Where we'll be: 12 Reasons Why you should come to this event (apologies to Jay Asher for bastardizing his title.*)

On Friday, April 10, at 6:30!

 

Meet Jim Robinson!

 

At Broadway Cigars!

(obviously, we're very excited!)

 

Jim with our hero

Reasons you should go:

1. We'll be there. Obviously, you don't need another reason, but if you're being stubborn, here are some more:

2. Delicious food from Roma, on Federal Hill!

3. Two for one specials! 

4. Raffle for $500 worth of cigars and humidor!

5. Did we mention we'll be there?

6. Other cool people will be there! You want to meet and hang with Bobby and John and the folks who hang at Broadway Cigars.



Photo stolen shamelessly from the Broadway Cigars Facebook page.
Mr. Cool and the Gang

 

7. From our experience, any Island Jim event--or any event at Broadway Cigars--is always a good time.

8. Will the Travelling Owl will be there. (P.S. Please go like his Facebook page so he'll shut the eff up about us not promoting his "awesomeness" enough. Thank you.)
 

Jim and Will go waaaay back. Obvs they're BFFs.

9. You get to meet Jim Robinson, Mr. Island Jim himself. Trust us--you will love him. (And that's IF Will isn't bogarting all Jim's time. Will can be an asshole, as we all know.)

10. If you haven't had a Leaf by Oscar or an Island Jim cigar, this is your chance to swoon and meet their maker, simultaneously.

 

11. Foods. Yummy, yummy foods.

12. We'll be there.

*If you have not read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, you should. And you should do it soon.  I can't believe you've gone this long without reading it! Or at least listen to it!

If you don't check out these cigars, you'll be sad, but we can't Falto you.

Phase whatever of the evening. So far, we had been here, to refresh your memory. I guess I should have been keeping count, but to be honest, I have ingested so many many many of these things, the days just fly by.

What gets me through the day.

We made our way to Havana Cigar Club, just like we promised we would.

There we started with this, the Falto Dos Banderas...

 

 

 

...which was ranked #2 in the "Panetelas" section of the March/April 2015 edition of Cigar Aficionado.

 

 

 

Of course, we weren't there just for the awesome cigars; that was an added bonus.  We stopped by for the opportunity to say "Howdy!" to (literally) Mr. Falto himself, center in the photo below.

 

Todd, Luis, our hero

We were supposed to try out the new Falto 20th Anniversary cigar, but because we lollygagged,* that ship sailed and the cigars were gone. That means we'll have to wait a month like the rest of the commoners.**

In case you missed it, you should check out  Luis' story, as well as the story of La Garita Cigar Company and Cigarros Falto, which is quite interesting; we couldn't possibly do it justice in this little old blog,*** so you should read about it here.

The Havana Cigar Club, 24 Quaker Lane in Warwick RI, is the only one in our area (that we know of) carrying the Falto brand.  You should take a jaunt there, or to you own local B&M, and pick up a couple. Or a few. Or even some. Or all.  Your choice really, but you should totally do it. Consider this peer pressure. Or peep pressure.

nom nom nom

*My fault. In my defense, I am a most excellent lollygagger.

**Sigh. Hello, commoners.

***We think the false modesty is becoming.

Oliva: Insert your own witty comment here (Brain? Dead.)

The man and the cigars.

This is happening now!*

We were supposed to be heading to another shindig, but stopped by the Oliva event at Broadway Cigars first--because you know I hate to miss a party.**

But we love these Men (and Lady--hi Lexy!) of Broadway and hadn't yet met John Gazzero, the Oliva account manager for our area, so win-win. 

First, though, we accidentally stopped and had pizza at Caserta's on Federal Hill,*** a favorite of our hero**** to fuel event-hopping. And THEN headed into Broadway.  Full disclosure and all that. 

 

 

We made off with a handful of Melanios, which Valentino loves. For some reason, none lived in either of our humidors. Whaaaaa? I know! We've learned that sometimes you have to look for what's not there, rather than gazing lovingly at what lies perfectly in their logically-appointed sections. 

 

So even though we were all, "We're not buying anything,"***** obvs we couldn't not buy something. We love love love the deals at these events, where you buy some and get some. So now we have another new favorite.  This:

 

We've chatted about these babies before, but maybe you got amnesia, and you're sitting here reading this, thinking, "Good heavens, what was the number one cigar in Cigar Aficionado last year?"

 

I'm so glad we were here for you.

 

BTW, if you haven't been to Broadway in Providence yet, you should totally go!  Newly painted! Brand new furniture!

 

 

Same old fellas, thankfully!

 

The usual suspects with Island Jim.

 

All right, off to phase two of our evening!!

*Although long in the past when I get around to finishing this (3 days later--not bad for my killer procrastination skills) and you get to read it. But NOW, as I start it. 

**This is an unabashed lie. A LIE. Ultimately, I'm both lazy and antisocial. Thinking about having to curl my hair, put on makeup, AND dress like a girl simultaneously makes me weep. 

***Proof that we are not trainable--we usually drive there for a meal on Mondays. They aren't open on Mondays. We know this. And yet we try and try. Luckily, we may be gaining some smarts!!

****I'm a thin-crust girl myself. The things we do for love. 

*****We say it every time. We have never stuck to it. Not ever. Ever. 

Premium 70/70 Lounge or: 70% chance I've been drinking from the lead cup

Honest to everything, sometimes I am the dumbest person ever to walk the earth. Or lie on the couch on Earth. Or have snacks on Earth. Or second-hand smoke on Earth.*

When this happens, my BFF (Hi Jame!) will look me straight in the eye and ask, "Have you been drinking from the lead cup?"

The answer is probably yes. Here's why:

1. I lived in Westport, MA for umpity gajillion years and never knew the Premium 70/70 Cigar Shop and Lounge existed. Westport is not a big place. There's no reason we haven't been going in there for umpity ages. I never connected the giant neon CIGAR sign outside to We Like Cigars.

Look what I was missing:


Look at this delicious lounging area.
Valentino could smoke and chat up a storm with the regulars here!
(We hear they're wicked nice!)
(Obvs they're not in the picture. I'm not THAT bad!).
BTW, I could totally second-hand smoke here.
I could write here. Let's be honest. I could nap here no problem. 

AND!**

You guys! You have to go here and be amazed at all the great cigars in this massive humidor that made Valentino weep with jealousy--even though this is a shop and we aren't (although the new humidor makes us look a lot closer). You'd be jealous of these humidors too! You should visit them to see for yourself. We'll meet you there!

So very very pretty. And what's inside is pretty great too!

[Here's an extended aside-too big for a sparkle--Premium 70/70 is hosting a J Grotto event on Friday, February 20, 2015. We've told you a million times about how much we love all things J Grotto and adore their creator, Paul Joyle, he of Mr. J's Havana. Clear your calendar and get your butt there. We'll probably go! ::runs to tell Valentino I'd like to go::]

Anyway, while we were at 70/70, Valentino picked up one of these little babies (below) to smoke while we pestered Manager and Awesomely Cool Guy*** Nolan Perry. You have to go and you have to say "Howdy!" to Nolan. He's super fun to talk to and he knows about one thousand cubic tons of cigar things.

And when you go, say "Well helloooooo" in that creepy way to Los Carajos, "All the power & flavor of a full sized Ligero concentrated into a quick smoke that will surely leave you yelling its name… in a good way!" according to the La Flor Dominicana website.


So very very tasty!

So...this 4 x 34 is the new house favorite for a quick smoke--for example when Valentino is waiting for me to get my crap together and leave the house, even though I was ready to go three minutes prior.**** I'm thinking I should buy this for him, since my losing things and getting sidetracked is a regular occurrence.

Perfect packaging if you have OCD.

In case you didn't know, because you don't live on Planet Earth, "La Flor Dominicana is one of the premier Dominican cigar producers known for growing full-flavored and full-bodied Dominican tobacco on their La Canela farm. They then carefully age and roll these tobaccos into some of the best-selling cigars in the world." [source] 

We recently emptied out the overstuffed humidor and split the goods into its newly-arrived 2,000-count twin. Guess what we found as we started sorting? Yep! Lots of LFDs because--hand to the heavens--there's not a bad one in the bunch, so each time we're at an event, we buy more new things to try and old favorites to stock up on. Contrary to popular belief, I am not an enabler.*****

"Offered with a variety of wrappers, the La Flor Dominicana Little Cigars provide the same great tobacco flavors that fans of La Flor Dominicana have come to expect but in a smaller package. These short smokes are guaranteed to give you your cigar fill in a shorter smoking time with medium to full-bodied smoke and terrific flavors." [source]
 Speaking of none of that, guess who lives at Premium 70/70!!!

Bob the Cat!!
How can you not love a place with a cat?

You thought I forgot I was making a list, didn't you?

2. So--70/70 Cigar Shop.
I'm embarrassed at how long it took me to figure out what the shop name means.  I'm not saying it took a couple of days to click. I mean MONTHS! Maybe even YEARS! I can't remember.

I looked at Valentino the other day, all proud of my perhaps deleaded-cup brain and said, "Did you know that the 70/70 shop name means the perfect temp and humidity?"

He didn't actually say, "No der," but I could see his thought bubble. It read "No DER."******


3. Before we walked into this amazeballs shop, standing outside in the effing freezing cold, we agreed, "We're not buying anything while we're here."

Hahahaahahhahhahhah. As if that could happen--us walking out of a fabulous shop empty-handed. Obviously he's been sipping from the cup as well.

[As another aside too big for sparkles, we did walk IN empty-handed. We hadn't planned to visit the shop, so we left Will at home. When I introduced myself, Nolan said, "Where's Will?"]

Anyway, we plucked these from the shop's magic humidor, with Nolan's help. We like to ask shopkeepers what they're enjoying and what they recommend.


Jaime Garcia!
Matilde Renacer!
Quesada Oktoberfest in two sizes!
Quesada 40th Anniversary!
LFD 1994 from the stein!
And the baby LFDs!

One is trying to escape!

We're going to write about these cigars in the near future--and I promise not to forget.  Although I can't promise I won't get distracted choosing a pair of earrings or shooing Will out of the humidor--so no actual timeframe... but someday! Someday!!

 

In the meantime, we'll see you at Premium 70/70 in Westport, MA!

 

 

 

*Keeping it relevant, people.

 

**Me yelling, for emphasis.

 

***His official title, according to me.

 

****I swear I am not doing girly things, like my hair. I'm usually looking for my other glove or Will or running back upstairs to get earrings or a scarf. I am Valentino's version of unorganized hell. And proud of it.

 

*****Lie. I'm a total enabler. Does it make you happy? Get it!

 

******In case this phrase isn't common in your land, it essentially means, "What are you, fucking stupid?" in a  more sarcastic and much nicer way. 

Here's a short story about a Short Story--and an amazing place to get them.

Once upon a time, a couple of guys, let's call them Frank and Anthony (which works out because those are their names), had a "dream of making cigars more accessible to Americans who appreciate a good quality smoke without the hassle of having to deal with a time-consuming trip to a cigar shop." And thus, they created CigarsCity.com.

For those of us in the northeast, who have access to a cigar shop about every twenty feet or so,* we forget that the rest of the country doesn't necessarily roll (haha) that way. (We're sorry.) In fact, you guys have to roll a very long way in order to lay your hands on a premium cigar. (Still sorry.)

Case in point: My boy now lives in Clarksburg, WV. "Let's go to a cigar lounge!" I suggested enthusiastically as Valentino and I prepared for our first trip there.

"Nope."

"What do you mean?" (I don't like being told "no" for any reason. Consider yourself warned.)

"No smoking indoors in West Virginia except..." I forget the rest because I was busy thinking about how he has to drive to that far-off land to purchase cigars. Plus, I have a limited capacity for listening anyway.

So he has to order them online.

This is the point in the story where Frank and Anthony re-enter, for they are much needed in the cigar world.

Hi Frank! Hi Anthony!

"We're cigar fans too," they say on their website. "Some of us are true aficionados, others haven't developed as deep [an appreciation] for cigars but instead enjoy them on special occasions. Either way, we're here to help make sure whatever your purpose and level of passion for cigars, we exceed your expectations and make your experience a great one."

I love that they're regular guys and can understand the cigar needs of both other regular guys (and gals) like me but can also chatter all day with folks like Valentino who know tons and tons of things about tons and tons of things.

And where do these brilliant conversations occur? Where can we travel to visit out new friends Frank and Anthony? Grab the next internet bus and go to CigarsCity.com. These guys are a B&M (brick and mortar store) located inside the internet! (They're very tiny people.) That means no pesky overhead to pass on to you!

These guys have a full bounty of cigar friends you've probably been searching for--especially if you're living in the cigar dead zone: The Fuente Hemingway Series! Perdomo ESV Sun Grown! La Gloria Cubana Churchills!** And that's just for starters!



[source]

As a writer, I am required by law to love the Hemingway series. But I would anyway--even if I were a pastry chef or a public relations executive, or stay-at-home-mom.*** "Unlike the original Fuente line-up that is much more mild, the Hemingway category of cigars is not for the new cigar fan or the beginner [because of it's strength. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try these babies--just be prepared!]. These sticks are packed with flavor and deliver an experience you will struggle to find anywhere else," according to the website--and the sentiments are reinforced by, um, the rest of the cigar world.

The Fuente Short Story, one of the company's most sought-after cigars, is readily available at CigarsCity.com, as are the Best Seller, Classic, Signature, and Masterpiece. Yep. They're all sitting there, resting in perfect humidity, waiting to go home with you.

A couple of those Short Stories (Storys?) made their way to Casa Awesome, courtesy of Frank and Anthony.

Hey! Nice ring!

Just like having a short story read to you can be a magical experience, so can second-hand smoking this Short Story. The sweet and pepper flavors blend together like a perfect couple who live a perfect(o) life. (Kind of like we do.) (Oh, quiet. It's mushy but true.)

These Dominican cigars (with a choice of Cameroon or Maduro wrappers) are handmade, as you would expect from the Fuente family, using the generations-old perfecto molds. Valentino noted the cigar's rich taste and smooth smoke, but I lingered on my sweet and rich flavors. Just like a good short story, this Short Story left us both satisfied, lingering on different, but equally delightful details.****

Speaking of delightful details, the folks at CigarsCity.com are committed to customer service--and for us, that's everything. While many companies say they pride themselves on an excellent customer experience, Frank and Anthony and the gang kick customer service ass.***** Here are some examples of that ass-kicking:

• Most cigars ship the day you order them! No waiting!
• They only list in-stock items on the website!
• Free shipping on orders over $49!
• If you poke around on the website, you're going to see some cigars you've been dying to find! I found them for you! You're welcome!(::cough:: Opus X Lost City Lanceros ::cough::)
• All cigars are stored 68-72 degrees relative humidity. (Great for cigars; terrible for my hair.)

Because CigarsCity.com is essentially a B&M on the internet, you're going to make friends with these folks with your first order. And they're going to be your friends for a long time. Almost like being there.  And when you get there******, tell Frank and Anthony that Penny and Valentino said "Hi!"

The End.

For now.


*Exaggeration, but not by much

**If you're wondering why we chose to use these as examples, we'll tell you: Anthony sent us each of these to fall in love with--because there really isn't any alternative. Why? Because we are awesome. And they are awesome AND cool!

***I've been all these things, so I'm speaking with authority here.

****We're going to tell you about the Perdomo and La Gloria Cubana soon.

*****In case you don't speak Penny World yet, that means super duper great.

******Metaphorically