Vortigan

BCE, all day long! An abomination of a decision to cut it!

I once picked up a box of HdM Churchills from 2000, long before I'd learned of the legend of 2000 and while I was still wet enough behind the ears to not give second thought as to why they'd remained unsold dust gatherers for 10 years or so beforehand. My naivety has thus far been rewarded exactly as you'd expect. 🙄 I probably should just take what's left of them and go mend a fence or something but I've kept them on hand in the (probably vain) hope that surely 1 or 2 will have made the cut. That said, I hardly ever remember that they're even there these days. Oh well, you live and learn.

I bought a box of atrociously pallid looking RASS out of Gibraltar Airport back in 2011 and they're performance has lived up to their image. I should have walked away but I had decided before the outgoing trip that I was picking up a box of cigars on the way back, the store refused to open up any further boxes...and I was weak! I keep them around in the (likely forlorn) hope that one day I'll reach for another one and somehow X number of years will have produced a miracle but other than that, another lesson chalked up to experience.

A touch late for submission to the purpose, but for the record nonetheless - 1- Bolivar Coronas Extras (what the hell were they thinking!) 2 - ERDM PC

Yes, I'm really bewildered as to what on earth he's doing with her! I've tried listening to a couple of the recordings they've done and couldn't bear to finish either! I did see a comment on a fan page that seemed quite sincerely to be suggesting that she'd helped him escape some kind of road traffic accident and that he'd subsequently felt that he owed her one, as it were. I've no idea if there's any truth to that but her involvement is certainly believable as some kind of "make a wish foundation" gig! But who's to say? Bucket is an unconventional character to say the least!

Thought it was high time to take another one of these for a spin. I was a bit worried that these might have gone a little flat but not a bit of it, it's a lively little bugger! Aroma at cold was nondescript so I punched it, checked the draw and that was perfect. Then it was off to the races right from the first light! Strong, powerful and very, very flavourful! Immediately, woods, coffee bean and vanilla. Very spicy retrohale but nothing like unpleasant. Had a bit of uneven burn for the first half inch but I've had that before on these with their thick and quite unique (for CC) wrappers, but it caught up without any assistance and was spot on throughout the remainder. Moving on it became a little less intense in terms of the strength and that spicy not but absolutely no less flavour with a nuttiness that was like an Almond/Brazil combo, also a very definite citrus peel note. Some dark but very creamy chocolate towards the end, I think, and absolutely zero bitterness. This one burned my fingers, a very pleasurable smoke and I'm very confident that's there's plenty left in them in still!! Calling it a 93 👍

All I'll say is that I'm glad now that my buying rate far outweighed my smoking rate for the time that it did because I'm pretty much priced out of the market at this point and barring an unlikely reversal of the recent years' trend, I've bought my last box of CC, sadly. Even the NC stuff that I like is damn near impossible to get into The UK without all the bells and sirens going off. Yes, I know that some of it is available here but frankly, I wouldn't pay the $674 for a box of Oliva V DR even if I had the requisite disposable income to do so, which I don't. But them's the breaks, so to speak.

The ULA '14 BRC are near legendary! I just laid down the latest example of mine and it's been utterly sublime! Impeccably constructed, one light and razor sharp combustion all the way to the finger burning end. Milk chocolate, sweet spices and woods with that distinctive Bolivar floral quality present throughout in the aroma. Easy smoking, smooth as silk and leaves you feeling as mellow as a good cigar should. It's just a shame that I wasn't smoking it in celebration of an Arsenal league title! 🤪 Ah well, can't have it all, eh!

Many congratulations both!! 🍾🎉

I've always heard very good things about the Epernay line! Haven't managed to get my hands on any but still hoping to at some point.

In my neck of the woods, a single 52 will certainly set you back close to $350!

When The D4 is "on", it's still right up there as one of the main jewels in Cuba's crown!

My age + my smoking rate (reasonable life expectancy) / inventory numbers = I'm probably set for life if I never buy another cigar ever again. That being said, there's more than enough in the world of NC that interests and satisfies me so either way I think I'll be contented enough.