The Paris Smokeasy “Cigar of the Month” Articles

With growth in the Premium Cigar Industry, more and more cigar shops are opening nationwide, eExtraNews is running the Cigar of the Month articles. The stories are written to educate and inform their readers on what’s new, industry issues, and for a monthly recommendation. The Paris Smokeasy is a cigar club that gets together one night a month to try out and evaluate cigars. It started back in November of 2017 with 6 people showing up for the first meeting on the deck at Buffalo Joes in Paris, TX. For the first few years it was a private group that grew by only a few members each month. The idea behind it was for novice or rookie afficionados to learn about cigars and to try something new that most members would never have tried or picked up on their own. The club would evaluate that evening’s choice and rate it. Towards the end of 2019 and the announcement that Rigby’s Cigar Lounge was going to be coming to Paris, the club changed their Facebook page to “public” and they welcomed anyone wanting to learn and try new cigars.

In the first 5 years of the club, they grew to a Facebook membership of 500 and smoked 1055 total cigars at 61 events. Some of those sticks were exceptional, some were good, and some were horrible. What has kept the club going is this group of redneck, rookie, and serious aficionados that have shown up every month with their warped senses of humor and love of a good cigar. What it has evolved into is a family of Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf. Yes, I said sisters as around 15-20% of the club are women and are one of the largest growing groups in the cigar industry. Very few clubs or organizations have the diversity and cross section of society that this group has. There are blue collar workers, salespeople, executives, business owners, lawyers, retired folks, cowboys, ex-military, law enforcement, fire fighters, well you get the point. It doesn’t matter your race, religion, political affiliation, net worth, or gender, what matters is what you are holding and smoking that directs the conversation.

Once Rigby’s opened in November of 2022 on the square in downtown Paris, occupancy requirements and the amount of people the club could manage for events became an issue. The Board of the Humidor (BOH), the executive committee for the club, voted to limit membership to 75 people and to take their Facebook page back to a private group. The initial members invited were those that showed up over the years at each month’s event. Sometimes in 40-degree blowing cold October wind or on the patio at Joes in 106-degree July heat to try that month’s selection. What has happened since the collaboration of the Cigar Club and their host location Rigby’s, is that the cigar representatives and even some of the cigar label owners found out that they can put one of their new cigars in front of 75 average cigar lovers and get true feedback from the end user. So far, we have these labels coming to our events to educate us on their brand, what we are smoking, and to have that Redneck Ratin (our 0–100-point scale rating card) on that stick. None of the cigar reps know of any other cigar group or club anywhere in the entire nation that they can present their product to and get a group rating on it at a two hour event. Unlike these flowery articles by some “know it alls” telling us what we should be tasting, this group is the average every day cigar lover that will potentially buy their product if it fits their flavor lane. So, for little old Paris, TX, we have something special that no one else does, the Paris Smokeasy Cigar Club!

Each month we will publish the Smokeasy article here on what brand was smoked and their history, the specific cigar tried, and the club “Redneck Ratin!”

To bring you up to date for 2024, here are the cigars we’ve tried and their ratings so far:

January was the Epic Maduro Fuerte Compinche (Toro) in a 6 ½” x 54-gauge. It is a medium-bodied stick with a Brazilian Arapiraca Wrapper over an African Cameroon Binder with both Dominican and Nicaraguan Fillers. The mix of the Cameroon Binder and Brazilian

Wrapper is what sets it apart for me. We had 61 people present trying it for the first time. In the last six years, we have only had 4 cigars hit a 93 or better club rating. Well, this stick just made it in the Top 5 of all time with a Redneck Ratin of 94 out of 100. I cannot recommend strongly enough for you to try this stick, it earned that rating for a reason!

February was the Maria Lucia Double Robusto (Toro) in a 6 ½” x 50-gauge Box Pressed It received a 91 rating in January of ’24 from Cigar Aficionado (CA). Luciano’s “The Dreamer” Panetela was the #12 cigar of the year in CA’s Top 25 of 2021. With 62 people present for the event it received a Redneck Ratin of 90 out of 100.

March was the Punch Golden Era Toro in a 6” x 52-Gauge. A medium or light-medium bodied smoke. It has both a Honduran Havana Seed Corojo Wrapper and Binder, with Honduran Havana Seed Corojo & Habano Fillers. The Churchill size of this line received a 90-rating from Cigar Afficionado (CA) in Oct of 2023. To give you an idea of how many cigars they have made, CA has 393 reviews & ratings for Punch cigars. With 64 people present, it received a Redneck Ratin of 87 out of 100.

April was the Ohana Nui Pulse Maduro Toro in a box pressed 6” x 52-Gauge. A medium-full bodied smoke. It has a Mexican San Andres Wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder, and a Nicaraguan Filler. It features both a closed foot as well as a pig tail cap. It received #3 Best Cigar of 2023 with Leaf n Grain and got a 94 rating with Stogie Press. With 64 people present it received a Redneck Ratin of 92 out of 100. Our Vice-President of the club, David “Bulleit” Cox, said this is the most consistent rating he has ever seen on a cigar by our members.

The first four events of 2024 were sponsored by:

January – WeDraw3D-Paris Drafting They do custom home, commercial, and light industrial full set floor plans designed in 3D so their clients can see what it will look like before it is built. Providing Permit Ready plans in Paris and the surrounding areas. It is a Veteran Owned Business. February -Abby Kemper, with her new Jewelry line she is designing and that specializes in custom one-of-a-kind pieces. It is comprised of ethically sourced materials and brought together by the process of electroforming. It is on display at the Art Gallery in the Chamber of Commerce building downtown and online at https://fouroaksalchemy.com/. A locally owned and Veteran Operated Business.

February –Abby Kemper, with her new Jewelry line she is designing and that specializes in custom one-of-a-kind pieces. It is comprised of ethically sourced materials and brought together by the process of electroforming. It is on display at the Art Gallery in the Chamber of Commerce building downtown and online at https://fouroaksalchemy.com/. A locally owned and Veteran Operated Business.

March – Brad Archer with Archer Construction & Design. It is a locally owned firm specializing in Commercial, Industrial and Educational Facility design and construction. Primarily in Northeast Texas, they also have completed projects in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia. Brad Archer has been in the construction industry for 28 years and is currently finishing up his requirements to be a Licensed Architect and receive his state certification. April – James Shanahan with Townsend Fox LLC. They are a General Contracting company that specializes in residential remodels, new construction, and outdoor living spaces. It is a Hero Owned business as James is a former Law Enforcement Officer.

April – James Shanahan with Townsend Fox LLC. They are a General Contracting company that specializes in residential remodels, new construction, and outdoor living spaces. It is a Hero Owned business as James is a former Law Enforcement Officer.

Two quick disclaimers: Paris Smokeasy Cigar Club is a Private Non-Profit Club and is separate from Rigby’s, they are just our host location for our monthly cigar nights. Second, the club currently has a waiting list of people wanting to join that will be nominated and approved by the BOH as seats become available.

You can search on the eParisNews page for “Cigar”, and it will list all the previous articles and ratings done by the club.

Written by JD Marrs

#parissmokeasy

#cigarofthenight

#rigbyscigars