Puff, Sip, Chat with Havana Cigars
Heather – In 2016, we opened, and my husband had a friend who is with the Gomez Sanchez family, he grew up with the grandchild of Pedro Gomez, who is one of the first cigar aficionados. He is in the book, the original hard cover book not the magazine. And Pedro Gomez took the seed from Cuba, he worked at the [inaudible 00:41] factory and he took it to Nicaragua, and there came, was the name of this guy? Gomez sanctions.
StickMan #1 – Gomez Sanchez.
Heather – Yes. So, he was really pushing Rafa, he’s like you should do it in Atlanta, and you know there’s no will… Cuban owned cigar shops here, there’s plenty in Miami, right?
StickMan #1 – That’s right.
Heather – So, we were like, well let’s just try, and then one day, I was like spending a lot of money on coffee, every day like almost ten dollars on this, you know, other place and they were, I would ask for extra caramel because I like a caramel latte, and then I said, you know, Rafa got tired of me spending a lot of money, and so…
Rafa – You are like spending dollar…
All – (laughing)
Heather – And so he’s like, I want to see how to make this. So, we went and bought an expensive, you know, coffee machine for espresso, and then he got some caramel because what happened they changed the caramel too and I didn’t like it. It tasted cheap, and so he was like let’s make it. Now I’m gonna make it and ever since he did that, we… I was like Babe, this is so good, we should sell this. And then next thing we know, we were like OK, we’re gonna do… Why not try cigars and coffee.
StickMan #1 – And that’s a perfect combination, though I’m a native Floridian myself, spent a lot of time as a kid in Miami, and coffee and good cigars, specifically Cuban coffee.
Heather – Garico
StickMan #1 – Just perfect.
Heather – Yes.
StickMan #1 – So, the two of you started Havana cigar lounge, where you both cigar… Obviously Rafa, you and I talked, I know you’re a cigar smoker, and Heather, were you a cigar smoker before this?
Heather – Not really.
StickMan #1 – Okay.
Heather – No
StickMan #1 – Did he corrupt you and bring you into the lifestyle
Heather – Just a bit.
StickMan #1 – Just a bit, okay.
Heather – You know, we don’t really want to get high on their own supply. So, I try to be more of the coffee drinker.
StickMan #1 – Okay.
Heather – You know, but I do, I will smoke on occasion.
StickMan #1 – Okay. How long you’ve been smoking, Rafa?
Rafa – Well, I mean my first time to smoke cigar was 1998 in Cuba, basically I’m play professional sport in Cuba before getting wing…
StickMan #1 – Baseball?
Rafa – No handball.
StickMan #1 – Handball, okay.
Rafa – Yeah. So, when they give me the [inaudible 02:58] play for the Cuban thing, I would do a celebration and one going to… One offering me one [inaudible 03:04]. But it’s my first time, but I’m not like can I die. So, you know a small give me gas.
StickMan #1 – Okay.
Rafa – And later on, I come into United State, one of my cousins, she works in a Cuban factory in Havana, and she always send me Cuban cigar, anybody. And we start, we start smoking like, everybody to man like, you Cuban man and you’re not smoking Cuban cigar, you know what, let me try. So, I don’t like be addicted.
StickMan #1 – Now you’re addicted. (laughs) Well, I follow you in that addiction, I’m right there with you, I understand that. So, for people who may be new to Atlanta, and I know Rafa, you and I talked about earlier about how this is ground zero for the sort of the cigar lounge movement if you will being in Atlanta, if they were to come and hang out at Havana cigar lounge, what would… tell us about it, what would they expect? Can you describe your place?
Rafa – I mean basically the, this has been to be authentic, the Cuba, the more close it can be to Cuban, you know like we’re in Atlanta. We shot big keeping the arena.
StickMan #1 – Okay.
Rafa – Now we have all the time give you music and the chop, you could lose everything by Cuba.
StickMan #1 – So, very traditional?
Rafa – Yeah
StickMan #1 – Very traditionally. So, if you come here, you get the true traditional Cuban vibe of people relaxing and enjoying a good cigar, enjoying the Cuban coffee and having a conversation.
Heather – Yes
StickMan #1 – A good conversation.
Heather – Yes, and community.
StickMan #1 – And community?
Heather – Definitely, people come here, we’re right in the heart of the Old Fourth Ward where Martin Luther King Junior’s historical site is…
StickMan #1 – Right around the corner, yes.
Heather – Was a preacher, and so, we get a lot of tourists from all over the world.
(First hand Testimony)
Brian (Witness #1) – I’m Brian polis from South Dakota, here at Havana cigar, just chilling out, easy to go around all over the United States and check out new places. This is a really nice little relaxing place and my favorite cigar is every one of them.
Witness #2 – I’m here from Boston checking out Havana cigar lounge in Atlanta, down here for the weekend, just enjoying the seeing, the sights, and the family.
Witness #3 – I’m down here at Havana’s cigar lounge in Atlanta. My favorite smoke is my father’s, For de Lausanne telus. I love the cigar so much because it’s a full medium. All Nicaraguan filler and rapper and I love the flavor, it’s a great afternoon smoke.
Heather – But I think the main thing is that people come here and they commune, they talk, they actually have conversations, which is becoming a rarity now with our cell phones in our hands all the time and just being able to have some coffee and discuss whatever, when you come here whether you are a multimillionaire or just someone off of the street, you get treated the same.
StickMan #1 – That’s beautiful.
Heather – Yes
StickMan #1 – And one of the things that really impressed me too when I first came here and we met, you gave me a quick tour of the humidor and you really have kind of a focus and really highlight some of the smaller brands. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Heather – Sure. Well, we definitely specialize in Cuban seed cigars, which of course means, you know, they’re legal, they come… someone back in the day took the seed to Cuba and they make… from Cuba, I’m sorry, and to Nicaragua or Dominican Republic, wherever they may have taken it, but they cultivate it and they roll it the traditional Cuban way. And we know the families, we know the people, it’s not just like a big corporation, but we… like my husband of course test it out and other aficionados that we have here, but we also work with a lot of… we work with women own brands, that’s one of my favorite.
StickMan #1 – Yes
Heather – [inaudible 06:54] They’re two sisters from Cuba, and Garlan, who is also a Cuban. He’s a Cuban that he’s been making cigars for a long time, they make for major brands, but the family is still traditional, you know, and they help their communities which is also important to us.
Rafa – Goma Sanchez
Heather – Of course
Rafa – Yeah, Lade boutique
Heather – Is boutique
StickMan #1 – And that’s what really impressed me, because when I go around the city the land and I’m in cigar lounges all the time. The selection that you have here is very unique and I’m impressed and I love it. I’ve brought a couple cigars out here, and they’ve been phenomenal, so, thank you. Thank you for bringing that flavor…
Heather – Thank you
StickMan #1 – …here to Atlanta.
Rafa – The thing is that we try all the time to be different to everybody, not only in, you know, in the shot, but only the selection cigar, because you carry the same cigar to everybody, didn’t make it different, so, we all the time try buy boutique cigars, we try support the small business, like people support us.
Heather – Right, we’re small, and you do always have, you know, big box places, they’re going to have a lot more cigars than we do, but we do, you know, people may ask for certain name brands that they’re familiar with, but we have very comparable in quality versus the quantity.
StickMan #1 – That’s right. So, phenomenal cigars down here at Havana cigar lounge, some incredible Cuban coffee, if you’re a coffee fan and I am, you guys make delicious coffee so thank you again. Thank you for hosting StickMan today, this has been awesome.
Rafa – Thank you
StickMan #1 – Teaching everyone about what it’s like at the Havana cigar lounge in Old Fourth Ward, for those who aren’t familiar with it but downtown Atlanta. StickMan, follow us on stickman.blog, follow Havana Cigar Lounge, it’s Havana Cigar ATL, right?
Heather – Havana Cigar ATL
StickMan #1 – …on Instagram, cake them out.
Heather – ATL, Yes
StickMan #1 – Yeah. Heather and Rafa, thank you very much, it was awesome chatting with you. Hey StickMan #1 out. Peace to get.
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