Would you like a Cigar?

A cigar lover is like the US Postal Service. Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow shall keep us from smoking our stogie!

Hello all. I enjoyed reading the thread. I did start smoking cigars at an early age (12) and started with my Uncle Andy's White Owls and Winchesters Hahaha. Over 50 years of smoking as provided some improvements. I favor Dominican cigars over all others and prefer 50 rings. Upmann and Punch can be found in my humidor, but Romeo y Julieta are often my everyday cigar in different sizes and strength. I find them to be very consistent and burn evenly.

My favorite cigar is a Cuban Montecristo #2 torpedo, when I can get them (an afford them), unbelievable strong and consistent.

Warning to others here, while in South Africa I found quality cigars to be very scarce. I would bring a full travel humidor and not expect to replenish while in country.

Roger

RLP said:

Hello all. I enjoyed reading the thread. I did start smoking cigars at an early age (12) and started with my Uncle Andy's White Owls and Winchesters Hahaha. Over 50 years of smoking as provided some improvements. I favor Dominican cigars over all others and prefer 50 rings. Upmann and Punch can be found in my humidor, but Romeo y Julieta are often my everyday cigar in different sizes and strength. I find them to be very consistent and burn evenly.

My favorite cigar is a Cuban Montecristo #2 torpedo, when I can get them (an afford them), unbelievable strong and consistent.

Warning to others here, while in South Africa I found quality cigars to be very scarce. I would bring a full travel humidor and not expect to replenish while in country.

Roger

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Welcome @RLP. You are certainly a veteran to the stogie smokers group here. I agree on scarcity of good cigars while traveling, especially African hunting destinations. I always travel with cigars as if the apocalypse will happen while I am gone, and I get a lot of grief from folks on the thread about my copious quantities of cigars I carry with me. I have run out of cigars one time in the past 20 years of going to Africa, my second trip, and I wound up smoking a box of 50 Philly Blunts the PH had been gifted. My lips were orange for a week. Never again.

@Mort Hill, when I ran out of stogies in South Africa, I went to 2 Cuban restaurants and cleaned out their humidors.

Good to know that Cuban restaurants have cigars. I'm like @Mort Hill, I go in well prepared, not as much as he carries but enough to keep me happy while hunting.

RLP said:

@Mort Hill, when I ran out of stogies in South Africa, I went to 2 Cuban restaurants and cleaned out their humidors.

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That bit of wisdom just went into my memory banks for future application if required!

PARA45 said:

go in well prepared, not as much as he carries

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I think it was indeed a hunt report of @Mort Hill that he carried a staggering amount of cigars with him. It is fair to say that nobody goes as prepared as him

DieJager said:

I think it was indeed a hunt report of @Mort Hill that he carried a staggering amount of cigars with him. It is fair to say that nobody goes as prepared as him

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Good point. We are rookies compared to him.

@Mort Hill & @PARA45 the restaurants were the "Cubana Havana Lounge" in SA

Just boarded the Explora 1 in Istanbul for the second cruise of this vacation from Istanbul to Athens Greece via a number of islands in the Mediterranean. I am in awe of this cigar only lounge on this ship. Enjoying a Cuban Montecristo Edmundo on the fine leather seating, indoors, with some fabulous jazz music. Wife may divorce me, but I may never leave this room!

Mort Hill said:

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Just boarded the Explora 1 in Istanbul for the second cruise of this vacation from Istanbul to Athens Greece via a number of islands in the Mediterranean. I am in awe of this cigar only lounge on this ship. Enjoying a Cuban Montecristo Edmundo on the fine leather seating, indoors, with some fabulous jazz music. Wife may divorce me, but I may never leave this room!

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Mort Hill said:

View attachment 628794
Just boarded the Explora 1 in Istanbul for the second cruise of this vacation from Istanbul to Athens Greece via a number of islands in the Mediterranean. I am in awe of this cigar only lounge on this ship. Enjoying a Cuban Montecristo Edmundo on the fine leather seating, indoors, with some fabulous jazz music. Wife may divorce me, but I may never leave this room!

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What’s the name of the ship? I need to book something in…

Nice cigar lounge @Mort Hill

Enjoying an end of the day Kentucky Fire Cured MUWAT

I’ve been with a cold, first cigar in four days. I’m trying to smoke the sh*t out of this cold

BourbonTrail said:

Nice cigar lounge @Mort Hill

Enjoying an end of the day Kentucky Fire Cured MUWAT

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Those are great sticks. Not your everyday smoke but just a few times a year I like to smoke them.

PARA45 said:

I’m trying to smoke the sh*t out of this cold

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Hit the shit out of it. Luck favours the bold

Hello all.

Myself and a friend head to mainland Europe a few times a year for some cigar shopping.
Next week we are visiting Brussels. Anyone got any recommendations for good shops ? Been looking at Cigar Art and Le Roi de Cigar’s websites.
Any good gun shops to visit in the city also ?
@VertigoBE ?

@Sika98k they have some LCDH shops.

Sika98k said:

Myself and a friend head to mainland Europe a few times a year for some cigar shopping.
Next week we are visiting Brussels. Anyone got any recommendations for good shops ? Been looking at Cigar Art and Le Roi de Cigar’s websites.
Any good gun shops to visit in the city also ?
@VertigoBE ?

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I used to go to Le Roi du Cigare.
Coincidentally this is one house over from Maison Binet, one of the old and famous (and unfortunately last within the city walls) hunting shops of Brussels (I believe there was a carbine or gun on auction from House Binet on the recent Holts auction.) Unfortunately Mr. Binet is quite old now, and he is trying to sell off his inventory as well as the building, for a few years now. So there are not a lot of rifles remaining, but there are a lot of trinkets, books, and especially lots of super high quality but super expensive clothes for the ladies still remaining.

From Google Maps: Le Roi du Cigare on the left with the Habanos sign. Maison Binet on the right.
As far as I remember the cigar store is only the shop on the ground floor. But Maison Binet you can walk through three floors of stuff.



Another location, although I have never been personnally, but I have passed by a lot is the Davidoff store on Les Sablons:


Les Sablons (or in Dutch, De Zavel) is also filled with quaint antiquaries, art galleries and some pretty decent dining options. Very classy location. Close by you also have the Musée Margritte (from "Ceci n'est pas une pipe"). And if it is good weather, I urge you to have a brunch on the rooftop of the nearby Musée des Instruments de Musique (MIM):


Cig-Art is in a location I also frequent quite a lot, but since it is a newer store I have not visited it. An excellent place for having a couple of beers, a bit more outgoing, younger and alternative than on les Sablons. Great asian food, fusion, and all other kinds of quick bites. Not far from here you also have the Halles de St Gery, an excellent place to sit outside, watch the people and have a few beers.

If you have a vehicle to move around, the following gun stores are not too far from Brussels and I can definitely recommend them:
- Hunting Lodge in Wavre
- Pascal Collard
- Hunting World
These three are really good. There are a few other good gun/hunting stores in Belgium, but they are a bit further away from Brussels.

I knew this group would come through for @Sika98k. Well done gentlemen. Enjoying a lovely Davidoff The Late Hour while cruising away from Rhodes Greece.