Update #2:
08/05/08:
Parents, wife, kid, and I rode the TECO Streetcar into Ybor City in the afternoon. It was HOT! I didn't make it to Tampa Sweethearts since it was about five or six blocks from the last stop and nobody wanted to go that far in the heat (which was OK since the streetcar ride was mostly for my boy, anyway). I did stop at the Columbia Restaurant's cigar shop and picked up a Figurado #1,Figurado #2, and a maduro Torpedo. I tried to stop in at La Herencia de Cuba but my wife said "aren't you coming back on Saturday?" which we all know really means "I want to go the f*** home." So Ybor was a bit of a bust, but we are all coming back on Saturday morning (the men will be cigar shopping, the ladies will go to the
Ybor City Saturday Market.
08/06/08:
My father and I drove into West Tampa and hit two
chinchales or small cigar factories (also known as buckeyes). First was Rodriguez y Menendez. This was the first time I had been there and I understand they moved to their current location from somewhere else close by. When we walked in, the first thing I saw was an older woman (mid-60's, easy) making cigars at the front of the shop. She was pretty engrossed and my Spanish is mediocre (very sad for someone whose father is from Mexico, but I've come to terms with it so y'all can too
) so I didn't bother her. In addition to Fuentes, Camachos (including that huge 60-ring Triple Maduro-very attractive I might add), and Rocky Patels, the left wall was all their house brands which are rolled on-site. I picked up two R&M Premiums (panatela and palma especial), R&M Premium Reserve (maduro torpedo), and four Villa de Zarate (two petite corona and two nacionales). The owners were very nice and we chatted a bit (in English). The woman helping me said that some of the older men buy a bundle a week. I told her I'm lucky if I can smoke three in a week (although when all you have to do is sip tazas de cafe, munch pan cubano, play dominoes, and talk to your buddies, it's much easier to burn through a bundle or so).
Leaving there, we went to the Gonzlez Habano Cigar Factory. This time I had to use my Spanish but I got through it alright. The store front is basically a large foyer with the factory behind glass in the rear. The display is a small glass cabinet mounted to the wall with a limited selection of smokes. However small you are thinking it is, you are probably not thinking small enough. I told the lady (who I believe was the owner's wife) I wanted to try their maduros (their website lists Moroccan tobacco as part of the blend :0). I was hoping for toros and panatelas, but all they had were some short torpedos. I picked up four of them and four natural panatelas which she said had just been prepared. There was a sign saying they do not sell fresh rolled sticks but age them at least 20 days before selling them so I don't know if "just been prepared" meant "I just rolled these suckers" or "I just pulled them out of the aging room and put the labels on." I've never held a fresh-rolled cigar before, but I have a feeling this was not it. I was also looking for a figurado called the
"Lord Byron" but they were out. So, I was purchasing the eight I had picked out and I guess the lady felt bad that they were out of everything I'd wanted 'cause she pulled a small perfecto called a "Short Story" (shh, don't tell Carlito) out of the cabinet and put it in the bag free of charge. Honestly, though, it really wasn't necessary, although I was grateful for it and it probably made her feel good. I was not irritated or annoyed about the lack of smokes. The factory is more a labor of love for the owners to make sure that Tampa's cigar heritage is not lost and for that I salute them.
Looking forward to Saturday
.
TampaSupremo
P.S. Sorry about the long post.
