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Had great few days away with my sons Ben and Tom. Winter days here are glorious. Winter nights and evenings a tad on the cool side with pretty much zero degree celsius but a few bottles of Red wine, a fire and cigars keeps away the chill. When only camping for a few days we run a simple setup with no overall tarp. The boys are in charge of the fire. They prefer it that way as the essential ingredient in a good fire when I light them is a cup full of petrol. They find it a tad scary. i find it effective and time efficient Anyway....pitiful effort lads. Took an hour to cook 6 German sausages for lunch! Set up the fishing Canoe but Fishing on the first afternoon session was slow. The sunset however was brilliant. Post dinner it was a cast out the front. Tom was thrilled with the catfish. Ben not so much. Camp site thieves. Possums a plenty This Pelican adopted us for a few days and managed to eat everything from meat to potatoes. Tom would check the crayfish pots in the morning. None...but he had a great time. Fishing was slow but with this tranquility, who cares.... Captain Rob Ben can get cranky when the fish are not biting....thankfully he landed this cracker Yellow Belly! Yes the set up is painfull, the pull down worse. Camping for less than 5 days is not really worth it but with no TV or electronic gadgets you really just sit around a fire, talk and laugh. I am not sure there are too many other opportunities today to engage on a level that kids and dads have done so for an eon before. Simple pleasures are often the best and most memorable. The difficulties are but the access code for the experience.

Unbanded beauty and my first try of a Suntory whisky.

The 71,061 cigars held by the members of CubanCigarWebsite break down like this... Belinda 0.03% Bolívar 9.33% Cabañas 0.11% Caney 0% Cohiba 13.5% Cuaba 0.67% Davidoff 0.04% Diplomáticos 1.31% El Rey del Mundo 3.07% Fonseca 0.51% Gispert 0.03% Guantanamera 0.17% H. Upmann 9.2% Hoyo de Monterrey 5.42% José L. Piedra 0.24% Juan López 2.1% La Corona 0.07% La Escepción 1.09% La Flor de Cano 0.71% La Gloria Cubana 2.78% Los Statos de Luxe 0.21% Montecristo 6.51% Partagás 9.88% Por Larrañaga 5.64% Punch 3.65% Quai d'Orsay 1.24% Quintero 0.89% Rafael González 1.46% Ramón Allones 8.56% Romeo y Julieta 4.23% Saint Luis Rey 1.42% San Cristóbal 1.59% Sancho Panza 0.74% Trinidad 1.68% Vegas Robaina 1.35% Vegueros 0.55% -Edit: formatting

montecristo 520 excellent cigar However very packed. draw was a little tight muted some flavors but still very good I think ill wait 6 more months before I revisit them again

PSD4 after a great and long hike with my son and pooch.

Thanks to JK

Todays smoke Skickas från en telefon

Smoked an amazing cigar on the deck last night - a Partagas Astorias from 1999. Sweet, toasted bread, caramel and some flowery notes. Retro-hale smooth as silk.

i wonder how much trouble you would get for this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7cnN1dVk8c

Buying isn't a problem, I mean buying is the problem......

Yes, I just bought a box of Montecristo Sublimes and a 25 cab of aged SLR Regios. "Smoking dangerously" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A brilliant LFDC thanks to @AlohaStyle. Quite good!

Interesting that the momentum in the USA is to legalize smoking marijuana while criminalizing smoking cigars.

Completely agree mate, was a great battle, had I have known they'd be sulking like little girls and not World Champions I'd have muted the TV. People want to see racing, not complaining such as "Ï could have won had he not have done this" or "I would have won if I didn't have a transmission failure".... IMO THAT'S RACING! You don't hardly ever hear rookies complain or other drivers like Hulkenberg who has had to race in mediocre teams despite the obviously immense talent he has. It's always the World Champions who sulk.

PL Encantos at La Casa Del Habano Montreal.

earlier today Punch Serie d'Oro no.1 RE UK 2008

'11 corona gigantes

http://youtu.be/2Y8U6k1i9OQ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have you ever purchased a box of cigars without ever having smoked said cigar? Would you buy a box of cigars that you've never smoked based solely on a review from El Presidente and his crew here at FOH?

Hi, all! We made the trip to the Fargo Air Museum to see a few of the Wings of Freedom warbirds that were in town for the Independence Day weekend. We saw nice examples of a B-24J, B-17G, and a P-51C, along with some of the other aircraft normally on display at the museum. 30 min rides were available on the B-24J and B-17G for $450 per person. Flights on the P-51C (the two-seat version), where you would actually get to control the plane for a bit, were also available... $2200 for 30 mins or $3200 for a full hour. Ouch! I never seriously considered taking a hop in the P-51C (just too much money for something like that), but we did consider going up in one of the bombers. After checking them out from the inside while they were on the tarmac and seeing the arrangement of the rumble seats for the passengers (up to 10 at a time), we opted to not go - if we could have sat in one of the crew spots (other than the pilot and co-pilot, of course!) I think we would have gone up, but being stuck on a seat against the wall aft of the bomb bay and not being allowed to actually move around while in the air made it seem less enticing. Still, it was really cool getting the chance to check out some of these warbirds up close and in person. Check out http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm for more info on these planes! The expense and effort these folks go to for the restoration and preservation of flying/living history is pretty amazing and certainly admirable. On to the photos! I took hundreds of pics that day, but will just show a few choice ones from each plane. B-17G "Nine O Nine" This particular plane never saw combat in WW2 (delivered too late in the war), but it went on to have quite a life - used as an equipment station/lab during three separate nuclear tests, sold as scrap after a 13 year "cool down" period following the nuke testing, restored to flying condition by a private owner, then used for nearly 20 years as a fire bomber dropping water and borate on forest fires, and then sold again in 1986 to the current owners (link above) who restored her back to the original wartime configuration and painted in honor the "Nine O Nine" of the 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Squadron - the original "Nine O Nine" made 18 trips to Berlin, dropped 562,000 lbs. of bombs, flew 1129 hours, and successfully completed 140 missions without an abort or the loss of a single crewman. Pretty impressive resume. B-24J "Witchcraft" From their site: "The Collings Foundation’s B-24J is the only restored flying B-24J in the world. Initially, when we restored it in 1989, we honored the 15th A.F. in Italy with the selection of the ALL AMERICAN-a very distinguished A/C with a record of having shot down 14 enemy fighters on a single mission (only two B-24’s came back out of a squadron of 19). Then we selected the DRAGON & HIS TAIL, probably WWII’s most extensive nose art, to honor and represent the WWII veterans who served in the Pacific. Now, it’s time to honor the 8th Air Force and all who served in England and in the ETO. We have selected “WITCHCRAFT”, a B-24 assigned to the 467BG, 790BS that compiled an amazing record of 130 combat missions. WITCHCRAFT is an olive drab aircraft, with red and white nose bowls, red and white rudders, 130 bomb markings and a cartoonish witch flying a machine gun as nose art. All the names of our Dedicated Crew, Lead Crew, Plane Sponsors and DFC Members will be proudly displayed on the co-pilot’s side of the aircraft. Honor Crew and aircraft names will continue to be on the bomb bay doors." P-51C "Betty Jane" This Mustang is actually painted up to look like a P-51B-10 (per the stenciling on the left side of the plane anyhow). According to the current owners (see site linked above) there are less than 5 of the early B/C models still flying in the world today and this P-51C is the only dual control example in the world. I didn't get a lot of info on this one, other than its ID is based upon airframe components of S/N 43-103293, which crashed in England in 1944. F4U-4B This Corsair wasn't part of the "Wings of Freedom" tour that visited the air museum, but is actually on static display at that location. There wasn't a lot of info available for this specific plane - the placard that was there really only talked about Corsairs in general... so I'm not sure if this is an historically accurate plane or not. But what I can tell you is that I was really surprised by the size of this fighter. I had seen P-51s, B-17s, B-25s, P-47s, Spitfires, and some others in person at other museums and air shows in the past, but I had never seen a Corsair in person before. This thing is huge! Would have been nice to be able to get into the cockpit, but for some strange reason they didn't want people climbing all over their planes. All in all it was a great day. I hope you enjoyed the pics as much as I enjoyed taking them! Cheers, ~ Greg ~

In perfect condition.

I try to have high end premium cigars before buying a box. I put allot of stock in FOH reviews but also have a few sites I check where I know the reviewer has similar tastes based on experience. Rob frequently gives advise in the videos which strictly speaking is not helping the sale of that cigars which he has in stock.

I buy something different every time; smoke some, put some away so I can build a varied collection. I often buy stuff i haven't tried, or if I have, it was so long ago I can't remember it. It's not an issue for me; i've never found any cuban cigar unenjoyable, i prefer some to others but imo they've all got a time and place, even if it's just for a change of pace.

Thanks for posting this Rob. This has been big news in Tampa Bay and it has given me a great opportunity to educate friends who are non cigar smokers about Tampa's amazing cigar history. Florida legislators are uniting to oppose this, even though they disagree about almost everything else.

I wouldnt buy based on a review, by el pres or anyone. I would buy based on multiple reviews, and then buy a box of cigars when El Pres puts up a photo of the most amazing PSP cigars ive ever seen.

Sorry for the double post everyone.

A lovely LFDC Grandioso with ED 15 rum Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's really funny that, thanks to the F.D.A., you can die for your country at 18 years old but you have to be over 21 years old to smoke a good cigar In certian states today, and there's NO revolution yet ? Now they want to stop smoking In parks and outside In Paris .that's stupid and pathetic !!!!! Guy

the fl governor is trying to help http://www.cigar-coop.com/2014/07/cigar-news-florida-governors-office.html

Consuegra is the best cheapie right now

Oh my god, why??! I know a guy whose parents hail from Hungary and he brought along a bottle of this stuff once. I have fairly robust tastes for alcohol, but this gear was utterly revolting. Good for drinking games, but not much else.

heard some people mention RG Perlas. I found the RG Petit Piramides to be like that. very, VERY chocolaty. old Upmann Belvederes. A recent Bolivar Libertadores. Bolivar LE09. RyJ Duke. Sent from my Q10 using Tapatalk

How did you find it...? I had one a few months back on an empty stomach and a few mean beers. It totally kicked my ass Foetal position in the shower material, haha "Character building" ...the missus told me off! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

More freedom is good; the government telling people what they can and can't do is bad. It's good that it seems like the government here may be getting out of the prohibition/support for organized crime business. That's good. At the same time, the government is trying to make it impossible for tobacconists and cigar manufacturers to make a living. That's very bad.

I would say he went beyond the call peeling 55-60% of them.

Cracked a new box. Good not great.

2014 MPE

poor man's Magnifico

I Disagree, he's had a recent run of bad luck. I don't think he has lost focus; certainly proved that today, would have won that without rosberg having to retire. It's been a fantastic season so far; only going to get better after today's game changer.

Yep definitely a fake. I'll send you my address for you to send the rest to. I'll get rid of them properly for you. EDIT: I just noticed you are new so i'll give you a proper answer and not a tongue in cheek one. If you bought it from a reputable supplier, it's normal. Cigars are natural products. You'll find differing colours and spots on wrappers and heaps of things. It's a hand made process not a highly reproducable machine with strict quality control. Buy from reliable sources, chill out, and enjoy your smokes. It's that simple.

'13 - starting off really nice

always available in unlimited quantities - Limitada in HSA means UnLimitada

60 Mile Bank off the North-West cost of Grand Cayman, between Grand Cayman and Cuba. V-jigged up massive groupers and shark, caught 95 lb yellowfin on spinning gear, and boated 400+ lb blue marlin. I once was casting off the bow of the boat at some skip]ack tuna, when a massive blue marlin jumped out of the water and into the boil of fish. It was an incredible sight in a truly wonderful place.

This may seem like a rational decision given your experience so far, but you're working with extremely small sample sizes. Very few cigars will outshine an "on" Monte no. 2, but I'll give you even money that your next one isn't nearly as good as your last one; huge variation from stick to stick is endemic to the Monte no. 2. In other words, I'd take a great No. 2 over a Sig IV, but I would easily take a box of Sig IV over a box of No. 2.

Monte #2s been smoking hot these days, and it's going to be difficult to find a cigar that can top it. Siglo IV is not less cigar than Monte #2 in my experience; it's not that great these days. Try HdM Punch Punch, Epicure#2, JL #2. These are smoking exceptionally good in 2013-2014.

Background I had never tried a Diplomaticos cigar as I just never heard anyone talking about them. I remember leaving Santiago de Cuba for Miami back in 2003 and I had about $400 dollars left in my pocket before we left for the airport. Just before I was going to board the bus, I ran into the cigar store in the Melia and picked up another box of Ramon Allones 898 to go along with a box I bought earlier in the week and saw a lonely box sitting in the corner. The clerk said they were from 2000 and they didn't sell many of them but she handed me the box to take a look. It was a box of Diplomaticos No. 1. I think the box was $110 and said, "What the hell" and picked them up as well. Those were some amazing cervantes. Wish I still had some. The Review AME AGO 12. The girlfriend joins me with her own cigar for my first review on FoH. Construction: A nice colorado-colored wrapper. Very good construction with a flawless draw. Prelight aroma & Flavor: Smelled like a horse barn. A few prelight draws tasted like fresh cut hay. Flavors: Immediately struck by a very pleasant savory sweetness/spiciness. Nutmeg/gingerbread. My girlfriend described it as a Christmas milkshake. We found that as we reached the end of the 2nd third, the pleasant spices faded away a bit and the cigar's strength picked up a bit. This profile continued to the end. My girlfriend threw in the towel about 10 minutes before I did with a dismissive, "It's getting boring." The cigar continued to pick up strength towards the last inch when I decided to call it a night. Conclusion 91/100 A good value Piramide that has never been a disappointment to me. Even a box as young as this is still producing a great smoking experience. No doubt a few years age will continue to improve these guys. While I don't think I'd ever classify them as a "great cigar", I'll never forget how I discovered the Diplomaticos brand. I took a chance on a lonely box of unwanted cigars and since then, the marca has always treated me well.

Coral Sea

probably I smoke 98% cuban cigars.After 40 years of enjoying cigars I now prefer CCs . It is hard for me to enjoy a CC while my rotation is Non Cubans,the power of the NC prevents my palate from enjoying the nuance flavors I find so enjoyable in Cuban cigars. Also after smoking CCs for a while,non cuban sticks taste strange,unbalanced and heavy,with less enjoyable aromas. I think it is difficult for me to enjoy both CC and NC cigars concurrently.

I don't inhale 99.999% of the time. Taste only for me, with the occasional retrohale. I just simply prefer not to inhale at all with my cigars - personally, and I have tried it, but I find that for me it only adds maybe 1%, if that, to the overall experience, so why bother. So, I do not inhale. And also....I did not have sexual relations with that woman.