Hip Town and Hip Cigar Joint: The Occidental Cigar Club

Wherever I go, I make it a point to find the local cigar B & M's. Sometimes I hit pay dirt with the right mix of people , spirits and or course cigars. In my recent trip to San Francisco I found a unique place near where I was staying in the Union Square area.
It was early afternoon and had an engagement later in the day so my time would be limited. Using Google and Yelp I discovered the Occidental Cigar Club was only a 10 minute walk, so I was on my way.
When I arrived at the cigar bar there were no other patrons there and it felt like they just opened up. Still I ventured in , walked around a bit and spent a few minutes checking out their humidor.
There were popular well known blends such as Ashton, Arturo Fuente, Rocky Patel and Padron. The sticks looked like they were well cared for. The price point was bit on the high side but again, you are in a city which is the most expensive city to live in the USA. You are concerned that you are spending too much, you might have second thoughts. However, they have a great policy which allows you to bring in your own stash for only a $5 cutting fee for each cigar you light up.  You cannot get more generous than that. I light up an Ashton, ordered a brew and took in the room.
It's a small bar, narrow and dark, probably holding about 20 patrons. Very good beer and scotch selection, which I don't know much about.
As I smoked, several people showed up and I struck up a conversation with two guys who also were ordering drinks and cigars. I made a cigar suggestion while I asked what brought them here. One fellow was from North Hollywood in LA and his friend was from Georgia, who was in the military. They were in town for dual purposes.  To watch the Oakland Raiders and celebrate the solider's bachelor bash.
That is what so great about cigar chat. You meet so many people with this common connection and the discussion can then get very broad on  just about anything.
I also was able to hold a brief conversation with the barkeeper who one of the co owners of the bar.
She said the bar was open since 1992 and had a steady clientele of folks who both enjoyed both cigar and spirits. The bar would get quite crowded at night and she invited me back later but alas, I could not do it.  Clearly on my next visit to SF, I will make it a point to head back to the Occidental Cigar Club. 
I suggest you look at their website, take a further look at the Yelp reviews and I know you will be making this part of your trip. If you are a resident of SF, you are indeed lucky to have such a great place.

So my rating is :

Bar Scene: Incomplete, did not stay there long enough
Cigar Humidor: B+
Spirits selection: B+
Value: B

I urge you to head to this great joint.

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Punch Punch Tubo Habano review

Is every Cuban perfect or do we like to over hype them? Here is a review of the famed Punch Punch which might sway your view of Cuban cigars

Brand name: Punch Punch Tubo

Country of Origin: Cuba

Size: 143 mm x 46

Shape: Corona Gordo

Box date: April 2013

Appearance/ construction

Earthy in appearance, a slight fault in the foot. Rustic appeal , somewhat oily to touch, firm cap. Love the presentation of the tube, very striking. 

3.8 out of 5 

Flavor/Taste and Aroma

Initially milder than I expected with a slightly nutty and sweet first third. Very little spice, smooth. Nice start to the cigar. Medium in my view. Enjoyable at the start, let's savor the moment. 

Smoking Characteristics:

Easy draw, no burn issues but not quite uniform, still very smooth but spice now kicking in, losing the sweetness and getting edgy , more flavor, more complex. Ash is solid.

As we smoked further into the cigar, pepper was the name of the game. Construction faltered a bit as we needed a re light.

Conclusion/Overall Impression

A good smoke with an uneven taste profile. The last third was still peppery but smooth. It burned a bit hotter at the end .  I certainly would buy them again but would not be a go to cigar on a regular basis.

A cigar for the experienced with a classic Cuban twist.

For those who like counting:

Burn: 3.5 out of 5

Flavor: 3.8 put out of 5

Construction: 3.8 out of 5

Overall : 3.6 out of 5

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Sneak preview : Dignity Cigars with DonJuan Gross

I had the pleasure of smoking with DonJuan Gross, owner of Dignity Cigars recently and of course we talked about cigars.
 He showed me a new blend he is working on which will be available very soon.  He stated the final blend is still not ready yet so I will let him announce it when Dignity Cigars is ready to make the new presentation.
However,  he did show me a new package that is one of the best designs I have seen in cigar marketing.  It is cool looking, with a strong looking presence that says: I need to have these cigars.  Here is the package and tell me what you think.

I am looking forward in smoking the next edition of Dignity Cigars.
 If you are unfamiliar with this boutique blend, I suggest checking out their web page. It is a Costa Rican cigar and has a very distinct flavor profile.  It is not what you expect, which is positive and I will let you make your own decision.

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Romeo Y Julieta House of Capulet cigar review

When reviewing a new cigar  product you must be aware of your subjective bias. The marketing from the manufacturer will  try to sway your opinion .  Your friends who may be familiar with a particular cigar will chime in with their thoughts. Your own previous experiences will enter into your overall opinion  of what the cigar should taste like. As long you are aware of these factors and let your readership know, I think you are on a solid ground.

Romeo Y Julieta House of Capulet Robusto
Strength:  Medium
Shape : Robusto
Size: 5 X 54
Wrapper Color: Natural
Wrapper Origin: Eucadorian
Wrapper Leaf: Connecticut

This cigar was made for Famous Cigars by Romeo Y Julieta and it is an exclusive blend.

This is a very good looking cigar with a band and paper wrapper that is very arty and cool. Whoever in marketing put this together really did a bang up job with it. It was so impressive that I did not want to take the wrapper off. The cigar had a light brown hue and was smooth to the touch. Firm construction without any obvious blemishes. The roll was outstanding.

For more information on this blend, please click on the above description for a direct link to Famous Cigars.

Would rate this 4 out of 5.

The initial light and cut were made by Xikar products.  The smoothness of this blend was evident was the start with a hint of flavor of nuts and cocoa. This combo flavor stayed throughout the first third of the cigar.  While it was described as medium thought it was mild with perhaps some medium overtones. The  cigar at this stage was very smooth and truly enjoyed it.
At this juncture rating was still 4 out of 5.

The ash was light grey in color and was still attached to the cigar.  A slight burn flaw now appeared but did not create a problem. Eventually the ash did flake off nearing the 2/3 mark of the smoke. Continued to enjoy and reminded myself , a milder blend can be just as pleasurable as a more full bodied smoke.

The last third of the cigar had a bit of of a burn issue but in reality was not a factor. Perhaps it distracted from the overall look of the smoke but did not cause any other flavor or construction issue. The smoke stayed smooth and fun to smoke.

My final thoughts and impressions.

This is quite the find and the price point was very reasonable too. Sometimes we think of what the cigar costs and that might give us unreasonable expectations of the blend.  When it hits on both accounts it is a winner.

As a recap, the overall impression is very positive and for those who enjoy a lighter smoke , it might be in your cigar interests to pick up a box from Famous Smoke. I would certainly smoke it again but as milder cigars are not my regular profile, would have a 5 pack in my humidor when the lighter smoking moment hit me. 

4 out of 5 is a pretty good smoke indeed.

I received this cigar from Famous Smoke gratis for this review. As always this does sway my judgment of my opinion of the cigar.

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