Big Smoke Travels

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  • The Dismal River Club – World Class Golf & Cigars

    The Dismal River Club – World Class Golf & Cigars

    The Dismal River Club is one of the best golf resort experiences in the U.S. It rivals Scottland – it is links style golf which is more than geographically interesting in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. And, the Club is cigar friendly! The two golf courses, one by Doak, the other by Nicklaus, wind through the land with minimal dirt being moved, they ebb and flow in harmony with the hills. The lodging, food and activities like the full shooting and hunting range add to the premium experience. The only time cigar smoking is prohibited on the course is when the conditions are extremely dry and there is a fire danger alert.

    The Nicklaus course plays really big at the Dismal River Club.

    There are two outlets for cigars on property, the pro shop and the Buffalo Bill Pub. The pro shop sells cigars in the humi-smart tubes, which simply means they will take jostling in the golf bag or luggage if you don’t smoke them immediately. Top brands, individually sealed. The Pub has a traditional humidor if you run out while enjoying the evening on the patio after golf.

    One of the cigar collections at the Dismal River Club.

    Maybe the best area to for a cigar and a post-golf beverage is the large patio with an amazing fire pit. Just a few paces off the pub and main dining room, this is THE gathering place for stories, friendly banter and just relaxing in the cool Nebraska evenings. And, when they get the fireworks going, it is even more magical as the show happens right over number 18 on the Doak course down valley.

    A good cigar, your golf friends and a Nebraska night lit by fireworks!
  • Cigaragua Amsterdam

    Cigaragua Amsterdam

    The most unique smoking experience in the Netherlands in Amsterdam is Cigaragua. Located conveniently adjacent to the Museum District, an ideal spot to stock up and smoke at the same time while the others in your party contemplate Van Gogh.

    Cigaragua is strictly Nicaraguan cigars, and for good reason. According to Onno, shop manager the process in Nicaragua is controlled from start to finish, producing consistently good cigars. When they compared production and quality, Cigaragua opted for cigars only produced in Nicaragua. Another reason for this was they felt the rollers were paid by good cigars, not just production.

    Onno was able to take his passion for cigars into work. Cigars were his hobby as he worked in the electronic instrument business. After meeting the owner, Sasha, he came on board to work in the Museum District shop. Chances are you are not going to hit all 19 museums in the area, so why not have a stick and need new friends while the rest of the crew takes in history?

    Shop owner Onno, pictured with a few of his favorite cigars

    Cigaragua consists of a large selection of accessories on the first level, with a relatively large humidor on the half level up. A diverse collection of cigars, and many Nicaraguan brands you have never heard of as they aren’t the big boys of distribution, yet excellent quality. Many European shops just don’t have a large selection, yet Cigaragua is entirely the opposite.

    Talk with Onno for more than a minute, and you are immediately in the heart of cigars as a lifestyle while in Amsterdam. Their smoking lounge, complete with an assortment of beverages is the ideal location to meet fellow enthusiasts and discuss the world and cigars in an unhurried environment.

    You can visit Cigaragua’s website here

  • The B Ocean Mermaid Show in Ft. Lauderdale

    The B Ocean Mermaid Show in Ft. Lauderdale

    OK, you are going on a cruise, and in Ft. Lauderdale the day before you sale. For a real treat in every respect, head to the Wreck Bar at the B Ocean Resort. First consideraton is the B Ocean is more friendly to cigar smokers than just about any other place you can visit or stay.

    During the 50’s the Wreck was a hangout for legends like Monroe and DiMagio. Keeping that same nautical feel, they added a pool for mermaid and mermen shows which run the fin from family friendly to starting a family.

    In short, there is no bad seat in the house, and the food and drinks are as good as the shows. While your new aqua friends swim, dart and amaze, then nothing like the Seafood Tower and a Mai Tai.

    If day time food is your direction, then Mermaids and Mimosas on the weekend give you a very different entertainment/food/beverage trifecta!

    Note: Crusing is gaining steam and you will need a place to stay and something to do before your trip!

  • NCL Encore Cigar Lounge

    NCL Encore Cigar Lounge

    In general, cruise ships are not friendly to cigar smokers. If they allow it, sometimes the aft area of the vessel will force the smoke to drift away. An inside area? Not very common!

    However, some cruise ships have put in cigar lounges. Aboard the NCL Encore, there is a cigar lounge. The lounge is next to two bars, one inside and one outside. The chairs are comfortable, and there is a big screen at one end of the room. Observation: 12 people max, more like eight would be the comfortable maximum.

    The steward/waiter assigned to this area comes around every so often for drinks, and they are your contact for the on-board humidor. It is small yet has enough options so you can find something you like including Cohiba and Macanudo. Another high point is the cigar smokers on board have been looking for this, so they generally enter the lounge friendly and ready to meet others with the same passion. 

    Every place or venue has some low points. Here they could have put in fewer chairs. An interesting facet is the ventilation system is supposed to be automatic. And it did not turn on most of the time, so the guests simply opened the door.

    Rating: B-. Could be bigger and fix those chairs and walkways, a little too much like a furniture storage room. And fix that ventilation system, so it actually works as intended. Compared to the other cruise ships that don’t have a lounge, it is nice to have one!

     

  • Small luxury cruising with Atlas Ocean Voyages

    Small luxury cruising with Atlas Ocean Voyages

    Story & Photos, Neil Wolkodoff

    Before Covid, cruising was undergoing a re-set with new ship and activity options. That hit the accelerator to cater to the changing market preferences. With their Next Gen ships, Atlas Ocean Voyages is touting a safer, seamless, and more convenient experience with a Lux-adventure theme.

    The Atlas Ocean World Navigator is a pinnacle-appointed, intimate ship in the world of floating hotels. Continue Reading

  • Cigars & Rum on Nevis: Caribbean Connection

    Cigars & Rum on Nevis: Caribbean Connection

    In the world of cigars, pairing the right cigar with the right beverage is a step up from just a good stick. In the Caribbean, there might be one cigar shop on each island.

    An easy to find sign directs you to L & L in Nevis

    On Nevis, Mark Theron has established a well-curated cigar shop and pioneered a unique spiced rum. If you can stop at L & L Rum Shop, you get a pairing you will simply find nowhere else, period.

    Mark Theron and Geraldine Davis, store manager enjoy one of their sticks                                                                                                                                                      .

    The rum side operation has the most extensive selection in the Caribbean. The star of the beverage show is their own Clifton Estate Rum

    The largest selection of Rums in the Caribbean

    Often, spiced rums just have too much spice and a tang that you are not accustomed to, so the palate gives a big NAY. Their spiced rum has an incredible balance and even appeals to those generally not fans of spiced rum. This has a bit of orange rather than vanilla, a welcomed change from the standard spice addition. You can purchase there duty-free, and shipments have started in select areas to the United States.

    Award-winning Clifton Estate Rum might be the best thing you can pack in your suitcase

    On the cigar side, the shop has an outstanding selection of cigars from many countries. When traveling, difficult to bring enough, and this is an excellent establishment to stock up during your trip. And since Mark makes the award-winning rum, he has stocked his humidor with smokes that go well with the drink. Medium to just above medium body seems to be the best for pairing with the rum. This would include the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990, and The Edge, also by RP. If a Cuban cigar is of interest, the Hoyo de Monterrey Robusto Petit Coronas are a good match.

  • Daniel Marshall, All Things Cigar!

    Daniel Marshall, All Things Cigar!

    Daniel Marshall is a man who might only sit still when smoking a cigar, and even then his mind is churning how to make the cigar experience better, more luxurious and more of an ah-ha moment.

    Daniel and Carlos Fuente Introduced the Daniel Marshall XXXVIII Anniversary Cigar at the big Campfire event in Austria at the end of last winter, and it is still going strong and garnering praise. It might be the ultimate smoke of 2020. This is a memorable, exclusive cigar.

    The “Daniel Marshall by Carlos Fuente XXXVIII Anniversary Cigar, Limited Edition 2020” has been made available to collectors at select world-wide Daniel Marshall Campfire events, and allocated to 38 of the world’s top tobacconists and elite hotels. The 38 locations represent one location for every year Marshall has been a part of the cigar world. The rare and elite DM-Fuente Cigar can be collected from Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, London, France, Belgium, Germany, Dubai, Qatar and for a limited time in the United States. Marshall will be hosting his signature “Modern Day Campfire” events at each of the 38 international destinations.

    Marshall and Fuente’s friendship has flourished since their meeting in 1982. They both toured the United States with Marvin Shanken’s Cigar Aficionado Magazine. Both men have contributed to the “Big Smoke Events” that led to worldwide cigar education, thereby fueling the cigar boom. Both Fuente and Marshall have received Lifetime Achievement Awards. So, when they make something together, it is going to be top-shelf.

    You can order the cigars directly and their special humidor at www.danielmarshall.com

  • Get a Better Shaft for Putting

    Get a Better Shaft for Putting

    In putting, it’s about makes.

     

    Enter the Stability Shaft from Breakthrough Golf Technology. Headed by Barney Adams, a successful pioneer in all his golf equipment endeavors, this might be the answer to your putter essentially getting laser-like accuracy.

    In the last five years, putter weights have significantly increased while the shafts have stayed the same, with essentially 30-year old technology. In any sport, it’s about tuning the system so the components work best together. And, in this case, it was about making the putter shaft light while increasing accuracy and feel.

    Like other technology, probably not best to dismiss the features until you hear the story or better yet, have tried the technology in your putter. When getting ready to putt, most golfers are concerned about speed and line. Once you have planned out the variables, you hope the equipment will respond to your directions. And moreover, respond consistently from short to long putts.

    BGT claims resistance to slight bending and reduced torsional rotation provided by the Stability Shaft means that dispersion will be tighter within a tighter rollout range. Even though the shaft is slightly larger than a steel shaft, the materials composite is lighter. The result it balanced as well if not better than steel shafts. The proprietary use of carbon fiber also enhances feel in putts.

    Before you determine it’s only a putter, how much can the shaft bend, and does the research at BGT says otherwise? The putter shaft does bend, and that results in the head being in a slightly different position in each stroke depending upon take away and stroke speed, as well as the transition.

    The Stability shaft was measured with measurement tools using a wide variety of putter brands, models, and styles, using both humans and putting robots. Some of the measures and variables were paths that were straight and those putting strokes with an arc. BGT looked at high handicap players all the way through tour players.

    The results were consistent in all putters and levels of golfers had some bend and flex variability in their current shaft. After replacing the original shaft with a BGT, the roll and result became more consistent and predictable. Know where it is going to go and sink more putts.

    You are likely to purchase a new driver for over $450 with little impact on your game. The BGT shaft in your putter for $249 will knock strokes off your round with a better, more precise roll.

    Once you find a putter you really like, and the specifications are correct for your type of putting stroke and set up, then the Stability Shaft from BGT is likely your next step up on putting performance.

  • Luxury In Paradise

    Luxury In Paradise

    The Best Luxury Hotel on Oahu

    When you think of Hawaii, you think of beaches, surf and Luaus. Well, you have to stay somewhere, and why not a luxury hotel that serves as the perfect springboard for all you activities.

    The Trump Hotel Waikiki is definitely the best luxury hotel on the island, as evidenced by five years running winning the Forbe’s travel award. No easy feat when you have to measure up in just about every area to immense scrutiny and tests.

    The hotel is on one end of the Waikiki strip, and adjacent to the Ft. Henry Museum, park and of course Waikiki beach. While smoking is frowned upon in Hawaii, there are numerous places close to the hotel where you can puff away.

    The magic of the hotel is first the location, and a close second is the amazing rooms. Each room either features a kitchenette or full kitchen, and more than ample seating areas. The bathrooms are 6-star with a huge vanity area and a walk in shower that could probably be a car wash.

    The amenities include a first rate fitness center and spa, both small but mighty in finish and offerings. The featured restaurant is Wai’olu Ocean Cuisine, a clever combination of craft cocktail bar, sushi house and Asian fusion restaurant. It is the home of the Worlds’ Best Mai Tai, so a great place to hang out before or after dinner.

    If you care to light up that stick while golfing, the Trump Resort has amazing connects to almost all the courses on the island. No, you can’t puff away in the hotel, but the concierge is adept at passing on those secret locations.

  • American Woman Whiskey: Who is that Lady?

    American Woman Whiskey: Who is that Lady?

    Sometimes, in the spirits world, the blend is the result of someone who had a better taste idea. Nothing wrong with being purists in this quest, as the rest of us benefit.

     

    It seems the drinks of choice with cigars are generally whiskey, bourbon or scotch. I have found many to be exciting themes of taste, yet sometimes the maker feels if a little is good, more creates market demand. Not always so.

    When you first taste American Woman Whiskey, you know it is a corn-based drink. It stirs up thoughts of the mid-west, a heartland origin with a strong backbone. There may not be a cigar this doesn’t pair well with, as it is a nice compliment to robust smoke, but equally at home with a more mild puff.

     

    The whiskey was unveiled at the recent North American Bourbon & Whiskey Competition- Trade & Media Tasting hosted by Wine Country Network, Inc. in Denver. An impressive showing for a new product being a silver medal winner.

    John Lupori, a Steamboat Springs MD wanted something with that heartland appeal and flavor but mellow enough for women who don’t like products akin to paint remover. So, take the master blend and the unique bottle, and you have American Woman Whiskey.

     

    And, the bottle is actually a rendition of a famous American actress. However, in the recent tasting, it was found that as one had more tastes of the actual product, the guesses were closer to the mark of the real person. However, only one person correctly named the bottle icon. That was half the fun – one drink, one guess.

     

    In the launch phase, the product is only available online and in select retailers in Colorado. Yet with the time, effort and care put in by Lupori and Master Distiller Paul Dunning, this will be making to more shelves sooner rather than later.