It’s Not Just a Cigar, It’s a Lifestyle, a Culture–Cuban Culture @ Mayan Cigar Lounge

By Nur M. Nazri  •  19 Dec 2017 in Reports

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The Cuban lifestyle is so much more than that Havana song you kept on hearing on the radio. When you think of Cuba, you think of driving pass the beach in a Chevy Bel Air, wind blowing through your hair carrying the eccentric scent of the ocean, and salsa music playing in the background. But in the midst of all that, what’s that thing you’re holding in between your teeth, puffing out cloudy smokes from your mouth? Ah yes, a cigar. Cigars are one of the iconic symbols of the Cuban culture. And who knew that you can get a taste of that culture, all in one place, one night, right here in Tropicana Grande, Petaling Jaya?

Last Thursday 14 December ‘17, the Mayan Cigar Lounge held a grand opening of their cigar lounge with Cuban Night as their main theme. They brought in authentic live Cuban performances by Havana Jazz Tumbao, a band directly from Cuba, and of course, the main man of the night, Master Roller Cristano Cardenas, who did a live demonstration of cigar rolling at the lounge.

Aside from the wonderful music and tasty drinks, Daniel, who’s the manager of the lounge and has been in the cigar industry for about 10 years now, gave us a bit more of an insight on what makes Cuban Night more special to us Malaysians.

“The cigar scene in Malaysia is definitely growing, which is a trend in Asia in general, I think, it’s taken a long time but slowly people are starting to catch on to cigars being something that you can join [in] this type of atmosphere, with friends, and music, and also culture…”

Even though majority of those who smoke cigars might be older (and you’re probably thinking every old man aged 50 and above), more and more young people are slowly getting into it. This is why they’d also like to expand this trend amongst youths.

“There’s a lot more behind cigars, it is more like a lifestyle and culture,” said Daniel.

The lounge offers a unique range of cigars; some are vintage and some are rare. But not all of the cigars are extremely pricey as you might imagine. If you’re looking for the common ones, they also offer home-plant cigars from Nicaragua that you can get from RM55 to RM65, which come in different sizes.

Whether you’re a smoker or not, this place can definitely be a good place for you to indulge in a Cuban culture for just a moment in your stressful day. You don’t necessarily have to smoke their cigars, but if you’re collector, you can definitely find rare brands over here to add into your collection.

Cuban Night took place on Thursday 14 December ’17 at the Mayan Cigar Lounge.

Click here for more updates on the Mayan Cigar Lounge.