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HDM Epi 2 (2015)-24:24 Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

One of my favorite and oldest boxes, the Hoyo De Monterrey Churchill.

Medio Siglo UAO NOV 17, first one from this box, celebrating its birthday, perfect construction ? I guess I'm a slow smoker, took me 1 hour and several beers to get here. No re-lights!

‘03 El Morro. Excellent cigar. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Aloha Friday, y’all. Got a growler of Big Swell IPA, and couple of my favorites. Cheers!

Great start to my weekend

I just had an HUHC @MountainMilG but no burn issues. Had a steak sandwich and now embarking on this puppy here... H Upmann Mag 56 MEL DIC 15

RAG from 15/16 DC sampler pack:

TGIF

S II

From the legendary Great minds brother... Now onto this fundy

H Upmann Robusto USE MAY 08. The last one was good a few weeks ago but this is even better. They were a bit dry when I got them earlier this year but a few months in a jar with the HUPCs is working wonders. Refined and mellow, much like myself [emoji848][emoji12] Sent from my ActionMan walkie-talkie

Another evening of island life with a Havana Bob's custom. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

Upmann No. 2 all leather and chocolate

Really really good. I was expecting this to have passed it’s time. It actually smoked like a Siglo VI for some reason [emoji23]

Celebrated a real ‘bucket list’ event on Sunday with one of my last Punch SS #1. Had a fly in an old 1920s Vintage plane, the first aircraft of which would become an 80 plus year old airline and fly all over the world. ?

Beat me by a minute!

First shot at these beauties from our host.

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You never see anyone smoke these... for good reason. May 2014 BD and still harsh.

RG Slenderella - sadly, another long discontinued vitola. So tasty.

The last and probably best from my New to Cubans sampler. I was afraid I’d enjoy it as much as I did.

Cc rotation is Thurs, sat and sun. [emoji12] It’s fuente Friday. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. Cuba US political discussions have always been permitted on FOH. it's hard not to get away from it. 2. The Cuban regime is abhorrent. 3. US responses have been as perplexing as they have been inefficient in attaining their end goal of regime change. 3 The minute one person mentions Trump, Obama, Republicans or Democrats, the thread is done and they go on a short break

Celebrating the end of the week with an HUHC. These haven't impressed as much, not sure if I just got a so-so box in Morocco or if I just need to let them sleep more. Was WAY more impressed with the RyJ Petit Royales ROTT last week or two. Bit of a burn problem on this one, but good draw. Using the new Cuban Crafters guillotine cutter I picked up and the trusty Vertigo torch I mentioned in the thread on lighters. Happy Friday all.

Oh, Happy Friday to me!! These will need some serious nap time, they feel damp and heavy. Big ol' tree trunks right now EOS JUL 18 courtesy of the 24:24

CoRo, with some Springbank 11 Local Barley

Long day of maintenance’n sure makes a good ice water and a BoRo go down. It’s thick water too. Notice how it’s staying in the glass that’s on its side.

Partagas Serie No.1 from 24:24

C&C Time! D5 (2016) C&W time [emoji4] LGC No. 4 (2016)-24:24 Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Went through my storage today and realized this is how much I've went through in the last 18 months.... feel like I need to seriously cut back....?

1. H. Upmann Sir Winston RUM Jul 2017 Even when the wrapper lacks sheen and is a little 'veiny', the flavour in these often makes up for any construction shortcomings. The core H.Upmann shortbread and espresso coffee again was there, with a light tobacco and cedar flavour throughout the cigar. 1 3/4 to 2 hours of bliss! 2. Cuaba Distinguidos EML Mar 2014 When you get these figurados rolled correctly and with a decent wrapper, they certainly can shine, as this one did. This was a lovely journey of toasted tobacco and peanuts, with a subtle orange citrus interwoven throughout. Again, this was easily 'nubbed'. I only wish all Cuaba was like this cigar!

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Due to World War II, Sydney had an influx of migrants from Italy and Greece to help with our under-population and labour shortage. This brought a significant change to the culture of our city. One of these changes was the development of our coffee etiquette. Over time, instant was out and now everywhere you go in Sydney a reputable cafe must have at least a $AU10000 steam-pressured espresso coffee machine to compete. Amongst other things, Italian people bought Chinotto soda, which is like Coca-Cola with a bitter orange citrus tang. Personally, I absolutely love the stuff. Chinotto sells well in Sydney, it's one of the few markets in the world outside of Italy where it does so. Sanpellegrino and Bisleri are the market leaders, and put it this way, Coca-Cola Australia produce Bisleri. The other soda I love, although it's popular with UK ex-pats in Sydney, is the Scottish Irn Bru. This sells in our local markets. I believe that Irn Bru is so popular in Scotland that it's one of the very few markets in the world where Coca-Cola has not asserted its dominance.

Hello all, new to these forums. Introduced myself in another thread, 15 years smoking. I went through my humidors today, spent a a good hour checking all the boxes and reading my note, I have this habit of writing down my thoughts after smoking a cigar from any given box as I age my cigars for extended periods. I found a box of Cohiba Robusto Supremos from 2014, I had only smoked one upon release and the note on the box read “smoking well, significant potential, try in 2018” Well its 2018, so I pulled a double shot of espresso and got myself some kenafa to enjoy while I smoked. The cigar absolutely blew me away, tons of classic Cohiba flavors, with overwhelming vanilla, cocoa bean, and dark espresso flavors layered over a robust Cuban tobacco core. The flavors themselves where very enjoyable, but it was the clarity in which they where expressed and the perfect harmony that really got me thinking; how lucky we are to have these experiences! Anyone who does not appreciate a fine cigar does not know what living truley is! I still think the Edicion Limitada program is a blow to dedicated cigar smokers, we would be better off if Habanos SA put that fine tobacco and effort into regular production vitolas. It would be wonderfull if we had a steady, elevated, selection to build personal inventories. That said, the Robustos Supremos are great cigars, and I do wish I had stocked another box at least.

Tonight's sunset smoke. '15 HURR. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

Dandelion and burdoc. Us Brits keep this one a secret it would seem.

In the interests of complete transparency, I hid the thread in the very early hours of Saturday morning (Australian Eastern time) due to tiredness. I pm'ed El Pres to get confirmation as I wasn't 100% about the thread and I was very tired from the end of the work-week. Anyway, I figured Nino is an experienced member and knew what he was posting so I was confident it would be okay, but I wanted to check with El Pres first. Hence why the thread came back this morning, my time. As long as we adhere to the post that El Pres shared above in regards to the rules, then all will be well! ? ?

Smoking the same Toscano Garibaldi... Haven't had a Cuban in almost 3 months... Awaiting an order from Rob, and then another month of Toscanos and then finally the moment of joy will be upon me... Tried some Cubans from Bucharest, and as always they were beyond terrible, ranging from a cheap Quintero to a Cohiba Siglo VI... I'd say the Quintero was the best but the Siglo was horrible... Just pure bitterness and harshness for around 50 dollars... Not worth it. At least these little things are cheap and sweet... Too bad they have a stale aftertaste... I bought these since they don't require any humidity, so there is no way someone could have messed them up... Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

I'm going to put these down for awhile, glad to (finally) have one of the newer releases from this marca!

Davidoff Puro D’oro, Notables.

Boli No. 2, 2013 I think. Beauty, not very complex but I doubt they'll get any better than this. Tried a NC as a second cigar. Jeez, WAY too much for me. Can't see how I'd ever pay 14 bucks for this again. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

My wife and I took our first trip to Cuba in October, 2012. In the December, 2012 issue, Cigar Aficionado's Gordon Mott and Marvin Shanken argued for a continuation of the People to People program, which we were a part of on our trip. I was moved to send a letter to them with my thoughts and feelings about that program. Imagine my shock when I opened the February, 2013 issue and saw my letter headlining the Letters to the Editor page. Here's what I wrote followed by photos of the cover of that issue and the Letters page: "In the December issue of CA, Gordon and Marvin's editorial argues the virtues of the People to People licenses awarded to various travel companies in the U.S. by our government. Their editorial points out that these licenses are no longer available to these companies due to our government's assertion that they are really just tourist trips in disguise. I just don't understand that logic. As a recent participant on one of these trips (Oct. 7-14), I can attest that our daily itinerary was strictly adhered to by Chamber Explorations (the licensed company), and it included personal interaction with the Cuban people almost hourly. Our daily contact with the Cuban people changed our lives, and it also changed our view of our government's policy regarding Cuba, to a great extent. As a very conservative Republican, I viewed the embargo as a necessary evil to effect change within the Cuban government. But my view of that policy changed as a result of the trip and the human interaction we all had with those wonderful people. Based on my personal interactions with our group (which included a healthy mix of conservatives and liberals), the vast majority felt strongly that our policy toward the "Cuba problem" should be changed. In reflecting on that after reading the editorial, I have come to the conclusion that, perhaps, THAT is the reason the licenses were stopped. That's the only logic I can apply to our government's discontinuation of these licenses. But, then again, very few things the people in Washington do ever make logical sense. My wife and I treated this trip as a "vacation" of sorts, but our primary purpose in going on the trip was to experience that mythical land and to see first hand the daily lives of the Cuban people. Did we consider ourselves "tourists"? Most definitely, yes. But however you label us on the island, we were there to witness the plight of the Cuban people under a tyrannical regime and to see a place stuck in the fifties. And we did, and it changed us and to some extent I think it might have changed some of the Cuban people with whom we interacted. Our goal in those interactions was to be as absolutely loving and friendly as we could possibly be. If the purpose of the relaxed restrictions and loosening of the license requirements was to promote interactions with the Cuban people and thereby act as a reagent for positive change, it is working, in my view. I know that all of our group of Americans from all parts of the U. S. were moved by this experience. So, I have to ask this question of those in the U. S. government who are making the decision to stop these trips: just what is the purpose of the "People to People" license? I hope the U. S. government takes another look at this policy and decides to continue the program. In my opinion, based on the reaction of the twenty plus people in our group, the vast majority of participants in this program come away from those trips with sympathy for the Cuban people and most leave Havana with the hope that positive change will come soon. We don't know how that change will come about; but we all, almost to a person, felt that positive change would indeed come, and sooner rather than later, especially if we are able to continue our interaction with those wonderfully positive and friendly people."

OGA AGO 11 RA Allones Extra. The last couple of these have been very good. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Submitted a paper today so a bit of a celebration. Bolivar Especiales LRE JUN09. Fantastic size and construction. Sweet bread and earth, some baking spice. Not much change. Then a Gloria D5. Smoking well. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Pretty solid reasoning

1. San Cristóbal de La Habana El Príncipe TOS May 2016 This cigar was the perfect balance of San Cristobal coffee, cocoa and molasses. There was absolutely no spice evident, but the combination of the mild-medium sweet flavours made this easy to nub. How can they get this good when I've nearly run out (of the box)? 2. Montecristo No.1 ESL Jun 2017 Construction-wise, this was a lot better than my last one. As usual, nice and mild and very easy to smoke. This was a nice blend of Montecristo cocoa and milk coffee flavours, complimented by some nut and vanilla bean, at times. 3. Montecristo Petit Edmundo (FoH: Week in Pictures Sampler Prize Cigar) It would be an understatement to admit that this was possibly the best Montecristo Petit Edmundo I've ever had. I must thank the team at FoH as this cigar was part of a sampler prize for the FoH: Week in Pictures thread. The difference between this Petit Edmundo and others that I've had in the past was the sheen off the wrapper and the obvious potent barnyard aroma. The cigar was a lot milder than the usual Petit Edmundo, perhaps a touch under medium, with dark cocoa, milk coffee, leather and vanilla bean notes. The only criticism I had of this cigar was that the binder leaves were bunched and this caused burning issues, at times, which required correction, but otherwise it was a great smoke. 4. Montecristo Double Edmundo (FoH: Week in Pictures Sampler Prize Cigar) Like my previous cigar to this one, the Montecristo Petit Edmundo, this was part of a prize sampler from the FoH: Week in Pictures competition and like that cigar, the sheen on the wrapper and the barnyard aroma was outstanding. I've had quite a number of Montecristo vitolas over the years, but believe it or not, this was the first time I've ever had a Double Edmundo (a Robusto Extra at 50 ring gauge x 155 mm or 6.1 inches in length and released in 2013). I expected this to be a 'powerhouse', but like the Petit Edmundo, it was milder than I anticipated, with classic Montecristo cocoa and milk coffee flavours and sweet notes of vanilla bean and caramel. Thank you Team FoH for another great cigar!