Innehållsförteckning för July/August 2018 från Cigar Aficionado

On the southernmost point of Rhode Island, on a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic, is the town of Watch Hill. Perched on a bluff, high above a gorgeous beach, sits the Ocean House. It’s a spectacular building, more than 146 feet tall, massive and dominant as you pull around the bend, with a look straight from the Victorian Age. Grand buildings of this sort once dotted the Rhode Island Coast, and the original Ocean House welcomed its first guests in 1868. It fell into disrepair, and was closed in 2003, with plans to replace it. The new Ocean House—created to replicate the original design, with all 247 windows in their original positions and some 5,000 arti-facts salvaged from the original—opened in 2010, and in 2012 joined Relais & Châteaux. While…

Most cigar ashtrays are rather simple things. There’s no shortage of squares, circles and ovals made from various materials that can gather your ashes. But if you want to take a walk on the wild side—ashtray-wise and zoologically—then consider the works of cigar-smoking silversmith Patrick Mavros, who takes inspiration from the animals of his native Zimbabwe. His repertoire includes five quite distinctive ashtrays, each done in sterling silver. The crocodile and monkey ashtray (pictured, £1,295, or about $1,500) depicts two of Africa’s most famous wild animals. A crocodile, tail coiled, serves as a seat for an unperturbed monkey, whose head in turn supports a silver platter, meant to hold a cigar. Adding to the monkey’s charm (and remarkable sense of calm considering its riding atop one of the world’s most…

“I love being an actor and going as deep as you can in a role, to really commit to the craft. I put my head down and went after roles that scared me.” To the outside observer, Matthew McConaughey’s career underwent a serious course correction seven years ago. It was 2011, and they called it the “McConaissance.” It was a much-vaunted, media-invented comeback narrative crafted around the actor, who had spent the 2000s seemingly adrift in a sea of light but successful romantic comedies, popcorn films that didn’t match the promise he had shown in his earlier years. But with a return to drama in hits such as The Lincoln Lawyer, Bernie and Killer Joe, McConaughey reclaimed his leading-man luster, culminating in the acclaim for his performances in Mud and…

As my cab drove down the Las Vegas Strip, I noticed a new palette of colors standing out against the bright pools of neon so famously associated with Sin City. Patches of black, gold, steel gray and red were everywhere, on T-shirts, on hats and on the billboards of local businesses. The colors are the symbol of the new pride of Sin City and the biggest Cinderella story in all of sports—the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. The Knights have matured from the NHL’s newest desert experiment into the hottest ticket in town. Even if you don’t follow the NHL, you’ve probably still heard of the team’s unlikely success. The Golden Knights played their first game ever on October 6 (a victory), and went on to amass…

While the combination of Mexican wrapper and strong Nicaraguan tobacco might be getting a little commonplace in today’s premium cigar market, The Wise Man Maduro makes it interesting, as the Robusto scored 93 points and kept us wide awake with each puff. It’s the creation of Nick Melillo and an offshoot of his original El Güegüense brand, which translates to “the wise man.” This meaty-tasting maduro version is not only bold and delicious, it’s much easier to pronounce. Also scoring 93 points was the Vegas Cubanas Generosos, which is made by My Father Cigars in Nicaragua. Originally produced in Miami, the cigar’s popularity declined as the Garcia family grew its cigar manufacturing operations and expanded to Nicaragua. Vegas Cubanas practically disappeared from the market (though the Garcias say it was…

Panetelas and lanceros are often lauded for their sleek elegance, but make no mistake—these slim cigars can be as strong and impactful as they are refined. If you look at the two top-scoring sizes in this category, you’ll see two key themes: concentration and intensity. Because of the lancero’s thin ring gauge, the smoke from the draw is quite concentrated, hitting the palate squarely in the middle. This can result in an intense smoking experience. It certainly did for the My Father No. 4 Lancero, which scored 91 points. The cigar is made in Nicaragua at the Garcia family’s My Father Cigars Factory. Another Nicaraguan cigar, the Oliva Serie V Lancero, also scored 91 points. Both cigars are studies in concentrated complexity that maintain the grace you’d expect from a…

The oldest man in the United States, Richard A. Overton, turned 112 on May 11, and he celebrated that momentous day like he does any other—by smoking cigars. “I’m happy every day,” he said while puffing a cigar in his home in East Austin, Texas, on his birthday. It was 2:30 in the afternoon, and he was already on cigar number six. “I don’t have no worries. I feel fine—I ain’t got no aches, pains or nothing.” Overton smokes cigars every day, and likes them mild. He smoked his first cigar in 1924, when he was 18. His regular brand is a Tampa Sweet. “I smoke 12 a day,” he says, “but I don’t inhale them. It’s the good taste. Let your lungs stay clean.” Overton not only loves his…

The line of taxis, old Russian Lada limos and vintage American-made convertibles inched down the drive-through portico of PabExpo, the big hall hosting the closing gala dinner for the Festival del Habano. Male guests in tuxedos and formal guayaberas and women in dresses, gowns and kimonos walked the red carpet into the reception area where statuesque models handed out roses and goodie bags filled with Partagás cigars. Inside the giant, 400-yard-long hall was a sea of Cuban cigar industry luminaries, cigar retailers and fans of Cuban cigars. Fernando Domínguez, the premium cigar director of Imperial Brands was there, as was Alison Cooper, the CEO of Imperial Brands from the United Kingdom. At one table was Hirochi Robaina, one of Cuba’s top tobacco growers, and at another, Cuba ReportJosé María Cases,…

In a world of plain vanilla sport-utility vehicles, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a tasty serving of stracciatella. As it shares the underpinnings of the automaker’s Guilia sedan, the Italian maker’s first SUV is one of the rare examples in the category that puts the accent on the word, “sport.” It takes but a few laps on the Circuit of the Americas, the serpentine Formula One track out-side of Austin, Texas, to realize this Italian beauty has more than just good looks. With its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 punching out a blistering 505 horsepower, we blast out of COTA’s Turn 20 and push close to its top speed of 176 mph. The reason it takes almost as long to say the name as it does to go from 0 to 60…

The legendary Wild West law officer, gambler and sports columnist Bat Masterson once spoofed the Pollyannaish notion that things always break even in life, saying, “We all get the same amount of ice. The rich get it in the summertime and the poor get it in the winter.” You’d think modern refrigeration would have ended that class distinction, but today’s cocktail set confers a new type of ice status. It’s not defined by having ice in the summer, but by having the right kind. The formula hasn’t changed, but the form has. It used to be you settled for whatever ice solidified in your freezer trays, spit out of your icemaker or came in the bags that the gas station sold. The problem with that is that cocktails call for…

Matthew McConaughey has been the creative director for Wild Turkey Bourbon since 2016. His first short film for the brand debuted that year, and now his greatest project has gone on sale: the new straight Bourbon brand Longbranch. McConaughey worked with Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell on its creation. “As a lover of Bourbon,” McConaughey says in a video for the brand, “I’ve always wanted to create my favorite Bourbon.” The signatures of both men appear on the bottle, which is somewhat Spartan in design, with a smaller label, better to show off the amber liquid inside. Longbranch is an eight-year-old Bourbon refined with mesquite and oak charcoals. The mesquite is a nod to the heritage of McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde, Texas, and today lives in Austin.…

This fall promises to be a sweet season for football fans in New Jersey and Delaware. Rather than watching games in crowded sports bars or on their sofas, devotees in those states will cut out to racetracks and/or casinos where they’ll catch the gridiron action on enormous state-of-the-art screens, with food and drink and comfy seats at the ready. Most critically, though, they’ll be able to legally bet on the matchups that unfold in front of them. That is thanks to the recent Supreme Court decision to shut down the longstanding ban on sports betting outside of licensed operations in Nevada. As per the court, states (rather than the federal government) will be left to decide on whether or not their citizens can bet on sports. Long before the gavel…

The bar is ancient, a massive slab manned by a cadre of bartenders, each wearing a royal red apron against a bright white shirt. At the far left corner sits a statue of Papa Hemingway, one elbow on the rail, enshrined forever at a prime seat at Cuba’s most famous watering hole. This is El Floridita, and drinks have been poured here since 1817 when it was known as La Piña de Plata, or The Silver Pineapple. As legend goes, a bartender here made so many Daiquiris that the drink became synonymous with the bar, which carries the motto “la cuna del Daiquiri,” or the cradle of the Daiquiri. Hemingway and so many others drank here. You should too. It’s mobbed by tourists, but when you visit Havana you must…

Double coronas are another example of a classic cigar size that aren’t as popular as they once were, but if you find the right retailer—and have an hour and a half to smoke the entire cigar—this old standard has a lot to offer. Three scored an outstanding 92 points, and each comes from a different country. The Ashton Aged Maduro No. 60 is made in the Dominican Republic at the Fuente factory from a traditional blend of Dominican tobacco and Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. Though dark and imposing, the cigar is sweet and complex. The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series “A” is a double corona by our standards. No matter the name, it’s a fantastic smoke, full of the signature chocolate characteristic to the vaunted brand. They’re made in Nicaragua and stand…

The Cuban Juan Lopez Selección No. 2 may seem like a supporting cast member when it comes to Habanos S.A.’s overall production of Cuban brands, but in this tasting, it turned in a leading performance scoring 92 points. It hit all the sweet and savory notes in both sporting and artful ways. Take note of its core cedary character. These cigars are boxed in cedar cabinets, which, no doubt impart some woodiness to the smoke. Two cigars scored 91 points, the Nicaraguan My Father La Opulencia Robusto and the Cuban Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill. Both reflect modern tastes—the My Father with its popular Mexican-Nicaraguan blend and the Romeo with its sheer girth.…

During his Oscar-nominated performance in Murphy’s Romance, James Garner mentors two younger patrons in an Arizona general store concerning cowboy hats. “It doesn’t matter how you bend it. It’s how you wear it,” he explains. Worn on the back of the head means you like people. Tipped on the side, you’re a rooster looking for a young lady or a fight. Worn square and down on the forehead says, “‘Get off the sidewalk and clear a path, ’cuz you’re cocked and ready to fire.” According to Heather Harding, of AzTex Hat Co. in Scottsdale, he should have added a few other qualities, such as the style of hat (the cowboy genre comprises many) and where it will be worn (they are seen everywhere from golf courses to boardrooms now) as…

Looking for a novel date night? How about ax throwing? You heard that right. A new Brooklyn club called Kick Axe Throwing is dedicated to the sport—if you can call it that—a pastime popular enough that locations are coming to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Orlando, Los Angeles and Seattle. And, with children as young as eight allowed to throw, it seems only a matter of time until it becomes a venue for kids birthday parties. Think of it as darts with hatchets—and booze. The club provides ax throwing ranges—cages might be more accurate—with two large wooden bullseyes per range. For $35 a 75-minute session (beer and wine is extra) you and your friends can work out your primal need to throw sharp objects at defenseless targets. Groups of eight or more…

On a perfectly pure Sunday afternoon in April of 2017, Lexi Thompson was leading the ANA Inspiration by two strokes and cruising. It was the first LPGA major of the year, and was the tour’s flagship event. Thompson won it in 2014 when it was called the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and while she had achieved superstar status, that remained her sole victory in a major event. She seemed poised to double up as she played the back nine. As Thompson walked to the 13th tee, tour officials confronted her with some decidedly bad news. She was being penalized for incorrectly replacing her ball on the 17th green of Saturday’s round, the result of a television viewer notifying the LPGA by e-mail. She was being assessed two strokes for the incorrect…

Since May 14, 2018 when the Supreme Court legalized sports betting in any state that wants it, several dozen states have been scrambling to get in on the action. And the potential amount of that action is considerable: I estimate more than $200 billion is bet illegally each year on sports in the United States. “The Supreme Court’s decision is a victory for millions of Americans who want to bet on sports in a safe and regulated manner,” says Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “Before this ruling, the government was turning tens of millions of Americans into criminals for the simple act of enjoying [betting] on sports.” So will this new law put illegal U.S. and offshore bookies out of business? No, because bettors accustomed…

It’s rare indeed to find such an extraordinary intermingling of flavors as we did in the H. Upmann Sir Winston, which scored 94 points. Being a Churchill in the Cuban portfolio puts the Sir Winston on the endangered vitola list, but its refined combinations of chocolate and marzipan give this tobacco true Viennese opulance—and a near guarantee that it will age into a sublime classic. The Alec Bradley Black Market Estelí is new, launched in late 2017 as a Nicaraguan companion to the original Black Market, which is Honduran. Ominous name aside, it scored 92 points and is a fine (and perfectly legal) example of how well Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos can harmonize.…

108figuradosTwo small brands from Cuba turned in some big scores. When most people think of Cuban pirámides, the Montecristo No. 2 often comes to mind—but Cuba has more pirámides then just the Monte, and they are vibrant, dynamic representations of Cuban tobacco, even if these cigars aren’t quite as popular. Take for example the Diplomaticos No. 2, which scored 92 points. It’s almost symphonic in its delivery of flavor, starting light, then building to a crescendo of richness and ending on a sweet note. Or consider the Cuban Vegas Robaina Unico (91 points), named for the legendary farm owned by the Robaina family and still operating today. The brand doesn’t necessarily contain tobacco specifically from that farm, but the Unico is a bracing smoke, establishing bold notes up front and…

100 HOYO DE MONTERREY DOUBLE CORONA (1991) When you think of superb, big cigars, this one immediately comes to mind, for Hoyo Double Coronas are a benchmark for that Cuban size, which also goes by the name prominente. The wrapper on this large cigar—it measures 7 5/8 inches long, with a 49 ring gauge—is the texture of fine silk, the edges of the cigar squared just so. Everything about it is perfect, from the draw to the flavor. It’s brimming with character, with unbelievable amounts of chestnuts, walnuts and cinnamon that left me speechless. A flawless smoke. —Marvin R. Shanken 98 PUNCH NÉCTARES NO. 5 (1974) This is a near-perfect corona. The wrapper is reddish brown, and covered with streaks of dark brown oils. The first attack brings a sweet…

After years of steady growth and increased demand for its hearty, distinct tobacco, Nicaragua has become the largest exporter of handmade cigars to the United States. Last year, the country shipped a little more than 148 million premium cigars to the U.S. market. For years, the reigning leader in premium cigar exports had been the Dominican Republic, but America’s huge, growing appetite for Nicaraguan cigars eventually sent the Dominican Republic to second place, by about 30 million cigars. Today’s cigar shops in America are loaded with cigars from Nicaraguan brands such as Padrón, My Father, Joya de Nicaragua, Oliva, A.J. Fernandez and Rocky Patel. Nicaragua’s new position of prominence is especially impressive when you consider the fact that the Central American country wasn’t even a factor not too long ago.…

In a world of fast food and one-size-fits-all sensibilities, how often does something feel made especially for you? The “Made for You” section celebrates those items that are created with such high quality of hand workmanship and degree of customization that they become individual to you. In each issue, our editors will endeavor to bring you special things from anywhere on the globe, choosing them solely on the basis of outstanding quality. Our goal is to give you guidance on the best of everything. 1 DESTINATION RECORDING—SONASTÉRIO STUDIOS If you’re musically inclined and have a hankering to lay down some tracks of your own, consider Sonastério Studios, Brazil’s world-class destination recording studio and luxury home. Walters-Storyk Design Group, a global architectural-acoustic consulting firm, has created facilities atop a mountain near…