Colombia

Five Cigar Recommendations for Father's Day

Filed under: Cigars

I'm about to celebrate my first Father's Day, so when I heard that the Beverly Hills Cigar Club had a few cigar suggestions for the occasion, I opened the e-mail immediately. In past years, I would have written the blog post for everyone else ... this year, I have something at stake!

Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, has put together an interesting menu of cigars for Father's Day this year. From this list, I'd go with the Oliva Serie V, though my personal favorite these days is the 601 Trabuco (hint, hint).

Let's take a look at the five cigars Lee offers up as Father's Day suggestions:

1. CAO America Monument Pinstripe Torpedo
The wrapper on this cigar consists of two leaves arranged to deliver a pinstriping effect. One is a golden brown Connecticut Shade, and the other is a chocolate brown Connecticut Broadleaf. The filler comes from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Notes Lee, "Warm summer nights this Father's Day, heat up the Kalamazoo 900 Grill and let Dad light up America while he slow grills his special burgers. No, he still won't tell you what's in the sauce though."

Tags: beverly hills, cigar, cigar club, cigar lounge, cigars, colombia, costa rica, dominican republic, fathers day, fathers-day, FathersDay, honduras, Mexico, nicaragua, NicaraguanCigars

Continue reading “Five Cigar Recommendations for Father's Day”

World Cup Gets Official Rings

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

At the instigation of Colombian jeweler Carlos Sotelo, the world's biggest event is borrowing inspiration from America's biggest events. For the first time ever, the World Cup will offer FIFA-sanctioned rings to the Cup's MVP, and additional rings will be available to those willing to spend from $2,500 to $250,000 for gem-encrusted souvenirs.

Sotelo and 269 jewelers are currently setting the stones on 2,010 rings for the South African tournament. The most accessible will be the 1,970 rings in gold and silver, set with emeralds, offered for $2,500. Above that are 33 white gold rings, each with 36 emeralds and South African diamonds, that will go for $70,000 each. And at the top of the pyramid are seven platinum rings, each with 200 emeralds, that will set you back a quarter of a million dollars apiece.

Sotelo ultimately wants the entire winning team to be presented with official rings, as is done for winning players in the Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Championship, but for this year one of the gold rings will be given to the World Cup's most valuable player. Since that probably won't be you, we'd suggest taking an extra $2,500 to Johannesburg.

Source

Tags: colombia, fifa, ring, rings, soccer, world cup

Obama's Big Bucks Bulletproof Wardrobe?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

There's been a lot of speculation over whether Barack Obama actually wore bulletproof clothing when he was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on Jan. 20. There were certainly a number of extraordinary security measures in place. One thing's for certain however - the only person capable of making bulletproof clothing that's indistinguishable from your average Hart Schaffner Marx ensemble is Colombian designer Miguel Caballero - but it costs a hell of a lot more.

(For the record, Caballero's rep declined to comment when we asked if they'd furnished the President with any clothing.)

Back in October we told you about Caballero's stylish $10,000 quilted riding jacket. Known as "The Armani of Armor", Caballero developed a proprietary lightweight anti-ballistic fabric which he fashions into a number of garments, including a bulletproof tuxedo shirt (above). This allows for maximum flexibility and discretion while providing protection from weaponry ranging from a 9mm pistol to an Uzi, depending upon the security level you select.

Caballero's high-end Black Label line, favored by such security-conscious VIPs as Prince Felipe of Spain, President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia and President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, also features a $12,000 bulletproof polo shirt, a trench coat, leather jackets and even ski gear. An additional stab-proof lining is optional on most garments. Check out the gallery for some more of his attack-proof designs.

Gallery: Miguel Caballero Bulletproof Clothing