I had a few hours to kill yesterday afternoon and I was in the vicinity of one of the Meccas of the cigar shop world. I headed over to Whippany, NJ and spent a relaxing afternoon at JR Cigars. The place is packed to the rafters with boxes and bundles of every cigar imaginable. Sensory overload quickly sets in. I probably spent an hour wandering around with my eyes glazed…checking prices here, looking for favorites there…trying to mentally compare online prices and looking for something that fell within my rather strict requirements, I had promised my wife I’d limit myself to only the best deal. At first I thought that the New Jersey store was priced higher than the website due to the tax structure there, but when I got home and compared the prices to what I saw in the store I found that I was mistaken. What I ended up getting was a 
couple five packs each of Maria Mancini Magic Mountain and Robusto Larga. While these were priced the same as on the website, I did save the $11 in shipping it would have cost if I had ordered on line. I love the Maria Mancini line, it’s one cigar that I’ve consistently had in my humidors since about 1999 wh
en I bought my first box of 40 DeGaules from JRs in Burlington. I was happy to get the 5 packs as I have an empty Magic Mountain box to put them in! For an inexpensive cigar, these have a flavor that hits me just right every time.
After shopping for a while, I settled into a chair in the Montecristo Lounge. I ordered lunch and lit up a well aged Ashton VSG Torpedo that I had brought along, which was delicious. The interesting thing about the menu at the lounge is that everything is the same 
price, and everything includes a Montecristo Tubo! You get a napkin, knife, fork, and a Tubo! Perfection! I ordered the fish and chips, which maybe wasn’t my best choice of the day, but it was perfectly edible and served it’s purpose. Many of the other items I saw being served looked better in retrospect. Next time I know. I wiled away the hours there, enjoying my cigar and the ambiance. It’s nice to be in a place where smoking is basically required, but with all the amenities of a restaurant (they do have a top shelf bar there also). Highly recommended if you happen to be in the area.
Congratulations to Tim Scouten for winning the 5 pack of Joya de Nicaragua Antaños courtesy of Drew Estate. By the time this is published he should have those cigars in his hands.
Until the next cigar,
CigarCraig
