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(2) Casa Fuente inside Caesar's is popular, but I prefer Parasol Up Parasol Down at the Wynn. It's a great place to smoke cigars and sip on well crafted cocktails while enjoying a water fall and light show. Napoleon's at Paris could be enjoyable as well if you like piano bars. (3) Another vote for Craftsteak. Del Frisco’s is also good, but it's not situated inside a hotel or casino.

(1) Maska's - Cigar shop at the J.W. Marriott in Gangnam owned by a very nice gentlemen named Vince who knows his stuff. Good cigar and pipe selection, but prices aren't exactly cheap due to local taxes, but definitely better than the other venues in town. There's a small smoking area with a selection of books on cigars, including the MRN encyclopedia. If you're in Gangnam and need cigars, this is the place to go. If you run into Vince, tell him Alex sends his regards. (2) Havana Cigar Divan - This is or was a cigar shop and lounge owned by Pierre, the local authorized distributor, and located at the Grand Intercontinental Parnas in Gangnam. Last I heard the place shut down due to hotel renovations, not sure if they are back or gone for good so give the hotel a ring to confirm before heading over. (3) Burn - Cigar lounge by the main US military installation in Yongsan, and is open late on the weekends (think ~4 am). The owner Hal is a fun character often found with a fedora, and will go out of his way to make his customers feel welcomed. If you see him, tell him Alex sent you. Good selection of whiskies and friendly staff, but the cigar selection can be hit or miss. (4) The Paris Bar - This is the lounge at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, and probably my favorite place to smoke in Seoul. The drinks are not cheap, but the whiskey selection is impressive, the service is impeccable and the venue itself beautifully adorned. It's a place where time seems to slow down. They maintain a small and expensive selection of cigars stored in a desktop humidor, so you're probably better off bringing your own. I'm a little concerned that this place has fallen victim to Korea's evolving indoor smoking ban since January 1st, 2014, but they do have an outdoor patio, so you'll most likely be fine.

Another vote for menudo. It's not for everyone, but I have yet to come across anything more effectual. Haejangguk, which is a Korean soup that literally translates to "hangover remedy soup" or something along those lines, works well too. Bun bo hue, a spicy Vietnamese soup noodle dish similar to the ubiquitous pho, also does a stellar job. Though be warned, both dishes are typically made with congealed blood. Basically, any spicy soup dish made with potentially taboo ingredients make for a great hangover cure! Ultimately, though, I think the best way to deal with hangovers is advance preparation: if you know you are going to drink "heavily," hydrate in advance for 48-72 hours like you're going to run a marathon. Drink lots and lots and lots of water. Chug a few bottles of gatorade as well if you don'd mind the sugar, and definitely throw in a couple packs of oral rehydration salts the day of the event and the night before if you can tolerate the taste.

Smoked a Bolivar Gold Medal tonight. Sweet, satisfying, yet complex cigar that produced tons of smoke. Reminded me a little of the Partagas Lonsdale, but not quite as spicy. It's a shame that they were re-discontinued.

Smoked a 2006 Trinidad Fundadores tonight, not bad, but Cohiba Lanceros of comparable age are definitely a tad tastier.

Another vote for Bali, especially if you are single. If you are into tea, Yunnan, a Southern Chinese province bordering Vietnam, is worth considering in addition to or in lieu of Taiwan. If you want something exotic, if not surreal (and a great cocktail story), there's always North Korea.

Sounds like the state sanctioned monopoly can't compete with the black market. What a surprise! [emoji1]

I use to frequent a cigar lounge in the Pacific Northwest where I rarely purchased any of their cigars. Sometimes, I wouldn't even order alcohol if I was catching up on work. However, I made sure to tip generously, and abstained from hitting on the attractive waitresses, which they somehow had an endless lineup of. The staff always made sure I felt welcomed, and eventually even stopped charging me for coffee or tea if that was all I ordered. As with any hospitality venue, take care of the staff and they'll take care of you.

According to the poll initiated by the original poster, ~27% of the folks here support banning the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2000. This is rather surprising considering the sentiments echoed in this thread.

Barbecued oysters, kumamotos on the half shell, and a 1998 Punch Corona on the Californian coast.

Smoked an initial release Cohiba Behike 56 tonight. Good, but there are definitely better cigars at ~$40 USD a stick.

We obviously share dissatisfaction with the current outcome of the situation. However, we may have to agree to disagree on how to rectify the problem, or whether it can or should be rectified at all.

Not trying to pick on you here, friend, but you can't paint the situation as black and white while conceding the presence of shades of gray. Even if we are to render the event monochrome, that does not mean the policy itself cannot be challenged. I hate to stray off topic, but given the absurdities and atrocities that have been perpetrated against cigar smoking in the US and elsewhere, we can't approach the protection of our rights with a defeatist attitude.

You make this sound like a black and white situation when we live in a world of gray. Firstly, rules are subject to interpretation (e.g. such rules are often constructed as a prohibition against drug abuse rather than drug use). Secondarily, sanctions must be reasonably measured against the violation. By no means is there any guarantee that the students or parents will prevail in court. However, initiating a lawsuit or articulating a credible threat to initiate a lawsuit will give the relevant administrators cause to re-evaluate their position.

Not a fan of frivolous lawsuits, but the parents need to bring the relevant administrators to their knees with (the threat of) a lawsuit.

I have never been a big fan of Romeo y Julieta, especially fresh. However, with age, they can be quite good. I have some 2005 Exhibicion #4s from a cabinet that were bitter, one dimensional and just awful even at three years of age in 2008, but are absolutely phenomenal now: complex and balanced. Also have some 2006 Exhibicon #4s from a dress box that are coming along nicely, but not quite as good as the cabinet selection. Interestingly, I have found RyJ Churchills more approachable than most other RyJs at two or three years old, but still best smoked with a lot more rest in the humidor.

Welcome to FOH! Happy to see the SoCal team staying strong here. Whereabouts in SoCal are you from?

Welcome to FOH!

Welcome to FOH!

Welcome to FOH, Drew!

Welcome to FOH! Like the username. Please don't pwn us!

That sounds perfect! Will definitely have to check it out. If anyone else is familiar with additional cigar friendly Bay Area bars, lounges or restaurants (with a liquor license), please do let me know. Thanks again, gentlemen!

Back in college, my alma mater offered a whisk(e)y appreciation course, which I couldn't help but enroll in. The instructor, an Irish gentlemen, who subsequently returned to Ireland and worked on and off in the liquor industry, considered it blasphemy to consume single malt or single pot still whisk(e)y with ice. He supported diluting cask strength whisk(e)y with water, but insisted that the coldness of ice muted the complexity of good whisk(e)y. I almost always sip whisk(e)y neat, but feel that there is a certain pleasure to adding a couple blocks of ice to whisk(e)y or at least the "cheaper stuff." The ice opens up the whisk(e)y, and allows one to experience the liquor as it continuously transition in strength.

2013 Partagas Serie D No. 4 paired with some 16 y/o Lagavulin. Perfect for a gorgeous Californian afternoon after a slightly heavy meal of lamb barbecued Mexican style.

Nice summary, but even nicer reviews! The Ramon Allones Gigantes in Paris entry was especially entertaining!