My Favorite Cigars & the Journey to Smoke
- Jon Schipp
- Dec 30, 2024
- 6 min read
When we moved to Tampa almost 3 years ago I wasn't anticipating that I would pick up a new vice. Despite that introduction, I actually don't have many vices. I have been fairly straight-laced for most of my life, until I got an unexpected invitation to relax and socialize that I accepted. My journey into cigars didn't happen right away, it was eased into slowly. I've been offered cigars at weddings and from my father in-law but always declined. It was only until recently that I tried my first one. It was at a cigar bar in Tampa called Grand Cathedral. It turns out it's ranked as one of the top places to smoke in the U.S.. It was an informal outing after work with a bunch of colleagues, and I really liked the atmosphere; men in suits with a cigar in one hand, a bourbon in the other, and a pianist filling the background with music.
One of our Tampa office executives, who is a great guy, cigar aficionado and a regular at Grand Cathedral, ordered a tray of hand-rolled cigars for the entire team who came out that night.
It was from this tray that I finally tried smoking one, as this seemed like the place to do it of all places. I accidentally inhaled a few times, like many newcomers, and coughed here and there which is not an enjoyable feeling. Despite that I was glad to have joined the team in smoking but wasn't bought into it yet; I didn't take a liking to the flavor and struggled to not inhale but also didn't hate it. I would say I was neutral but because I enjoyed my time there through the atmosphere, and the conversations, I ended up going out several more nights with my co-workers. Each time I tried a new cigar, and that's when I started to acquire a taste for them, mostly the mild varieties, but also some venturing to medium bodied sticks.
At the time I was still a new transplant to Tampa and I started noticing cigar bars everywhere. More than I ever remember seeing in any city I've been too. I remember a night out with my wife, we went out to explore Ybor City, a neighborhood near downtown Tampa that is full of restaurants, bars, clubs, and...cigars. We walked by something like 7 cigar stores and bars within 3 blocks. Later learning that cigars are a huge part of the Tampa culture where Ybor City was once known as Cigar City in the 1800's, and manufactured more cigars than anywhere else in the U.S., and more than Cuba; in fact it became the cigar capital of the world. When Fidel Castro took over Cuba, many Cuban cigar company owning families fled and settled in different areas, with one of those being Tampa. At one point Tampa had more than 200 cigar companies.
I became a bit fascinated with the local history and culture around cigars, and learned that a cigar is pure tobacco; it's incredibly simple in ingredients. And I am drawn to simplicity. The cigar's major components: the wrapper, binder, and filler, are all pure tobacco leaf. These leafs are grown from different seeds and planted in different regions where they receive their unique flavor from the soil, sun, and environment from which they've grown. The production of cigars being a largely family trade that's been passed down by many generations of latins. The design, or craft of cigar making, is interesting, has been iterated on for hundreds of years, and requires a lot of practice & skill. In addition to the tobacco varieties, there's also many varieties of shape (e.g. Parejos or Figurados) and size (e.g. Robusto, Toro, Churchill, etc.)
I've grown fond of the history, the atmosphere, the simplicity, and especially the relaxing nature from smoking. Like my father, I have always found it difficult to unwind. I feel the need to be doing something constantly and cigars have helped me just sit and observe while doing something almost unnoticeable to me: puffing once a minute. Finally, and perhaps most importantly I really enjoy the social aspect of it, which has added value to my life. Going to cigar bars is a great way to meet interesting people, and network with fellow businessmen and women who are open to talking about a wide range of topics. I have met many new friends this way over the last 2 years and will continue to do so.
With all that said, here are my favorite cigars so far, in no particular order.
Oliva Series V Melanio
The variations of the Series V Melanio are among the top ranked cigars in the world year after year. The Toro version (size) was Cigar Aficinado's #3 of 2023, and the Robusto (size) Maduro (fermented wrapper) version was ranked #4 by Cigar Snob in 2023 as well. I've tried several sizes: the Robusto Maduro, Toro, Torpedo and they're all excellent. My brother only likes very mild cigars, often with a sweet additive (gross) like the Acid brand but this cigar was the first medium bodied that he liked!
Gurkha 15yr Cellar Reserve
Ghurka Cigar Group are a boutique cigar company based in Tamarac, Florida.
The Cellar Reserve series is a part of their line of core cigars. They have several varieties where they age them at different lengths. I have the tried 18yr and the 15yr, both Gordo (size) and they're incredibly smooth and flavorful. I prefer the 15yr for a slightly gentler flavor. This could be my favorite cigar so if you want to ever get me a gift, send me a box of these and I will be very happy.
Gurkha Beauty
Another excellent cigar by Gurkha, the Beauty is part of their Premium line of cigars. As a result, they're a bit pricey, a box will run you around $300 but damn are they good. It's a special occasion cigar that I think is suitable for people that like both mild and medium.
Tampero Habano SB Tampero is located..you guessed it, in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood. This is a large cigar, it's 7" in length and 60th ring-gauge (of an inch) makes for a long, flavorful smoke session. The best part is they're really affordable. This is my father in-law's favorite all around value cigar, and he's been smoking since his early days in the Marine Corps. If you visit Tampa, stop at Tampero, they have great deals on their hand-rolled cigars. You can get a bundle of 20 cigars for under a $100.
Cavalier White Series Diplomate
This is one I tried recently and loved, and it's my first cigar from Cavalier Cigars. I had the Toro (size) Diplomate and will certainly be buying more. It's an attractive, mild-ish cigar with a gold leaf emblem on it, that you smoke along with it because it's not removable.
Olmec Clara Corona Gorda
The Olmec Clara Corona Gorda is ranked #20 on Cigar Afficiando's 2023 list. I probably would not ever have thought to try it but by luck, I stopped into Goodfella's Cigars in Decatur, IL while visiting family for the holidays and chatted with a very knowledgable worker who highly recommended this cigar so I had to take him up on it. I was not disappointed and I will be adding several of these to my collection. It's a high strength cigar that is smooth and burns beautifully.
My Father's Cigars Flor de Las Antillas Sun Grown
The Garcia family emigrated from Cuba to the United States and opened the My Father's Cigars which is headquartered near Miami, Florida, and they recently won 2024's cigar of the year for The Judge which I will be trying soon. With that said, I loved the Sun Grown Flor de Las Antillas cigar which also was ranked highly in a previous year. It's a box pressed cigar which usually means it burns slower, and it's a strong cigar, full of flavor.
Emissary Espana 5 Blend
The big cigar brand Macanudo, makes the Emissary line. This one is a bit unique in that it's a blend of 5 different tobaccos (grown in different locations) and one of them includes tobacco from Spain as part of the filler which is not something you see very often. Most cigars' tobaccos are grown in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Brazil. The five-blend is picked well, the different tobaccos mix and meld to take on a whole new flavor of its own. Great cigar.
One thing I really like about Macanudo is that they provide recommended drink pairings with every cigar on their website. This one suggests a Single Malt Scotch, Espresso, or Cognac pairing.
End of the List
As I try new cigars, I will update this list so that it continues to grow over time!
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