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.

A Poet but didn't Know it

Andrew and I went to Boda's Pipe Shop on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. However, I will admit that I was initially unhappy about our seating arrangements as we had to sit at a miniature table my legs could barely fit under. Andrew and a German guy named Roman started up a conversation, so I decided I'd write a poem. Ok, don't laugh, but here it is:

In a room Filled with Smoke,
Surrounded by sounds of men chattering,
Old men, young men, bald men, tall men.
Prints of Scarface and Al Capone affixed to the walls,
Sports blasting on two different T.V's.
The smoke, the near nauseating smoke,
The ashes - both stacked and dropped,
Smoke stark white, most grey or black,
Both indications of cheap or well-made.
Colorful bands, moved in motions of mouth to hand,
Oily, glossy wrappers,
Often packed with foreign fillers,
Full or mild in flavor,
Some as sharp as razors.
An all day event for some,
A lifetime commitment for most.

It's a work in progress, but I'm considering submitting it for a few contests just for fun!

While writing this poem I sought divine inspiration from Hemingway with an Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigar. It was great as always- and there's not much else to say about it!

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!