Earlier in October, I had the pleasure of being invited to this year’s Cigar Bash, hosted by Casa de Montecristo, at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida. The event took place on Saturday October 7. 2023 and I will say it was well attended. Tickets for the event came in two forms: To Read more about Lifestyle – Casa de Montecristo Cigar Bash 2023 – Fun in the Tampa Sun[…]
Since the first cigar factory opened in Tampa in 1886, hundreds of thousands of people have worked hard to roll the best cigars in the world. As a handcrafted, labor-intensive product, cigars are difficult to roll well, and one mistake will ruin a cigar. It is because of the hard work, dedication, and craftsmanship of Read more about Cigar News: J.C. Newman Cigar Co., Mayor Jane Castor, and Congresswoman Kathy Castor to Break Ground on Cigar Workers Park on Nov 18[…]
The year was 1853 when a young Vincente Martinez Ybor, a Spanish immigrant to Cuba, opened a small cigar factory in Havana. He had one brand, a cigar known as El Principe de Gales (“Prince of Wales”). Through his hard work and determination, the brand took off and eventually he was producing 20,000 cigar a day Read more about Cigar Review: Serafin de Cuba – El Principe de Gales Robusto – Rated 95[…]
During my visit the other week to the Ybor City Cigar Heritage Festival, I took the time to swing over to the newest lounge in the area – Grand Cathedral Cigars. The lounge is the brain child of Angela Yue, who as some may know, is not new to owning and operating cigar lounges. She Read more about Cigar Lounge: Grand Cathedral Cigars – Tampa Heights, Florida[…]
Why has is it been a number of years since I ventured over to Ybor City, Florida? I know it is just a 2 hour jaunt from the Stogie Press office, but I just have been so busy that when I want to go, something seems to pop in my life and put the visit Read more about Cigar Lifestyle: 2021 Ybor City Heritage Cigar Festival[…]
After going through a restoration of their historic El Reloj 110 year old factory in Tampa, Florida, J.C. Newman Cigar Company has opened their doors to the public. If you have never been to this iconic factory, or you want to see the result of their beautiful restoration, you can now take a a behind the Read more about Cigar News: J.C. Newman Opens Doors to the Public and Offers New Factory Tour[…]
He re-established his factory there, hiring many of the Cuban refugees who had also fled Cuba, and started making his popular “Principe de Gales” line. Key West, however, was not an ideal location for his factory. There were many issues such as shipping to the mainland, conflicts between Spanish and Cuban workers & ready accessibility Read more about History of Ybor City[…]
If you are a cigar lover and I know you are because you are reading this article, then you need to make a trek to Florida’s Ybor City. Founded by Vicente Martinez-Ybor in 1885 as a cigar-manufacturing center, Ybor City today is one of only two National Historic Landmark Districts in Florida. Ybor City is Read more about Strolling La Septima[…]