The Emerald Cigar Club will be launching a pop up Cigar Night on Saturday, Dec 5th at Olveston House from 7-10pm.
The club is a new venture from entrepreneur Linda Dias who began smoking cigars in 2016 when she met her boyfriend Chris. “He took me to a cigar lounge in Barbados for our second date. It was really fun. My very first cigar was a Romeo y Julieta No. 3 (a medium strength cigar), that I had with a glass of wine. It was an amazing experience – very soothing and mellow.
“Since then, I’ve tried a range of cigars (mostly Cuban), and I’ve discovered that my favourite brand is Partagas – with the Coronas Senior being my preference from the brand. Cohiba comes a close second in brands,” she added.
Dias came up with the idea for a pop-up cigar club for Montserrat while she was in quarantine after her last trip to Barbados.
“The lounges I’ve experienced thus far have been a classy experience. The idea for a pop-up club came about when I wanted to replicate that classy experience here in Montserrat – but because I don’t have a set location of my own to outfit, I decided to try pop-ups at different select restaurants here,” she shared.
Dias has been surprised at the number of people on island who are cigar lovers on island. “I honestly expected just a handful but based on interactions so far, I’ve been approached by at least 20 people who are interested in a local cigar experience. I suspect there are many more whom I haven’t interacted with yet.”
Saturday’s experience at Olveston House has a free entrance. There will be cigars for sale, Happy Hour drinks from 7-8pm. There will be raffle for a chance to win a Cohiba Siglo.
If you’ve never smoked, this is a chance to discover what the experience is all about. Here are a few Dos and Don’ts to get you started
Don’t clench your cigar between your teeth – Unless your goal is to replicate the brute actions of Tony Montano from Scarface, this is not a behavior gentleman/woman should exhibit. Smoking a cigar should be an elegant display, not brash or unsophisticated. And for the love of God, please never talk with the cigar in your mouth.
Don’t relight your cigar if less than one-quarter of it is lead. – This really comes down to the quality of the smoke. If your cigar keeps going out then chances are you should leave it out. Continually relighting it only strengthens its harshness.
Don’t use a pen knife to cut or pierce the end of the cigar. This comes down to class. It just looks bad and there’s no reason to do it.
Do take your time smoking your cigar, a puff a minute is good. Smoking a cigar is an experience, not a chore. There is no need to wildly puff your cigar.
Do hold the cigar between your index finger and your thumb, not between your index finger and middle finger. This is one of the those rules that differentiate the aficionado from the newbie. It is far more elegant and separates you from the pack of nicotine addicts.
Source: Cuban Cigar Megastore
Find out more about the Emerald Cigar Club and the Pop Up by connecting with them on Facebook.
