Chesapeake Smoke

And now, some random thoughts on the cigar business and the cigar life from an old shipmate, the Southernmost Smoker, so called because he’s firmly ensconced in retirement in Key West, writing from his isle seat:

For various reasons, this smoker has reduced down his cigar consumption to one or two stogies per week.  With the country’s economy up in smoke and tourism off in the Florida Keys, close to half of the island chain’s cigar stores have closed.  More than a few of those that survive have downsized and stopped carrying a wide selection of premium sticks.  The number of local Cuban refugee rollers has also sadly dwindled.

Consequently, we see little to nothing in the way of new off island product.  When we do, the supply is limited.  You may miss out if you do not maintain a close relationship with the tobacconists.  With the tourist trade off, many of our best retail experts have been forced to leave our coral isle making these connections problematic.

The nearest shop with a consistently excellent selection is a little over eighty miles away in the upper Keys.  Given the US 1’s low speed limits, that clocks in as a two-hour drive.

Cigars in the Keys at Mile Marker 82 along US 1

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It was opened last year by a mid-50’s boomer couple that owns and operates a chain of premium cigar stores in the Cleveland Ohio area.  Their Islamorada shop’s amenities are nice, selection depth and breadth above average, product quality high, and prices excellent.

Not surprising given the bursting of the mainland’s real estate bubble, many Miami area cigar stores have downsized or closed.  Whenever we go to the mainland, I visit Miami’s famous Cuban-American neighborhood called Little Havana.  Along Calle Ocho, there are several stores in which you may still watch Cuban immigrants roll fine sticks. The place I always visit is La Gloria Cubana shop along that boulevard.

La Gloria Cubana store on Miami’s Calle Ocho

The salesmen are friendly, the sticks superb and prices just right.  Oftentimes I go into the space next door to the showroom and chat with the rollers.

Cigar Rollers in Little Havana

One should never forget that the smoke from a fine cigar possesses the power to chase away the economic blues.

- Southernmost Smoker

Copyright © 2010 From My Isle Seat

The Davidus Cigar chain in Maryland had the good sense to close on Saturday, as the blizzard forecasts only continued to get worse.  But they kept up their outreach to the customer base through a photo contest, offering  box of cigars to the winner.

Bob Weber was the winner, and deservedly so …

Banished

Does that remind you of a Monty Python skit?  If so, you’re old as dirt, like me.

But in a different vein … the spam filters here work like a champ.  It amazes me how many comments come in on various posts that are either gibberish or come from a .ru domain or are advertising online pharmaceutical sales.  But I’ve been able to block it all, so when you’re reading this blog, you only have to think of Spam in its traditional, mystery-meat sense.

Any Monty Python, of course.

Happy smoking!

Well, folks, it’s time to get away from pleasant things like cigar reviews and family reminiscing. The Nanny State is back on our collective asses and trying to gain more traction.

Matt Krimm from Draper’s (http://www.wcurtisdraper.com/), a wonderful smoke shop in DC, put out a call last month for Draper’s regulars to bombard the DC City Council with e-mails. Why, you ask? Because the City Council, having nothing better to do, like fix DC’s broken school system, fight AIDS and other health issues, or do something about rampant drug abuse and addiction, has set their sights on smoking. Yes, sports fan, they’re after us again. After enacting two tax increases in the space of 72 hours (neither of which affected premium cigars), they were looking at enacting a “sidewalk smoking ban.” The effort worked, and a flood of e-mails to the anti-smoking Nazis saved the day … for now.

No sooner do our fellow Brothers of the Leaf convince the DC City Council to back off than the federales get involved. The House of Representatives, in its effort to chip away at the $1.6 trillion deficit, is considering HR4439, which would impose – are you sitting down? – a 775% federal tax increase on pipe tobaccos. SCHIP wasn’t enough, those greedy bastards want more. Follow this link to the IPCPR Legislative Action Center to contact your so-called representative and tell him/her how you feel about this absurd taxation: http://capwiz.com/rtda/issues/alert/?alertid=14599891

Whatever they were smoking on Capital Hill must have made its way to Annapolis, because the House of Delegates of the Peoples’ Democratic Republic of Maryland is considering House Bill 88, which would authorize state control of how retail tobacconists do business, including higher taxes (this taxation thing sounds like a broken record) and possibly forcing tobacconists to only buy cigars from in-state distributors. Bottom line, we as consumers are looking at potentially higher prices.

Stop the madness! Call or write your Delegate and tell them to keep their hands off our smoke shops.