UP FRONT

CIGAR HIGHLIGHTS

EDITORS' NOTE

OUT OF THE HUMIDOR -- Your letters.

THE GOOD LIFE GUIDE

1. PLACES: Discovering Half Moon Bay with Ritz Carlton.
2. SPORTS: A compression suit takes your game to the next level.
3. ELECTRONICS: Panasonic makes Blu-ray portable.
4. CIGARS: Organized smoking with a better ashtray.
5. WHEELS: Bentley engineers an instant classic.
6. TIME: Carl F. Bucherer winds up its own movement.
7. SPIRITS: The singular Scotch malts of the season.
8. STYLE: The one jewelry for men: cuff links.
9. GOURMET: ‘Tis the season for smoked fish.
10. FUN: Make your own wine—without the dirty work.

COVER: Hugh Grant's Big Secret — Filmdom’s premier practitioner of romantic comedy, the polished English actor with the sheepish grin and deferential demeanor, is in real life a golf-course trash talker. We corner Hugh Grant about what it’s like to appear opposite some of Hollywood’s loveliest actresses and face down a Kodiak bear..

GOLF: Club 59 — Membership in professional golf’s most exclusive club is not about majors won or leading the tour. An exclusive quartette of golfers have distinguished themselves by signing a 59 on a scorecard in a PGA tournament. We follow the rounds of the three men and one woman who did it, and take a look at some players who have shot their age.

GAMBLING: Super Bowl Frenzy — Gambling mania is nothing new to Las Vegas, but the town that betting built rises to a new level of bacchanal in the two-week window before football’s conference champions face off for the season title.

SPORT: Duck Blind Ambition — Waiting for teal in the chilly predawn of the Bayou is a lonely endeavor, but that’s only the beginning of the experience as hunters—who often become conservationists—thrill to the post-hunt party and the joy of gearing up.

TRAVEL: Luxury on the Cheap? — A down-turned economy can mean big value for vacationers as some of the Caribbean’s lushest resorts offer incentives in the way of trimmed room rates and valuable upgrades. We look at 25 tropical paradises that are opening their doors for less this season.

CARS: The evolution of BMW — The Bavarian carmaker that made its name with luxury performance sedans continues to adjust to a market concerned with value propositions and a green environment. Then again, change is nothing new to this company that was born as a builder of aircraft engines.

TECH: Content for free! — The best deals on the Internet may be the smorgasbord of video, music and books that you can access for absolutely nothing from the Web, then play on your computer or a variety of other gadgets set up to take advantage of the bonanza.

WATCHES: When time is value — After the quartz revolution, watch enthusiasts turned to the craftsmanship of mechanical devices, which escalated in cost but failed to keep pace with accuracy. We take a look at the value watches that cover all the bases.

GIFT GUIDE: Seasonal bounty — Our annual holiday gift selection highlights the cigar accoutrements—cutters, lighters, boxes, ashtrays and more—that may come your way in pretty packages.

TASTING — We rate 82 cigars in six sizes: Churchills, corona gordas, figurados, lonsdales, petit coronas and robustos, plus Connoisseur’s Corner, our vintage cigar tasting. 

PROFILE: Carmelo's courts — The interests of Denver Nuggets’ star Carmelo Anthony range far beyond the basketball court to film production, endorsements, charity and, of course, cigars.

INDUSTRY: Tampa's holdout — J.C. Newman remains as the solitary large cigar maker in this Florida city that was once the American capital of the industry. Now, rolling premium cigars offshore, it concentrates its machine-made production in this land of tobacco lore.

A CIGAR WITH: Modesta Fondeur — The executive vice president of tobacco, manufacturing and operations for General Cigar Co., stands out as one of the few highly placed women in cigars, and she’s making her name by transforming Dominican Republic production of tobacco.

CIGAR DIARY: Traveling with James Suckling — Our man in Havana, James Suckling, has the opportunity to compare a new-production Partagas 8-9-8 with one made a decade ago and comes up with some surprising conclusions.

MADE FOR YOU — Items from around the world that become personal to the user: the top in tweed; caviar Italian-style; glorious doors; belts from Bills Khakis; a return to stylish luggage; and candles for tobacco lovers.