It’s a Cuban tradition that is almost 150 years old and continues to this day. Lectors or Lectores is the name given to these unique individuals; women, very rarely men, whose job it is to read out loud to the cigar rollers in the Cuban cigar factories while the workers produce their island’s gift to the world – the handmade Cuban cigar.
The practice, legend has it, was begun to both cultivate the cigar rollers and to help deal with the potential boredom of rolling tobacco all day.
The readers would sit …

This summer brought several opportunities to visit some of the great golf locations in Canada (thanks Dad) on both sides of the country. In Ontario, I visited Glen Abbey, but didn’t have a chance to play there. In Whistler, I played back to back at the two courses right in the Village, Whistler Golf Club and Chateau Whistler. Obviously all 3 courses were beautiful and worth visiting, and each has a unique flavour in its design and presentation. Chateau was the most challenging of the 2 Whistler courses for me, …

Growing up in Canada, my first experiences with cigars were fraught with notions of history and romance. Undoubtedly this is because of the predominance of Cuban ciars on the corner store shelves and most notably of the Romeo y Julieta brand. There always seemed to be more of these than the eponymous Cuban brands of Montecristo, Cohiba and Partagas. Sometimes I feel when reading reviews of Romeos that they are slotted a notch below these brands today because they tend towards medium body and don’t have the same distinct strong flavours of …

I can vividly recall walking into City Cigar in Vancouver for the first time – the sights, the smells, the people. I remember being hesitant, not because I was fearful, but because I wasn’t sure of the norms in a cigar shop or lounge.  While I’ve made more than a few visits to cigar stores since, it still can be a bit tricky to feel out the vibe in a given place.  Add to that difficulties with some states and provinces allowing smoking in cigar lounges and others not.  …

During a recent visit to my local cigar shop, I picked up a 5 pack of JLP Petit Cetros. With a price tag of under $5 a stick, I wasn’t sure what to expect.