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I planned a trip to Varadero with my wife a few months ago. We went to Havana last year, and Varadero is a sort of middle ground. She likes beaches and laying in the sun, I throw her a bone (not like that, grow up). There had been rumors of a Rolling Stones concert, so if I was going to plan a trip for late winter, it might as well be during the rumored week... We stayed at Melia Las Americas for the first leg of our trip, and a lovely AirBNB in New Vedado for the Stones portion. Melia Las Americas is directly adjacent to Plaza Americas, so I made several trips and made friends with the ladies there. No Excelencias in sight, figured I'd plant the seed with the ladies there in case they turned up before I left... They turned up before I left. 5 boxes. The counter ladies at first are a bit frigid but if you are nice and friendly, they warm up pretty quickly. They were kind enough to set aside a box for me, and appeared legitimately excited to see me pop back in the day they turned up. I threw them a tip for their troubles and they were very appreciative. They'd have happily sold me more but I didn't want to be a hoarder. Share the love. Peace, love, and Diplomaticos Excelencias. There were Cohibas of all varieties in every LCDH I went into, with the lone exception being that I did not come across any Behikes at Melia Cohiba or Plaza Americas. Siglos of all varieties could be found, along with the occasional Cohiba Piramides. I popped into the other LCDH in Varadero but it seemed much more touristy and didn't impress (although the hand rolled piramide was pretty good). Now for the Rolling Stones. We went with our Cuban friend Josue and his wife, who didn't know much about the Stones at all but knew they were a big deal. Official numbers were 500,000 people (who am I to argue, but I'd guess a little less). Some songs were better than others, but they really were having a great time and so was the crowd. No concessions or bathrooms or merchandise stands, which didn't really matter (except the bathrooms, my wife might have permanent bladder damage). The highlight of the night was the closer, Satisfaction, which very clearly was the only song that Cubans are really aware of because they were mostly subdued until it came on and then proceeded to go nuts. I'm no pro at this, just wanted to share my experience with my friends. This was my second trip to Cuba, and certainly not my last. .

1959 Pre Embargo Monte # 2!!! Outstanding!!!! Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

2014 HQ box from OLH Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of my favorites. Nice herf over the weekend

POU 13 Ex 4

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My wife and I went on a four day driving/food tour of Northern Spain for her birthday over the weekend. A trip we have been meaning to do for years. Bilbao, Longono, Pamplona and San Sebastian. Fantastic stuff. Great people and some of the best food in the world. I found a Vegas Robaina Maestro to enjoy on La Concha beach in San Sebastian. For some reason the camera wouldn't focus on the cigar.. My wife saw "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" for the first time over Christmas, so we took a 200 mile detour to visit Arch Stanton's grave. Lovely drive through the mountains to the middle of nowhere. I brought a panetela from Milagro, the house roller at the nacional, to mark the occasion.

Another HQ box from OLH 2014 SLR Regios Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

These have delivered every time for me so far!

I talk a lot about me "not" being a collector. Yet, like many I suppose, I hold a place in my heart for my "last" box of cigars. This is my last cab of Partagas Lonsdales. I am a practicing genocidal madman when it comes to the extinction of cigars. The other day, was the official first day of the last days for this box of cigars. I never regret smoking a good cigar! -Piggy

Trade from dflan82. Excellent! Thanks again Dan Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://floodmagazine.com/34721/please-stop-saying-you-want-to-go-to-cuba-before-its-ruined/ Please Stop Saying You Want to Go to Cuba Before It’s Ruined An Op-Ed by Natalie Morales by Natalie Morales header photo by Sean Mennie Editor’s Note: Natalie Morales’ Op-Ed was written before President Obama announced his intention to travel to Cuba and is not in any way intended to be a response to the president’s remarks. Just last week, I was at my friend Michaela’s house dropping off a bag of stuff I’m sending to my family in Cuba. Her husband, Fred, is visiting Havana and was kind enough to be my courier. Among the things I sent with Fred were two packages of Cuban coffee. Yes, that’s right: I’m sending Cuban coffee to Cuba. It’s absurd and hilarious and I got a real kick out of telling everyone I came across that day about it. This is because Cuban coffee is too expensive for the average Cuban to buy in Cuba. So they make do—Cubans always make do—reusing old coffee or grinding in some split peas if they have to get their fix. I, on the other hand, buy it for three bucks at Target. Coffee is just one of the things my family in the States sends to my family in Cuba. Usually, monthly, we send money, medicine or syringes for the diabetic aunt (since the hospital doesn’t have any unused disposable ones), baby clothes, adult clothes, shoes, or food (there’s a website for Americans to buy food that is sent to Cuba, but at an absurd upcharge). They cannot survive without our help. For many Cuban-American families all over the States, this is just a regular part of life, another bill to pay each month. Here’s a terse explanation of why: a doctor, a lawyer, or another similar profession that is considered to be high-earning everywhere else in the world will make about twenty to thirty dollars per month in Cuba. Yet shampoo at the store still costs three dollars. This is because everything is supposed to be rationed out to you, but the reality is that they’re always out of most things, and your designated ration is always meager. And if you live off the land? Well, if you’re a farmer and you’ve raised a cow, and you’re starving, and your family is also starving, and you decide to kill that cow and eat it? You’ll be put in jail for life. Because it’s not “your” cow, it’s everyone’s cow. That’s good ol’ Communism in practice. Now, knowing this, picture me at any dinner party or Hollywood event or drugstore or press interview or pretty much any situation where someone who considers themselves “cultured” finds out I’m Cuban. I prepare myself for the seemingly unavoidable “Ooh, Cuuuuuba”—as if the country itself were somehow a sexy woman or delicious food—followed by the inevitable, “I have to go there before it’s ruined!” I try to be polite, because I am aware that, oftentimes, people who think they are very thoughtful are the least thoughtful. So I ask, “What do you mean by ruined?” and they always say, “You know, it’s so cool looking! It’s stuck in time! They have all the old cars and stuff… Everything’s gonna change soon!” So depending on the situation (and how dumb I would like to make that person feel), I will say some version of this: “What exactly do you think will ruin Cuba? Running water? Available food? Freedom of speech? Uncontrolled media and Internet? Access to proper healthcare? You want to go to Cuba before the buildings get repaired? Before people can actually live off their wages? Or before the oppressive Communist regime is someday overthrown? Make sure you hurry and go observe these human beings in the time bubble that was created especially for you so that you could post a #nofilter photo of it on Instagram.” Look, part of me gets it. I appreciate good art direction just as much as anyone else, and I see that Cuba looks like a beautifully destroyed photo op. But it’s not your photo op. The old cars are not kitschy; they are not a choice. It’s all they have. The old buildings are not preserved; their balconies are falling and killing people all the time. The very, very young girls prostituting themselves are not doing it because they can’t get enough of old Canadian men, but because it pays more than being a doctor does. Hospitals for regular Cuban citizens are not what Michael Moore showed you in Sicko. (That was a Communist hospital for members of the Party and for tourists, and I, for one, think Moore fell for their North Korea–like propaganda show pretty hard.) There are no janitors in the hospitals because it pays more money to steal janitorial supplies and sell them on the street than it does to actually have a job there. Therefore, the halls and rooms are covered in blood, urine, and feces, and you need to bring your own sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, and mattresses when you are admitted. Doctors have to reuse needles on patients. My mom’s aunt had a stroke and the doctor’s course of treatment was to “put her feet up and let the blood rush back to her head.” That was it. And this is in Havana, the big city. I can’t be sure, but I’d imagine things there are a lot better than they are in more remote parts of the country. If you want to go to Cuba, I want you to go. I do. But can I ask a favor? Be aware of what’s going on there. Try, if you can, to stay in people’s homes—casas particulares—instead of hotels. They’ll take much better care of you, the food will be much better, and you’ll be putting a little less money into Castro’s tourism pocket. When you go, ask the people to tell you what’s really going on…not the version they’re supposed to tell you. Things are changing in Cuba, and maybe instead of seeing it before the change, you can actually be a part of the change for the better. Also, for God’s sake, please don’t wear a ******* Che t-shirt. FL Natalie Morales is a Cuban-American actor, writer, and filmmaker. For more on her career, read our Breaking profile.

A lovely GEO ABR 14 Mag 46 on Easter Sunday... A delicious LUB JUL 15 HU Connie 1 ROTT tonight... Nubbed it! Cheers! Bill Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It would be great if when the embargo is lift Cuba becomes a first world country. Forget about that. Anyone who has gone to small cities in South/Central America knows that all the wealthy goes just to few cities. It will improve people lives? Sure. But the price to be paid is having problems that they never had before popping up. 95% (I think is more than that) of FOH members were born and raised in rich countries. I envy you but you don't know the problems people in 3rd world have, maximum just a glimpse idea. I have gone to Cuba just twice so I am still a sofmore but they don't have problems that most of the other poor countries have. The writer of the article is an actress. Maybe she thinks that Havana will transform into Los Angeles and Cuba into California. She couldnt be more wrong and naif. Dont get me wrong: I want people in Cuba having more rights and opportunities but things are not that easy.

HQ Dip2 from a recent 24:24.... The smell off these is unbelievable!

When the embargo comes down, the current regime no longer will have an excuse for things being the way they are. Every Cuban knows this. There's a saying, "the embargo has been Castro's greatest ally." The Castros have spent the last 55 years rallying Cuban support around denouncing the embargo as the cause of all their woes. When that goes, no more excuses. Something will have to give.

Boli Especiales 2 Wonderful cigar. Floral, nutty, earthy. Perfect aged tobacco. It has mellowed with age. Not as strong as MRN states. Great way to start Easter! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05 RA Beli UK, Eslavos, and JL 2.

Ever since I heard a new Voltron series was coming to Netflix, the little kid in me has not stopped jumping with excitement...ok, there's no little kid. I've been jumping with excitement!

The numbers are interesting. The boom in cuban cigar imports appears to be about the time of a boom in online cigar vendors out of Switzerland. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/cuban-cigars_the-swiss-american-love-of-cuban-cigars/42038464

Cracked into the box of Monte No.2 from 24:24 a few months back. Smoking beautifully.

Smoking my last DIC 00 Punch Black Prince today as I remember our cat Kasey who was also born in 2000. He will be missed, it's always tough to lose a pet. Some pics from when he was younger.

A crap photo, but it is finally warm enough out to smoke. My first cigar of the year, a Sancho Panza Belicoso while on a walk with my wife and son.

Been a while due to some health issues, hope everyone is well. First anniversary celebration smoke, the first cigar I smoked after the wedding last year. Hoping to track down a box with a March 2015 box code to continue the tradition.

Great cigar!

'14 Superiores. What a damn fine smoke every yr so far. Love it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

RASS. NOV 14.

Wise words there Ray! After outgrowing the checklist stage, I no longer seek fancy bands, shiny boxes, and "limited" production as a guarantee for a special cigar experience. History and age are fun to think about, but they no longer affect my impressions of a cigar, or my taste buds. Most of the cigars I own are now collectable, which were mostly purchased before being axed. I concentrated on smaller RGs solely due my preference towards certain vitolas, as well as budget constraints. It was actually 7 years before I owned a box of PSD4s. lol I can't honestly say that the $300 cigars I've smoked were not any more superior than many of the $5-$8 cigars I've aged or held onto. Bottom line... all I care about is whether or not the vitola and flavor profile suits my taste.

Well we do have a growing similarity to Cuba! A growing, unchecked oligarchy called the administrative state where laws (called regulations) come without congressional approval, debate or due process. -Piggy

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Boing!!!!! All your articles and explanations are never dull, but refreshing and highly informative to read. What a treat. Appreciate the time you put into it. Thanks Piggy! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2001 Trinida Fundador for an Easter Treat!

Spicy. Intense wine flavour. Dry yet fruity. If you like sherry oak matured whisky, this will appeal to you.

This was not as good as some of my others, and we have 6 or 7? Just got it.

Happy Easter.

Agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of the article. I don't think anyone takes pleasure in the suffering and poverty of the Cuban people, and many may not understand how that is tied in with the "stuck in time" theme. But I think a lot of people, myself included, would like to get to Cuba before the deluge of American chain restaurants arrives. No doubt that's a cynical and selfish view. But it's the idea of a western nation seemingly untouched by the excesses of American capitalism that appeals to most tourists, I'd think, and not to gawk at poverty.

got him

Better late than never. '07 monte 2. AMAZING! Silver oak Napa 2010, pretty good also!

Pappy Easter to all at FOH!

My absolute smoke of the year so far, a RyJ mille fleur! I don't know what went into this 2012 cigar but it's just a coffee and sweet wood, cherry dream!

I had been working on a design to be stamped or CNC cut, one that I was going to call a Herf-key! I had cut a few prototypes but none to my satisfaction yet... Perhaps I will work some more on the project when I have some time! Thanks for reminding me! -Piggy

Ray... Ray alone (except with Mr. Cano) Ramon... Ramon, alone! ...Ramon Allones!!!

10'er of P.S.P quality Mag 50's from another source... picked up one of the Clearance boxes here the next day too for vacation cigars for bro and bro in law in August. They like bigger smokes.

I am just truly happy for Kirk Cousins. Hopefully he is the next Brady. Guy has a lot of brains and class, which bodes well in the NFL.

Glad this thread popped up as I'm a huge Tom Terrific fan and so happy when someone who isn't gifted works their balls off to make magic happen, while the gifted kids are just a flash in the pan. Johnny Football makes me sick. Brady: 6th Round. #199 Stepped off bench in year two for the chance of a lifetime. Won Superbowl... then a few more. Married worlds biggest supermodel, making quite a bit more than him (about $15 MIL, give or take). One another at 37. Lost 2. That's 6 appearances total. No flash, just work. The only flash Brady had was Moss and while 18-0 that season, SB loss and Moss didn't perform. Hate Belichick if you wish, but if you hate Brady it's pure jealousy.

Finally a movie Kristen Wiig might be funny in.

Same here, but I respect the fact I'm in the minority. I'll keep myself open to sampling other Anejados releases in the future. I didn't sample the Romeo y Julieta Anejados Piramide cigar released in late 2014 though.

I'm very pleased with the Monte Churchill Anejados ('08) that I got here. Smooth and full of flavor, they've been such a pleasure that I will readily look at any of the other anejados coming down the road.