"This is the golden age of cigar-making," says Ron Melendi, "and you can get cigars from other countries today as good as any ever made in Cuba." This is not heresy. He should know, because the Cuban-American Melendi family has been in the cigar business for more than 100 years, 46 of them in New York at De La Concha. They were the first certified tobacconist in New York. De La Concha carries the best cigars from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras, as well as a complete line of premium pipe tobacco and accessories, from cigar cases to humidors. They also host private cigar and even pipe dinners—remember, you can't smoke in restaurants around here anymore—and even cigar trips. 1390 Sixth Avenue, 212-757-3167, delaconcha.com (10019)