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While on vacation in Tampa, I stayed 1 night in the old Cuban neighborhood of Ybor City. It was founded by a man named Ybor and he bought 40 acres in Tampa to build cigar making factories and housing for employees. Anyway, we visited a variety of sites and learned about a current Master Cigar Maker. I learned a little about the cigars and bought 2. As we continued to walk thur the neighborhood, we met the Master on the street and struck up a conversation with him. He was very personable and reminded me of the friendliness of the Master Distillers. He was very informative and passionate about his craft. I'd call him a micro-cigar maker. After I try one of the cigars, I'll post what I think about it, although I know nothing about cigars. If anyone is interested, the name of his company is Gonzalez Habano Cigar Co. & the website is www.cigarsoftampa.com

BTW, BourbonJoe and Doug: what kind of cigar did you guys smoke that day we got together? Those cigars had a nice aroma. Maybe I'll try to find it locally.

Brewer wrote:BTW, BourbonJoe and Doug: what kind of cigar did you guys smoke that day we got together? Those cigars had a nice aroma. Maybe I'll try to find it locally.

They were " Cain-F", a high end cigar made by Oliva.
Joe

Ybor City is a very interesting and historical place to visit. Hopefully, you had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Columbia Restaurant. The first cigars that Joe and I smoked during your visit were Arturo Fuente Opus X 1992 Rare Estate Reserve.

Yes Doug, we did go to the Columbia for dinner. Luckily for us, in addition to a great meal, there was a group of flamenco dancers performing that evening. So we had great food and entertainment.
BTW, we met a guy at the end of our cruise. He's from Tampa. We spoke about the Columbia and he said, no don't go there, they've become a chain restaurant. So I asked what he would recommend. Get this, he says go to the Cheesecake Factory! I'd say that's a bit more of a chain of restaurants than the Columbia will ever be, and I've got 1 within a stones throw of my house. Glad we didn't take his advice!

It is good that you ignored the comment from the Tampa resident. There may be more than 1 Columbia Restaurant; however, the original in Ybor City has existed since about 1905 and it has received many awards. I have been there a few times and the food and service has been excellent. The interior with the open courtyard is beautiful.