Cigar bar captures Latin flavor

BY LENNEICE DREW. The Miami Herald

Pillows of blue smoke hung in the air at the grand opening of Habana Cuba Cigar Lounge in Miami Lakes. Patrons enjoyed cigars from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, food and drinks and dominoes.

Heads turned toward the smoldering smell of molasses, honey and tobacco leaves that floated through a Miami Lakes plaza.

More than 60 neighbors and friends grabbed a comfy seat, swayed to live Latin music and smoked stogies at the grand opening of Habana Cuba Cigar Lounge in Miami Lakes on June 24.

The new store holds a trademark for some of the cigars it carries in the Oliveros line. Store owners Rafael Nodal, Hank Bischoff and Julio Varela have created new blends such as Oliveros XL For Men, named for the strength of the tobacco leaves.

''For three generations, my family has grown tobacco,'' Nodal explains. "They played an essential role in the production of cigars. So, opening this lounge is what connects me to my ancestors.''

Today, Nodal and his partners run a tobacco factory in the Dominican Republic, where the Oliveros are produced. Tobacco produced for the Miami Lakes lounge is grown in Honduras, Nicaragua as well as the Dominican Republic.

...the old is new again...

MiamiHerald.com | 07/09/2006 | Cigar bar captures Latin flavor

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