenty of seating and some very ineresting tobacco blends and combination that all smell really good. On a busy night Matt doesn’t stop running. He is either making hookahs, cleaning or making sure they stay lit.
Saturday is my last night here and I have been eyeballing the Padilla Miami so I think I’m going to treat myself to it to celebrate another show done. Did I mention that he has beer, wine, and port all for pretty decent price.
Well that’s it for this one. If you find yourself in the Hillcrest area of San Diego stop on in and check it out and say Hi to Matt and sit down for a smoke.
My next stop in Phoenix next week and then New Orleans the week after that. So as usual if you have any comments,reccomendations on shops,cigars or just want to meet for a smoke drop me a line at Sean@lasvegashtv.

See Ya

Sean

Padilla Cigar Factory

Sean — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:42:28 +0000

I finally made it to little Havana!! Let me start by saying that if you plan to go there go early. I didn’t do my homework before I went and I got there around 5pm. Everything was closing! Needless to say I was a little unhappy until I walked a bunch of blocks and found the Padilla Cigar Factory still open. It is located at 1501 SW 8th St. Miami (Little Havana). Let me side track for a second. Little Havana is not much to look at. It’s even less to look at when things are closed. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it was more than I saw. I’m sure if I got there earlier it would have been completely different.

Anyway, back to Padilla. It is a huge place tons of seating and every Padilla cigar you could ever want. So I made a quick purchase of a Padilla Miami and some of the new release the Dominus (great smoke. Justin and I will have to review it if he is up for it). I sat down for awhile to smoke and talk to the manager Vincent. We got to talking and come to find out we grew up in the same town in New Jersey. We had a great conversation about growing up in North Bergen and living in Manhattan, cigars and a bunch of different topics. While we were talking he dropped a huge bomb on me. He gifted me a cuban Hoyo De Monterrey Churchill. He said he is from Cuba and still has family there so he can travel in and out whenever he wants. Needless to say I was completely floored and I am going to put that away for a special occasion. Probably my daughters first birthday next month that is a pretty special occasion. Well that’s about all there is to tell. My next stop is New Orleans in May (actually come to think of it my next trip is Denver but I am only there two days so I doubt I will have time to find a place to smoke). I am looking forward to New Orleans it is one of my favorite cities and I always have a good time down there. So as usual if you have any comments, suggestions of shop to visit or want to meet for a smoke contact me at Sean@lasvegashtv.com. One final thing if you find yourself in Little Havana do not hesitate to go to the Padilla Cigar Factory and ask for Vincent.

See Ya

Sean

South Beach

Sean — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:29:09 +0000

Ok so I am finally in Miami. South Beach to be exact. Let me first say I am sorry to Miami and the entire state of Florida for bringing this crappy cold weather with me from Houston. Now back to our regularly scheduled program. So far not very impressed with the cigar scene here in South Beach. There are four shops around my hotel and you can only smoke in one of them. Deco Drive Cigars has three locations and the one at 414 Lincoln Road is where I am sitting right now. Its a nice shop with a good selection a little pricey but it’s a tourist driven area and it is a “Davidoff appointed store” so it’s not surprising. It has a full bar so that doesn’t suck too badly. I’m sitting here typing smoking a Padron and drinking a Presidente beer. They also have a bunch of hookahs, seems like every bar I pass has them. Anyway, there are several cigar shops when I did a search but it turns out that they are either candy stores or head shops so I didn’t even bother going in. The Deco Drive Cigars on Ocean Drive in kind of perplexing to me. You can’t smoke in the shop and they have a nice size patio area but they don’t have any tables out there. That is so strange to me. It seems like a huge opportunity missed to me. Oh well we all do business differently. Thankfully I always bring my smokes with me and there is not a lack of outdoor patios to smoke at. I hope to make it over to Little Havana tomorrow night. We will see how it goes and how expensive the cab ride is going to be. New Orleans is my next scheduled trip and i should have plenty to report from there. That’s all for now as always any comments or suggestions on a shop I should check out in my travels drop me a line Sean@lasvegashtv.com.

See Ya

Sean

Update. I was just talking to the manager of the Lincoln Road store and he was telling me that they can’t smoke inside or outside of the Ocean Drive store because it is residential above the shop. The smoking Nazis strike again!!!

McCoy’s Fine Cigars and Tobacco

Sean — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:35:05 +0000

Well I have been in Houston forever now and I am finally getting a chance to write this.
I’m sitting at McCoy’s Fine Cigars and Tobacco 525 Main St. Houston TX. It is the only cigar shop in downtown Houston that was close to the convention center and my hotel. It is a really small shop with 4 chairs to sit and smoke. The humidor is a good size with a great selection and really good prices.
The owner Brad who bought the shop January 1st is a really nice guy and really knowledgable about cigars and pipe tobacco.
The first day I came in to smoke there were six guys sitting and standing watching womens Olympic curling and really getting into it. The running commentary was well worth the price of addmission. One thing is sure that this shop will never get robbed during business hours since about a dozen Houston cops hang out here. They have a pretty good group of regulars that hang out in the shop on a daily basis. The only bummer is that the shop is closed on weekends but it is understandable since they roll up the sidewalks and downtown turns into a ghost town on Saturday and Sunday.
Well that’s all I have to report on this one. Next stop is Miami next week. hopefully I will have plenty of time to check out several shops while I am down there. If anyone has any sugestions on any shops in Miami Beach drop me a line at Sean@lasvegashtv.com.

See Ya

Sean

Broadway Cigar

Sean — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Yeah!!!!!!!! I finally found a home for the time I am up here. Broadway Cigar Company 3615 NE Broadway Portland. It is a really nice shop with a great selection and really good prices. It kind of surprised me when I went to pay for a $7.50 cigar and Virgil (the guy who runs the shop) said that will be $7.50. Holy Crap they don’t have sales tax here. So on my first visit there on Tuesday I was greeted by Virgil with an introduction, a handshake and a tour of the shop. The seating area is huge, they have a few chairs up in the front of the shop and a huge lounge in the back. There is defenitely not a lack of seating here.

I picked myself out a Fuente Cuban Belicoso an sat down to smoke. I had some really good conversation with several of the guys sitting around the shop.
So it’s Monday and I want able to make it to the shop for a couple of days. Despite that I walked in today and was greeted by name. It is such a great touch and makes you feel really welcome in the shop when you are greeted this way. I picked myself out a Tatuaje to smoke today and I’ll probably smoke something else while I am here.
I guess it goes without saying that I highly reccomend this shop. Everyone is really cool here the selection is great and so are the prices. I’ll stop gushing about it now. Unfortunately the other shop I wanted to check out is way too far away. I do have one more location to write about so stay tuned.

Later

Sean

El Gaucho

Sean — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:22:08 +0000

Well here I am in Portland Oregon. I got here last night and the first thing I did was to scope out a few locations. That was a bust! I have yet to find a shop that I can sit and smoke in. Needless to say I was a little disappointed. Thankfully the girl who was working at the counter at one of the shops had some info for me.

So here I am at El Gaucho Restaurant at 319 SW Broadway in Portland. They have a really nice smoking room. The cigar selection is ok but overpriced. $18 for a Fuente short story is a tad overpriced for me. It is a good sized room with plenty of seating and plenty of options for drinks. You can order food and eat in the room, I haven’t done that yet but the steak a gentleman I was talking to last night looked really good. I’ll have to try it while I am here, I have plenty of time for that.
Anyway, I’m smoking one of my favorites the El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Larga and so far they don’t seem to care that I am bringing my own cigars to smoke. I am drinking a couple of beers while I am sitting here so I guess as long as I am buying something they don’t care.

Last night while I was sitting here and I got into a really good conversation with a gentleman about several different topics from cigars, traveling to Vegas. Once people find out I’m from Vegas the conversation always seems to go that way. It’s okay though, since I love living there and I can offer plenty of suggestions on where to smoke I really don’t mind it. I did suggest that he try Casa Fuente and Rhumbar while he is there. They are both really nice places to sit and enjoy a cigar and a cocktail. But that is a different topic for another time.

There is a shop that I found that you can sit and smoke in so I will have to try it. It’s a little ways out of downtown so I have to take the lightrail to it. Hopefully it is worth the trip. I will let you know tomorrow when I go check it out. Stay tuned for more.

Later

Sean

Cuban Cigar Factory

Sean — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:59:06 +0000

Well this is the last one of my San Diego trip. It’s Sunday and I am sitting in the Cuban Cigar Factory in the GasLamp in San Diego. I am smoking a cigar and drinking some wine while I wait to go to the airport to head home. I was here a couple of times during the week but I was with someone else and I didn’t want to be rude and type on my phone the entire time.

Anyway, this place has changed a lot since I was here last. The last time I was here it was just a cigar shop with pretty decent prices and a nice place to sit and smoke. Now it’s a wine bar and the prices are a little out of control. $15.99 is a little much for a Macanudo Portofino. They still have plenty of seating to hang out and smoke. The clientele has defenitely changed since I was here last. It used to be hardcore cigar smokers and bikers and now it’s tourists and yuppies. How things change in a year.

I am sitting at the bar having a glass of wine that the bartender turned me onto. It’s a Chardonnay from South Africa and I am smoking a Don Pepin Garcia that I brought with me. I was talking to the bartender about tattoos and wine and the bartender from last night is sitting here as well. He turned me onto a Malbec that was outstanding. Sorry didn’t mean to turn this into a wine blog. Back on topic, every night I was here there was a good crowd of people. It seems to me that it was mostly tourists who don’t smoke cigars very often and don’t really know pricing that well. They would pick out a cigar and be happy to pay the over inflated prices. I guess if they think they are getting a great deal so be it. The real cigar smokers know better. This is why I always bring my own when I travel.

They didn’t seem to care if I was smoking my own since I was buying drinks which is a good thing. I did buy one the other night it was one of their house blends. The guy in the humidor couldn’t really tell me much about it so I picked up a robusto and gave it a try. It was pretty good for a house cigar. I just wish I had more info on it for you.

Well this is the end of my San Diego trip. It was a good week for work and smoking. I had better get to the airport or I will end up sitting here drinking wine and smoking cigars. My next trip will be to Portland on November 11th so if anyone out there has a shop or cigar bar I should visit as always drop me an email at
Sean@lasvegashtv.com. Stay tuned for more.

Later

Habana Club

Sean — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:35:53 +0000

Well time for another one. I am now at Habana Club on 4th ave and F street in the GasLamp quarter. The humidor is small, the selection is limited and the prices are very touristy. If you ask me $12 is a little high for a Macanudo Portofino. So I pick myself out a Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur get a Harp to drink and it’s time to smoke. There is plenty of seating at the bar and several tables. The owner likes to talk to his customers although he did seem a bit tipsy. I guess it was the four beers to my one but I could be wrong.

Anyways we strike up a conversation and he asks me where I am from. I tell him Vegas and begins to tell me how much he would love to have a cigar lounge in one of the “big” casinos. He then tells me he knows the Frey boys, who own several retail cigar stores in casinos, and a most excellent shop off of the strip, the Cigar Box. Yes this time it was an endorsement for the Cigar Box. If my wife can’t find me it’s about a 99% chance I’m sitting there smoking and gabbing with the guys. So I took a bit of a left turn, no back on topic. He tells me that one of the Frey brothers stops in everytime he is in San Diego. Of course in his current condition he could have talking about Harpo, Grouch or Chicco the Marx Brothers. So it’s a nice place with a great selection of wines and ports. The prices and selection could be better but I guess when you are in a tourist driven area prices will reflect that.

One more place to go. It’s right in the Gaslamp and when looked in last night it has really changed since the last time I was here. So I am looking forward reporting on that one.

Sean

Captain Hunt Tobacconist

Sean — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:11:58 +0000

I found yet another one. Captain Hunt Tobacconist. It’s located in the Seaport Village in San Diego. It’s kind of hard to find since it is tucked in the back but after searching for awhile I finally found it. It’s a small shop with a decent selection. The prices are touristy but not out of line. I picked myself out an Oliva Series V and sat out side to smoke. It’s lunch time and I am the only one sitting here and smoking. Not really much else to say about it except that you can’t beat the view. Mabey I will try to make it back later to see if it gets any busier.
There are a couple more places I want to check out while I’m here schedule permitting.

Sean