First things first, this is NOT a cuban cigar despite the name.

“The Cuban Stock Royal Selection is a master blend of the best Dominican grown tobacco aged in a wine barrel for 6 years, with a dark Ecuador wrapper which is shiny and silky. This cigar is full of rich coffee and nut flavors, and is medium to full bodied and super smooth. After all, we treat the tobacco for years, and the results are an absolutely royal class cigar.”

I do agree with the flavors that say will be present in the cigar. I also pick up a chocolate covered expresso bean flavor to it.

Smoking Time: 60 minutes
Size: Toro: 6 x 50
Website: CubanStockCigars.com
Beverage: Water, 12 year Jameson Irish Wiskey
Number smoked: 3
Method of procurement: Sent to me

Tags: cuban stock

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

So Walt from StogieReview.com sent a tweet about a hospital in his area that has decided that it will not hire smokers. Article is here.

I have added a few comments here and there and it is amazing how people are missing the point. Its not about a company not allowing smokers to work there or wanting to dictate what their employees do in their off hours. Its about what right does a company have to say what personal activities you can or cannot do in your own time.

Many commenters said this was great, smoking is bad and unhealthy. But would they be ok if they said we don’t hire people who drink, or eat fast food, or are overweight, mountain bike, ride motorcycles. When I posted that, one lady who said she was a nurse said that riding mountain bikes was a healthy activity and that I was missing the point. Again its about them dictating your personal life.

One of the more entertaining comments asked if I would be ok if a teacher was in a bar having a drink and a smoke and my kid say them and wanted to do the same. My question is why is your kid in a bar? Yes I am ok if a teacher does that, but I will be a parent to my child and tell them the dangers of drinking and smoking. I will let them know when they are an adult they can make their own decision and encourage them to understand the pros and cons.

Other comments said the hospital was doing this to lower their health care costs… hmm well I really doubt that not smoking is going to make that big of an impact. I would think there are other things that would lower your costs. But again, no one will target the real problems, just the things that some people don’t like.

Maybe one day people will realize all the other bad stuff that we do to ourselves and make a change. I think people eat more bad food, and more food, than those that smoke. Our kids are overweight, yet we have this thing to stop smoking, not make our kids healthier.

Can people get their heads out of their asses and start fighting the bigger problems.

UPDATE: I do support a company banning smoking on their property, I do NOT support them banning from my life.

Jon in the comments made a good point about NYC wanting to ban salt in food. Yet again we don’t go after the problem.

Another article on the issue here

Justin reviews the robusto size of this all Nicaraguan cigar sponsored by CigarsDirect.com

Tags: cigarsdirect.com, perdomo

I just read on twitter this morning via @TheCigarChick that cigar legend Frank Llaneza died Thursday night in Tampa at the age of 90. The cigar world lost a great cigar master. All of us at Las VegASH TV send our condolensces to his family and friends.

The Cigar Chick has a post on her website as well.

Cigar Dave has said that he plans to do a tribute on this weekends show.

For more information about Mr. Llaneza, check out this profile that Cigar Aficionado did on him here.

So I didn’t think I would have time since I’m only in Denver overnight but I managed to sneek away for a quick smoke. I’m at Churchill Bar at the Brown Palace Hotel. It is located at 321 17th Street Denver Colorado.
This is s really nice bar with plenty of couches, and tables to sit at. They have a good selection of cigars Davidoff, Fuente, Padron etc. The prices are a little crazy though $22 for a Macanudo Hyde Park and $115 for a Fuente BTL. Yeah I don’t think so!!!! This is why I always reccomend carrying your own cigars when you travel. They do have a full bar, unfortunately I can not partake in a drink since I am still working and it is going to be a long night. So I just have to be happy to sit here with my Casa Magna Robusto and my lemonade. I’m just thankful I found a place for a quick smoke. So I guess that’s it for now. I think I may have to go to Phoenix before New Orleans so as usual if you have any suggestions or comments or want to meet for a smoke drop me a line Sean@lasvegashtv.com.

See Ya

Sean

The AVO line of cigars is known for quality and excellence. The 80th Anniversary cigar was develop for Avo Uvezian, the company founder and namesake’s, 80th birthday. Mr. Uvezian is an accomplish composer and musician.

The overall construction was excellent, as I would expect from AVO cigars. The cigar features two very nice looking bands both in white. The first one has the AVO logo and is trimmed in a gold color. The secondary band has AVO 80th on it. Both bands were able to be slid off with no damage to the cigar. The first half of the cigar produced a little bit of spice and a slight creaminess to it. I would not describe it as a buttery flavor, but just a nice cream. During the second half, I started to pick up more earth tones to it. This consisted of mainly a woody flavor.

The ash on the cigar is fairly firm, non flaky and white in color. The cigar produced an even burn ring as well. Nearing the end of the cigar I started to pick up a roasted nut flavor.

Tags: avo

The Mi Dominicana is a dominican puro from Altadis blended by Josè Seijas. The cigar is rated to be a medium to full bodied smoke. The cigar has nice earth tones, a bit of spice and a little bit of sweetness to it. This is my first one of these.

I have to thank Jason at the Cigar Box for giving thus to me to try.

Tags: Mi Dominicana

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

Presentation: Box of 25 units.
Filler: Peruvian Ligero • Corojo • Nicaraguan • Piloto Cubano
Binder: Corojo
Wrapper: Sumatra Ecuador
Strength: Medium to Full
Smoking Time: 65 minutes
Beverage: Guinness
Sponsored by CigarsDirect.com

The La Aurora 1495 series, a cigar designed to pay tribute to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican land of cigar, founded in 1495 by Christopher Columbus in the heart of El Cibao.

10 minutes into the cigar and I have only smoked about 1/8 of it and I am getting some spice from the Corojo tobacco. The ash is a light gray color, very firm, and the cigar has a very even burn. There are some very unique undertones of flavor to the cigar. There appears to be a very creamy flavor to it.

Made from six different types of tobacco, Aurora 1495 Series is ideal or connoisseurs who prefer a medium to full-bodied smoke that combines a variety of aromas and offers a flavor of incredible complexity and richness. This richness is obtained thanks to a dark and silky Sumatra Ecuador wrapper, a Dominican Corojo binder, and a filler blend of Corojo Ligero, Piloto Cubano, Nicaraguan and Peruvian Piloto Cubano.

La Aurora Website

My first review on Stogie Review

Links to order from CigarsDirect.com
5 pack $32.78 $6.55 each

25 box $149 $5.96

Tags: 1495, cigarsdirect.com, La Aurora