Winner!

This post is not about cigars, so I apologize for disappointing some of you.  I'm writing about Joe Paterno, the winningest coach in NCAA history.  Coach Paterno passed away today at the age of 85, and although I didn't go to Penn State, I did love him for his winning attitude.  Many quickly concluded that he was to blame for covering up the scandal involving Sandusky at State College, and reacted with his termination as the long time Penn State head coach.  I'm watching ESPN as I write this post, and I'm appalled at the people that are speaking highly of him now that he's dead.  Where were these people during his time of need?  The saying that "you will truly know who your real friends are when the shit hits the fan," is valid in this case.  After everything Paterno has done for NCAA football and all of sports in general is priceless.  We should appreciate what Paterno has done in his lifetime.  We should admire the man he was to his friends and family.  I know I do.  The great NBA coach Pat Riley once said after NFL head coach Don Shula was forced to retire that "...[he]...wants to be around people like this...[he]...wants to be around winners like Shula."  Well, Paterno, Shula, Bowden, Riley & several others that weren't named are the people with winning attitudes that I want to be associated with.  RIP Joe Paterno.

My Father/Don Pepin Garcia Cigars

Last night at Havana Sensation Cigars we had the pleasure of being host to My Father/Don Pepin Garcia Cigars.  The event was a hit with great box specials, give aways, awesome food & the best live music in town.  The environment here was a blast with plenty of regulars, some local celebrity guests, affluent people from the community and new comers'.  Looking at Havana Sensation Cigars from an independent standpoint, which is kinda hard since I'm the owner, but I ask myself why would anybody go to any other cigar establishment in town?  Everybody that shows up stays to the late hours of the night chatting, smoking premium cigars, and drinking quality beer & wine.  Before I opened Havana Sensation I frequented many other cigar shops.  They all had good events and awesome crowds, but there is something about Havana Sensation Cigars that stands out from the other shops:  Maybe it's the smiles on the faces of all the clients that frequent my place; the comfortable lounge; the incredible micro brew selection that changes on a weekly basis; or it may just be the great service from the sales associates.  Whatever the reason, I am super proud to have the clientele I have, because they are the reason why Havana Sensation Cigars is what it is today and what it will be in the future.  I pledge to all my guests that we will always carry the best premium cigars, frostiest beer, finest wine (new wine cellar coming soon), and the only authentic Cuban cafe in town.  Come by and tell me why Havana Sensation Cigars is your place to unwind and have a good time.  Thank you to all!!! 

NEW POLL: LFD

 

Finally have a NEW POLL up for all the readers to vote on. As we have posted about before, here at Havana Sensation we are somewhat partial to the consistency and excellence of La Flor Dominicana. So..... what better way to kick off September (Even though Rocky Patel is the Cigar of the month, we are also Partial to Rocky) then with a La Flor Dominicana themed poll. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LA FLOR DOMINICANA LINE????

(POLL IS ON THE RIGHT, UNDER MY BEAUTIFUL MUG)

Mine is the 2000 and Litto Gomez Diez Lines!!!! DELISH!!!!

September Cigar of the Month

 

It's that time of the month again!!!!! Get your mind out of the gutter, it's time for the Cigar of the Month!! For the month of September I've decided to go with the Rocky Patel Edge Toro. It's a medium to full bodied toro with a little kick to it because of the Nicaraguan wrapper. Come into the shop in the month of September and ENJOY this fine cigar ON SPECIAL FOR BUY 3 get 1 FREE!!

Seriously!!! Come into the shop!! NOW!!!!

Cigar Psychology

Just read an interesting article on profiling how you hold your cigar and what it means about you, thought I'd share
What does your cigar say about you?

WC

Monticristo 75th Anniversary Event

Havana Sensation Cigars: The Unofficial LFD Lounge?

I walked into my shop and realized that we carry 45 La Flor Dominicana Cigar Facings and growing.  The LFD brand is by far the brand with the most facings at Havana Sensation.  Then I asked myself why so many LFD cigars?  The answer was simple:  It is one of the finest cigars in the world!  These cigars can't stay on my shelves due to their popularity, and I also noticed that Havana Sensation's employees always take customers to the LFD cigars first.  When the managers and employees promote a brand on their own it says a lot about the brand:  In this case it is a positive statement about the quality of smoke LFD cigars are.  My hat goes out to the great people at La Flor Dominicana and their craftsmanship of quality great tasting cigars.  Cheers!

Edson Santoro

Enjoying Summer Days

I find that other than my family & friends, the other passion in my life is a great cigar.  There is just an awesome sense of pleasure watching my kids run around the backyard while I enjoy a nice My Father 2011 Limited Toro, or sitting on a beautiful Florida beach on a hot June day with a Padron 80th maduro (FYI:  both cigars available at Havana Sensation Cigars).  The most pleasurable thing is that these incredible moments in my life were experienced while smoking a cigar.  Normally, I am in the driver seat, so to speak, operating all aspects of a cigar business, and I don't have the time to stop, kick up my feet and RELAX.  Most of my friends and clientele usually see me sitting down enjoying a cigar in their company while laughing, telling stories, talking about politics and solving the problems of this world as us handsome intellectuals do most of the time.  Despite the joy, intellect and wisdom I bestow to my friends/clients, my mind is totally in a different place:  finding a way to cut business costs; new marketing/advertising programs; dealing with vendors; finances; paying the rent; bringing in newer better cigars; walking the dog; what to eat for dinner; etc, etc, etc...  My point is that although I look relaxed I am not.  So now what?  I was told by a good friend long ago to always give yourself a minimum of two hours per day of alone time.  Where am I going to find this alone time with all my responsibilities?  How do I clear my mind from everyday life?  Well, I thought about many different options, but all were too complicated, so I came to this frame of mind - Fuck It!!!  I forced myself to spend some time everyday with my beautiful wife, kids or with friends.  For that time I said "fuck it" to all my responsibilities and business concerns.  That was my time!!!  Whether I wanted to do it or not, I said "fuck it" and did it.  Of course my time, or the "fuck it" time was spent with a great cigar from Havana Sensation Cigars.  I'm not encouraging anybody out there to drop what they are doing and just say "fuck it," but to make the necessary and responsible arrangements to enjoy a little me time.  Luckily, I have great people at Havana Sensation Cigars, and these people are what has helped me keep my sanity (what little I have left) and have given me the flexibility to have me time.  To Richard, Jon, Will & Austin who's helped out many times:  Thank You!!!  So go out there with a great cigar and enjoy these summer days with total peace and relaxation.  Oh, and a frosty beer may help too.

Public Service Announcement

Is This Dog Scary to You?

So one of our regulars is training his dog to be more intimidating. (pictured above) I am just curious if anybody finds him intimidating. Honestly he's a big teddy bear.. I mean look at how he gets shy for the camera!! This little guy wouldn't hurt a fly and no matter how tough he acts when his owner is around, I know the second he walks away he's back to snuggling!!

What's wrong here!?!?

So Bloggers been giving me some troubles the last week or so on my MacBook. Here is how things usually work for me on here; short opinion based blog posts go through my iPhone (working fine) and in depth informative posts go through the Blogger website (on the fritz). I'm on top of this and working hard to get it figured out so I can get the blog up to date on the last few weeks of news from the shop and the cigar world. Bare with us!! Hope to have it figured out by the end of the day!!

BTW - This is a bird dog hybrid in the picture above if you were curious. This would be amazing if it were real.. Well at least with small dogs and small birds. An Eagle and German Shepherd would be scary as $&$/$!!!!!

I'm Gonna Get Swine Wasted!!

Anniversary (N): A time to celebrate the beauty, gift, and the blessing of enduring love for Havana Sensation.

Keep the Change you Filthy Animal!!!

So this is cool! I'm just making my rounds on some other blogs I follow and I run into this. THE HOME ALONE HOUSE!!! AND IT"S FOR SALE!!!! From what I've read they actually used the inside of this house for scenes in the movie as well which makes it even cooler, because I can't wait to roll a gigantic tool box down the attic stairs or tar and feather some robbers in the back. The only catch is it's selling for $2.4 million which I think is a deal. So... I am going to put an offer in of $2.5 million and those filthy animals can keep the change!!

Uncrate.com - click the link for the low down

Operation Raccoon Mafia

So I have talked about this before, but will refresh those of you who may be new to the blog. The shop is not only home to "The Finest Cigars in the World," it is also the home of a mafia raccoon family that runs real deep. They've got the wild (stray) cats as mules doing their bidding and are quite frankly just running the show. The landlord is evening getting out because of the pressure being put on him to produce his monthly protection fee to the Don Rodrigo. Well we at Havana are not going to stand for this... And have a hit out on the the Don Rodrigo himself.. Come into the shop if you are interested. They are kind of cute little guys so don't get attached, it's just how they want you to feel.

Shuttle Launch Postponed

The space shuttle Endeavorer that was scheduled to launch today drew the biggest crowds since the Apollo days. An estimate 500,000-750,000 people gathered to watch the launch. This massive crowd included the Obama family and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords the senator who was shot in the head during the Tuscon, Arizona shootings. Unfortunately all those people will have to wait at least 48 hours becuause problem discovered in the  Auxiliary Power Unit 1 heaters. For more information you can follow NASA on twitter. (No, thats not a joke NASA actually has an official twitter)

Royal Wedding

As much as I hate to admit that I watched the royal wedding, they really know how to party!

Alec Bradley Cigars @ The Shop

Would like to thank everyone at Alec Bradley Cigars (Especially Kevin! He was the man!!!!) for a great night of cigar smoking and friendship. Got to see some close friends and make some new ones as well! Chef KB absolutely hit the ball out the park as usual and Tim Citek sang LATE into the evening!! We are truly blessed at the shop to have such great guests and friends that make everything we do possible!! Thank You Everyone!!

PS - 1 year anniversary party may 21 - Press Release Next week!!!!

Brah, I made a new golf ball

These new biodegradable golf balls made of cooked lobster shells were developed by Jonathan M Carney an undergrad student and an engineering professor at the University of Maine, and is said to feel and perform just like standard golf balls. It is also said to cost less than 80 percent of other balls on the market.

Check out the full story after the jump 

Chemistry Of Creme Eggs

Happy Easter!

LFD Digger Review

LFD Digger Review

Size: 8.5 x 60
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country: Dominican Republic

Imposing. One word describes this amazing cigar through and through. And yet like a child on Christmas morning, I couldn't wait to unwrap it. I was so anxious that I didn't even worry about what I mention as a disclaimer now; This is a three to three and a half hour cigar for some people, so plan your time accordingly instead of maybe rushing to your cigar shop at one in the morning after work and firing it up, sunrise may occur while still smoking as a result. That being said however, totally worth it....
Once getting comfy, it was gonna be a while, I marveled over the cigar. Massive veiny dark and leathery, the foot had aromas of sweet grass that had been drying to perfection for a while. I started with a nice V cut which was enough to create a breathy open draw tasting of dark cocoa and a wrapper that brought the flames of hot chili to my lips with it's pepperiness. Once lit created volumes of smoke drawing light and easy tasting of pepper and cocoa. During the first quarter hints of leather appeared and the peppery flavor took on a change reminiscent of sun dried peppers.
About half way through the cigar, and many good stories and arguments back and forth at the bar (it took that long to get halfway!), the spiciness of the pepper balanced out and the leather came more prevalent smooth and easy to smoke and yet still strong and powerful. With the buzz I had and the fog my mind was in I almost didn't notice that I was close to the end of the cigar until the spice returned in full force and remained till the end. Once I finished the cigar I stood up triumphant as if I had just finished an endurance challenge just on the sheer length of time devoted to it, unfortunately no one else was left at the lounge to celebrate my triumph and in standing up for the first time in four hours my equilibrium was shot from the buzz I had from this cigar.
After picking myself back up off the ground, I reflected on how amazing a smoke it was. Meticulously crafted, artfully blended, and almost seemingly designed to take on even the most seasoned smoker as if almost striking back for all of it's fallen brothers I've burned. However with a full stomach and a lot of time on ones hands the challenge can totally be won. That being said make sure you definitely eat a hearty meal and have a comfy location and a large drink ready, clear your calendar, and fire the Digger up. A definite cigar for a someone looking to actually relax for a while and completely forget the world exists around them.

P.S. The Digger is definitely my new goto cigar for days where I promise my wife I'm only gonna have one cigar with the boys! Come get in trouble with me and enjoy the Digger at Havana Sensation!