Skip to main content

Made In America: La Casa Grande Cigars

La Casa Grande Cigars, Cigars, la Casa grande tobacco company
One of the finest cigars I’ve had in years came not from Cuba, nor from the Dominican Republic, nor from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (though… that’s not really a surprise), but rather from The Bronx. Specifically, it came from the La Casa Grande Tobacco Company at the famed (though rather insipidly named) Arthur Avenue Retail Market.

Related: How To Prepare a Humidor

Related Videos

Cigar Older ManBefore we talk about the cigars, lets talk about Arthur Avenue. You know those places you can visit that make you feel as though you turned a corner and found yourself in another country? This is not one of those places. Arthur Avenue, which is located in the Belmont section of the Bronx borough, is vigorously, albeit uniquely, American. It, like so many other enclaves of culture blended in years gone by and seasoned by the generations, does not feel like a neighborhood in an Italian city, it feels like an American “Little Italy,” and anyone who knows a Little Italy or two knows that’s a construct of its own. The same can be said of an American Chinatown or any of the other countless neighborhoods around the country where one distinct culture settled and then proceeded to swap influence.

So. Arthur Avenue. There’s a lot of mozzarella there. And pizza, yes. And great coffee, gelato, fresh bread, Catholic churches, and more than a few excitable older men shouting back and forth across small tables laden with loaded ashtrays and crumbs of biscotti. And if you step into the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, it’s a great spot to get a cigar, too.

hand rolling'You can watch one of the master cigar rollers from Las Casa Grande roll a cigar right before your eyes at the booth they keep just inside the doors of the market. And then you can take about five steps across the hall into the company’s walk-in humidor and buy one of their fine cigars (or five or a box or whatnot). And if you light that cigar up later that same afternoon, you’ll learn that freshness counts. Big time. In fact, the Colorado Corona (see below, dear reader — oh, we do a quick guide) I selected was one of the smoothest, richest cigars I can recall enjoying; it had notes of caramel and coffee and a vague nutty/woody flavor, and the cigar remained mild many inches into the burn.

Related: How to Properly Smoke a Cigar

Now, was part of the enjoyment a result of the power of suggestion established by my watching the cigar roller at work? Maybe. But who cares? All I know is that some damn fine La Casa Grande cigars are being made right here in The Bronx, New York, NY, United States of America, baby.

And in case you were wondering, here’s the simplest break down of cigar color/strength and size:

  • Claro = lighter brown or tan wrapper (and usually indicates milder profile)
  • Colorado = medium brown or reddish wrapper (and stronger flavor)
  • Maduro = deep brown wrapper (and by now you’re getting it)
  • Oscuro = black wrapper (yep, big and bold flavor)

When it comes to size, the basics are:

  • Panatela = narrower diamater cigar
  • Corona = medium gauge (most common)
  • Robusto, Presidente, Churchill, and a bunch of other wacky names connote a thick cigar.

Note that those names relate to thickness, not length. Length can be described as petite, grand, or with some other terms from the lexicon, or simply as short, medium, or long.

Editors' Recommendations

Cigar Club Wants to Send Over Your New Favorite Cigar
cigar club box opened with contents

The world of subscription boxes has achieved its zenith. With box options available for goods as disparate as popcorn to bacon to fair-trade coffee, it's not exactly surprising to see a monthly cigar subscription box on the market. But what is a little surprising about Cigar Club is their attention to detail and bespoke cigar offerings.

Cigar Club doesn't just send you a random selection of cigars (like most other cigar subscription boxes out there), it sends you cigars it thinks you'll love. So, how do they do it? With a quiz, obviously. But fear not if you're a cigar smoking novice and have no idea what you like because this quiz doesn't ask a single question about cigars. Rather, it asks about taste preferences and flavor profiles you enjoy. A few sample questions:

Read more
Good Cigar Co. Is Your New Personal Tobacconist
Good-Cigar-Co.-1, Good Cigar Co.

There is little joy in this world as pure as a good cigar, a good drink, and a good friend. Throw in a porch and you’ve got happiness in between your fingers. Good Cigar Co. is designed to help you have this experience as often as you like with little to no effort on your part. Well, you have to supply the friend and porch...

“I love how cigars bring people together, says Will McQuain, founder of Good Cigar Co. “It's uncommon for men to just sit down for an hour and talk, but cigars force you to do exactly that. I find that it really brings out this thoughtful, pensive side of people, and it's really difficult to have a bad conversation over a cigar.”

Read more
There’s a Sexy Cuban Cigar Bar Hidden in Hollywood
la descarga

There is little better in this world than Cuban cigars and rum, but Cuba is a tad far from Los Angeles. If you’re craving a sultry night in Havana but don’t have the vacation days, head straight for La Descarga.

The bar is a nondescript building in East Hollywood so you’ll have to be careful not to walk straight past. But inside is a hidden, sexy, smoky, boozy world. You have a journey into the bar that includes stepping through a wardrobe of jackets: once inside, you’re immediately in an elaborate Cuban mansion. Maybe it’s a little crumbly and distressed in a few spots, but it’s clearly the home of someone wealthy with an eye for beauty and a taste for great rum. Dark woods, plush velvet sofas, and crystal chandeliers fill the intimate space; jazz musicians blow hard from the balcony, salsa dancing breaks out on the floor, and curvaceous burlesque dancers turn the bar into a stage. Since you’re going to such an illustrious, old school mansion, you have to look the part. There’s a dress code-- it’s not egregious (more common sense), but it’s absolutely enforced.

Read more