But to a cigar connoisseur, a longtime smoker, if you have a well-made, well-aged one, there is nothing like a Cuban cigar.

T Map Even if you're not a cigar connoisseur, stroll through this tobacco emporium for a glimpse of the grandeur that used to line the Rokin in the early 20th century.

Over the years a number of important celebrities revealed themselves to be cigar connoisseurs in its pages, including television's William Shatner and radio's Rush Limbaugh.

You walk up a sweeping oak staircase, pass the $995 cashmere smoking jackets and enter a cigar connoisseur's paradise.

In 2005, Partagás introduced a pyramid, the Serie P No. 2, which has proven highly popular with cigar connoisseurs.

González claims he styled the Cuaba blend after Montecristo, but most cigar connoisseurs believe the blend used is more similar in taste to Romeo y Julieta.

That the Cigar Bar was created a year ago to cater to a rapidly expanding clique of cigar connoisseurs, or at least wannabe cigarophiles, is added reason to relax.

"Years later, our Dominican H. Upmann has cigar connoisseurs forgetting about Cuba," the copy says.

Another club for cigar connoisseurs, Havana, already has Jason Priestley and Tia Carrere as members.

A special Trojes tobacco from the Jalapa Valley of Nicaragua was used for the product, which met with critical success from cigar connoisseurs.