Good Life Diaries

5 January 2009 The Perfect Holiday Smoke… You know, it seems every year I’m faced with the same problem. I go through my humidors looking for the perfect cigars to accompany me on my Christmas excursion. Carefully taking into consideration size and time commitment, as well as my cigar-smoking cousins who’ve never turned down a smoke from me since I’ve been in the business. The first part of the trek was to the northeast corner of Connecticut, “The Quiet Corner” as it’s referred to. It’s where I grew up… and is about a three hour drive from New York City. Usually I love enjoying a cigar on the drive, but this time just wasn’t in the mood. It was bad weather, bad traffic, and I knew I’d just end up chomping on it to release my frustrations rather than actually enjoying it. We (my girlfriend Tiffany, and I) spent the next 3 days in Connecticut with my family. I don’t think I ever appreciated the wrap around porch of our Victorian home until I began enjoying cigars. It’s perfect. However, ...

20 May 2008 I’ve been inundated with questions regarding the cigar business in today’s economy. Of course, cigars are one of those things that are considered an “extra” in many of our lifestyles; they’re not on the list of essentials like food, water and shelter (although for me, they’re somewhere between food and water). I’ve heard people are “cutting back”, “tightening their belts” and waiting for things to “settle down”. I saw a customer last week that I haven’t seen in quite some time. When I asked where he’d been, he replied, “Ugh, I haven’t gotten out of office before 9pm for weeks.” Now, I am a believer in working hard, putting in the extra hours, and even burning the candle at both ends. But, I’m NOT a believer in not rewarding yourself for your hard work. It’s times like these that make your “cigar time” even more important! A cigar demands time. It demands attention and relaxation. I’m not suggesting that you blow off a conference call and fire up a 2-hour double coro...

28 March 2008 So often when you think of cigar-men, you think of stocky guys in guyaberas standing in a field smelling tobacco leaves, their shirt pockets stuffed with freshly rolled puros for them to smoke all day. But there is a man who is quite different. Tall in stature and always impeccably dressed, Jose Seijas is a soft spoken gentlemen whose passion for making some of the most popular premium cigars on the market is incredibly evident, yet his demeanor is as subtle as the cocoa notes on the cigar that bears his name. I recently had a chance to chat with Jose Seijas upon my return from the first annual ProCigar Festival about some of the newest offerings coming out of his factory- ALTADIS’ Dominican Facility, Tabacalera de Garcia in La Romana. MH: JOSE, THE PRO CIGAR FESTIVAL WAS SUCH A GREAT SUCCESS. WHAT DO YOU THINK NOW THAT THE FIRST ONE IS OVER WITH? JS: I certainly appreciate your comments about the Festival. I think we owe a lot to Henke Kelner and Catherine Llibre and ...