Nora's Lake Ivanhoe Wine and Cigar Shop

At a first glance from the outside, Nora's Lake Ivanhoe Wine and Cigar could be mistaken for a cozy New England gablefront cottage with plants and wind chimes hanging from the porch.  Two chairs are poised waiting for visitors to sit back and wash away the work day with conversation and perhaps a cigar.

Even upon entering the air is scented with spice and incense and merchandise mingled with decorations hang from the walls much like an eclectic Vermont gift shop. There are non traditional wine racks on the walls as if floating above cases filled with an incredible selection of pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot, table reds, port, pinot grigio, chardonnay, white blends, riesling and ice wine.  If Nora doesn't have it (and she does have a lot), then she will certainly get it for you.

Moving beyond the wine is a cozy seating area nestled in a cove with windows peering out into the world. There are a few chairs and a couch as well as ashtrays there for people to sit and enjoy their purchases. I search for cigars and see nothing so I have to ask. Only as I walk through a doorway which oddly feels like I am entering someone's apartment and see giant sliding glass doors on my left, do I see the signs pointing to the giant humidor. I slide open the door and enter a small room packed from floor to ceiling with a wide array of cigars. Brands start jumping out, Arturo Fuente, Brick House, Ashton, La Gloria Cubana, Punch, Rocky Patel, Oliva, La Flor Dominica, Acid, Baccarat. There are cigars, humidors and other merchandise laid out and I am amazed that so many treasures are locked away inside this cavern.  I feel like an explorer who has stepped into ruins and found goblets and jewels of gold and rubies intact and waiting to be reunited with fresh air and sun.

 I finally choose an Oliva V and close the glass door behind me, working my way back to the register in the front.   Nora rings me up and wishes me a great day.  I tell her I will be back and most certainly will with friends so they too can discover the treasures that await.

Stop by Nora's at 1407 North Orange Avenue, Orlando  32804.  The hours are 1pm till 6pm ish.  If there are people hanging out, she will stay longer.  Also check out her website at www.noraswinecigars.com for events and more information.  Hope to see you there in my travels around town orlando!

Gran Habano 3 SLS Cigar Review

3 SLS Cigar

Looking for a nice medium bodied smoke for a relaxing evening? Try the George Rico 3 Sieglos cigar. Lights easily, burns evenly and is packed with nutty, earthy notes with a bit of pepper. This smoke is very creamy and is packed loose enough that you get the full variety of flavor with every smooth and easy draw. I think I paid around $6.50 for this stick and will definitely pick up a couple more for the humidor.

Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 50 Years - Cigar Review

I sat down recently in downtown Orlando with a few of the Cigar Aficionados of Central Florida. The occasion was to visit with friends and enjoy a nice smoke and a beverage outside.  One of the members, Hoss was kind enough to also bring along several of the Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 Torpedo's  for us to sample.

This particular cigar, the 1959 50 Years is the third in the Exodus series produced by Carlos Torano and is listed as the most full bodied of the three.

The Exodus series  was carefully handcrafted to mark and remember the turmoil of the mass exodus from Cuba of the tobacco families, after Fidel Castro and his guerillas seized power in 1959.  It was that year that Castro's militia swept through the countryside and claimed at gunpoint all tobacco farms as government property, leaving the Torano and all other tobacco families without the land and livelihood they had spent years cultivating into a prosperous cigar making business.  The Torano family was left penniless and forced into exile but brought with them the seed and knowledge of how to grow, age and roll tobacco.  It is with this Cuban seed and knowledge that Carlos Torano and other Cuban tobacco families can celebrate the past 50 years as a victory in working together to cultivate, harvest and age top notch tobacco's throughout Central and South America.

Today Carlos Torano has a thriving tobacco business with a factory in Nicaragua and another in Honduras producing 12 different cigar brands, including the Exodus 1959 50 Years.

About the cigar:

• Wrapper: Brazillian Arapiraca Sun Grown
• Binder: Honduran
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 1/2 X 52
• Shape: Torpedo

Construction and Appearance: Wrapper was very smooth with minimal veins and slightly oily.  The cigar was tightly rolled and firm with no soft spots. Due to how tightly packed it was, I opted for a straight cut and removed just over 1/4 inch from the cap to smoke.

Smoking Characteristics: Nice even burn throughout, no relighting necessary. Ash flowered in the first third but didn't flake off or drop.  Cigar did not have a lot of creamy smoke to it but pulled air easily through on the draw.

Taste: There were a variety of flavors in the cigar.  At first light there was a hint of pepper which mellowed out to a smooth dark chocolate and caramel flavor mixed with nutmeg and cinnamon.  The cigar finished with a nutty flavor, never becoming bitter.

Conclusion: I enjoyed this cigar tremendously both in the ease of smoking and in the smooth chocolate, caramel, cinnamon flavors.  I would rate this more of a medium bodied cigar and would highly recommend it.

Price Point: $5-$7 a stick

Gran Habano's World's Largest Cigar at Corona Cigar Company

A few weeks ago I took a drive to Corona Cigar Company on W. Sand Lake Road in Orlando.  There I met up with a few people from the Cigar Aficionados of Central Florida to see the spectre of the World's Largest Cigar!  The 18.9 foot monster labeled "Gran Habano Corojo #5 El Gigante," is the masterpiece of Gran Habano Cigars which was founded and run by the Rico family.

Don Guillermo Rico, a third generation tobacco maker grew up in Columbia, watching his grandfather and father grow and harvest tobacco and roll cigars in their homes. But it wasn't until 1995 when he came to the United States, that he saw the potential for his own brand of cigars in the cigar boom of the 1990's.  In 1998, he started his own company, purchasing a factory in Honduras and eventually four farms scattered across Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Columbia. In 2003 he introduced the Gran Habano line of cigars which has grown to include 5 types of cigars, the Connecticut #1,  Habano #3,  Corojo #5, 3 Siglos and Cabinet Selection.  Recently Don Guillermo with his son, George have worked together in the creation of the Azteca line of cigars, a complex, rich smoke that comes in a variety of sizes.  George also has developed his own line of cigars, the G.A.R. which I would characterize as a medium to full bodied smoke, not for the beginner.

It was at this event at Corona Cigar that I had the pleasure of meeting George Rico.  Having only started smoking cigars four months previously, I had picked up a copy of the cigar magazine, Cigar Press to learn more about the different brands available and their characteristics and as it turned out, that particular issue had featured an in depth article on George Rico. George talked about his philosophy of cigars and the different tobacco flavors, his line of cigars the G.A.R and also about Gran Habano. I had been fascinated and knew I wanted to try this guy's smokes.  So here I was, meeting George Rico and listening as he explained the various tastes in the different cigars to a couple of other people.  They made their selection and disappeared, leaving me with a very polite George Rico. I told him the types of cigars I had tried thus far and liked and he directed me immediately to the 3 Siglos. Afterward he also recommended the Azteca.  At this point I confided in him that I had read the story in Cigar Press and particularly enjoyed his sentiments that the strength of a cigar doesn't determine the quality. I told him that I felt cigars were very much like wine and he agreed saying that if he started his morning with a cabernet sauvignon his palate would be overwhelmed and would not be able to appreciate something lighter like a pinot noir with lunch.  We talked for a bit longer and I thanked him for his help.  He then told me that he only had a few, but he pulled from his shirt pocket a lancero which is his personal blend, one they do not sell. He offered it to me and I thanked him for his generosity and shook his hand.  I then went to the cafe area, ordered an iced tea and re-joined the group of Aficionados, lighting up the 3 Siglos.  It was a great smoke in the company of some nice people and I couldn't help but think that this experience would have a lasting impact.  Thank you to Corona Cigar Company and to George Rico and Gran Habano for a great day and some terrific cigars!

For more cigar events contact:www.coronacigar.com  

For a complete list of Gran Habano cigars and their history, contact: www.ghcigars.com