Insert incredibly clever title here. (Kind of like choose your ownadventure.)

Note: I'm phone blogging, so please forgive errors of all kinds, including logic. 

I came to Mickey Blake's in Southington, CT this summer for their 5th Anniversary celebration. (During this time, I played the role of Glynn Loope, the executive director of Cigar Rights of America. He unexpectedly couldn't make it; I stood in, as much as I could. I'm, after all, a mere mortal.)

During that last visit, Valentino had been off galavanting on a golf course in Pennsylvania.  He missed a great event and an introduction to an amazing cigar lounge. (Insert Bwahahaha maniacal laugh here.)

So when our pal Brian Vrooman, New England personification of PDR Cigars said Mr. PDR himself, Abe Flores would be at this Mickey Blake's location, I talked Valentino into a road trip. 

Actual conversation:

Me: We should go to the Abe thing at Mickey Blake's.

He: Okay. 

And there was much rejoicing because
 

1. He was/is super impressed with this place, and we've put in a request to have it moved to our vicinity. Still awaiting final judgement on that. 

2. We're big fans of Abe, Brian, and PDR.  (Oh, and the cigars, of course). 

So take two servings of awesome, throw in a side of awesome Valentino, and you get this:
 

Pictured: Brian, Mickey Blake's owners Marco and Joe, Abe, Valentino.
Another owner, Luis, was attending an event at the shop's other location.

 

If you're not familiar with PDR Cigars, check out this article about Abe in Cigar Aficionado. Or--no, AND--take a look at their website.

The reason for the celebration this evening? Mickey Blake's is one of only a few shops  to carry these new gems: 

...which come in these future cookie jars:

Want? 

Want. (Cigars for he, jar for me.)

For more information about these blends, visit Cigar Coop here: http://cigar-coop.com/2015/12/cigar-review-flores-y-rodriguez-connecticut-valley-reserve-gran-toro-by-pdr-cigars.html. 

Valentino hasn't smoked his yet, so we're in a holding pattern on that front.

Actually, he has all these to smoke: 

Don't be jealous. You can come to Mickey Blake's and get your own! If you're too wimpy to drive the three or three thousand miles to get here, I guess you could check with your local shop. 

Sobremesa! And Valentino's new mistresses!!

We've told you about our love for this Steve Saka sensation.

While we're at our inaugural outing at Vintage Cigar Lounge and Club in Westerly, RI, Steve just happens to be here. (Full disclosure: We were coming anyway but knowing he would be here made us do the Saka Samba of Delight. 

This cigar is one of Valentino's all-time favorites.

 

And this, translated to "my mistress," is Steve's most recent release, well-deserving every ounce of delighted hullabaloo surrounding it. Try it; you'll like it!

Of course Valentino purchased a box of Sobremesas.* Of course we asked Steve to sign it in the only proper way: 

Vintage Cigar has a full complement of sizes (vitolas) of both Saka Selections. Make the drive. Come and get them!! 

*I've in the past couple of days purchased a box of the mistress, because I'm an awesome girlfriend. 

Vintage Cigar in Westerly, RI: A new home I need closer to my home.

We're at the opening celebration of Vintage Cigar Lounge and Club in Westerly, RI.

If they'd let me move into these swanky digs, I totally would. (Although full disclosure: I really don't like people and there are a lot of people here. I guess I can't ask them to leave, so there's that... I guess Valentino is stuck with me.)

You guys should get your butts here. They're open from 11:00am-1:00am.

 

Check out this article. It's all the news that's fit to print (sorry, NY Times!) about this great place that I would like moved closer to my house, please. (Thank you!)



The Perfect Partnership: Tommy Bahama and Cigars

Still phone-blogging!! All errors are the fault of my busy schedule laziness inhibiting me from finding and charging one of many laptops. 

If you've ever met Valentino, or been through his room-sized closet, you know one of the top-three brands he's loyal to:

If you live on planet Earth, you know cigars are one of his top-three favorite things.

At IPCPR this week (hahaha--that's when I started writing this; finished almost exactly a month later. I know. I'm amazing.), we discovered this:

Zoom in. You'll never be the same. Neither will your money clip, because you'll willingly hand it over. Pinky swear. 

 As you know, Tommy Bahama doesn't do anything half-assed. They're always high-quality, full-assed awesome. (One peek into Valentino's closet and you'll see we believe this whole-heartedly.) As a result, their first major leap into the cigar industry has produced amazing results. 

Keep reading. We'll get to this in a second. 

Who should we thank for creating more ways to hand over hard-earned money? An amazing team led by this guy in the center, Benjamin Castro, designer and genius: 

 

The Tommy Bahama folks, under the guidance of these two, shown here with Valentino (on the left), will roll out new lines three times a year, each completely unique. Three times a year. THREE times.  

I'd ask how many lighters and ashtrays and other accessories one man needs, but I guess we'll just keep track, in order to answer our own question. 

Between us, shhhhhh, the spring 2017 line harkens back to the cigar clubs of the 1940s. This line's lighters, humidors, etc. are hidden behind the guys in the picture. Sorry!! You'll just have to wait. But trust me: save your money; it'll be released right around the time you'll be wishing for warm weather again. 

At the heart of these accessory lines lies this magical goodness: 

 

Yep. Tommy Bahama cigars. Technically, Island Lifestyle cigars. From their promotional materials:

"Island Lifestyle cigars are hand-crafted from the finest aged tobaccos of Nicaragua and Connecticut. Using Cuban seed filler and binder grown in the most fertile regions of Nicaragua, they provide a full flavor experience ranging from smooth and creamy to rich and spicy."

Of course, we aren't the only ones who found these folks totally groovy. IPCPR had a little something to say too:

The sounds you hear? Angels singing. Serendipity clicking into place. Valentino's cutter snipping in anxious anticipation.

The Nica-Puro cigars (except for the wrapper info coming in 3...2...1...) come with Sungrown, maduro, and Connecticut (US) wrapper options. 

When not Valentino said only nice things* about this new friend...

And we have still others from the show that need some smoking. (He said he doesn't need any help, but thank you for asking!)

The cigars, along with the complete accessories, will only be available at authorized Tommy Bahama/ Island Lifestyle retailers. We MAY know a place that will join these ranks in a few months. Stay tuned for that major-ish announcement. 

Photo from the Island Lifestyle Importers Facebook page. Check it out! (Their website is currently undergoing reconstructive surgery, so I don't want to send you there!!)

 

 

*Not that we'd ever say anything NOT nice. We're nice people. We keep our evil thoughts contained (as much as possible) but never ever say them on the blog. 

Do we really need words for...

...this?

From LFD, every box will be unique and created after the order is placed. And they can only be ordered during the IPCPR trade show. 

You still have time to call your favorite tobacconist while he/she is at the show. 2 days left!! Show ends on Thursday!! 

 

 

Go here to see a video about making these babies!

https://www.facebook.com/laflorcigars/videos/10154469954423545/

20 Fantastic Hits from PDR! Act now!

Let's talk about awesome. 

This is an example of awesome: 

PDR has put together an assortment (their word) of their greatest hits--kind of like those K-Tel compilation albums from the 1970s and '80s. 

Remember those? You'd sing every little song snippet as it played during the commercial? And then be confused when you heard the song on the radio and it kept going, not switching to something else? (Or was that just me? That's a possibility.)

These 20 Fat Coronas (4.25 x 56) are the song snippets of PDR's best of the best. 

How do you get this limited edition? Well,  actually, you can't. They're being given to kick-ass retailers who place ass-kicking orders here at the IPCPR (International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers) trade show. 

In case you don't know, PDR, now in its 12th year, is located in Tamboril, Dominican Republic and helmed by Abe Flores. 

Abe's a totally awesome dude and you can read all about him in this most excellent Cigar Aficionado Q&A (http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/the-formidable-factory-18247).

The cigars in this Fat Corona compilation showcase Abe's versatility and creativity. Some of our house favorites: 

A. Flores 1975 Serie Privada: According to the JR Cigars website, "some of the oldest aged tobaccos ever placed inside of a cigar. This medium-bodied smoke delivers smooth well-balanced flavors found in only the finest vintage cigars. This is a naturally sweet smoke with subtle hints of spice throughout. Serie Privada is available in two Ecuadorian wrappers – Habano or Maduro. Whichever you chose, you are in for an unforgettable smoking experience."

The maduro version of the one above. Just as fab. 

El Trovador: This is the newest of the bunch, just released at the trade show. Stay tuned for more details. 

Act now! Call your favorite retailer on his/her cell tonight. (Trust us. Everyone's up.) Demand a huge PDR order and the new compilation collection. Since you're demanding, call dibs on that collection. After all, it's only available for a limited time! 

PS: Still working on my phone. Please excuse lack of links and really, really crappy pictures! (You can absolutely tell which ones I took and inexpertly cropped!)

Day...I've lost track already, with many more to go...

Ever seen Bar Rescue? 

This guy (Jon Taffer, Mr. Bar Reacue himself) spoke at the IPCPR conference's opening meeting this morning. 

He talked (in that enthusiastic way people like him do and that makes people like me need more caffeine to keep up) about  something near and dear to our hearts: customer service, specifically developing relationships and making people feel special vs. treating customers like transactions.*

I've long said that if you make people feel special, even something as simple as telling them you dig their groovy outfit or appreciate their sparkly watch, you've made a lasting impression and you're probably on your way to friendship. 

Even as a professor, whereby I profess (silently) that their writing sucks, I still try to make each student feel like they matter. (Sometimes this is impossible, like when they never come to class or come but don't look up from their phones, but I TRY!) 

One of our biggest gripes when Valentino and I visit a cigar shop is when we're ignored or treated like a burden. Yes, they're getting an emotional reaction--just not a good one. 

Oh, also? We don't go back to that shop willingly or happily if our next visit results in the same reaction. (Once can be a fluke or bad day; twice is the beginning of a pattern.)

So while the breakfast meeting's eggs were cold (because I'm the world's slowest eater), the getting up early after a long night was worth it--especially in light of something so so so super cool that were working on. 

I hope many of the folks in the audience take everything he said to heart, although I doubt they will. That's fine. All the better for us! 

*This is very interesting because the FDA says after August 8, shop owners can't give a customer a free cigar just for being awesome, but they CAN if it's tied to a transaction (like buy 4, get one free).

PS: Still working on my phone, usually in a bar, where the letters are small and the eyes are blurry. So please forgive errors of both typographical and logic natures. Thanks!!