September 2021 - Cigar Life Guy

Atlanta Cigar Experience 2021 Highlights

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Staff

Cigar Life Guy was pleased to once again be a lead sponsor for Cigar Mike’s Atlanta Cigar Experience in and around Atlanta, Georgia, September 20-26, 2021. Several hundred cigar enthusiasts from around the country and the world descended on Atlanta to mix with local smokers across at least fifteen venues throughout the week. We’re going to break it all down to give you a taste of what the smoke was all about, and it begins with Cigar Mike Bennett. So, sit back, light up and read on.

“Cigar Mike” Bennett

The weeklong series of events of the Atlanta Cigar Experience is the brainchild of twenty-five-year cigar industry veteran Mike Bennett. Yet, Bennett is affectionately known simply as “Cigar Mike.” Bennett reflected on the week, “Atlanta is special to me since it’s my hometown. I felt so much love seeing my friends — old and new, visit. I was just thrilled everyone had a great time again this year.” Cigar Mike regularly hosts large gatherings of cigar lovers across the country. Notably, he will have his second annual “Cigar Mike Vegas Takeover” in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 4-7, 2021.

Up next, Black Smoke Magazine hosted its official release party to mark the publication’s debut.

Black Smoke Magazine Release Party

Stanley’s Cigar Lounge, a new lounge in town, was the lucky venue that held the most noteworthy party of the week. In fact, local entrepreneur and owner, Monica Coleman, opened the doors to this venue just this month. The event marked the official release for the inaugural issue of Black Smoke Magazine. Additionally, the debut cover featured Atlanta cigar icon Christine Morgan and BSM owner Kennedy Achille. You might also know Achille simply as “TK”. Regardless, we’ve rounded up over 35 great images of this event and linked them here for your viewing pleasure.

Besides Christine and TK, countless other industry personalities made the pilgrimage to Atlanta for the week’s festivities as well. In fact, even the legendary Boston Jimmie joined the fun. So, make sure you check out his recap as well. Finally, there were also more cigar companies, brand owners, manufacturer representatives and store owners than you could count. So, if you’ve never been to the Atlanta Cigar Experience and you’re going to be in the area next year, consider adding it to your calendar. Speaking of, let’s dive into what the Atlanta Cigar Experience entails.

Atlanta Cigar Experience Featured Events

The event kickoff began on Monday at the Cigar City Club in Sandy Springs. The kickoff event is mostly for locals. Yet, the party brought together many shop owners and representatives, too. In fact, anyone in the area who could get away on a typically slow Monday showed up for the event.

Tuesday was day two and turned into a complete street takeover of Main Street in Lithonia. There were parties held indoors and outdoors at the local crowd favorite, Life N Times Cigar Lounge. The lounge offers a selection of coffee, wine and spirits, and favorite boutique cigars to patrons. So, stopping here for a smoke is always a must.

The prerelease announcement party for ATL Cigar Co.’s new line extension “Magic,” arrived on day three of the event. That was on Wednesday, of course. The prerelease announcement was made at Atlantucky Brewery in Downtown, which is also a great place to grab a craft brew. The brewery also carries a local favorite you’ll want to try: Kentucky Mudd chocolate milk stout.

Thursday was day four of the Atlanta Cigar Experience. It also marked the day for the aforementioned Black Smoke Magazine Party in at Stanley’s Cigar Lounge in South Fulton. So, everyone headed over to join the festivities and enjoy a good stick.

On Friday afternoon, we headed over to the Quick Shot gun range near Buckhead. Guests spent time on the range popping off a few rounds for fun. After that, there was a barbecue buffet featuring Barbeque & Smoke sauces and related items. It was enough to make your mouth water. After the wild afternoon on the range, everyone enjoyed an exquisite evening at the Davidoff of Geneva store in Buckhead. Unfortunately, if you didn’t make it to the Atlanta Cigar Experience this year, you’ll miss out on the Davidoff store in the future. The store is closing its Atlanta location at the end of the year and will be missed. Not to worry, though, there are still plenty of other venues to pique your interest and enjoy a good smoke and fellowship at.

Saturday started with a bang. There was a day party takeover at Cam Newton’s Fellaship Lounge in Downtown. After that, event patrons enjoyed the evening at The Patio Social Club in Smyrna before wrapping up the sixth evening of the experience.

Sunday was the final day of the Atlanta Cigar Experience and with it came a finale any cigar enthusiast can appreciate. The finale was at King’s Cigar Lounge and featured all the NFL games on big screens and more barbecue. King’s is just a short Uber ride to the airport. So, cigar enthusiasts returning home can have a final smoke or three before catching their return flights.

Besides the featured evening parties, each afternoon of the Atlanta Cigar Experience included an organized “pop-up” event at a local shop or lounge. The pop-up events are a great way for cigar enthusiasts to mingle in a laid-back environment and check out a local cigar shop or lounge they’ve never visited.

Giving Back: Cigars for Warriors Fundraiser

Giving back and providing opportunities for others to giveback is always a staple of Cigar Mike events. One example for this year was Cigar Life Guy’s “Cigars Just Taste Better in Atlanta” T-shirt promotion. Atlanta Cigar Experience guests received a gift of a fun shirt showcasing Atlanta when they made a donation to Operation: Cigars for Warriors. Shirts were also available at retail partner Highland Cigar Co. and several pop-up events in the weeks leading up to the event. Cigars for Warriors is a 501 (c)(3) charity that has received over $2,000 donated so far. It uses these funds to send cigars to U.S. troops deployed overseas.

What Patrons Said About Atlanta Cigar Experience

When asked what they thought of the Atlanta Cigar Experience, guests had much to say.

“A.C.E. is an annual event for me. I enjoy seeing my extended cigar family. My [personal] quote is ‘That’s why you don’t have no friends…we have family!!!’ Thanks for the Family Reunion, Mike” – Kevin Watkins, Founder, Black Cigar Aficionados.

“The Atlanta Cigar Experience captured the true essence of what the cigar lifestyle is all about! As always, Cigar Mike was the ultimate ambassador to a great week of fellowship” – Reggie Kimble, Stickmen Blog.

“The Atlanta Cigar Experience hosted by Cigar Mike, was a true celebration of the cigar lifestyle, the appreciation of cigar lounges and small business owners who are a part of the lifestyle. It was an honor for Barbeque and Smoke to be a part of an amazing week full of events. We look forward to working with Cigar Mike and his team in the future and are always glad to return to Atlanta, GA” — Mac Bostic, Owner, Barbeque and Smoke.

“Atlanta Cigar Experience is an event I plan to never miss. Cigar Mike makes sure to create an experience like no other. I love the different vibes in the venues. I came last year for the first time knowing my Mom was gonna be gone when I got back. So it’s also my getaway and how I celebrate her leaving this earth with fellowship and enjoying others in the cigar culture” — Calvin “King Hollywood” Jenkins, Owner of Luxe Cigar Lounge in South Carolina.

“You can always count on Cigar Mike to put on a great Atlanta Cigar Experience. I believe much of that is due to his passion for premium cigars and his love for his hometown. Our industry is fortunate to have someone like Mike Bennett” — Eddie Tarazona, Owner, Tarazona Cigars.

“The Cigar Mike experience is always really exciting. You never what you’re going to experience and what to expect. Mike is an experience in his own way. Everything is always tailored to the people and for the people who travel from any distance to be there” – Akbar Alam, manager of Fellaship, an exclusive lounge and restaurant in Atlanta.

“Everywhere you went, you could see and feel Mike’s advocacy for the industry and small business. Cigar Mike is good for both the cigar industry and culture” — Greg Willis, a partner of Emperors Cut Cigars.

“Cigar Mike has an amazing network of people that we were so excited to host at Stanley’s. His connection to the pulse of the cigar community is unmatched” — Monica Coleman, Owner, Stanley’s Cigar Lounge.

“Mike is the host of all hosts! The vibe and events were great” — Mr. SODO in Houston.

“Tuesday night was an amazing experience at Life N Times Cigar Lounge Block Party. Truly enjoyed all the cigar enthusiasts from all sides of the country come together to celebrate Atlanta Cigar Experience 2021, hosted by Cigar Mike. It was a true cigar event that featured vendors, bourbon, cigar sponsors, and music that honored the Atlanta cigar industry” – M.J. Smith, Owner of Life N Times Cigar & Coffee.

“My trip to Atlanta from New Jersey was truly worth it! Mike was a great host. It really was an Atlanta Cigar Mike Experience!” — Donnell Isaac, Silverback Cigar Crew.

“There are days when I stand in awe of Cigar Mike. Though his schedule is often hectic, he is always seems to be in the moment, enjoying the company of whoever is in his presence. This ability is truly a remarkable skill, and I am honored to learn it from a great man” – Leroy Lamar, President, ATL Cigar Co.

That’s a Wrap

The Atlanta Cigar Experience is an annual event, traditionally held the fourth week of September. Look for coming details about the 2022 Atlanta Cigar Experience event and then mark your calendar.

Photo credit: All images are credited to Cigar Life Guy except for Akbar Alam, which is credited to Instagram.com/aalam.

How to Cleanse Your Palate Before Smoking Cigars

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Staff

Have you ever had your favorite cigar and enjoyed the nuanced tasting notes only to have it taste completely different or even bland the next time you try it? Perhaps the aroma has changed and something seems off about your smoke. You may be the victim of palate or olfactory fatigue! To get the fullest flavor out of your premium hand rolled cigar, cleanse your palate so the flavors of the smoke roll over your taste buds and waft through your nose. What you eat, drink, and smell from the environment you’re smoking in can affect the nuances of your cigar to some degree.

The Science About Taste and Smell

The human tongue is made out of receptors we call taste buds which look like small bumps. These bumps contain papillae that are specifically shaped to receive only certain structures. Think of them as shaped containers that can only contain one shape. If a container can only hold a square object, then a circular object will not fit in. When the papillae acclimate to a specific structure they send a signal to your brain telling it something is sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or savory (or umami). With all of these combined, we receive the signal of what the brain perceives as flavor.

In addition to that, when you chew food or, in our case, smoke a cigar, these structures also travel their way up to your olfactory sensors in the uppermost part of your nose. These sensors also send signals to your brain and when mixed with the signals from your taste buds they tell the brain what flavor you’re experiencing.

So whether you get cocoa notes while smoking a maduro or sweet cream notes from a Connecticut your taste buds and olfactory sensors are receiving certain structures and telling your brain the closest thing akin with which you’re most familiar.

Taste, Smell and Smoking Cigars

If you’re smoking the same cigar day after day or even different cigars one after another your sense of taste and smell can become overloaded. Tasting similar things over and over again may cause your brain to become dull to the signals your tongue or nose are sending.

For example: if you burn toast you will smell it immediately and your brain will tell you something is burning. After throwing the toast in the trash, the smell will linger but after a while your brain will forget or block out the signals that say something is burning. If you leave the room and come back, the smell of bad cooking will be fresh in your mind.

Thankfully, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you freshen your palate and experience your favorite cigars as if you were experiencing them for the first time.

Cleanse Your Palate and Taste Buds

Water

Room temperature water helps hydrate and refresh your taste buds. If you drink cold water, it will shrink your receptors and impede the papillae from grabbing on to flavor particulates. The more they can grab, the more intense the flavor.

Sparkling Water

Not only does sparkling water help to hydrate your mouth, the carbonation can stimulate the tongue, allowing your taste buds to get ready to receive more flavors.

Coffee

The acidity in coffee helps cut through flavors lingering in the mouth. Black coffee is best as cream or milk can coat the tongue in fats that can mess with what you’re tasting in your smoke. The bitterness in coffee can also help contrast certain flavor notes. Sometimes a brew can overlap with the coffee notes in cigars and highlight other flavors like cocoa or caramel. The aroma of coffee can also clear out your olfactory senses. You will often find coffee beans in a jar at cologne stores to help freshen your sense of smell.

Tea

Much like tobacco, tea leaves are grown in similar conditions and left to dry and age like cigars. It’s the same with coffee. The acidity improves your ability to taste cigars. Try pairing the color of your tea with the color of your cigar wrapper. The two complement each other’s taste. If you’re smoking a bold maduro, go for some black tea. A fun combination to try is light green tea with candelas. Again, the smell of tea can freshen the old sniffer right up.

Citrus

Similar to coffee and tea, drinks with lemon or lime help freshen your taste buds. Citrus preps your taste buds to take in more flavors. You can also add a slice of lemon or lime to your water, sparkling water, or tea. This improves the palate cleansing power.

Ginger

That pile of pink pickled ginger on your sushi plate isn’t just for show. Eating pickled ginger in between bites of your nigiri washes the palate. It prepares your tongue to taste the subtleties of the fish you’re eating. If eating pickled anything sounds gross while smoking, try ginger ale or ginger beer instead. The spiciness can complement the pepper notes in a Habano wrapped cigar.

Sparkling Coffee

Apparently, mixing espresso or coffee with sparkling mineral water is a thing. Is it a good thing? That’s subjective. However, it makes for an interesting experience when puffing on a good cigar. The fizzy acidity works wonders on the taste buds. Again, the aroma of coffee helps with the ol’ olfactory sensors. Speaking of which…

Cleanse Your Palate and Olfactory Senses

Eighty percent of taste is mostly what we smell. Something that comes to mind is retrohaling. Retrohaling is when you take a puff and let it roll around your mouth for about 10 seconds. Then, you blow it out through your nose. When you retrohale, you find different aromas that aren’t as pronounced on the tongue. Here are two sure fire ways to cleanse your nostrils of stagnant smoke that aren’t already mentioned above.

Cleanse Your Palate with Fresh air

If you’re in a lounge or a smoking den, no matter how well ventilated it is, the scent of cigars will still linger in the air. This can be especially true with flavored or infused cigars. Remember when you burnt your toast earlier? It’s the same idea. Simply get up and get a little breather outside. Getting some fresh air resets your brain from the constant stimulation it’s getting when sitting in a room.

Cleanse Your Palate with Your Own Skin

Another easy way to refresh your olfactory sensors is to smell your own skin, but only if you’re not wearing cologne. If you’re in a lounge or smoking in a room you shouldn’t smell of cologne anyway as the scents can horribly affect your cigar experience as well as others who are present. Don’t be “that guy”. This is another good way to ruin your cigar experience. If you’re not that guy, smelling the crook of your elbow or the skin on your arm provides your brain with what it’s already familiar with: your own scent.

Cleansing Your Palate When All Else Fails…

If you’ve tried everything and your cigars taste bland, then your palate may be burnt out. To help repair your senses, eat bland tasting foods for a week or two. Unsalted water crackers are good for this and, for this reason, many often pair them with cheese and wine. Plain oatmeal or whole grain bread also helps your taste buds refresh. Plus, you should be eating these anyway as they’re good for you and heart healthy.

If your sticks are starting to taste samey samey, these tips and tricks will help out. Your tongue and nose will thank you and those cigars will taste better with a cleansed palate. Try some of these methods before smoking your after-dinner cigar! Protip: if you ate something fatty, like a good steak, try to order a lemon sorbet if you can. It’s a good dessert as well as a good palate cleanser.

Photo credit: Unsplash

How to Cut a Cigar Without a Cigar Cutter

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Staff

It’s a beautiful day outside and you’re enjoying yourself. The sun is shining. There’s a slight breeze in the air, and you think to yourself, “Wow, what a perfect time for a cigar!” You pull out the cigar that has been waiting for you to light it at this very moment. You grab your cigar poker to loosen the tobacco, but disaster strikes. You realize that you left your cigar cutter at home! If this has ever happened to you, then fear not. Thankfully, there is more than one way to cut a cigar. With a little creativity and resourcefulness, we’re going to teach you how to cut a cigar and turn this rough situation into a win.

How to Cut a Cigar Using your teeth

Back in the day, good cigar cutters were a luxury. Many cigar-smoking veterans have developed the tried-and-true method of clipping their cigars with their teeth. While this takes practice and experience to get right, it is still one of the most effective ways to clip your cigar in a pinch.

While holding your cigar, place the cap of the cigar between your front teeth. Start by slowly bringing your teeth together like a good cigar cutter. This helps break through the cap. Then, bite swiftly to cut the rest of the way through. Take care, though. You don’t want to bite off too much of the cigar.

How to Cut a Cigar Using a Knife

If you’re the type of individual who carries around a pocketknife, then it’s your time to shine. Before cutting, sharpen your blade. Remember, you want your blade to slice through the tobacco, not tear it. A dull blade can deal more damage to a premium cigar than anything else.

Upon pulling out your cigar, place your blade about 1/12 of an inch from the top of the cap. Now slowly rotate your cigar in the direction of the wrapper until you have completed a circular slice the entire way around the cigar. If you’ve done this correctly, the cap should pop off on its own. If the cap has not yet come off, then try to find a flat surface you can set your cigar on. If you can’t find a flat surface, make sure to hold the cigar firmly. Place your blade within the cut you have just made and quickly press the blade through your cut.

Punch a Hole

When you use your teeth or a knife to cut a cigar, you always run the risk of cracking the outer layer of tobacco. If your cigar is too precious to take those kinds of risks, then your next best option is punching a hole in the cap. Punching a hole in the cap allows you to smoke the cigar without completely removing the cap. The only thing you have to worry about is making sure you get the correct airflow.

First, find a sharp-pointed object. This can be anything from a screwdriver to a fishing hook. If you have matches, you can even use a dull knife to sharpen the end of a match as a makeshift hole puncher. We’ve even used a thorn from a wild rose bush before. Now the best way to accomplish this is to take your sharp object and poke it directly through the top of the cap. Once the hole has been punched, put the cigar in your mouth and test the draw. Widen the hole with your tool of choice until you get the desired airflow.

While we hope you’re never in a situation without your good cigar cutter, it’s good to have the ability to get by without it. Check out the rest of our cigar articles to discover more useful tips on cigar smoking, like how to select a great cigar humidor. There’s a lot of culture that comes with cigar lifestyle!

Photo credit: Pixabay

Yahya McClain: Boxing World Champion to Cigar Buff

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Staff

Yahya McClain (born John McClain in 1967) has crammed a whole lot of living into his slightly more than half a century walk on this earth. Yahya is a two-time boxing world champion – once as a light heavyweight and once as a cruiserweight. Following his boxing career as a fighter, McClain trained and then later married Laila Ali, the daughter of arguably the greatest boxing world champion of all time, Muhammad Ali. Currently the CEO of YES Filmworks, Inc., McClain has spent the past three decades in the entertainment industry as a promoter, manager and producer. Many of his unfiltered escapades are chronicled in his 2013 autobiography “And Still: The Memoirography of Yahya McClain“.

If you see McClain these days, it’s usually with a lit cigar in his mouth. The guy just loves his cigars. Cigar Life Guy was able to catch up with McClain and chat a bit at Highland Cigar Co. in Atlanta where both hold memberships and tend to hold court most afternoons.

Boxing World Champion Yahya on Gratitude

Cigar Life Guy: Boxing has changed since you were coming up and so has the world. Would you recommend a young person today box?

Yahya McCain: I would most definitely recommend boxing because of all the great things it has done for me. The lifestyle it has afforded me and my family. I’ve been all over the world because of boxing. Made millions of dollars and had all the toys. The discipline that boxing instills in a person can be useful throughout a person’s entire life.

CLG: What advice would you give someone looking at getting started boxing?

YM: Find yourself a teacher of the art of boxing and not just a coach or some guy hollering at kids in the gym. Find someone that is passionate about what they do. When you do find that vetted, tested, and proven teacher; and if you are welcomed into his fold, please respect him, and listen to him. Do as he says and trust the process.

CLG: If you could change one thing in professional boxing what would it be?

YM: I would make it so that no matter who the fighter is or what race the fighter is if the guy loses a fight give him a rematch. Don’t make him wait years. If that fighter gets in the ring, puts fans in the stands or has the fans that happen to see him fight and start screaming and yelling because of his or her performance, well then, that fighter should keep being showcased on the main stage. Win, lose or draw. Don’t exile a fighter that loses a close fight.

Muhammad Ali was a Genuine Man

CLG: You had a chance to know a side of Muhammad Ali that many did not. What are one or two things about Muhammad Ali the person that the public didn’t get a chance to see?

YM: First, he was always on 100 until the moment went to sleep. He loved and would entertain groups large or small. Second, his plan from the beginning of his career was to use his fame and celebrity to do his part in helping this world to be a better place for all human beings.

Cigars Offer a Connection to Family

CLG: When did you start smoking cigars?

YM: I started smoking cigars for real in 1999 or 2000. It was when I retired. But prior to that my grandfather used to smoke cigars every day since I was a baby. He used to cut our hair and he always had a cigar hanging in his mouth and his breath stunk so bad. Who knew years later I would be an avid cigar smoker? He also played golf, he had a picture hanging in his barbershop of him and Joe Louis playing golf together with a cigar in his hand. Again, who knew? God had it to where he allowed me the opportunity to play golf with my grandfather and we smoked a cigar together before he died.

Cigars Make Traffic More Tolerable

The way that I really got hooked on cigars was due to that 405 freeway in Los Angeles. Man, the traffic is so bad and I had to commute from the Valley to LA Boxing gym to train Laila Ali. The gym was near the airport so I was done with that traffic. Then one day I said let me try to calm my nerves with this cigar. So I lit it up and smoked in my Benz for the first time and the next thing I knew I was at home. That’s the day I became an official cigar aficionado. At that point I was hooked. Cigars are a part of who I am. I’m known for my hats, cigars, and boxing.

CLG: What do you enjoy most about smoking cigars?

YM: I love the way a cigar smells when it’s being smoked especially if I’m smoking it. But I really love the calming cool sensation you get from it. The other big benefits are the lifestyle and the great people you get to meet and form relationships with, people from around the world!

CLG: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a friend or someone that is just starting to smoke cigars?

YM: My advice to new cigar smokers is start with a Perdomo or something along those lines and skip the chocolate, wine, and tasty cigars [Editor’s note: skip the flavored cigars]. I mean at least try a real one first.

The Boxing World Champion is Not Done

CLG: What’s next for “The Champ?” Any professional projects we should be looking out for soon?

YM: Related to boxing, I’m a ring announcer and a boxing referee. Outside of boxing I have several creative projects. I’m writing every day. I have a feature film about baby mama drama, and I have the first season of 10 episodes of a spin-off tv show written as well. Both the film and the tv series have a female lead that is fighting for fathers’ rights!

You know, I am really enjoying life to the fullest these days. My wife, my kids, my whole family, my mom, my brothers, I mean I’m blessed. We are living the dream and staying out the way!

CLG: Thanks Yahya, some good stuff!

Follow Yahya McClain on Instagram at @thevoicechamp

Photo Credit: Yahya McClain