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| CIGAR LOVERS GETTING CLUBBY |
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Page 1 of 2  Plus: Want a big cigar? How’s 15 inches and 125 ring gauge?Los Angeles, May 15 – Since 1994, the Metropolitan Society of Fairfield, New Jersey has promoted the enjoyment of cigars, food, wine and spirits and now offers its members a plush, 4,200 sq. ft. clubhouse which is, foremost, “a sanctuary, where people craving the satisfaction and pleasure of a fine cigar can meet in a hassle-free environment.” The idea is slowly spreading. Borrowing directly from the Metropolitan Society concept – encouraged by the Society’s founders – the Gaithersburg Gazette reported that the Monocracy Cigar Lodge held its first event – a “Cigar-B-Que” on May 3 and is already planning for its own clubhouse: Greg Elder, president of the Monocacy Cigar Lodge, said the club wants to find a central location in Frederick County that members can access 24 hours a day to meet, sit back and relax and watch sports in furnished smoking rooms.Reporter Katherine Mullen noted that “The club grew out of small, informal gatherings of cigar aficionados at local cigar shops and lounges. By March, members wrote the club’s bylaws, established a board of directors, a Web site and received nonprofit status in April. Membership is currently $50 per year.” Many, but not all, state and local smoking bans have exemptions for private clubs and almost all have exemptions for retail tobacco stores, usually defined as facilities in which a designated percentage of revenue comes from the sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products, such as the sale of accessories and the rental of personal humidors. The founders of the Metropolitan Society, Dan McCarthy and Bob Lesnick, are actively encouraging the creation of similar clubs throughout the country and regularly hold seminars on how to start one through their International Association of Cigar Clubs program. The more, the merrier. Want a big cigar? If bigger is better, then Thompson Cigar Co. of Tampa has just the cigar for you. It’s called the Emperador and it’s a real cigar that’s 15 inches long with a ring gauge of about 125! Really! |
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Did you know?
“A record for U.S. cigar consumption was set in 1965 after the Surgeon General's warning about cigarettes in 1964.
