Last Friday, on the way to visit Thompson's Cigars, in Tampa, Florida I noticed a building with a large sign reading Cuesta Rey Cigars right off I-4 in Tampa. I reckoned this to be roughly in the Ybor City area.
I had not been to Ybor City since 1981 or 1982. When I was last in the neighborhood my impression was that it was a decrepit, derelict area on the slide down to ghetto status. The good folks at Thompson's were kind enough to direct me to Ybor City and even pointed out a few places I ought not miss. I consider that a classy move when you point out your competition. It shows respect for the judgment of the consumer, in my opinion.
The run from Thompson's to Ybor City is very easy. Just straight east on Hillsborough until you come to Nebraska. Take Nebraska south until you come to 7th Avenue. Turn east on 7th avenue and it will take you right through the heart of Ybor City. It was a 10 minute drive away from Thompson's, including a stop at a Pawn Shop I noticed along the route.
It is apparent that the fine citizens of Tampa have done much to gentrify the Ybor City area. For those who do not know about this place here is why you should care. Ybor City was cigar central for much of the world during early part of the 20th Century. It was here that US forces shipped out to fight the Spanish in the Spanish-American War. The US Volunteer Cavalry "Rough Riders" left their horses behind in Tampa as they entered the steam ships in the harbor to take them to Cuba. It was here that the Cuban Liberation Movement flowered among ex-patriot Cuban cigar rollers. It was from here where high quality, hand constructed, hand crafted cigars were introduced onto the American market; spawning a demand for high quality "branded" tobacco products. In many ways the educated Cigar rollers of Tampa and Key West bank rolled the Cuban Liberation movement of Jose' Marti'. With pennies and nickels, earned in Ybor City Cigar factories Marti was able to construct a resistance to the tyrannical Spanish colonial rule of Cuba. Garibaldists in Red Shirts shouted revolutionary slogans to the immigrant workers as they sipped their Cafe' Cubano and smoked their hand rolled cigars at countless Cafeterias on 7th Avenue. Ybor City is important to history. It is important to Cuban history. It is important to United States history. It is important to those of us who enjoy high quality hand rolled cigars. When mechanized cigar rolling became popular the place began to suffer. When access to high quality Cuban tobacco was interuppted by the Castro government the Cigar industry in Ybor City effectively collapsed. Still the roots of fine cigars run long and deep in Ybor City. Ybor City was a famous immigrant neighborhood with Cuban, Spanish, Italian and Greeks making up the majority of the immigrants working and living in the surrounding area. After the collapse of the Cigar industry the area lost its economic glue and many of the immigrants moved on to other areas. Ybor became a bad neighborhood with peeling paint and broken windows. That is the Ybor City I recall.
Aparently a decade ago Tampa made great efforts to bring Ybor City back as a gentrified neigborhood and a tourist attraction. The neighborhood does seem to still have its rough edges. On the other hand 7th Avenue, the center of Ybor City is a very pleasant tourist destination. I parked the car and walked the length of 7th Avenue. I walked into a number of Cigar shops and was impressed. A shop called "El Sol" had a good supply of their own brand of cigars and national brand named cigars for very competitive prices. I will have to obtain some of the El Sol brand to review in the near future. There were a number of bars and restaurants advertising the fact that they were "Cigar friendly". Many of these restaurants have outdoor sidewalk tables where I observed a number of clients enjoying coffee and drinks with cigars. I walked down to the Columbia Restaurant and found Metropolitan Cigars at the end of the block. This store is all it is has been suggested to be. The staff were friendly, congenial and willing to answer questions. I requested to be shown their line of cigars that were rolled locally and was allowed to select several from a large display on the counter. It is smaller store with open boxes that somewhat reminds me of the old Mike's Cigars on Alton Road in Miami Beach before they became the big company they are now. I will post here a review of these cigars when I am done smoking them and can make a fair observation of them. I really got a positive feeling from Metropolitan and can see they will be getting more of my money. As I walked out of Metropolitan I was embraced with the immediate and immense pleasant aroma of roasting coffee. Sure enough right next door is an industrial coffee roaster and they were doing their thing. Oh!if there is a Glory it must smell like this! Unlit Cigar in hand I stepped in to this place, El Molino Coffee Roasters and asked for a pound of whatever it was they were roasting. I also got a cortadito (large Café Cubano) which they made on the spot. Oh my was that a memorable moment in my life! Sun shining. Cigar burning. Low humidity. Standing on the side of 7th Avenue in Ybor City sipping Café Cubano. It is happy moments like this that come back to you in tough times to get you through.
In the end I cannot say I walked into every door and joint in Ybor City. I did spot a number of places employing Cigar rollers but this is something we see in Miami quite a bit so that is not too big a thing for me. As well, my visit was around noon and I could clearly see this is the sort of place that really comes to life after dark. I have made a mental note to make my way back in the very near future for a meal at the Columbia and a Cigar at a sidewalk restaurant. This area has gone out of its way to recall its glory days as the major player in cigar rolling in the USA. It has made the effort to make a number of places friendly to Cigar smokers. If in Florida you might consider stopping in to check out Ybor City; especially after dark! I had a memorable "moment of Zen"; Cafe' Cubano in hand, puffing on a Cigar on the side of 7th Avenue. I cannot think of a better recommendation!
I had not been to Ybor City since 1981 or 1982. When I was last in the neighborhood my impression was that it was a decrepit, derelict area on the slide down to ghetto status. The good folks at Thompson's were kind enough to direct me to Ybor City and even pointed out a few places I ought not miss. I consider that a classy move when you point out your competition. It shows respect for the judgment of the consumer, in my opinion.
The run from Thompson's to Ybor City is very easy. Just straight east on Hillsborough until you come to Nebraska. Take Nebraska south until you come to 7th Avenue. Turn east on 7th avenue and it will take you right through the heart of Ybor City. It was a 10 minute drive away from Thompson's, including a stop at a Pawn Shop I noticed along the route.
It is apparent that the fine citizens of Tampa have done much to gentrify the Ybor City area. For those who do not know about this place here is why you should care. Ybor City was cigar central for much of the world during early part of the 20th Century. It was here that US forces shipped out to fight the Spanish in the Spanish-American War. The US Volunteer Cavalry "Rough Riders" left their horses behind in Tampa as they entered the steam ships in the harbor to take them to Cuba. It was here that the Cuban Liberation Movement flowered among ex-patriot Cuban cigar rollers. It was from here where high quality, hand constructed, hand crafted cigars were introduced onto the American market; spawning a demand for high quality "branded" tobacco products. In many ways the educated Cigar rollers of Tampa and Key West bank rolled the Cuban Liberation movement of Jose' Marti'. With pennies and nickels, earned in Ybor City Cigar factories Marti was able to construct a resistance to the tyrannical Spanish colonial rule of Cuba. Garibaldists in Red Shirts shouted revolutionary slogans to the immigrant workers as they sipped their Cafe' Cubano and smoked their hand rolled cigars at countless Cafeterias on 7th Avenue. Ybor City is important to history. It is important to Cuban history. It is important to United States history. It is important to those of us who enjoy high quality hand rolled cigars. When mechanized cigar rolling became popular the place began to suffer. When access to high quality Cuban tobacco was interuppted by the Castro government the Cigar industry in Ybor City effectively collapsed. Still the roots of fine cigars run long and deep in Ybor City. Ybor City was a famous immigrant neighborhood with Cuban, Spanish, Italian and Greeks making up the majority of the immigrants working and living in the surrounding area. After the collapse of the Cigar industry the area lost its economic glue and many of the immigrants moved on to other areas. Ybor became a bad neighborhood with peeling paint and broken windows. That is the Ybor City I recall.
Aparently a decade ago Tampa made great efforts to bring Ybor City back as a gentrified neigborhood and a tourist attraction. The neighborhood does seem to still have its rough edges. On the other hand 7th Avenue, the center of Ybor City is a very pleasant tourist destination. I parked the car and walked the length of 7th Avenue. I walked into a number of Cigar shops and was impressed. A shop called "El Sol" had a good supply of their own brand of cigars and national brand named cigars for very competitive prices. I will have to obtain some of the El Sol brand to review in the near future. There were a number of bars and restaurants advertising the fact that they were "Cigar friendly". Many of these restaurants have outdoor sidewalk tables where I observed a number of clients enjoying coffee and drinks with cigars. I walked down to the Columbia Restaurant and found Metropolitan Cigars at the end of the block. This store is all it is has been suggested to be. The staff were friendly, congenial and willing to answer questions. I requested to be shown their line of cigars that were rolled locally and was allowed to select several from a large display on the counter. It is smaller store with open boxes that somewhat reminds me of the old Mike's Cigars on Alton Road in Miami Beach before they became the big company they are now. I will post here a review of these cigars when I am done smoking them and can make a fair observation of them. I really got a positive feeling from Metropolitan and can see they will be getting more of my money. As I walked out of Metropolitan I was embraced with the immediate and immense pleasant aroma of roasting coffee. Sure enough right next door is an industrial coffee roaster and they were doing their thing. Oh!if there is a Glory it must smell like this! Unlit Cigar in hand I stepped in to this place, El Molino Coffee Roasters and asked for a pound of whatever it was they were roasting. I also got a cortadito (large Café Cubano) which they made on the spot. Oh my was that a memorable moment in my life! Sun shining. Cigar burning. Low humidity. Standing on the side of 7th Avenue in Ybor City sipping Café Cubano. It is happy moments like this that come back to you in tough times to get you through.
In the end I cannot say I walked into every door and joint in Ybor City. I did spot a number of places employing Cigar rollers but this is something we see in Miami quite a bit so that is not too big a thing for me. As well, my visit was around noon and I could clearly see this is the sort of place that really comes to life after dark. I have made a mental note to make my way back in the very near future for a meal at the Columbia and a Cigar at a sidewalk restaurant. This area has gone out of its way to recall its glory days as the major player in cigar rolling in the USA. It has made the effort to make a number of places friendly to Cigar smokers. If in Florida you might consider stopping in to check out Ybor City; especially after dark! I had a memorable "moment of Zen"; Cafe' Cubano in hand, puffing on a Cigar on the side of 7th Avenue. I cannot think of a better recommendation!
