Love the cigar

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In 2009 a group of Morgan Hill friends and cigar aficionados so loved the ritual of smoking their cigars that when they heard their local hangout was closing, they pulled together to start their own cigar lounge—a brand new establishment that would satisfy their need for camaraderie and their shared passion for fine cigars.

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They set up a shop—the Morgan Hill Wine Shop and Cigar Company—that mixes the best local wines and tobaccos including loose pipe tobacco and rolling tobacco. It’s been a community favorite for seven years.

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“If you’re a cigar smoker and you haven’t been here you are missing out,” wrote Marce A. of Clovis, in a five-star Yelp review. “Friendly staff, nice selection of cigars, large wine selection and beer on tap. It doesn’t get any better than this!”

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Added Clinton R., of Redwood City: “High quality, high class everything here. A great experience all around. The fact that they serve beer & wine is a major bonus! Don’t feel intimidated either, these guys will really take the time to explain everything there is to know for you to have an epic cigar smoking experience. You can easily see the passion these guys have for cigars and it translates into their service. I’m sold.”

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Earlier this year the company moved a mile south of downtown. It killed the foot traffic they used to get. President and CEO Jeff Burrus says that from 2009 to mid-2015, they looked at over 100 properties before settling on the place at Candy Park Plaza at 16375 Monterey Rd.

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For Burrus and the 16 other owners, the move was successful. Indeed, both clientele and revenue have increased, says Burrus.

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“My only regret is that we should have done this earlier,” he says.

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The biggest change was adding a smoke-free wine shop.

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“At the old location people came in and even if they were only in there a few minutes, they would walk out smelling like tobacco,” says Burrus. “We’re trying to create a double identity.”

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They focus on local wines, carrying 20 of the 36 wine labels produced in South Valley. Burrus says they have plans to open a separate shop for tasting wines, where they will have flights and a wine bar. They’ll also be building two separate patios, which he says will help both businesses expand.

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The Morgan Hill Wine Shop and Cigar Company draws both wine connoisseurs and cigar lovers from all over the South Bay. Its humidor is impressive; at 400 square feet it houses well over 2,000 cigars within its mahogany-lined walls.

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The majority of cigar brands they carry are hand-wrapped—and surprisingly, touched by 200 hands before they ready for sale. From the initial tilling of the soil and planting of the tobacco seed to the harvest, drying, bunching, and wrapping the final product—“sticks” as they’re known, involve many people. “The entire process of making a cigar is a hand process,” says Burrus.

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One might think that the filling is the most important part of the cigar, but Burrus says “about 70 percent of the taste comes from the wrapper. That final leaf that goes around it provides most of the taste.” It’s the wrapper that also determines the difference in gauge or ring size of a cigar.

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From recognizable names like Cohiba, Macanudo, Rocky Patel, Partagas, Room 101 and Arturo Fuente, to ACIDS, Tatuaje, Illusione and other lesser known brands, these cigars range from $4-$40 each.

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Arturo Fuente is a top seller, probably the most expensive cigar they sell. The biggest difference between a $4 cigar and a $30 cigar what differentiates “two-buck chuck” from Opus One. “It’s the grapes it comes from, the land that it grew in, and the aging that took place,” says Burrus.

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Another top-shelf cigar they sell is Padron Family Reserve 50th, which was developed by a family in 1964 for their father’s 50th birthday. With any top quality cigar, the key is in maintaining the flavor and consistency of the brand year after year.

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Morgan Hill Wine Shop and Cigar Company’s inventory includes approximately 600 different cigars from 80 different companies.

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For many, the obsession with cigars is undeniable—the smell of a new cigar; the color and texture of the wrapper; the feel of it between your fingers; the aroma; the shape and mouthfeel; even the color of the ash or the length of the burn. Each element tells a story and plays a role in shaping cigar culture.

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Women make up about 20 percent of the shop’s customers. Of those, about a third are cigar smokers, says Burrus. The company recently held a ladies night put together by one of their owners, Amy Yancey. Expecting fewer than 10 women, they were surprised when nearly 30 showed up.

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“What’s nice about an event like this is that they are great opportunities to learn about cigars,” says Tracy Barrette, one of the owners who helps with marketing and promotion. “People learn how to draw, how to cut it, how to develop your taste, to identify what you like. A lot of people don’t know. Like with wine, they don’t know the lingo.”

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Burrus adds that events like this haven’t always worked for their male clientele, but “it was interesting to see some of the guys leaning back during the women’s event and you could hear them say ‘I didn’t know that.’”

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Barrette has been smoking cigars for about three years and is still defining her tastes. She says she’s into Tatiana right now “because they’re thin and they have different flavors like cherry, honey. I don’t think I have the developed palate yet for some of the other cigars.”

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Flavored cigars are also catching on with men, says Burrus.

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“In the case of both pipes and cigars they are not using artificial additives, they are natural flavors. For instance they will let them age or season with the vanilla bean, with the actual cherries.”

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They carry a wide selection of smoking accessories and pipes, including ones carved from burlwood or meerschaum to more modern metal designs made in Japan.

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Aficionados can purchase an annual membership and get a 15 percent discount on everything available in the shop and a free cigar on cigar nights. Which, Burrus says is about a $250 value alone.

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The shop also offers lockers for people to store their own cigars. “Many of the people own lockers because they have restrictions in terms of smoking in their house,” says Burrus. The main bar has 2,500 square feet of space where patrons can sit back, maybe watch the game on one of their seven TVs and relax without being overwhelmed by smoke smell, thanks to a large ventilation system cleaning the air every four minutes.

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Most of the time Burrus says he smokes a cigar simply because he enjoys to smoke.

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Asked which are the best, Burrus says the industry considers the long, thin style of the lancero cigar to be the best tasting shape and size because you’re getting more of the wrapper as the influence.

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As for Burrus’ favorite, he says he prefers the cigars he can savor. “Those were always the best cigars because you’re sitting back and you’re really tasting the flavor of it and you’re drinking the really good wines or the good scotches or the good bourbons, and you’re in good company,” says Burrus.

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If a customer doesn’t know what they like Burrus says he can help pick the right cigar based on the customer’s favorite foods.

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“If you like steak, you would lean toward a Dominican cigar. If you liked pastas to which they’ve added a lot of spice and they have added peppers or Mexican that would put you to Nicaragua,” says Burrus.
“I take their answer and I give them the matching cigar; 95 percent of the time they will come back and say ‘that was perfect! that hit my taste buds!’”

• At least 200 people are involved in making each cigar from tilling the soil to the final packaging.

• Tobacco leaves are cured or aged in drying houses to improve flavor and develop a more refined product.

• The wrapper or final leaf that goes around a cigar provides most of the taste.

• Humidors are typically lined with cedar or mahogany and are best kept at 70 degrees and 70 percent humidity.

• Cigars need to be toasted before being smoked. Spend 15-30 seconds priming the end with a match, so when it’s lit, it lights more evenly.

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Those were always the best cigars because you’re sitting back and you’re really tasting the flavor of it and you’re drinking the really good wines or the good scotches or the good bourbons, and you’re in good company.