Alex Rodriguez • September/October 2018
Alex Rodriguez, one of the most talented men ever to play baseball, sits down over cigars with Cigar Aficionado editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken in a wide-ranging interview. The pair talk about Rodriguez’s years as a pro athlete, what drove him to build a vast real estate empire, how he dealt with his father abandoning him as a 10-year-old boy and the fallout from his yearlong suspension from the game. He also reveals his views of former teammate Derek Jeter, talks about his high-profile relationship with superstar Jennifer Lopez and his thoughts on the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Features
Alex Rodriguez—The Interview
Alex Rodriguez was only 10 years old when his father walked out, leaving his mother Lourdes alone to support the family. The young Rodriguez watched his mother—who worked two …
Quest For The Cup
Nearly a century ago Samuel Ryder, an English businessman smitten with the game of golf, was looking to put his name on something beyond the penny packets of seeds he sold through …
2018 NFL Preview
Despite just missing their sixth Lombardi Trophy, the Patriots remain the NFL’s model franchise. Owned by the Kraft family and led by QB Tom Brady (who recently turned 41) they …
Cigars In The Movies
What is the most indelible cigar image from the movies? That depends on how you judge. Does it belong to the actor whose screen image is most closely associated with cigars? The …
Whale Tales
The gambler sits under glass. Out on the massive terrace of his villa, inside the air-conditioned solarium of Las Vegas’s most elite casino within a casino, reserved for the …
Blend Ambition
Whisky appreciation made great leaps in past decades. Bourbon got some well-deserved props. Straight rye was reborn. Connoisseurs snagged trophy single malts. Craft distillers …
Time’s Top Tier
With a double-digit increase in U.S. sales during the first half of 2018, the outlook for watches priced above $1,000 is rosier than it has been for years. This year’s …
Cigars
The Running Man
Rich Eisen has been talking sports with a hefty dose of humor for more than 20 years.
A Conversation With Heinrich Villiger
The head of the family-owned, international cigar giant Villiger Söhne A.G. explains how he came to enter the premium market.
Cuba’s Cigar Sommeliers
These trained cigar waiters recommend a brand, cut and light your cigar, then pick the perfect beverage to accompany your smoke.
Connoisseur’s Corner: The First Cigar of the Year
This Padrón was the first Cigar of the Year ever bestowed by this magazine, and came from one of the original painted boxes. Fourteen years later, the cigar is still full of life, …
Ratings from this Issue
Up Front
Editors' Note: One-on-One with Alex Rodriguez
Who is Alex Rodriguez? We all know he was a great baseball player, certainly one of the best of all time. Only three people have hit more home runs, he’s a 14-time All-Star …
Out of the Humidor, October 2018
Dear Marvin, As a longtime cigar enthusiast, but more recent reader of your magazine, I was delighted with the latest issue featuring the masterfully cool Matthew McConaughey …
The Good Life
Villa d’Este, Lake Como, Italy
Once George Clooney is no longer seen on his Indian motorcycle, braving hair-raising, roller-coaster roads on Lake Como’s wishbone-shaped shoreline, other “regulars” at this famed …
The Savile Row Suit
When a London street has a 230-year history of tailoring custom-fit clothing for well-heeled businessmen, statesmen and soldiers across the globe, you expect its reputation to be …
Venison
Seldom remembered facts: our first Thanksgiving was celebrated in October and turkey was not the only meat course. Venison, or deer meat, a kind of tangy, gamey, musky alternative …
Dive Watches
Like so many men’s items from gear to fashion, dive watches come courtesy of the military. In the mid-1930s, Rolex built one for the divers of the Royal Italian Navy. After World …
Autumnal Beer
Fall is beer’s bridge season between the light coolers of summer and unabashedly boozy warmers of winter as the season’s brews conceal a boosted alcohol content behind their …
Elie Bleu Accessories
Seasoned cigar veterans and casual smokers alike know that the exquisite humidors of Elie Bleu are synonymous with quality and reliability. But for its 40th anniversary in 2016, …
Scuba Diving
I had a revelation the first time I went scuba diving. Actually, it was the second time. My first time I panicked and shot to the surface (only a few feet above me) when I had a …
Retro Keyboard
Back in my youth, I would sit down in front of a massive typewriter made of steel, a heavy and industrial beast so formidable it could have been smelted in a Soviet naval yard. My …
Jaguar I-Pace
Everything you know is wrong. About battery cars, that is. If you think they’re slow and stodgy, cramped, funny looking and boring to drive, well, you need to spend some time …
Formula 1 Experience
Your senses are heightened,” was the enigmatic, but enthusiastic response I got from a friend, a past winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, when I asked what was the allure of …
Made For You, October 2018
In a world of fast food and one-size-fits-all sensibilities, how often does something feel made especially for you? The “Made for You” section celebrates those items that are …