Cuban Paradise Cigar & Cafe — Local services in Madeira Beach

Growing up in Tampa and living and working in Miami you cannot under-appreciate a daily afternoon cafecito break. Now living in Georgia nobody knows how to make a genuine cafecito or "Cuban Coffee"

While we are not cigar smokers (just yet another downside of lifelong asthma) we love Cuban Paradise on our visits to the area. Growing up we used to find genuine Colada at kiosk in the mall but now it seems more difficult to find. Living in Miami somebody in the office would go out to the parking lot every day when the food wagon visited and return with a large Styrofoam cup of Colada along with a handful of small plastic cups that were filled and shared. It was a daily social event.

Cuban Paradise is a great place to stop, you have to pay for parking at the Johns Pass chopping center but i is worth it. Our first visit was back in 1999 while still living in Tampa and we have returned several times a year when back in the area. They have remodeled and changed a little but the essence of the place remains the same today. You can watch cigars being hand rolled in the store, order from the cafe menu and sit outside on the sidewalk to smoke your favorite cigar purchase or sip on your Colada.

The staff is friendly but if you order at the window in Spanish the poor girls working the cafe window will not understand what you are asking for. They will deliver a great authentic cafecito with a nice espumita topping. I am always surprised when they ask if I want sugar or "do you want sweetener?" I have brought friends before and ordered Colada with 4 cups and they have given me multiple empty...

Best. Handmades. Ever!

If you're a cigar smoker and have ever tried handmade cigars (there are many in Tampa area), then you know they can -sometimes- often be a let-down.

A friend of mine turned me on to the ones crafted by Cuban Paradise Cigar and Cafe.

He and another mutual cigar aficionado were so excited about them that I made a special trip down there on Christmas Eve this year just to check them out.

Ironically these "perfect" cigars are called Mistakes.

It's a family operation and apparently the patriarch was rolling some cigars one day and made an error when combining certain tobaccos. After trying them he loved the taste and so made them official, giving them the name "Mistakes".

Last night I smoked my first Mistake (robusto). They are every bit as good as I had hoped.

Smooth, mild and yet full-bodied at the same time. No bitterness.

Highly recommend making the journey. Go around 5pm and you'll have time to take a walk out on Madeira Beach while catching the sunset. That's my wife and I did.

The family who runs the place are as pleasing as their cigars. :)

(Note: the parking lot is paid parking. We didn't notice right away. Thankfully we avoided a ticket.)

UPDATE (Jan 29, 2014): Bought a box of the Mistakes and have been smoking them for the last month. They have all been consistently good smokes. The only problem I have now is I'm smoking more cigars than ever! It's ok, though. Not only are these cigars tasty, they are easy on the wallet if you buy a box at a time (you get a handsome discount). In fact, they are beautifully priced. So I'll be back...

Great spot! Watch them roll cigars during the day. They have 2 large cabinet humidors with a great selection to suit your taste. They also have a walk in humidor with their private collection of hand rolled cigars. Also, there is a concierge who can help you select your flavor profile.

They have a great selection of their own cigars with many different profiles. Stopping here two nights in a row during our recent trip to the area found me selecting one of their house blend med full bodied figurado then the second night a madura nica blended more full bodied smoke.

Both smokes were very good. Excellent flavor profiles and lots of smoke. Have one more cigar of theirs to try before we head back home. Definitely forward to it.

Their cigars are available online as well. See the pics below. Overall staff was very friendly and helpful. If you are out and about at John's Pass and looking to sit down, watch folks pass you by while you enjoy a good smoke, stop by and see them.

The Mad Pub next doors has a full bar with over 30 taps on the wall. You can get a drink to go or sit down with a drink and your...