Cigars, long-sleeve T's, canoes and shame

Tampa columnist HOOPER E-mail: Click here Archive

© St. Petersburg Times
published January 24, 2002

Writing about my first experience smoking a cigar seemed like a pretty good idea because, face it: me humiliating myself always makes for good copy.

I can count the number of times I have smoked a cigarette on one hand, and I had never bothered to light up a stogie. I had heard such horrors about how they can make you turn green or blue, and I was afraid of seeing my caramel brown face turned blue.

However, Juan Luna assured me I would be okay. Luna operates Custom Cigar Imports, the title sponsor of the cigar room in the Ice Palace's XO Club. I joined him Monday night to smoke one of his officially licensed Gasparilla cigars and watch the Lightning smoke the New Jersey Devils.

It was so much more than a smoke, however. Juan took me to school, explaining first and foremost that you don't light a cigar, you "turn it on." By the way, he's looking to trademark that phrase, so don't steal it.

Luna told me all about wrappers (the makeup of the cigar), binders and fillers, and the different sizes of cigars. I smoked a "pirate," which is Custom Cigars' version of a Churchill.

After a few minutes of in-depth conversation, I concluded cigars are like fine wine, while cigarettes, with all of their additives, are like MD 20-20.

Most importantly, Juan told me not to inhale. This was the reason I managed to survive without turning blue.

Although you can purchase Gasparilla cigars all around town, what excites Luna most is his cigar-management program targeted toward the club suites of various sports arenas. In May, the group will add a larger, glass-encased cigar room in the lower level of the Ice Palace which will have all the amenities such as personal humidors, hand rollers and a selection of various cigars.

If the room, "Smoke On Ice," proves successful, Luna said, people could end up "turning on" cigars in arenas across the country.

The city of Tampa and the property appraiser's office sponsor a Run For Shelter 5k starting at Centro Ybor this Friday at 7 p.m., and do you know the best part of the race? No, it's not the chance to drink beer afterward, and it's not the chance to support charities such as Alpha House, the Spring, the Children's Home and the Urban League with the $20 registration fee.

No, the best part is a road-race rarity: long-sleeve T-shirts.

Keep in mind, however, there are only 750.

Valencia Gardens is a CNBC place, so I guess it makes sense for Syl Farrell to take his Weekly Review show to the restaurant. CNBC? No that's not a reference to the cable network. I mean "see and be seen," which is what politicos do during Valencia luncheons.

Farrell will be joined by a live audience for the 5 p.m. taping of the show this Friday (it can be see at 8:30 p.m. on the Hillsborough County government access channel). Panelists will be Times columnist Howard Troxler, former Channel 13 anchor Leslie Spencer, local Democratic Party chairman Mike Scionti and Joseph Brown, a columnist for the Other Paper.

When the folks at the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted a group of travel reporters from the UK last week, they took them to all the usual stops: Busch Gardens, Bern's, Ybor City, Bayshore, etc. Yet one of the sights that most impressed the reporters was a canoe trip down the Hillsborough River.

The trip, conducted by Canoe Escape on East Fowler, offered a nature excursion in contrast to the urban setting that is Tampa.

Fabian Nunn, the rental manager at Canoe Escape, said the trips are one of the best-kept secrets in the area.

Forget about turning blue. Do you want to know what real humiliation is? I was telling an old friend Wednesday that every time I take my kids out to eat, they can never decide on a single place. Sometimes, I sack up and insist we either eat at this place or we go home.

But I must confess, there are moments of shame when I actually hit drive-throughs at two fast-food joints. The look I get from the woman at KFC when she sees a McDonald's bag sitting in the front seat makes my face turn another color: embarrassing red.

-- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright