Cigar Therapy

Happy Friday!

Last night I had the pleasure to attend Cigar Therapy at Outman Cigar and Martini Bar. It was a BLAST! Needless to say I had a fantastic time. I met a lot of great people and it truly proved to be therapeutic. Hell, what's more therapeutic than cigars, libations, and great people? Any way, I digress. Today's review will focus on Carlos Torano's "Master." I received this cigar by being a part of the Cigar Dave Officer's Club. It's always nice to receive a package in the mail once a month with various, and often newly released, cigars.

Carlos Torano "Master"
Toro
Cost: $7's
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli/Jalapa)
Binder: Nicuaragua (Esteli)

Upon receiving this cigar I was pleasantly surprised because most Torano bands are typically ornate and very detailed. However, this band is very simple and only consists of two colors: stark black and rich cream.

The cigar cut and lit easily with no loose tobacco. The condition of the wrapper was nearly flawless as the cigar only possessed small veins and no blemishes worth noting.

The pre-light draw was pleasant in that it was not too tight, but offered a bit of resistance. Throughout the first third the cigar was very mild but possessed a great deal of creaminess along with nutty undertones, which I quite enjoyed. As I continued to enjoy the cigar a distinct sweetness began to present itself. The sweetness resembled a mild chocolate cocoa along with a hint of nutmeg.

Unlike many other cigars I've previously smoked, this cigar required no re-lighting or "babysitting" which made the overall experience fantastic.

This cigar most certainly has a place in my humidor. This is a reasonably priced cigar with complex yet pleasant flavors. It's a real winner!

A Long Road

Hi again - sorry for the lapse in posting. I've been going through some difficult changes over the last few weeks. The changes have been positive thus far, and I hope they stay that way.

Cigar:

Liga Privada No. 9

Toro

Cost: $12ish

Wrapper : Connecticut Broadleaf Ligero Oscuro

Filler : Honduran/Dominican

Binder : Brazil

First of all I'd like to say one word: Damn. I was mildly hesitant about this cigar, but after talking with many cigar passionado's I know I just had to try this car. Needless to say I am extremely impressed. The cigar was easy to cut and had a fantastic (damn near perfect) draw. I am extremely picky about how a cigar draws because I have experienced migraines after smoking on over packed/tight cigars.

The flavors of the cigar were very interesting. Initially there was a bit of sweetness right near the soft palate of the tongue, which was surprising because many Drew Estate Cigars are peppery. The cigar was not "barn-yardy" at all and presented an earthy undertone that was fairly present throughout the entire smoke. One of my favorite aspects of this cigar was that it produced a great deal of smoke. I truly like cigars that provide a lot of smoke when exhaling - I feel this really contributes positively to the cigar smoking experience.

Overall the experience I had while smoking this cigar was great. I felt relaxed, satisfied, and very pleased with the cigar. This cigar certainly has a permanent place in my humidor.

Busy, Busy, Busy and an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story

Hi all,

As you may know from my recent "posts," or mini-updates from my phone, I have been extremely busy. It all began last Thursday when I officially decided to paint the living room. On Friday we got the new dishwasher delivered, two hours late, thanks Best Buy, but weren't able to install it because it didn't come will all necessary parts needed to make the damn thing run! Instead of installing the dishwasher, Andrew and I painted our living room until about 2am. Sadly, we had to get up at 4:30 am to be at a pottery show for my dad. Unfortunately the show didn't go that well. We did our bests to try to encourage buyers, but they just weren't biting. However, although we didn't do that well, we did better than most people.

Last night's smoke:

Arturo Fuente, Hemingway Short Story
Perfecto
Cost: $6.30
Place of Purchase: Boda's
Wrapper: West African Cameroon
Filler: Dominican

Before indulging in this delectable cigar, I need to let you in on some background regarding its purchase. At the Rocky Patel event at Boda's, Andrew and I had been speaking about getting one of these little cigars because I have a B.A. in English. He thought it very appropriate, seeing as Hemingway was a great American writer of the early 20th century, that I sample one of these cigars.

I cut the cigar with my brand spanking new Revolution Cigar Cutter (pictured), which Andrew recently purchased for me, and found that the margin to cut the cap was EXTREMELY small, and considering that I am an amateur smoker/cutter, it was freakin' hard! The pre-light draw was rather difficult, but that's no surprise as the foot is somewhat conical. While some may cut the foot off, I chose to burn it (so morbid I know). Overall, I found the cigar to be a gentle, medium bodied cigar that packed a punch. For example, some of the flavors I sensed from this smoke were: cinnamon, honey (significantly), and finally a spicy yet subdued ending to what turned out to be a savory smoke.

In my opinion, if one interested in a 30-45 minute short stack that packs a lot of punch, the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story is the way to go.

Rocky Patel

Well, the title of this post should sum things up pretty well. Today it's all about Rocky Patel. On Saturday, Andrew and I went to Outman's, and discovered Rocky Patel represenatative, Mark Rudacille,was present! I must mention that Andrew's favorite cigar is the RP Edge, which I have only had "factory seconds." I'm still waiting for Andrew to buy me a REAL one! (Hint hint!)

Moving on...the RP was offering buy three get 1 free, which was a great deal. Andrew and I spent a great deal of time with the RP representative Mark Rudacille. Lucky for us, he will also be at Boda's on Friday afternoon! He also said that Boda's has the best coffee ever! We are really looking for to it, as Andrew's birthday is on the 6th, a Sunday. To say the least, the RP rep knew his stuff. We asked questions about hard to find cigars (The Nording, which we found out from an Outman rep. that some were on order, YAY!), biggest sellers, and his personal favorite (which is the sun grown). Needless to say, we had a great time.

Sadly, Outman's was so busy, they gave us the wrong prices on a two of our 5 cigars! We called the store at 10 minutes until closing time and they informed us we had to go back up to the store (the next day), bring all cigars, and they will make it right. SHUCKS! We were quite disappointed we didn't get to smoke any of our loot that night! Deep breaths...ok, we can wait. So the next day we went to get a refund from the errors. Later that evening, after doing loads of master's program homework, we walked the dogs and smoked the cigar:
Rocky Patel Renaissance
Size: Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran Blend
Binder: Nicaraguan/Honduran Blend
Cost: Free with purchase of 3 other RP Cigars
From: Outman's
Smell: Subtle earthy smell, with woody overtones


To say the least, this cigar has character. When I first took the cigar to my lips, although it was almost unbearably wet (thanks Andrew), it was extremely easy to draw, but man, it was fiery! The tip of my tongue began to tingle with a spicy sensation- wow, this cigar has some heat (spice). As the cigar progresses, the spicyness seemed to become more subtle to allow a smooth, earthy, nutty flavor to arise. In short, this cigar was nothing less than mere perfection. I'd recommend this cigar to anyone!

Happy Birthday...to Me!

The 24th was my birthday, and it was a great one! Well, my celebrations actually started several days before my birthday, thanks to Andrew! He ordered me a DELICIOUS cheesecake from Carnegie Deli, but...it got here one day early, so we decided to commence celebration early. He also surprised me with strawberries, French champagne, and a beautiful necklace. What a winner!


Btw, did I mention we made jello shots!

On the 24th we had dinner with my family. The night before, I attempted to make a yellow cake with chocolate icing...did I mention from scratch? What a disaster! Although it tasted horrible, I did create some excellent art with it (per Andrew's suggestion).

My mom made a fantastic chocolate cake (From scratch) and my grandma, as usual made the absolute BEST coconut cake EVER!

All in all it was a great birthday.

Today's Cigar:
Caridad Sumatra
Wrapper: Sumatra
Size: Presidente
From: Famous Smoke Shop
Smell: very mild, somewhat sweet

This cigar was EXTREMELY MILD. It was a nice cut, at least I think so (I need Andrew's help here), and drew very easily. The cigar does leave quite an after taste in one's mouth...almost like dirt, earthy, wood like sense. It's very tobacco tasting (duh), unlike other cigars which sometimes have different tastes (i.e. fruity, spicy).