Why not? I love great cigars and this event was being held in San Francisco’s financial district by Grant’s Pipe Shop my favorite cigar store! Hell I’m such a fan of Grant’s that I launched their unofficial Facebook Fan Page last year (can you say cigar geek?). http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=376498640144&ref=ts
Grant’s Pipe Shop is a national treasure that’s been around since 1925 catering to manly men who dig guy stuff (like Alfred Hitchcock Bing Crosby Milton Berle and Paul Morris). 
This is your kind of place if you want the finest cigars humidors pipes classy shaving gear premium loose tobacco and decades of tobacco expertise. It’s the kind of joint where I like to spend an evening swilling fine booze and smoking premium ‘gars.
So last week with Paul’s invitation in hand I grabbed a buddy and headed to Grant’s to see what the fine folk at General Cigar Company had to offer as the sponsors of the party. The cozy store was packed. Everywhere I looked I saw guys sucking on big fat um stogies drinking beer and tasting single malt offerings from Isle of Dura and Dalmore. I tasted several fine spirits myself while perusing the ginormous walk-in humidor (it holds more than 60000 cigars!)
The scotch was good better and great depending on your tastes – I recommend the spicy and peaty “Superstition” single malt a middle of the line offering from Isle of Jura (go to John Walker & Company at 175 Sutter Street in San Francisco to learn more). 
The cigar specials were also very generous. Grant’s owners Joe and Ted tobacco legends in their own rights worked with General Cigar to offer up sweet deals on some of my favorite brands such as Cohiba Macanudo Punch and La Gloria Cubana.
Thanks to Joe’s sexy salesmanship I bought more than my share of fine stogies. However one cigar stands out among my spoils. “La Gloria Cubana 750” is a supremely fine smoke aged five years with two wrappers a smooth Connecticut shade-grown and a bolder Ecuadoran Sumatran wrapper. http://www.teamlagloria.com/blog/ I’ll be heading back to Grant’s soon to re-stock my humidor with La Gloria Cubanas!
I also enjoyed a genuinely yummy “Macanudo Robust” which I was still smoking as I walked away from the party a couple of hours later with a belly full of great single malt and a bag full of amazing cigars that I looked forward to sharing with Paul.
It’s always good to support a local business especially one with such a rich history and a well-deserved following. Hats off to Grant’s Pipe Shop! I can’t wait for the next party.
David Downs New Barbary Coast Distribution
