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Smoke Inn - Cigar Of The Month Club - Year In Review

One year ago while scrolling through a cigar group on Facebook I saw a particular post that had 5 cigars sitting on top of a letter called, "Cigar of the Month Club". The poster mentioned they just got their box from Smoke Inn's COTM club and was pretty excited about it. I decided to jump on it as I used to be a part of Cigar International's COTM club but found they would send me what I already smoked or what seemed like it was stuff they were trying to get off their shelves. Signing up was pretty easy online. They have one price of $29.99 a month for 5 premium cigars. Along with the tasting hotes and history of each cigar in the box they also provide a 15% off code for any purchases that month. (The older letters have the codes. don't bother trying the codes, it won't work) This is my opinion but I hope that by showing you one year's worth of cigars, you will see why I love this club. I thought it would be cool to upload each COTM letter for your viewing pleasure and add some notes from what I recall from each of those months. Nothing is scripted. Please note that all of my opinions, on any cigar, are just that, mine. You have to try them for yourself if you truly want to know how they taste. As a disclaimer - I am not getting paid to do this nor am I receiving any benefits for doing so. I really like what Abe, the owner, does for the cigar community and hope this gets shared around to help his business. Read the full article

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Monogamy And Cigars

“.......forsaking all others, till death do us part” Recently I was watching a cigar discussion and one of the speakers said that in the cigar world, there is no monogamy.  That stuck with me for some reason.  Is that possible? Could there be a person out there who smokes only one type and brand of cigar?  I began to do some research by asking this question in multiple cigar groups I am in, Reddit and even old school cigar forums.  I got many different responses which include: “Variety is the spice of life” “I have my favorite but I like taking little adventures” “I have heard of that but it’s not for me” “I’m a cigar slut, I’ll smoke anything” And my favorite, “I am a cigar swinger”.  It is pretty obvious. When it comes to cigars, we’re all cheaters.  Not too long ago there were only a handful of quality brands you could choose from. The legacy brands like Hoyo, Punch, Montecristo, Fuente, Romeos...There wasn’t a lot of variety.  With the cigar boom in the nineties things began to change as the demand for newer different blends increased. CIgar quality definitely suffered which, for the American market, is a death knell for a company. Eventually the boom subsided and marketing got creative. I believe the spirit of innovation that is synonymous with the United States is partly responsible for saving the cigar industry. Read the full article

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Cigar Interview With Alex

Welcome to Intercigarviews! Alex is the general maneger of Ruby's Elixir and Central Cigars in St. Petersburg, Florida. He spent 4 years in active duty with the Air Force stationed at Vandenberg AFB, CA at the Joint Space Operation’s Center (JSpOC) as a Space Operations Intelligence Analyst. It is fascinating the various backgrounds we find in the cigar family which we have seen time and time again how we all support the industry on the street level. Here is his cigar story. How did you cope and navigate through the pandemic at Central Cigars and Ruby’s? So we have two sides of the business: one is Central Cigars and the other is Ruby’s. Ruby’s is the music venue with just a straight up bar, so we were closed down completely on that side along with everyone else on St. Patty’s Day. There was the 2 1/2 week span in June where we were able to open up with 50% capacity and we were able to have music again, and then the rug was pulled out from under us when the notorious roll-back tweet came out from the DBPR.However we got creative and built a small kitchen where our VIP area used to be and were able to open back up as a restaurant the first weekend of September. Since we have the food on that side now, we have decided to go non-smoking on Ruby's side The response to being smoke-free on that side has been incredibly positive as the biggest complaint from people about Ruby’s has been the smoking. Read the full article

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Cigar Interview With Jolene

Welcome to another weekly Intercigarview. Jolene describes herself as a cigar nerd who finds real pleasure in her cigar passion. Here is her cigar story. What was it about cigars that drew you to them? I love the ritual of it.  Removing the cellophane, cutting, lighting, smoking.  Describe the first cigar you smoked and the experience surrounding it.  I was at a national a/c conference.  The industry leaders would gather around and smoke a cigar.  I was invited to join them and handed a cigar. Do you think there are any parallels between the AC industry and the cigar industry?  I would just say that they are both primarily male oriented and people are generally curious why, as a female, am there.  What is your favorite response to that scenario?  When I go to AC conferences or cigar shops the general assumption is that I'm there for my husband. I just tell them, he is there with me.  Does your husband enjoy or smoke cigars?   My husband has about one a week What is your most fondest memory of smoking a cigar?   Gasparilla.  I try to get right up front and light a cigar.  The pirates that see me usually come over and give me beads and most will say "I love a woman with a cigar..." How long have you been enjoying cigars and about how many per week?   Probably 6 years now, but I didnt become a full-fledged cigar nerd until about 3 years ago.  I smoke one each weekday and 2-3 on Saturday and Sunday. Read the full article

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Cigar Interview With Rich

This is a special Labor Day edition of Intercigarviews. The main purpose of these interviews is to highlight your everyday average admirer of the leaf, yet I thought it would be cool to bring you a former VP of marketing for one of the world's most recognized brands. Davidoff. The key word is former so he is back to being a average cigar guy. And to top it off, he is my next door neighbor. Here is Rich's cigar story. What was it about cigars that drew you to them I dabbled with cigars in high school and college, but I didn’t get serious about them until it became my profession.  I grew up in NY and worked in the ad agency world until I got a call to become the Brand Manager for a brand called Zino Platinum.  That was in 2006 and Davidoff used to be headquartered in Stamford, CT.  Over time Davidoff moved to Pinellas Park Florida and I grew within the company.   How long did you work for Davidoff? I left Davidoff in 2018 and at the end of my tenure I was Davidoff’s Vice President of Marketing and the General Manager of their entire retail organization.  I had a successful run there and was the driving force behind many key initiatives and product launches in the US for Davidoff. Which product launches were you involved in?  There was Avo, Winston Churchill, and Zino Platinum.  Read the full article

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Cigar Interview With Kris

This week's interview highlights a cigar veteran of over 50 years. Kris enjoys the retired life after working for NBC in Maine. It is safe to say, he has seen it all. Here is his cigar story. What was it about cigars that drew you to them?  I enjoy the relaxing feeling I get from a good cigar also the flavor of good tobacco is like sipping a good glass of wine.. What was your first cigar? Wow, the first..that would be almost 55 years ago...It was in the basement of our Horse barn with my Uncle. He smoked cigars and asked me if I'd like one. I said yes so we lit up a WHITE OWL...Not the best of cigars but enjoyable to smoke with my Dad's brother and the smell of tobacco and the smell of the horse barn, it was great.  What is your most fondest memory of smoking a cigar?  Wow again, if you’re a cigar lover there are way too many fondest to mention...sitting out on the flight line at Phu Cat after a rocket attack on the base ..knowing we were safe we lit up a swisher sweet out at the end of the runway as F-4's took off over our heads..."GO GET EM boys!  How long have you been enjoying cigars and about how many per week? Over 50 years, 3-4 a day or more depending on where and who I'm with. What are some of your favorite settings to enjoy a cigar? Some great Cigar Bars we visit all over the east coast sitting at the beach, fishing, out on the golf course with friends. Does your significant other enjoy or smoke cigars?  Yes, my wife smokes ... Read the full article

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Cigar Interview with Robin

This week's edition of Intercigarview is with a psychiatrist and a story teller. I have know Robin from a distance on social media and in the course of discussion I saw him share his fondness for cigars and Mark Twain. I knew I had to interview him for this column. This is Robin's cigar story. What was it about cigars that drew you to them? I grew up near Hartford CT and we went to Mark Twain’s  home often. Amazing home, and some say he built it to resemble a steamboat. My stepfather was born in 1880 and was a chauffeur all of his life. He spoke of seeing Mark Twain walking around Hartford when he was a child, and said he remembers one day when the passerby’s were all shocked to see Mark Twain tossing a huge pile of clothing out the front window and shouting. He did have a bit of a temper as his documented letters speak to (occasionally would swear about a bill or an issue with the gas company for example). My stepfather told me that he drove Mark Twain and his good friend of forty years Pastor Joe Twitchell around Elizabeth Park. I remember asking him how that was possible, since Mark Twain (who had some serious losses at the Hartford home), moved in 1891 when my stepdad was 11. He said that Mark Twain kept in touch with Pastor Twitchell until 1908, and when he would visit Mark Twain in Hartford, that was when he helped with driving (maybe horse driven?). Read the full article

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Cigar Interview with Bill Prieto

Welcome to our weekly Intercigarview where we interview your everyday average admirer of the leaf. This week we interviewed Bill Prieto. Bill is a retired 30 year veteran of the police department. Here is his cigar story What was it about cigars that drew you to them? The flavor and relaxing nature of smoking a cigar. Describe the first cigar you smoked and the experience surrounding it. I was a 25 year old rookie police officer when my senior officer asked me if I smoked cigars. I answered no. He asked me to follow him and  took me to a local cigar shop and bought me a cigar called Bauza cigar (owned by Fuente). He handed it to me and said try it.  So I did. I coughed up a lung but for some strange reason it appealed to me and I have been smoking them ever since for 31 years now. What is your most fondest memory of smoking a cigar? Smoking my first cigar with my Dad. it was a Cuban Romeo y Julieta in 1989. It was just after I smoked my first. He passed away in 2010. Did you introduce your dad to cigars? No, he smoked them and I tried one around 20 years old but I didn’t get into it.  What are some of your favorite settings to enjoy a cigar? My backyard by the pool with friends and family or our weekly cigar meets. Anywhere I can in the great outdoors. Does your significant other enjoy or smoke cigars? Married now for 10 years and together 13, my wife just recently started smoking cigars in December of 2018 and I love it.. Read the full article

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Cigar Interview with Elesix

Welcome to our weekly Intercigarviews where we interview your average everyday admirer of the leaf. This week our very first interview is with Elesix. Elesix is a retired 1st Sergeant (1SG) with 24 years of service in the US Army. She is affectionately known as Sweet Pea in the Florida Cigar Club where she has been a member since 2015. Here is her cigar story. What was it about cigars that attracted you to them?  My grandfather smoked a pipe, cigarillos and petite coronas. They smelled sweet and there was a sense of calming comfort when we were together. I would get a sneak taste when grandma wasn’t around. It had no band and I didn’t know who rolled it but it was a local guy grandpa knew. Out of all the grandkids, the three eldest were girls. The first was a prissy goodie two shoes indoors type. The third was nutty who became a lonely cat lady and me the tomboy, always hanging around grandpa and helping him with projects and cool stuff outdoors. Over the years it was that calming ‘can do’ presence and attitude that I tried to emulate. Describe the first cigar you smoked and the experience surrounding it. The first cigar I tried was years later, 83 or 84. It was an Arturo Fuente that I purchased in the field while on a training exercise. It didn’t taste sweet like I remembered but the thoughts of my grandfather flooded my senses and I felt good. After that I continued the habit of enjoying an occasional stick in the field.  Aside Read the full article