Features
Ron Perelman
The story of Perelman's rise to the top of the corporate world parallels the extraordinary economic expansion of the 1980s. He built his fortune by buying and building companies, …
A Handle on the World
Robin Leach, host of the television show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," remembers the day he lost his briefcase and vowed never to carry another. "I lost my briefcase in a …
Riding High
Six a.m. Saturday morning. With the taste of coffee still fresh in your mouth, you finish suiting up. Tucking the harness boots under leather pant legs, pulling the black-leather …
Private Kingdoms
Nervously eyeing the tin-plated, twin-engine prop that's scheduled to wing him two-and-a-half hours across the Pacific Ocean, Farhan Vladi paces the tarmac at the Valparaíso, …
A Few Good Books
Cigar smokers have seen a lot of changes over the past two years. New cigar brands and the introduction of additional lines or sizes by established manufacturers have flooded the …
Sidewalk Sculptures
" ...You who love the weed they call sweet, Plug or fine cut, twist or leaf, Go to Warrington's at Vall Street There where stands the Indian Chief." (From an …
The Mysteries of Burgundy
Not long ago I was on the prowl for especially good producers in the small Burgundy village of Auxey-Duresses. As names go, Auxey-Duresses is not one of the shining stars of …
One Step Ahead
"Let me show you something," Steve Forte says. "Go ahead, shuffle the cards." He's sitting on the opposite side of a marble coffee table, in a hotel room 30 stories above …
A Duffer's Dream
The game of golf has been good to Tom Kite. Forget the many millions he's earned in endorsements for clubs and balls and automobiles; forget the five-figure fees he commands for …
Back Again
Minutes from the Santa Monica Freeway, in California, supposedly the single busiest strip of highway in the world, there's a lightly traveled two-lane highway that spins through …
Campagna, New York City
Buzz is a word that makes a restaurateur happy. The buzz level often determines how many tables are full and, if it lasts long enough, can help build a foundation for long-term …
Frontera Grill/Topolobampo, Chicago
If you're like most Americans, Mexican food conjures up images of fajitas, piles of refried beans slathered with cheese, nachos, corn chips and crispy tacos filled with chopped …
Zalacain, Madrid
Cigar friendly hardly sums up the open attitude toward cigars that permeates Spanish culture. As in no other Western society, the pleasures of a great smoke are considered …
Forever Young
Milton Berle is 86 years young, and he has been smoking cigars since he was 13 years old. That may say more about the state of the comedian's physical fitness than it does about …
The Mysteries of Burgundy
Not long ago I was on the prowl for especially good producers in the small Burgundy village of Auxey-Duresses. As names go, Auxey-Duresses is not one of the shining stars of …
The King of Swings
While major league baseball ebbs and flows in 1995, losing fan appeal as it flounders on the shores of greed, a century ago a saloon keeper's son who set the standards was born…
Four Seasons, Washington, D.C.
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of," said Benjamin Franklin in 1746. Today, he might have added, "and if you're in Washington, …
Plaza Athenee, Paris
The Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris leads a 24-hour-a-day life of its own, like a grand luxury liner that just happens to be moored in the middle of Avenue Montaigne, its jaunty red …
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, California
The remarkable beauty of the Ritz-Carlton's Dana Point location is what sets this luxury resort apart. Situated high atop a 150-foot bluff, the four-story Mediterranean-style …
Cigars
A Century Mark
With Their Cuesta-Rey Brand Booming, the Newman Family Celebrates 100 Years of Cigar Making
Big-Wrapper Crisis
The Lack of Large-Sized Wrapper Leaves is Creating a Shortage of Big Cigars
Great Moments: Dinner of the Century
The first guests through the door of Laurent in Paris foretold all about the night to come. Their faces were bright, they were laughing, and everyone was ready to have a good …
The Lady Loves Cigars
India Allen, the 1988 Playboy Playmate of the Year, is looking for a breakthrough movie on her terms.
Ratings from this Issue
Up Front
Exiles
People from around the world flock to the United States in search of freedom. They flee wars or repressive governments. Sometimes they are simply looking for the opportunity to …
Out of the Humidor
Dear Marvin, I am reading my first copy of Cigar Aficionado . My mentor, Bill Cosby, is featured on the cover. Like Cosby, I'm a comedian, and like most of America, I …