Posts
“To know how to smoke is to recover certain forgotten rhythms, to re-establish communication with the self.”
Zino Davidoff
You know May 31 is International Enjoy a Cigar Day, and this year you can savor a smoke that celebrates our Grand Master especially. Just today we learned of the release of the Grand Lodge of New York’s official cigar: the Grand Master, made by Baron of HAVANA. From the publicity:
We’re proud to announce that a Brother-owned business, Baron of HAVANA, has created a limited edition custom premium cigar, the Grand Master, with net proceeds to support the Brotherhood Fund.
Please find all of the details about the cigar and pre-sale here.
Orders can be placed through the Baron of HAVANA website and also will be for sale at the March special Grand Lodge session, our May Grand Lodge session, and other events.
(Grand Lodge F&AM of the State of New York is a trademark licensor only, and is not engaged in the sale of tobacco products. Sold exclusively by Baron of HAVANA.)
Behind The Grand Master cigar stands José “Jochy” Blanco, a legendary tobacco icon whose expertise spans more than four decades. Jochy blends with both intuitive mastery and meticulous precision, understanding how tobaccos from different regions and harvests will develop over time while ensuring every cigar delivers consistent, complex excellence. (Cigar Aficionado magazine’s Master Blender of the Cigar of The Year 2019.)
Aged for at least five years. The Grand Master is not merely a premium cigar. It is a masterpiece exclusively rolled by hand, a tribute to the principles of patience, precision, and excellence that define both the Masonic Craft and the art of fine tobacco. This patient maturation allowed the tobaccos to marry completely, developing a complexity and smoothness that simply cannot be rushed. Time, after all, is the one ingredient that cannot be substituted.
Each box contains ten toros (6x52) which, the website says, are medium bodied. Shipping is to begin this month.
I’m not sure what is meant by five years of aging. That is an inordinate period for aging either bales of leaves or, certainly, a finished product. I hereby willingly suspend disbelief for the sake of having a good time.
Speaking of good times, International Enjoy a Cigar Day was established in 2018 by both Cigar Rights of Europe and Cigar Rights of America, two lobby groups that try to protect cigar enthusiasts from the relentless government encroachments against their harmless hobby.
