Best of 2001: Best Cigars

Mr. Bone's Fine Cigars
909 Prospect Avenue, La Jolla
858-551-7047

"Cubans aren't as good as they used to be, but I remember smoking some that were as fantastic as they were rare," smoke-shop owner Ned, also known as "Mr. Bone," says. "The embargo [against Cuba] made them rare, but most so-called Cubans are counterfeit. There's more Cubans made in Mexico than any other country! Right now, I have some Partagaf 150s, double-A, that sell for $100 a stick. I have another box of 150s that go for $300 each because the company only made a thousand, to celebrate their 150th year in business in 1995. They're from the Dominican Republic, wrapped with18-year-old leaf, and limited to 1000 individually numbered boxes, ten cigars in each. During New Year 2000, a company in New York was selling them for $5000 a box. I'm selling these eight all together, in a box numbered 407 out of 1000. The two missing are because of a mistake my salesperson made. My ex-salesperson."