Our upcoming Alec Bradley Cigar Event July 20th, 2013

At Cascade Cigar, our monthly cigar events are fun for us, the cigar representatives, and (hopefully) our customers. Each event is a chance to introduce customers to a new cigar - one that may potentially be their new favorite.

Events are held in our walk-in humidor, and a cigar representative is usually on hand to talk to customers about that month's cigar.

If you are new to Cascade Cigar, or cigars in Portland, we are easy find and have our own large parking lot.

Once upon a time it was easy to see which cigar maker produced which brands (and this is still true with the older brands). However, newer cigar brands have many lines and it can be a challenge to understand who makes which cigar. Alec Bradley, for example, has many brands including Vice, American, and others. In honor of our cigar event this weekend, consider this a quick primer on Alec Bradley cigars.

Alec Bradley American

 Alec Bradley American is a mild to medium bodied cigar, and was rated 89 by Cigar Aficianado. This is a great choice for Portland cigar smokers who prefer is lighter, but never boring, smoking experience.

Alec Bradley New York

Rated 91 by Cigar Aficionado, Alec Bradley New York was originally released only to New York cigar retailers. This bold cigar lives up to its namesake.

Alec Bradley Family Blend

The Alec Bradley Family Blend was the highest rated cigar in the world in 2010 - garnering an impressive score of 94 from Cigar Aficionado. This medium bodied cigar is a favorite in our humidor.

Alec Bradley Nica Puro

As the name suggests, this rich, medium bodied cigar is a Nicaraguan Puro.

Alec Bradley Black Market

Alec Bradley Black Market features Honduran Jamastran and Panamanian fillers, a Sumatra binder, and a gorgeous dark Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper. These ingredients combined to produce "Best of the Best 2012" honor from The Robb Report and a rating of 90 from Cigar Aficionado.

Alec Bradley Vice

Box-pressed and featuring fillers from Mexico, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobaccos, Alec Bradley Vice is a stunning medium bodied cigar, that provides lots of flavor without being overpowering. It was rated 92 by Cigar Aficionado.

Alec Bradley Connecticut

Nothing Alec Bradley does is boring, and their Connecticut cigar is no exception. Don't be fooled by its smooth brown wrapper - underneath it all is a mild to medium bodied cigar that still brings plenty of creamy flavor.

Alec Bradley Tempus

Many of our customers have fallen in love with the Alec Bradley Tempus for good reason. Rated 94 by Cigar Aficionado, the Tempus is a shining example of how amazing a small scale, boutique cigar can be.

Alec Bradley Prensado

With a Cigar Aficionado rating of 96 as well as being one of the Top 25 Cigars of 2011, the Alec Bradley Prensado is a "must try" cigar. This very full-bodied cigar showcases a Trojos Honduran wrapper and Nicarguan, Honduras, and Trojos filler.

Celebrating World No Tobacco Day

The World Health Organization, or WHO, has designated May 31 as World No Tobacco Day. At Cascade Cigar, we decided to have a little fun with the concept. If you do not want to smoke, then by all means, do not smoke. If, however, you are an adult who enjoys the occasional pipe or cigar, then we believe you should have the right to smoke.

We opened our Portland cigar lounge, normally $5 for a day pass, to everyone so they could enjoy their favorite cigar and reflect on what a sad world it would be without high-quality tobacco products to enjoy. A quick side note, our Portland smoking lounge is only open to cigars because Oregon law prohibits pipe smoking in smoking lounges.

We certainly had a lot of fun with the concept, and we think our customers did too. If you have not stopped by our lounge lately, be sure to check it out next time you are in the store. We are proud of our large walk-in humidor and extra-large smoking lounge.

We do not know if any of the other cigar stores in Portland did anything similar for World No Tobacco Day, but maybe next year we can all enjoy the day with cigar in hand! Our lovely pipe-smoking customers are not excluded; they just have to smoke their pipe at least ten feet from any entrance. Sorry guys!