VIL feb 09 GRID.indd - Tubac Villager

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Terry Kirkpatrick sits comfortably outside his newly opened cigar shop on Camino Otero. Smoking halfway through a Cusano 18 cigar, he is cordial and relaxed, since his retirement from being a special agent with U.S. customs. “Th e Grumpy Gringo” opened its doors on December 1st, where Terry is living his dream of owning his very own cigar shop. “San Francisco Bay” written by Jesse Fuller and performed by Eric Clapton is playing from the loudspeakers. In the room to the left is a poker table, where Terry is looking for willing patrons to utilize the art of the card game, once a month. To the right, a lounge area where attractive leather bound chairs sit stoically diagonal from each other near a fi ve person couch and coff ee table, piled neatly with publications of various cigar periodicals. Opposite the wall is a series of lockers where regulars can leave their belongings for the next time they come back to smoke cigars in the aesthetics of relaxation. I ask Terry to recommend a good cigar for a novice such as myself to smoke. He walks me to the humidifi ed room, where he carefully surveys the collection of cigars. He reaches to the bottom right hand side of the shelf and picks out a Java, which is a mild class cigar made by Drew Estate. He clips the end off and lights the tip. He tells me, “...your palette, the fl avor is like a fi ne wine and each cigar holds a diff erent taste.” To the wall behind us, decorated with plaques surveying his governmental achievements, he tells me his defi nition between a cigar and a cigarette. “People don’t smoke cigars like a nervous habit, as one would do with a cigarette. People come in here to smoke a cigar for about forty minutes or so and ponder life, or ponder nothing at all and fall into a relaxation.” Cigars are rated by their taste, the shape, if it burns evenly and then of course the texture. Any cigar with an over 90 rating is a good cigar. As of yet, no cigar ever received a 100 rating. Some of the Cuban cigars will score a 95 or a 96 rating. Cigars from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras will rate around 90 to 92. Th e Cusano 18 Terry is smoking has been aged for fi ve years and received a 91 rating. Terry says he smokes around two to three cigars a day. Th e most expensive cigar he has off ered at the Grumpy Gringo is a La Aurora Sapphire, from the Dominican Republic, priced at $17.50. “A great cigar does not have to cost a lot of money.” Terry said through a cloud of smoke. “A great cigar could cost four dollars and still get a 91 rating, though the price will go up after a year or so.” Terry has traveled all over the world to educate himself in the culture of cigars. Among the numerous places he has visited are Mexico, Above, Terry Kirkpatrick and guest enjoy their cigars on the Grumpy Gringo’s open air lounging court. �� OPEN DAILY @ 11am � �� Gentlemen, You May Smoke Canada, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Bolivia, Columbia and Russia. He feels one must have a full understanding of cigars if one wants to be an expert. Th ere are many aspects in which a non-tobacconist may have some misconceptions in regards to cigars. “Someone should not smoke a full body cigar the fi rst thing in the morning,” according to Terry. “Th at full body cigar would be great after a steak dinner or with a cognac. If you go to an expensive restaurant, the waiter is not going to give you any which wine. You need to choose the wine that suits you. Th e same can be said for cigars.” When tobacco is picked from the fi eld, the loose tobacco is heated, which burns all the chemicals out of a good cigar. Th e tobacco is put into an aging room. It stays there from 90 days to a year. (Th e better cigar is aged 5 to 10 years) When the tobacco is removed from the aging room, the tobacco is very brittle. Eventually the humidity is put back into the cigar. Th en the cigar gets its shape in a cigar press. Th e outer leaf is put around the tobacco and then stored in a Spanish cedar room to age before they hit the market. Temperature has everything to do with the cigar. Every year has diff erent outcomes �� @ 11am ��
with tobacco growth, based on the amount of sunshine and rainfall, and the richness of the soil. Each crop will be diff erent based on the climate. “Lately,” Terry said, “Cigar tobacco has been blended with Brazilian, Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobacco making a very unique cigar.” To preserve cigars, a humidifi er must be kept at 70 degrees. Terry has three humidifi ers running at all times. Terry stated that people should not inhale cigar smoke in the same way that one would smoke cigarette. He also pointed out that cigarette smoke is forbidden in Th e Grumpy Gringo. Speaking to the health concerns of smoking, Terry quoted George Burns when asked what his doctors thought about him smoking cigars at the age of 92: “I don’t know, they’re all dead.” Th e Grumpy Gringo is open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Th e atmosphere is intended for men and women to have an escape, and though the cigar shop diff ers vastly from the bar scene, the shop off ers an area of serenity. Th e objective is not to forget life, but maybe postpone it in the amount of �� time it takes one to smoke a cigar. When asked as to why he chose Tubac for the opening of this establishment, he said, “Tubac has the quaint charm of artists, CEO’s, golf and the weather like we are having now. Th ere is not the hustle and bustle of traffi c here. You can go to any cigar shop around the world. It doesn’t matter if you are sitting with doctors, lawyers, ditch diggers, or busboys, you will always fi nd good conversation. Its like a social club where we can talk about everything and anything.” Th e garden patio lounge is very much like that of a Cuban café. Th ere is a barbeque in the center of a square table. Eighteen men came here last week to barbeque and enjoy the camaraderie of a descent cigar. Right above the wooden door is engraved a quote from Mark Twain: “If I can’t smoke in heaven, I won’t go.” Terry pointed out that the original quote is, “…I shall not go,” although Terry informed me that he did not have the room for the entire quote to fi t it in. A customer strolled in, saying that he could not resist the aroma. Terry does have a purifi cation system, but the Grumpy Gringo emanates the scent of class. Terry approached the gentleman saying, “If there is a cigar you need, I’ll carry it.” I was sifting through the comment book on the front counter, while he assisted the customer. Someone wrote next to their name, “What a smokin’ idea.” Visit the Grumpy Gringo at 4 Camino Otero in Tubac �� ARTISTS WORKING DURING FEST Stunning Mesquite Furniture check out our online portfolio at Experience our Tubac Gallery Showroom Featuring Festival Economic Stimulus Package These artists in gallery DURING FESTIVAL - COME & MEET: CARLOS LOPEZ - painting original oils in Gallery. DIEGO - Hand-carving Mesquite in Gallery. Bold Southwest Art GUSTAVO OLIVAS - Mesquite partner, designer and Amigo. �� Clearance �� Sale- �� 20% OFF �� 9
Page 1 and 2: Celebrating the Art of Living in So
Page 3 and 4: About this month’s cover Painting
Page 5 and 6: Thursdays - Farmers Market at the P
Page 7: ...continued from page 5 Sat, Feb 7
Page 11 and 12: y Mary Bingham S o u t h e r n A r
Page 13 and 14: Graham Bell Gallery- Authentic Cowb
Page 15 and 16: of taxpayers, he said, to wait unti
Page 17 and 18: Tubac Historical Society Board of D
Page 19 and 20: Make La Entrada — Your Tubac Dest
Page 21 and 22: 97 CALLE IGLESIA BURRUEL STREET TUB
Page 23 and 24: Top Left: A Queen butterfl y, a cot
Page 25 and 26: Tubac Festival of the Arts celebrat
Page 27 and 28: y Carol E. St. John While I listene
Page 29 and 30: S o u t h e r n A r i z o n a H i s
Page 31 and 32: CHIANTI FAVORITES My two favorite C
Page 33 and 34: ...continued from page 7 33 Field S
Page 35 and 36: ...continued from page 33 35 Mon, F
Page 37 and 38: Valentine’s Day is a mix of fondn
Page 39 and 40: ...continued from page 35 singers,

VIL feb 09 GRID.indd - Tubac Villager

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