Cigar Grotto

Drew Estate Cigar Safari, Wow! Gregg and I just returned from a four day, three night stay with Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate in Estelle Nicaragua. Again, WOW!  What a beautiful place to learn even more about cigars and the success of “The Rebirth of the Cigar.” We were honored to spend time with Jonathan a very humble man and meet the people behind the scenes. You all know and love Fabien and how much he has done to bring us to this brand of cigar, but there are so many more; Jesse the artist, a big teddy bear is amazing, a master of creativity,  (love the pink shirt Jesse,)  our tour guide and Nicaraguan resident, Pedro, who taught himself English to do this because he believed in Drew Estate. It’s encouraging to see what Drew Estate and so many other cigar manufacturers do for their country. But a couple, like Drew Estate, seem to go above and beyond and you can feel the love.

Jonathan took us through the 2nd largest plant (by two square feet)  plantation, where they do everything from beginning to end, other than grow the tobacco themselves, that coming soon (can you say group trip?) . We were also able to visit the man himself, Orlando Padron at the Padron plant, where we witnessed Orlando rave about “the man,” Jonathan Drew. Remember people, he’s not one of their own,  but because of the way he has embraced their country, their needs, beliefs and the dedication to the history of the cigar, he has been embraced by one of the all-time great families in this business.  Check out the pictures in the gallery. I hope you enjoy them!

Cuban cigars are a topic of controversy to some degree. Prior to President John F. Kennedy signing the Cuban embargo into law, they were popular with Americans, and for good reason. Learn more about Cuban cigars in this short video interview with Gregg at Cigar Grotto in Oceanside.

There are a few steps to getting your cigar ready to ensure the best possible smoking experience. In this brief video, Gregg shows several methods for cutting your cigars, as well as toasting and lighting to get a good even burn. If you’re new to cigar smoking, and even if you’re not, we think you’ll enjoy this video!

Come on out and join us for “Burn Your own Steak Night” or choose “Mongolian Beef Dinner” where you create your own meal, have them stir fry it and enjoy. Gregg bring a variety of cigars for you to choose from and they have a full bar for your enjoyment. The public and non officers are welcome and encouraged to show for this evening. Great food, excellent cigars and some great conversation with some really awesome people.

Steak dinner with all the fixings $12.00
Mongolian Beef is charged by weight

All you need to get on base is a valid drivers license and proof of insurance. Iron Mike’s is right inside the front gate. Feel free to call us at the shop with any questions and we hope to see you there! We’d love to know you’re coming, so if you have a moment, please RSVP on our event page on facebook.

Here we go again! Time for more fun, can you stand it???? No need to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to get out there and celebrate with friends. We’ve got a couple of events planned to get the party started well before then:

Join us on Thursday, March 11th, at Carlsbad Hennessey’s for another great party. They had so much fun celebrating our anniversary last month, they want us to come out and celebrate their 21st with a cigar dinner. You’ll get a fine cigar, pint of Harp or Guinness and flat iron steak dinner all for just 21.95. Add to that great people and conversation and this is sure to be an event you won’t want to miss.

Then on Monday, March 15th, Gregg and I will be at Iron Mike’s Staff NCO club on Camp Pendleton for a burn your own steak night, or stir fry your own Mongolian beef dinner. It’s always a fun event and Gregg brings a variety of cigars for you to choose from. You decide what you want to eat and drink and get to chat with some really amazing people. You do not have to be military to participate in this event; the public is welcome and encouraged to attend!