March 3, 2005 Hip Hip Havana Sure, the cigar craze is over (thankfully). But anyone who has ever relaxed into the long smoke of a Lonsdale knows that for aficionados there is good, there is great, and then there is ... Cuban. The Cuban cigar remains shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Yeah, you could pick up a few down in T.J. -- but Tijuana has mysteries of its own: Is that donkey a zebra, or is that zebra a donkey? Almost as important as mystery, is history: Cut to the late '50s, when a cat from Florida named "Big G" bought a bunch of Cuban leaf. This was pre-embargo, of course. Problem is that in 1965, Big G went Big Bankrupt, and the feds took the tobacco. But before you dis the coppers, here's the good news: they know how to store their leaf. For nearly forty years this secret stash of tobacco sat untouched in precisely the proper temperature and in humidity-controlled conditions. And guess what? All these years later, the stash has been sold to Puros de Armando Ramos. So now they're making 100% Cuban leaf cigars. Think it's a gimmick? So do some cigar snobs who say these Pinar 3000s are not like what you get in Havana. Good thing you can choose to snuff those snobs and see for yourself. These limited-edition smokes are legally available here in L.A. starting at $12.50. Choose your size: Robusto, Churchill or Torpedo. We found the Ramos Pinar 3000 cigar at Wally's Wine & Spirits. You can call them at 1-888-9-WALLYS.