PF Cigars

Vamos a Nicaragua

2011-10-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Vamos a Nicaragua 15 a 19 febrero y se alojará durante tres días completos. Haremos un recorrido por una plantación de tabaco de trabajo, los graneros de secado, y la fábrica de laminación de cigarros. Si a usted le gustaría venir con nosotros, háznoslo saber y haremos todos los arreglos.

I don’t know how good my Spanish is. I may have just invited you to spend a weekend at my sister’s house, along with her two ex-husbands, four kids, six dogs, and God-knows-who-or-what-else.

Actually, the first paragraph was an announcement of our upcoming trip to Nicaragua, in February of 2012. As sponsors of this trip, Piano Fuerte Cigars will provide you with accommodations, food, drink, and tours for three full days at a working tobacco plantation and cigar factory. Talk about a different kind of vacation! If you can provide for your own airfare, everything else is covered. And, I’m fairly certain that the sponsors will be able to find a cantina or two, to help pass the time between tours.

Does anyone, besides me, remember the I Love Lucy episode where she was visiting husband Ricky’s relatives in Cuba, and she visited a cigar factory? The one where she rolled a three foot cigar? That could be you. If you come along, you’ll get a cigar rolling lesson, and you, too, could end up with a yard-long stogie.

Tell your relatives that you don’t want any gifts this holiday season, (unless it's cigars). Tell them, instead, to give you a gift certificate that can be put toward your airfare to Nicaragua.

Esperamos que usted venga.

Do You Have Any Cuban Cigars?

2011-08-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Do you have any Cuban cigars?

Hardly a week passes that someone doesn’t ask that question in our store. Some folks ask it, with an implied wink, hoping that they can surreptitiously purchase a stick or two of the illegal golden fleece of the U.S. cigar world. Others ask that question, completely ignorant of the embargo against Cuban imports of any kind, including stogies. All of them ask it because of the mystique surrounding Cuban cigars. Maybe Castro compounded that mystique, both by being an avid cigar smoker and by pissing off the U.S. so totally that we no longer buy anything produced in Cuba. No matter what, there is an immediate mental callisthenic that most people perform when they hear the words Cuban cigars; those words conjure up mystery, romance, smoking excellence, and dreams of an expedition into unknown worlds of pleasure. There’s just something about Cuban cigars that draws our interest, whether we’re cigar smokers or not.

Some of the other common references to Cuban cigars are:

“A friend of mine had some Cubans and he gave me one. It tasted terrible. What’s the big deal with Cubans?”

“A friend of mine had some Cubans and he gave me one. It tasted fantastic. What’s the big deal with Cubans?

“A friend of mine had some Cubans and he wouldn’t give me one. Should I un-friend him?

“I’m going on a cruise next month, and we’ll be stopping where I can buy Cuban cigars. What should I look for?

“How can I tell a counterfeit from a real Cuban cigar?”

The biggest deal is, indeed, whether or not you’re buying a counterfeit Cuban cigar when you make a purchase outside of this country. There are some obvious do’s and don’t’s about buying Cuban cigars.

Before buying…

Do: Read about cigars…all cigars. Learn about how and where cigars are produced. Learn about the countries, conditions, factories, and people that produce cigars. Become familiar with brands, shapes, sizes, blends, fillers, binders, wrappers…everything that goes into cigar production.

Learn about and ask about brands of Cuban cigars BESIDES Cohiba, Bolivar, or Montecristo. Those are the most commonly asked for and counterfeited Cuban cigars. Other brands, arguably just as good, are less likely to be counterfeited.

Smoke lots of different kinds of cigars. Learn the differences in taste, appearance, and packaging.

Ask a lot of questions. Ask cigar shop owners. Ask other cigar smokers.

Pay attention to what other people are smoking, asking, saying, and buying.

Gain confidence in your ability to know what a good cigar is…and what it is not.

Don’t: Don’t believe everything you read and hear. Cigar smokers are like any other aficionado. There is a heck of a lot of personal bias in any one person’s opinion.

Don’t keep a closed mind. Be open to all the bits of information you’re sure to collect about cigars.

Don’t let your own ignorance stop you from learning all you can. You won’t learn more if you don’t dig for information and ask questions.

When buying:

Do: Ask a lot of questions. Don’t be afraid to make the seller explain his product(s) to you. If you make a purchase, you’ll have paid for that information, so it should be as good as possible.

Examine individual cigars and boxes thoroughly. If you learned about seals, stamps, and labels, examine cigar packaging for all of those things. Make sure that all the words on the packaging and labels are spelled correctly and that the ink doesn’t smudge or run when you move your finger over it. (Sad, but true, many vacationers have returned with Cuban cigars with the words Habana or Cohiba misspelled.

Comparison-shop before you buy. Don’t be afraid to go from shop to shop, getting the best price.

Use common sense. If a deal seems too good to be true, it IS…not probably….certainly. In the world of Cuban cigars, there really is no such thing as a free lunch. The best you can hope for is a slight price savings along with a reasonable assurance that you actually got what you wanted.

Make your purchase from a retail tobacconist…someone who’s, hopefully, licensed to sell you what you’re looking for. Remember, if you’re on vacation, on a cruise, at a resort, the retailer knows that he/she is NEVER EVER EVER going to see you again. Someone who is less than ethical or honest may take advantage of that. Take out personal insurance by shopping at a place that is as reputable as possible.

Don’t: Don’t buy cigars, any cigars, from someone other than a licensed tobacconist. Cigars purchased from the trunk of a parked car have disaster written on the labels next to the brand name. Cigars purchased from street vendors of any kind are just as likely to be counterfeit as those purchased from the guy in the parked car.

Don’t buy cigars, Cuban or otherwise, if your intuition hints that something just isn’t right.

Don’t buy more Cuban cigars than you know you can legally bring back into the U.S. through Customs. It would be shame to leave your Cubans in the hands of Customs…even though we all know they would destroy them as per the law…heh heh.

Don’t buy Cuban cigars from the very first place you shop. Do some comparison shopping and get the best price. There’s a lot of competition.

Don’t try to speak a foreign language that you don’t know. You’ll only embarrass yourself, besides trying to order a box of Godzilla Corollas.

Don’t second guess yourself after you’ve bought a box of Cubans. Be satisfied that you did your homework, and enjoy those stogies.

One last do: Go to http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/counterfeit/ and read The Ultimate Counterfeit Cigar Primer. It’s worth the read.

Your Cigar Lighter

2011-03-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Got something a little nicer than a Bic? Get a gift that you don't quite know what to do with now that you own it?

Butane lighters, if you're going to use a lighter, are preferred among cigar smokers to get your stick going. Why? They provide a lot of heat that's focused and they stay lit as long as you like, so that you can light your cigar without burning your fingers, as with matches, (even stick matches). That said, you still want a butane lighter that is a "jet" type, rather than a Bic-type. Jet-type butane lighters mix air with the escaping butane to produce a small, intense blue flame not unlike the larger blue flame you might be familiar with in a propane torch. The jet-type butane lighters are preferable to a Bic-type of flame, because they are hotter and more direct. Bic type lighters have a cooler, wavering flame that is more suited to lighting cigarettes than a cigar.

Butane, jet lighters usually have one, two, or three jets that are good for lighting cigars. Any of them are suitable for lighting cigars, or in the case of the 3-jet models, for sweat soldering copper pipe in your garage. Because all of them burn evenly you can light your cigar evenly without burning partly up the side of your cigar. They're also pretty much wind-proof.

When you light a fresh stick, hold it in one hand, your butane lighter in the other, and heat just the end of your cigar, making circular motions with the flame until the entire head of the cigar is evenly heated and charred. Then, put your cigar in your mouth, and repeat the process with the flame pointed at the end of the cigar while you gently draw and fully ignite the tobacco. Be certain that your lighter's flame adjustment is set low enough so that you don't light your lips, nose, or moustache should the flame momentarily shoot past the end of the cigar. Once you're satisfied that your cigar is burning evenly, remove it from between your lips, inspect the end, and gently blow on the glowing "cherry" to make sure it's lit evenly around the end of the cigar.

Another advantage to a jet-type butane lighter is if your cigar happens to burn unevenly, (it happens), it's very easy to "even it up" with a butane lighter...much easier than with a match or a Bic-type lighter.

Filling your butane lighter: Hold the lighter upside down, and insert the nozzle of the can of butane fuel into the little bitty hole in the bottom of the lighter. Press against the spring in the fill hole of the lighter and hold for about 2-3 seconds. Make sure no gas is "hissing" out around the nozzle while you do this. Repeat this once or twice, and your lighter should be completely filled. The cold butane may prevent your lighter from igniting the first couple of times you try it once it's filled, so let your lighter rest for a few seconds, to warm up again, and it should light just fine.

Trouble shooting your lighter: If your lighter won't light, and you KNOW it's full of fuel, try the following:
- Make sure it's "sparking" when you try to light it.
- Clean the jets with an old tooth brush.
- "Bleed" the fuel that's in the lighter and refill it. Holding the lighter right-side up, press on the spring-loaded fill hole with a small tipped instrument of some kind. Keep pressing until it stops hissing at you.
- Refill your lighter with properly refined butane fuel. No, butane is not just butane. There are different grades. We've found in the shop that Xikar butane has less chance of eventually clogging the jets of your lighter.
- If your lighter still won't light, all is not lost. Depending on your lighter, it MAY have a warranty. Xikar lighters come with an unconditional warranty. Even if you didn't buy it from us, bring your Xikar lighter to us and we'll send it back to the company for you. They WILL fix or replace it.

What Do I Do With My New Cigars and Humidor

2010-12-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

So, Christmas has come and gone, and a kindly friend or relative gave you some cigars, or a humidor, or both. What do you do with them now? You're not a regular cigar smoker, so you want to learn how to take the best care of your new acquisitions. Here's a list of do's and don't's that will help:

With your cigars,
"DO"
- keep them in their little wrappers, (if they came wrapped)
- keep them in your new, (or old), humidor
- inspect your cigars occasionally, (make sure the wrappers are intact and they're still humidified)
- share your cigars with friends who show an interest in them, (nothing adds to a cigar like good company to share the smoking experience)
- smoke them yourself, (don't keep them forever, waiting for just the right moment to smoke them. You have 'em, enjoy 'em.)

"DON'T"
- leave your cigars lying around, (they WILL dry out, even on a rainy, humid day)
- store your cigars in the refrigerator, (a refrigerator's job is to suck the moisture OUT of things)
- smoke 1/2 of a cigar, put it down, then come back to it later, (cigars NEVER taste as good after they've been sitting around and are then re-lit)
- share just your crappy cigars with friends, (share the wealth, and let others enjoy what you enjoy.)

With your humidor:

"DO"
- break it in properly, (see a previous blog post about the "Care and Feeding of Your Humidor)
- put it somewhere where you have easy access to your smokes
- check the humidity regularly, (even when you think the ambient humidity is keeping your cigars fresh)
- use humidor fluid, (propylene glycol), distilled water, or proper humidifying gel crystals
- keep your humidor at the proper temperature and humidity--approximately 70 degrees F, and 68%-72% humidity--a little variation either side of these numbers WON'T destroy your stogies)
- check your cigars as well as your humidity, (to be certain your smokes are staying fresh)
- stock some premium, top-shelf sticks in your humidor that you know are always waiting for you

"DON'T"
- leave your humidor open to the air any longer than necessary, (especially in the dry summer months)
- let your humidor get overly warm, cool, dry, or moist, (see above suggestions)
- use tap water, (sediments have a tendency to gum up your humidifying brick over time)
- use anything to humidify your cigars unless you are CERTAIN it's the proper thing to use.

All that said, with a little care and attention, your cigars will remain fresh and smoke-able. It does take a little attention, but like any other hobby or endeavor, practice will make it second nature, and you'll know that you can always go to your humidor and be greeted by fresh cigars.

FRIDAY NIGHTS DOWN AT THE LOUNGE

2010-07-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

What are you doing on Friday nights?

Down at the cigar lounge, we're trying to have some sort of event every Friday night. Last Friday we had a barbecue and movie. You missed it? Well, next Friday, when you come to downtown Vacaville for the Creekwalk music series, you should stop in to the cigar lounge and see what's happening.

Maybe it'll be a wine-tasting evening, where you can sample some new wine and a cigar or two. Maybe it'll be a barbecue and a movie again. Maybe it'll be a cigar event, where you can meet a representative of a cigar company and take advantage of great cigar deals. Or, maybe it'll be an evening of meeting other cigar aficionados and enjoying a leisurely time of chatting, trying some new cigars, and end up adding our lounge as one more stop on your regular Friday night itinerary.

Hope to see you here.

Names In The Cigar World

2010-07-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

As you buy more cigars, frequent more cigar stores, and become more knowledgeable, you will undoubtedly run across several names that seem to dominate the cigar industry. Jose "Pepin" Garcia is one of those names. As one of the leaders in the cigar making world, his history is varied and interesting.

Jose "Pepin" Garcia

Early life

Christened José García, Pepin was born into a large family of tobacco growers/cigar makers in Báez, a town in Villa Clara province, Cuba.

Marriage and children

His son, Jaime Garcia is following in his father's footsteps. He and his father created the blend for the Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ brand. His daughter, Janny O. Garcia, is also involved in the family business.

Tobacco career

Cuban years

Don Pepin began his life with tobacco in December 1961 at the age of 11 when he began working in a factory in Báez owned by an uncle. In March 1963, he began working at the Félix Rodríguez export cigar factory in Báez where he worked until he emigrated to Nicaragua in 2001. He spent thirty years in Cuba developing his skills as a torcedero (cigar roller) and blender, earned numerous accolades for his blending abilities and achieved the highest ranking possible as a cigar roller, Class 8 (Master). Among the awards he won was the Productivity Prize for rolling 320 Julietas (a vitola of 7 x 48 in size) in four hours. The Cuban press often compared the speed and dexterity of his rolling to that of a magician. He is also a Tabaquero Maestro (Master Blender), and was also a “teacher of teachers” in the arts of blending and rolling cigars.

He helped blend cigars such as Cohiba, Partagas, and Montecristo. During the 1990s, he was in charge of Quality Assurance for the Cohiba brand, and was also a consultant to several Cuban cigar makers. Also during the 1990s, he was accounted Cuba's most productive master roller.

He left Cuba in 2001, going first to Nicaragua where he worked with AGANORSA, a major tobacco grower. In 2002, AGANORSA merged with Tropical Tobacco, and the combined company continued as Tabacalera Tropical. Don Pepin stayed on for a while as a blending consultant to the new, combined company. He then went to Miami, Florida, where he continued to work with Tropical, and also set up a small rolling operation of his own in the Tropical warehouse, but soon established his own company and factory. The company, El Rey de los Habanos, Inc. was begun in June 2002,[1] but was not formally incorporated until December of that year. He is currently the President, and his daughter Janny is the treasurer. The corporate offices are at 1120 SW 8th St, Miami, Florida.

Cigars

In the short time he has been on his own, Pepin Garcia has moved from a relative unknown to a major name in the "boutique" brand arena. In addition to his own brands, he has blended and makes several others for various companies. His skill as a master roller has often been recognized. Pete Johnson said that his "unusually adept skill is evidenced by the fine construction of the cigar". By 2007, his reputation as a superior cigar maker had grown and he was tapped to create and manufacture a completely new brand (San Cristobal) for a major premium cigar company, Ashton Distributors, Inc.
The first brand Pepin made on his own was Tatuaje for Pete Johnson, and after this brand received high ratings in Cigar Aficionado magazine, Pepin was suddenly in great demand and many people wanted a Don Pepin brand. The tiny Miami factory was unable to keep up with the growing demand, and it became necessary to open a second factory, Tabacalera Cubana, in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Don Pepin’s goal is to re-create the Cuban style as closely as possible without using Cuban tobacco. He has found that Nicaraguan tobaccos render the flavor closest to the Habanos he has in mind, although other tobaccos are used as wrappers from time to time, notably Ecuadoran grown Connecticut shade. His cigars are not for everyone, as they are medium- to full-bodied and can pack quite a punch.
All of the cigars made at his factories are made in the Cuban style and are finished with a triple cap. In addition, every box is marked with the date of manufacture, a practice which is beginning to gain favor outside of Cuba, where it has always been done.

Care And Feeding Of Your Humidor

2010-06-08T10:51:00.002-07:00

Humidor Care

If you are planning on keeping your cigars for longer than 1-2 weeks, you will need a humidor. Cigars must be kept below the maximum temperature of 73°F (23°C) and between 65-72% humidity. Ideal conditions are 70°F (21°C) and 70% humidity.

Proper cigar storage is crucial. If you do not store your cigars properly you may encounter some of the following problems: uneven or too rapid burn, harsh or bitter taste, broken wrapper, difficulty lighting or keeping the cigar lit, mold, and tiny holes in your cigars, a sign of tobacco beetle infestation.

When you first set up a humidor, you must check the humidity level at least every two weeks to ensure that the humidity does not vary. Once a month (more often in arid weather conditions) add a propylene glycol solution (recommended) or distilled water to the humidifier. Once your humidor is stable and you have been taking care of it for a while, you will learn how long you can go without adding water or activation solution.

You should never use tap water as it contains minerals and chlorine that can clog the humidifier’s pores and inhibit operation.

Store your humidor in a cool, dry place to prevent mold growth. Avoid placing your cigars in direct sunlight. If the temperature and humidity get too high, cigars can develop a potentially damaging fungus or mold. Another hazard of cigars stored in too hot or humid an environment is an infestation of worms called lacioderma. The worms lay eggs inside cigars and burrow out, forming tiny holes in the wrapper and metamorphosing into tiny, brown beetles. If you discover the presence of worm holes in your cigars, remove and destroy the affected cigars immediately, and then carefully inspect all the cigars in your humidor for signs of infestation.

A humidor’s proper moisture and temperature must be created before storing cigars. To setup your humidor, follow these simple instructions:
1. Submerge the black plastic humidifiers in activation solution or distilled water until well saturated. Dry off the surface of the humidifier and place on a towel for approximately one hour to make sure that no dripping occurs.
2. With a clean, lint-free cloth dampened with distilled water wipe the interior of the humidor. This step can be skipped if you are afraid of damaging the cedar interior, as may happen if the wood becomes too wet.
3. Leave a damp sponge in the humidor resting on a plastic bag. Make sure there is no direct contact between the sponge and the humidor. Instead of a sponge you may also use a shot glass full of water.
4. Attach the humidifiers and the hygrometer to the inside of the lid. Also, place the humidifiers in the bottom holders of the humidor if applicable.
5. Close the empty humidor for at least twelve hours or overnight.
6. Open the humidor and remove the sponge and the plastic bag.
7. Close the humidor again for an additional twelve hours. Your humidor is now ready to store cigars. When placing cigars in the humidor, make sure the cigars do not block the humidifier’s vents.

To check if the hygrometer is reading correctly, use the salt method to test its calibration. You just need to:
1. Place some salt in a bottle cap or small cup and dampen it with a few drops of water (without dissolving it).
2. Carefully place the wet salt and the hygrometer inside a see-through container and close tightly. You can use a zip lock bag provided it seals well and you leave some air inside as well.
3. Let it sit for at least 6 hours and note the reading on the hygrometer without opening the container. It should be exactly 75%, the difference is how much your hygrometer is off.
4. If needed, adjust the needle to 75% by turning the screw on the back.

If you follow these instructions correctly you should have a stable humidor that will keep your cigars in perfect smoking conditions for a very long time.

What's new at PF Cigars?

2010-05-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

What's new at PF Cigars? Rather, that's Piano Fuerte Cigar Lounge. You may have noticed the new signage...window decal and awning. If not, stop by 333 Merchant / Ste. C and check it out. Besides the signs, we're also doing a bit of remodeling on the inside.

The humidor has been reworked, remodeled, and redone, and by the time you read this, it should be finished. And, lurking inside the walls of our remodeled humidor are loads of cigars.

We not only carry our own line of special blends with the Piano Fuerte label, but we have an extensive selection of premium cigars from major manufacturers.

Our ROCKY PATEL event of last Saturday was successful, and we want to thank all of our friends and customers who stopped by to enjoy a cigar, some snacks, and a whole lot of conversation. A pleasant by-product of that event is that overflow of ROCKY PATEL cigars that we have in our cigar humidor...Rocky Patel Vintage 1990, 1992, 1999, Olde World Reserve, Edge, Renaissance.

If you're looking for great cigars and a great place to smoke the, stop by and visit. Nothing's finer than enjoying a cigar with folks who stop by.

Welcome to the world of cigars.

2010-04-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Q: What's a good cigar?
A: Whatever you enjoy smoking.

That's not meant to be flippant. Like wine connoisseurs, cigar enthusiasts have wide and varied tastes in what they smoke. There is no simple or pat answer to that question. A good cigar is one that should give you some amount of pleasure while you're smoking it and, hopefully, give you cause to buy another one just like it. Those taste may change daily, or even during the course of a single day. A mild cigar in the morning may not be as satisfying later in the day, or after a large meal. A full-bodied cigar may suit your taste today, but in the company of others, perhaps at a dinner party, or even lounging at a barbecue in the backyard that taste may change toward something more medium or even mild-bodied. Your favorite cigar this week maybe be a different brand, strength, size, and country of origin than it was a month or two ago.

So, my favorite answer to the question, "What's a good cigar" is "The one that I'm smoking right now."