Testosterone is a wonderful thing, don’t you think? Flexing our “guyness” is something we need to do from time to time as we go through the daily grind of working, taxes, and paying bills. Camaraderie amongst other members of the male species and grunting like the apes that we are is a crucial part in the preservation of our collective psyche. Okay, thankfully we’re not gonna fling our crap at one another – I mean, evolution has brought us to a slightly higher standard – but we will congregate and do all the stereotypical things that men do when brought together in a most manly environment.

So here we go…

Take hundreds and hundreds of manly men and put them around huge barbecue pits – burgers, dogs, sausage and chicken searing over the hot coals as the air is filled with the smoke of charring animal flesh. Now tell the guys that they can have all the icy cold beer that they can wash down their eager gullets. Then give them a bag completely chock full of premium hand rolled cigars and let them know they can smoke in public to their hearts delight. Maybe bring in a couple of spectacular Playboy playmates to fraternize with for several hours. Oh yeah, motorcycles – toss a bunch of custom hogs into the mix because a man needs to be surrounded by outrageously crafted machines. Now tell the guys that they can gamble… let’s see, how about horse racing? Yeah, that’s cool right?

So let me get this all straight…

We gather several hundred guys, feed them barbecued meat, give them ample amounts of golden nectar, load them up with fine cigars, toss in a couple of centerfold gals & custom bikes, then let these boys roam the grounds like crazed primates, throwing their money down on highly trained athletic equines. Sounds like the ultimate fantasy that every upright walking male creature would kill to be a part of, right? Well, there’s no need to whack anybody to experience this kind of hedonistic day of decadence, all you needed to do was attend Meadowlands Madness that took place this past Friday night in northern New Jersey.

Don’t you remember a few weeks ago I wrote about this amazing upcoming event and I said that I don’t care where you live, it would be worth the trip to partake in the festivities? Well I was right, and if you didn’t show, well all I can say is that  there’s always next year. I could also say that you blew it big time, but don’t worry bro, I won’t rub that in your face.

You know, I’ve been associated with the good peeps at JR Cigars for quite a while now and the one thing that’s for sure is that everything they do is centered on giving the customer the best smoking experience possible. And I can tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, the Meadowlands Madness event was as fun and awesome as any cigar shindig you’ll ever attend. Everyone was in a great mood, stuffing their faces, guzzling their favorite swill, and toking the hand rolled beauties that came in everyone’s $230 value goodie bag. Can it possibly get any better? Yeah it can.

I was asked by the JR staff to pose in the winner’s circle photo after the fifth race and award the winner a trophy. So I’m standing at the finish line and here comes my two horses, one and two for the exacta paying $100! Wahoo baby! So as I’m posing with the driver and the owner, the PA announcer says, “And awarding the trophy to the winner is the Zman from JR Cigars!” Then I look at the tote board and the it says ZMAN in gigantic letters! What a friggin pisser. Thanks a ton to my good buddy, Steve Nathan! You rock, my brother.

So if you didn’t get to attend, well, hopefully we’ll do another and you’ll wise up and get your lame-ass carcass to the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Until then, this is the your gluttonous and hedonistic purveyor of manly goodness, signing off.

Tommy Z.

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

It’s June 21^st – the longest day of the year. It means lots of daylight ‘til around 9pm, as well as the fact that half the year is almost over. How the hell is that even possible?

Well, as we all know, yesterday was the one day a year where we are officially noted as king’s of our proverbial castles, rulers of the family unit, and masters of all out manliness. It was Father’s Day, the one day where I don’t get yelled at for eating like a pig and laying around like a fat-ass, cigar sucking  sloth.

Father’s day is actually pretty special for me for a few reasons. My kids spend time with me and go out of their way to make me feel special and my wife doesn’t get on my ass for a whole 24 hours – it’s an amazing relief! I cook up a kick-ass dinner on the grill, I actually get a nap in during the day, and I have my parents over, which I’m so grateful that they’re still around.

I really did have an outstanding Father’s Day this year and it really is nice to be recognized for something that is mostly taken for granted by everyone. Even in a day and time when woman hold high positions and work every bit as hard as we do, the man still has a pressure on him that has been passed on from generation to generation, and society still looks to us to be the “rock” of the family, the bread winner, the man in charge. And with that being said, I think having a day that gives us just a little bit of credence for who we are and what we do is really kind of nice, extremely refreshing, and definitely well needed.

Okay, I’m incredibly fortunate that my dad is breathing and healthy and still enjoys his family and life in general. He and mom came over yesterday for New York Strip steaks charred up medium rare on the grill, Ceaser salad, toasted garlic bread, and icy cold Belgian Ale. Afterwards we headed to the back patio for hearty JR Ultimate maduros and a lot of strolling down the path of memory lane. I lit the torches as the sun sunk behind the oak trees as time just magically stood still for an hour or so.

I’ve always felt that I’m kind of fortunate that I have both a girl and a boy. It’s nice having experienced the best of both worlds as a dad. While I’ve enjoyed travel hockey and baseball with my son, I learned a whole new world that existed called dance, swimming, and girl scouts. Yeah, I was out of my element, but I did the good dad thing and was always there for the youngins. One day when I’m elderly and crusty with a fresh steaming loaf planted firmly in my Depends, I’ll never feel bad about my dadness because I was always there and was always an important part of my kids lives. And I’m SO HAPPY to say that my father can most certainly feel the same way.

So it’s Monday and back to the grind for so many of us, but I really feel like my mental and spiritual batteries were re-charged by the one day a year that is known as Father’s Day. And I say to my loving wife that it’s okay, you now have 364 days to yell at your lazy-ass man-pig sloth. Love you too, honey.

Enjoy the heat my peeps,

Tommy Z.

JR CIGARS BLOG with the Zman

The good people here at JR are always doing the coolest things, like in-store appearances from cigar masters and Playboy bunnies, the upcoming Meadowlands Madness horse racing barbeque (coming in ten days, June 24) and the incredibly popular JR Classic Cars and Bike nights. Well it was the hogs that were out in full-force this past Friday, as bikers and their roaring machines showed up in droves at the JR Cigars store in Whippany, NJ.

The camaraderie was unparalleled and I don’t think you’ll ever meet a nicer crowd of people anywhere. They come from all over the northeast, filling the parking lot with their two-wheeled pride and joys (and some three wheelers, too.) Motorcycles of every make, model and size line the pavement as a live rock band plays and the hotdogs and burgers char on the open grill. And of course, the luscious scent of burning premium tobacco wafts gently through the early evening air. Guys. It just doesn’t get any more festive than this.

It was a gorgeous late spring, blue-sky evening as a venerable smorgasbord of metal and chrome continued to file in. Some of the most insane custom build’s garnered the ooo’s and ah’s from the onlookers as the appreciation for ingenuity, art, and craftsmanship was mutual amongst the crowd. And I personally was just blown away by the work and detail that goes into some of these spectacular rides.

The diversity and mix of people is a thing of beauty, as dudes from every walk of life show off their wares to the attendees. Sure, there are your longhaired leather clad bas-asses who live this everyday, but there are also a good number of corporate types and weekend warriors who let their wild-sides come out to play at a gathering such as this. And of course, the biker chicks are there as well, donning the leather mini’s and tight tops with some occasional low-hanging fruit to give the boys something other to look at. I’m telling you, these people are great and if the event went until eight o’clock the next morning, almost every one of them would still be there, drinking coffee, and telling tales of their treks across the U.S. countryside.

I personally don’t ride, but my mid-life crisis side has really yearned to for the past ten years or so. There’s something very primal about a motorcycle that causes a man to grunt like and ape, longing for a ride with his buddies. The open air and open road, nothing but you and the girthy machine beneath you – I totally get it. In a sense it’s that feeling when you’re cigar smoking outside, just you and your happy stick and nothing else in the world matters at that time and place. Plus I’m big on camaraderie and motorcycle riding has got to be the ultimate in testosterone production. So when you come to JR Bike night and match the biking experience with premium hand-rolled cigars, there is literally nothing that can surpass the feeling of smoking your favorite stoag along with a V-Twin rumbling between your thighs.

Here’s the link for remaining 2010 bike & car shows at JR in Whippany, NJ…

http://www.jrwhippany.com/index.cfm?page=events_bikecarshow_2010

• All shows 6-10pm
• Grillin’ and Chillin’ outside until 8pm cooking up burgers and dogs
• Beer Specials in the bar and lounge
• Free to spectators and car/bike owners

Ride with the wind and the smoke, my brothers.

Tommy Z.

JR CIGAR BLOG with the Zman

Want to know why I like cows so much? Because they’re made of steak. I LOVE steak and I think all REAL men are carnivores to the max. Now grilled steak brings it up a bunch of notches… rib eye, NY strip, porterhouse, t-bone… yeah baby, now we’re talking. Or, you could choose to crank it up a level and do what I did yesterday.

I wanted to make my 19 year-old daughter, Nicole’s birthday special, so I took a trip to Costco and picked up a three-pound package of filet mignon. That’s one hell of a lotta meat – four humongous steaks that were just begging to hook up with Mr. Weber in my back yard. Actually, my whole family is a bunch of red-meat noshing savages, so spending the extra dough for a great meal was a no-brainer. Now I wasn’t quite done shopping as there was a recipe I always wanted to try – bacon wrapped filet mignon. We all know that EVERYTHING tastes better with bacon and why not take something kick-ass and turn it up a whole bunch of notches… right? Yep.

On the way home, while my wife was discussing side dishes, I started thinking about the delicious cigar I would choose for my post meal smoke, along with the libation of choice. Whoa… steak, booze and cigars… what will they think of next? Damn, the whole thing is a right of passage that every card -carrying Man’s Man needs to partake in, all for the sake of pumping up the testosterone levels for maximum performance (I told the misses she’d better be ready for a post dinner romp. Yeah, I can get all Neanderthal like that.)

So we get home and it’s time to prepare the kill. The steaks were so fat & huge that I cut them in half for 8 pieces, then wrapped one thick slice of bacon around all sides of each one. As for seasoning, the Food Network chefs always use minimal spices on better cuts of meat to allow the real flavors to come through. So on each side I tossed on some garlic powder, salt and pepper – that’s it… then gave it a spritz of olive oil cooking spray so it wouldn’t stick. I torqued up the grill to 500 degrees and when those bad boys hit the red-hot grates, the symphonic rapture of searing red carcass was music to my Polack ears. I knew the bacon could burn like a mother, so I only cooked each side on the direct flame for a couple of minutes, then turned off the middle burner, cooking them the rest of the way on indirect heat (about 15 to 20 minutes more) until they were a perfect medium rare.

I don’t know if I’ve made a better grilled steak in my life as the family devoured the charred bovine flesh. The meat was so juicy and tender and the bacon was crispy and smokey – a combination that satisfied the steak-a-saurus in all of us. Hard to believe that we were so stuffed to the gills that one piece of heaven was left – a piece that accompanied my eggs over easy this morning, as the gorge-fest continued.

Now I ask you, what kind of man would ingest such a fine meal without the indulgence of a rich, full-bodied, hand-rolled happy stick created in a Spanish speaking land? The choice was easy… a Punch Grand Cru #2 Maduro (1998) I had purchased from the JR luxury line of opulent smokes that don’t cost a whole lot! I paired it with a coffee and a Taylor 20 year-old tawny port. Holy crap my peeps, if that ain’t livin’ large, I don’t know what the hell else can top it!

Okay, okay, it WAS my little girl’s birthday and she made out damned nice. We sang and ate cake and I felt like a beached whale. But once the stuffed-ness resided, I reminded the wife I still had some manly duties to perform. Hey, you know what they say about testosterone – Use it or lose it!

Have a fantastic week all my pals & fans,

Tommy Z.

JR CIGAR Blog With the Zman

On April 6, 2004, in an ambush firefight in Ramadi, Iraq, JT Wroblewski, Second Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps, lost his life while attempting to save the lives of his troops he served with. JT, the 25 year-old son of John and Shawn, was the first Marine from the state of New Jersey to make the ultimate sacrifice during the Iraq war.

I have written about JT over the past several years in my Memorial Day Blog. His parents live one street over from me, in the house JT grew up in, here in northwestern New Jersey. While the neighbors are opening their pools, attending parades, planting flowers, and getting the ribs and burgers ready for the grill, my neighbor John experiences this day with a heavy heart, as does anyone who lost a family member to the hideous reality of war.

Today is the day that we in the United States have dedicated to every man and woman of our nation who has given up the ultimate sacrifice. For years I’ve always wondered how a somber day like today became associated with swimming pools, hotdogs and hamburgers. But one day I came to realize that the reason our brave soldiers go to war is so we, Joe Everyday Citizens CAN enjoy a life of freedom to do and live as we please. Our men and women who continue to fight in the sand and that oppressive heat grew up on back yard barbecues and family gatherings, and now THEY have made the conscious choice to defend the country that has given them the freedom so many of us take for granted. They are well aware of the daily risks they take and of the daunting reality that they too may become a casualty, one who is forever remembered on this last day of May. But that doesn’t stop a single one of them from serving all of us back here on Main Street, USA.

I grew up as a young boy during the Vietnam War, and remember the nightly news reports speaking of the casualties as just facts and figures. Troops were being sent home in body bags and the anti-war sentiment was mounting. I was a pre-teen, but I still have vivid memories of the events of the day. My dad was in the Korean War and his uncles fought in World War 2.

But I felt that I just had to mention that the people of today’s armed forces are all volunteers. Not a one of them has been forced to defend our land, and to me, that takes a certain kind of guts and heart. Now don’t think for even a second that I am minimizing the so many who were drafted and fought – those men answered the call and with bravery gave what was asked of them – some WAY beyond what was asked. But I have a special place in my heart for today’s soldier who knows quite well of the inherent dangers of roadside explosives and the suicide bombers who believe they are sent to heaven for taking the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path. Today’s enlisted men are fighting an enemy that has no fear of death and believes he’ll be rewarded with a bounty of giggling virgins. That’s a very dangerous enemy, one our country has never fought the likes of before. To volunteer for that kind of duty is a type of bravery and dedication I will never know.

So with a huge open heart I say thank you to everyone serving in our military, and to everyone who has served in the past. No, I really mean it – this is not just some kind of heartfelt bullshit one writes in a Memorial Day piece. I thank you all so much for keeping it possible for my wife and kids to enjoy our home and family gatherings for years to come. I hear so many of you say it’s just your job, but you can’t fool us. My job has me relegated to sucking on tobacco sticks and writing about it. Your job, is making sure that I can continue to do so, and from the very depths of my soul, you have my eternal gratitude.

So, today I will grill my three racks of baby backs, light up several of my best cigars, imbibe a whole lot… and feel safe. I simply cannot even begin to thank the men and women of the United States military enough. I know I speak for ALL the readers of this Blog that we support you all and wish you a safe tour and a happy ride home. And to JT, rest peacefully, buddy.

Humbly Yours,

Tommy Z.

JR CIGARS BLOG With the Zman

As you know, I generally like to keep things happy and light-hearted on this happening little bloggy I create for your reading pleasure. Cigars are what we all have in common, and sometimes I yak about my favorite stogies and sometimes it’s about the trials and tribulations we all go through in life. But today, I’m particularly dismayed at what’s going on in the Gulf of Mexico as an ecological disaster of catastrophic proportions looms in the Cajun seas.

Unless you just crawled out from under a rock the size of Rosie O’donnell’s lunch box, British Petroleum has an oil-rig in the waters south of the Louisiana coastline and it won’t stop spewing thick, black toxic crude oil into the water … for 35 days. That’s right, thirty-five days have gone by since the disaster began and BP has done jack-shit to stop it. Oh, yeah they’ve tried, blah, blah, blah, meanwhile the slick is growing by the mile and finally the coastline is in massive danger – and after that, the Florida and Texas coastlines and all sea life and water fowl in general.

How the living hell does something like this actually happen. And maybe a better question is: Why can’t they stop it?

Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal is in Defcon 5 freak mode, and who can blame the guy. He’s ordering sandbag walls to be built along the entire coast of his state and I think if he meets up with any BP executives, there’s gonna be a good old Cajun ass-kickin’ the likes of the world has never seen.

I listened to an exec from BP on several morning shows today and when asked what his confidence is that they will have this under control, on a one thru ten scale, his answer was a six or a seven. Holy oil covered pelicans – that is NOT the answer the world wanted/needed to hear. If this slick spreads as predicted, a great number of industries will be decimated to the tune of billions of dollars. Fishing, shrimping, vacation and tourism will be the harrowing victims of this gaping sludge monster. And who knows how long the poisons effects will wreak havoc on an ecosystem spanning a possible thousands of miles wide.

Another thing Governor Jindal is pissed at is: Where the hell is help from President Obama? We’re talking 35 days man. What the hell is talking so damned long to act? Our government needs to be way up British Petroleum’s bum and taking heads along the way. How could more than a month go by without any type of reasonable solution?

Now people are asking why there wasn’t some sort of emergency disaster plan put in place in case a meltdown like this were to ever occur? BP isn’t giving any answers and the worst-case scenario is that they don’t have any to give.

Like I said, this isn’t my usual type of piece here on the blog, but the trickle down effect of this event will effect all of us greatly and sometimes you just have to shake your noggin in massive disbelief at the grotesque and careless stupidity that resides in this world we cohabitate in.

Okay  we’re all terribly pissed off and the ramifications are staggering. If there isn’t anything you can directly do to help, I say light up your favorite cigar, try to relax and thank your maker for everything you have. I still say that it’s a damned good world we live in – when others don’t f@#k it up for us.

Peace, out.

Tommy Z.

JR CIGARS BLOG with the Zman

You know, I bitched like a mutha during the winter and early spring about all the hell weather we were having during the end of winter/early spring. But now it’s finally what I refer to as CIGAR SMOKING WEATHER.

But I can’t get over how weird the weather really is where I live in here the north east. Two Sundays ago my it was 90 degrees at my son’s baseball game at 12-noon. Less than a week later we had frost on the grass in the morning. That’s about a 60 degree swing in a matter of days. Jesus, that’s like the movie The Day after Yesterday. People who planted flowers got hosed. I almost planted several times but the wife was right and said to wait. I always thought it was nice that we experience all four seasons, but as one grows older, the winter really gets on your nerves and sucks more and more. I definitely understand the snowbird mentality… late spring, summer, and early fall in the north and winter in the south. I would definitely like to do that one day – hopefully before I’m walking around in orange Crocs and Depends hanging from my ass, 24/7.

We have people from very different climates all over North America who read this blog. Cotty Gee and my pal, Larry Winget are in Arizona where it’s brutal during the day but I hear often very nice at night. Roadlizard is from Houston where hot and humid is the deal. I visited there one September and you could cut the air with a hatchet. My pal Bubba is from Orlando area, but originally lived in Virginia, then New Jersey by me. That’s some different weather patterns. Darren from Detroit is from… duh. Cold winters and definitely a snowbird candidate. Lucie is from Quebec and she says the hottest it ever gets is in the 80’s for a few weeks. Wow, I couldn’t hack that at all. Can anyone guess where Hawaiian Brian is from? I can’t imagine that weather all year long. Your first Christmas under palm trees in a flowered shirt must be weird. Of course I have several of my Jersey brothers here who can certainly attest to the weirdness in the Jersey air.

But make no mistake, mid-May is supreme cigar smoking weather and I am taking full advantage of this wondrous time. I am lighting up like a demon and even sneaking a robusto during lunch. I’m just joensing like a psycho and craving the taste of premium aged tobacco in a most intense way! I generally smoke one per day in the nice weather, and several a day on the weekends. I think it’s my way of rebelling for hardly smoking at all during the winter time.

Now yesterday I smelled cigar smoke wafting throughout my neighborhood only to find out that my buddies across the street were toking Monte Cubans and NOBODY FRIGGIN TELLS ME?!!! My one neighbor, Joe is Cuban and gets boxes of Habanos from his buddies… but does he tell the Zman… his neighbor who writes about cigars for a god damned living?  NOOOOOOO! WHAT the HELL, MAN!!! I’m like the village cigatophile and I don’t get a courtesy call? Come on, I cry foul! Yeah, I’m a damned baby about that stuff. I mean, if you’re smoking in my vicinity, I expect a phone call and an invite. I’m a real territorial weirdo when it comes to that and I pout like a friggin tard if I get left out of a local evening herf.

So tell me about the weather by you and what you’ve been smoking. I’ve been indulging in Frank Llaenza 1961’s and savoring them like the premium handrolled sticks that they are! Really Enjoying Drew’s Liga Privada #9’s and T-5s’s. Steve Saka did a hell of a job with those two. I’m devouring those puppies like candy. Of course I’m pounding JR Ultimate Maduros in between. Gotta have some balance in your life, right?

So enjoy this mid-spring weather and toke your long-filler happy stick of choice. But if you’re within 500 miles and I don’t get a courtesy call, you’ll be hearing about it in next week’s blog!

Take care til next week my smoking buddies,

Tommy Z.

JR CIGARS BLOG with the ZMAN

What in the name of God could be manlier than smoking your favorite cigars at the race track, eating all you can force-in-your-face barbecue, sucking down ice-cold brewzers, while hanging out with hot chicks and Harley Davidsons? I think you know the answer.

Meadowlands Madness (Smokin BBQ 2) makes its triumphant return to the Meadowlands Racetrack, here in lovely Sopranosville in northern New Jersey. This a one hell of an event, and I know because I attended the first one a couple of years ago and have been hoping for another one ever since.

Now I know a lot of you guys aren’t in this area, but the event is absolutely worth the trip. First of all, the Meadowlands Complex is less than five miles from mid town Manhattan in New York City so there’s plenty to do! And, the event itself is top-shelf and any self respecting REAL guy will never want to leave! First off, you walk through the gate and you get a goody bag with cigars and other cool swag that is definitely worth more than the price you pay for admission! Now I know they’re not here this time, but at the first event, the CAO Flavorette girls greeted us and that was sweeter than any cigar I smoked that night – which was probably in the ten range! We get our very own private area with tents, tables, chairs, and an up close view of the track. And this is great because NOBODY can give us any crap about the smell of our prized premium smokes! I remember that they had like 50 feet long row of outdoor grills brimming with charred chicken, burgers, doggies, along with tater salad, baked beans (don’t get near me) and all kinds of major-league goodies.

The Harleys are on display from local dealers and one look has you grunting like Tim Allen in his old stand-up routine. Panheads, shovelheads, V-Twins, you name it – the hogs will be out in full force and the incredibly wicked hot models with their huge , um, smiles, will be there to answer all your questions – even though you won’t hear a word they say.

Of course there’s horse racing, and the Meadowlands gets some of the best trotters and pacers in the world to compete, including many a high stakes race. I’ve visited that track many, many times and it’s always a great experience, especially on a nice summer day!

Okay, all of this is great stuff… right? It’s planned for June 24, the day that I go away on my family vacation. I am presently at war with the wife and kids to push our holiday retreat back one day, but I am meeting more resistance than the Germans at the Russian front! I’ll let you guys know how it goes.

All in all, I give this manly event a TEN Torpedo rating, and SO worth checking out. I mean you spend the entire evening amongst your fellow Brothers of the Leaf, while testosterone oozes from every bodily pore. You will smoke handrolled premiums til your head explodes and I guarantee your wife will hate how you smell when you come home – if you decide to, that is. What else is new, right?

So join the JR gang for an evening of happiness and horseplay. God knows I’m trying to follow my own advice!

Later my bruthas,

Tommy Z.

JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

MEADOWLANDS MADNESS SMOKIN BBQ 2

THURSDAY- JUNE 24, 2010

Only $149 !… Event Starts at 6:00pm … Gates Open at 5:00pm

Rain or Shine

(10% discount for groups of 10 or more when purchased at same time)

Must be 21 or older to attend.  Photo ID required

What are you waiting for? Call  1-888-442-8262 to order tickets

.Check out…meadowlandsmadness.com for more  information

Say fella… How does it feel to be an expert on $17,000 fountain pens? Hey, any poor slob can buy a BIC, right? (Or is it write?) How big is your collection of fine precision Swiss made watches? Have you ridden with Phil Mickelson on his private jet lately? Were the braised quail eggs for lunch on that private island off Key West to your liking? Is that now your third or fourth Italian sports car? How was your poker game with Phil Ivey in Monte Carlo? That private guide tour of the trout streams in Scotland was dandy, wasn’t it? I mean, how grand is a belt of LouisXlll, after dinner at the club? Just how many humidors do you have stacked with three decade aged Cuban cigars? And when is your tee time with Ernie Ells?

The good people over at Cigar Aficionado seemed to think that because you smoke cigars, then you must be one who dabbles with the upper crust of society. Racing boats… silk suits from the Orient… the vacation house in the Alps… yada, yada, yada.

Can Somebody please pass the god damned Grey Poupon…. anybody?

I happen to be a very longtime reader of CA – and yeah, I also happen to be a feature writer for Cigar Magazine. When the premium cigar market started to see the effects of higher taxes and blatant smoke Nazism, The good people at that other publication repositioned their magazine into a who’s who for the rich and famous. The font for the word “Cigar” on their cover got knocked down a about 500 point sizes, and stories about Marvin’s play dates with world renowned golfers graced every new issue.

Now I still say that “Aficionado” is a fine magazine – nice layout and top notch writing… really. But, while I’m tuning up my lunar space module and having my collection of wooden Russian eggs appraised at Sothebys, I’d like to read all about cigars if the title of my mag has the word “Cigar” in it. Capeesh? I want a Cigar Magazine that’s a dedicated Cigar Magazine and you KNOW that you do, too.

I started writing for CM in the Spring Issue of 2005 and that first article was entitled, The Cuban Mystique. The premise was: Are Cuban Cigars as great as the world populace claims, or is it the lore and years of mystique behind them that makes them so lauded. The article was well received and I was now a fancy shmancy scribe for a REAL honest to goodness Cigar Magazine. I’ve gotten to meet and interview some cool people and have traveled to destinations that I’ll never forget – including the now defunct Villazon factory in Cofradia, Honduras. (Plus I’ve had two cover articles: Frank Vincent in Winter 2006 and last months on Brown’s Cigar Store.) I get to work with a fantastic editor and art director (Nicole and Denise take a bow) and I get to hang around the office sometimes, where the boss man tosses me a bundle of something from Central America, and says, “Hey Zman, try these and write abut them!” I love writing for this mag and I couldn’t have imagined five years that I’d still be pounding away and talking to so many great peeps.

Wow, now THIS is a major coincidence… I swear – but the brandiest newest edition of Cigar Magazine has just hit the stands! The timing is uncanny! The Summer 2010 masterpiece is looking sharp, and of course yours truly has an article on page 73 where I interviewed four different holy men (Priest, Reverends and a Pastor) about the spiritual nature behind smoking cigars and the benefits it actually brings to your life. The article is a very different concept than you’ll normally read, and none of the four holy smokers drive a Lamborghini or own a villa in a place they can’t pronounce. There are also terrific reads from my buddies Steve Nathan, Miranda Osborn (The Maduro Mistress) Frankie Seltzer and other cool stuff like the Art of the Cigar column, featuring old time cigar art of poker and gaming. And even a gaggle of premium smokes are reviewed by independent dudes (in fact, a bunch of you guys have had your reviews featured.) And I promise you from the bottom of my chinny chin chin that the cigar in our reviews will NEVER have hints of marzipan, Ethiopian roasted guava, balsa wood, or Brazilian parrot scats. It’s f@#king tobacco people.

Okay, some of you might accuse me of being a homer and and bashing the competition. Well, that’s a load of  Ethiopian roasted guava if I ever heard it. CA would have to be a 100% Cigar infused magazine in order to be our competition. All we write about is our love for the leaf and the people who make the industry so phenomenal – and that is it. Hey, like I said, I still read CA and when I finally own my very own Australian Rules football team and purchase that Beluga Whale farm, I’ll let you all know… I promise – but in the mean time, I invite you to join me and my pals at Cigar Magazine… the other white meat.

Rock on and enjoy the week,

Tommy Z.

JR CIGARS Blog with the Zman

My Afternoon With the Boys of Rescue Ink

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet some incredibly special guys to interview for an upcoming issue of Cigar Magazine. Their names – Joe Panz and Big Ant – and they run one of the most courageous rescue operation units in the world known as Rescue Ink.

Maybe you’ve heard of the boys as their reality television show was incredibly popular on the National Geographic Channel. Or you might have seen them on the news, in a magazine, or on a talk show, because their little group ain’t so little any more. They are gaining recognition the world over for the unsung work they do, all in the name of love – for animals.

Rescue Ink started about six years ago when Joe Panz began hearing more and more about animal abuse in his neighborhood in Queens, New York. Since then, Joe has gathered a small army of his “street” friends, and the group has become internationally famous as the people to turn to when they simply have no more options and there’s no where else to turn.

The interview was set for lunch at Club Macanudo in Manhattan, thanks to General Manager, Mr. Mauricio Cordoba. He is a true gentleman, and he made sure our experience was excellent in every way. Although there is a dress code, Mauricio was kind enough to make an exception, allowing Joe and Anthony to enjoy the club in their everyday work attire, as you can see by the photos – and Mauricio, I thank you again for the outstanding hospitality. I have to mention that Club Macanudo is NOT private – it is open to the public seven days a week including lunch, dinner, and Sunday Brunch. Guys, there’s only a handful of places left in New York where you can enjoy a cigar, let alone along with your favorite drink and some spectacular food, and there isn’t a better atmosphere to revel in your favorite smoke.

My Rescue Ink friends are bigger than life characters – New York street savvy tough guys who have taken it upon themselves to protect helpless animals who simply cannot defend themselves against cruelty and abuse. When they receive a call or an email about a potential problem, a group of eight or so rescuers arrive at the abusers front door, warning them about their unacceptable behavior, while putting the fear of god into them, if deemed necessary. Trust me when I say that you DON’T want these guys coming back for a second visit… capiche? What’s amazing is that these brave souls put their life on the line every single day, entering neighborhoods so bad that even the National Geographic camera crews refused to follow them in. Joe says with all sincerity that he and his guys have NO fear, for if they did, they could not function in a manner that gets the job done. And if you were wondering, they don’t play the role of vigilante, because they know that breaking the law or use of excessive force would land them in jail – a place where they can’t be of any help to their animal friends.

I’ve done a lot of great interviews with some big name people, but I have to say that I enjoyed this one the most to date. The guys were an absolute pisser, showing up on their gorgeous Harleys and brandishing three hours worth of colorful “street” language to boot. I did my part to keep up with the expletives just so I’d fit in and not have any bodily parts snapped or removed… although, Joe was kind enough to give me a neck rub while Big Ant helped me find my chair. (See photo.) And as a side note, I have never seen three guys eat so much goddamned food in my life. Joe works out three hours every day and he and Big Ant wolfed continuous appetizers like the Russians were invading Newark. Yeah, I did my share to help, but after Club Mac ran out of food, we had a live steer brought in and butchered on the premises – and yeah, the guys volunteered.

The Cigar Magazine Story won’t be out for a few months, so I wanted to let you guys know about these modern day heroes who have answered a calling and need our help to continue. People think because they’re on TV that they have skads of money, but it’s not so at all. They spend a lot of their own money and precious time on the streets and they need your financial donations, badly.

Look Rescue Ink up on the web or call the Rescue Ink Rescue Hotline at 800-510-7355.

Rescue Ink LLC, 459 Columbus Avenue, Suite 1800,  New York, NY 10024.

Thanx my peeps, this is an amazing cause and we’re doing our best to give the boys our support.

Have a great week,

TOMMY Z.

JR Cigar Blog With the ZMAN