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In DC for the weekend. I found this great cigar bar called Shelley’s Back Room around the block from where I had dinner with my family. I put them into an Uber back to the hotel and I headed over here to smoke an RyJ Churchill.

I had the pleasure of hosting Bruce from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas this weekend (He's over in Sydney to attend a conference, so we hooked up and he came over my place. The picture below includes my young-adult son). Old timers would know Bruce as @broozer on our forum, and in old and sundry times he would espouse the joys of aged Vegueros, Quai d'Orsay and his favourite marca, Sancho Panza (now that's a statement that deserves respect!). We had a great time, enjoying a '16 Sancho Panza Belicocos, a mid-aged '14 Punch punch and some Sazerac Rye Old-fashioned cocktails. Bruce, it will be great to catch up in DFW in late December, thanks for a great night!

Partagas Maduro No1 courtesy of@ritch in the the UK Box Pass. Great smoke for the camp fire on a wet and windy night. Chocolate and toast, moving into leather and cooking spices and back to dark chocolate again. Very good indeed. Sent from my ActionMan walkie-talkie

The work travels continue, Mallorca for the next two weeks. Yesterday we watched the All Blacks, I sat outside and enjoyed an ERDM, idiot me forgot my cutter knife and lighter on the table. Got back three hours later when I realized but apparently nobody found them. Yeah right! Today a laid back day at the Marina, started off with a Punch LE and now a PLPC. There’s definitely room for more, could turn into a four cigar Sunday - love it! Weather couldn’t be better for early November, wearing shorts and T-shirt today! Enjoy your Sunday gents! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. Sancho Panza Belicosos PTR Oct 2016 I enjoyed this with a welcome visitor to Australia and long-time member of FoH, @broozer (or Bruce). As Bruce's favourite marca is Sancho Panza, I simply had to let him sample how good recent 16/17 Belicosos has been. This was elegant in its simplicity. The combination of crisp toast and light, mild tobacco, wood and a hint of salt made this a joy to nub. Bruce, it was a pleasure to share one each from the box with you! 2. Punch Punch RAE Dic 2014 This was another cigar I was happy to share with Bruce, as we reminisced about old classic cigars (since deleted) and the Punch Black Prince was mentioned. That Corona Gorda was discontinued in 2002 but was still available for a good 4 or 5 years after that. Sadly, the only Corona Gorda left in the Punch line is the Punch Punch so I pulled out some Punch Punch from my humidor that I've been resting for a little over 3 years now. This was just under 4 years old and it was beautifully mild. It was by no means complex in flavours, on the contrary, this was a simple cigar consisting of mainly light leather, cedar and cream. Normally I expect some spice or cloves from Punch, but perhaps time had dissipated any hint of it. No matter, this was another glorious smoke, enjoyed with a Sazerac Rye Old-fashioned cocktail.

My first P2....won’t be my last. Beautiful long finish.

My first purch 2424 BPC back in march. Can't fault these, they're great.

Enjoying a a nice smoke at Stanza del Sigari in Boston during what we are calling a “congratulations you knocked up your ex-girlfriend, start saving for a lawyer party” for a good friend who made some bad choices.

CoLa (MEL November 08), it doesn’t get much better for me:

These ain’t bad These have serious potential! But unfortunately this one is too wet still. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of the few NC's that I smoke regularly: Oliva Serie G Maduro Perfecto box-pressed

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Smoking my first Connie #1. Love the Upmann profile.

JLS2 MEL DIC 16 and a Guinness. Cheers FoH Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Monte PE and some Havana club rum

2015 Libertador

Happy 243rd Birthday Marines

HdM Petite while i was doing yard work earlier. Sent from my LGL83BL using Tapatalk

Punch Poderosos Swiss Regional Edition 2009 Sublime 6.5 X 54.

C&C Time! Have a great weekend... FOH! HDM Elegantes (SOM OCT16) - 24:24 C&C Time! Epi 1 (2016)-24:24 Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Maui for the typical tourist includes: The Road to Hana, A drive to the summit of Haleakala, Whale-Watching Boats and Booze Cruises, and of course - The Beaches. But these are my friends we’re talking about, so mountain biking would be a priority. We’d have some coffee and a quick bite sitting on my patio, catching up a bit. A rainbow would likely enter the picture. Then we’d hit the road and drive up to the Kula Forest Reserve, on the slopes of Haleakala where a recreational trail network otherwise known as Poli-Poli is located. The riding up is grueling, but eventually takes you near the summit to views like this. My home is clear on the other side of the West Maui mountains seen in the background. The ride down is fast and grin-inducing, and most of it is at cloud-level. Here I am doing my best to stay upright and dry. Assuming no one needs emergency care at this point, we’d all go eat lunch somewhere that serves cold beer, and doesn’t care what you smell like. Then it’s time to hit the beach at Napili Bay and do some serious relaxing. As luck would have it, the Seahouse Restaurant at the Napili Kai Beach Resort has a bar that sits at waters edge. With the day’s adventures behind us, it’s time to sit on my patio again with a beverage or 3 to catch the sunset and lick our wounds. Then it’s off to Star Noodle in Lahaina for dinner, after which we settle in at Maui Brewing Company - the hometown microbrewery conveniently located within stumbling distance of my house. Maui - Islandboy style.

I am in San Francisco for the weekend for a conference and was looking to find someplace to relax, get a bite to eat, and enjoy a cigar and a drink. I did a little sleuthing and along with the advice of some FOH locals, I ended up at The Cigar Bar and Grill on Montgomery Street in San Francisco ( https://www.cigarbarandgrill.com ). I arrived earlier than expected and was able to check into my hotel early so I decided to take the 10 block walk to the Cigar Bar. It has been over 10 years since I was here last and I forgot how much I loved the city and walking the streets. It is such a great city. Anyway, I got to the location just as they were opening at 4pm. I was greeted by a super friendly staff and was able to have my choice of seats on the patio. It is truly a wonderful space. Secluded but open, good lighting, heaters, etc. Great spot for an outside smoke while feeling indoors. My waiter was super nice and very attentive so it took no time at all to settle in with a nice beer. First course was a light pilsner and a '97 HDM Des Dieux. I only have 2 left from that 50 cab. I ordered the Empanada De Chorizo y Queso, two empanadas stuffed with chorizo, white cheddar & monterey jack, topped with tomato sauce, onion, cotija cheese. It was delicious. Second course was another pilsner and a '05 Monte Double Edmundo. I ordered the Spanish Chorizo Stuffed Dates, dates stuffed with blue cheese, manchego, smoked paprika. Also delicious. After finishing the Monte and a third beverage, I strolled back to the hotel for an early night as I have to be up early with my head on a swivel. If you are ever in San Francisco, this is a great spot for dinner and a cigar (or several). If I lived here, I would manage to be there quite often. Tomorrow afternoon/evening I am going to try to hit up the Occidental, another highly recommended cigar bar. Looking forward to it.

I forgot the box code. I believe this is from an April 18 box. After plunging my perfect draw tool into this cigar 5 times before I could get a decent draw, I was finally able to light it up and enjoy. Tight draw notwithstanding, the flavors are phenomenal. There’s a surprising amount of white pepper in the first inch. After settling down, the flavors were akin to a graham cracker sprinkled with some salt and pepper. Delicious.

This cigar is from a box of psp from our host. The draw was phenomenal. A perfect 10/10. It didn't require a double draw. One single smooth puff, drew plenty of cool flavourful smoke. Effortless. I never get anything from a prelight draw as I'm an amateur, so i didn't bother. First third: the cigar started beautifully. Light spice, some clove and soft leather. Really nice mix. I was pairing it with Glenfiddich 12 years, and lit this after a bbq. Second third: at the start of the second third there was a nice milk coffee which i don't remember getting in these. It only lasted a few draws and was replaced by a dusty coco. Dusty coco is one of my favourite flavours in a cigar. It wasn't very strong but it was there for this third. The leather was gone. Just coco and clove ? weird but it worked ?. Glenfiddich finished so onto a bottle of Green Label that i have never tried. I'm a single malt man but I was at my cousin's place, so i couldn't complain haha. Last third: the cool leather comes back in, and the coco fades. Every draw in the last third tasted sightly different. Really really interesting. Predominant flavours in this third were definitely clove and leather. The cigar stayed cool down to the nub. I really didn't want it to end. 1 hour and 35 minutes in total. Really enjoyed this cigar, and I hope you enjoyed my review ?

One of my favorite hangouts to smoke when I used to live near DC. How was it? Did you recall the box code?

2 boxes arrived today from the canary islands. Bolivar soberanos were already posted. On top of that my friend also foubd Behike 52

898

Siglo VI....Aloha Friday!

I'm on kid duty this weekend and it's cold out so I had to reach for something on the shorter smoke time side. About a month or 2 ago I was lucky enough to have my name drawn for a box of PL Montecarlo courtesy of El Pres. I put the kiddo down for a nap and headed to the garage. I decided to pair this cigar with a Colorado Bulldog, one of my favorite mixed drinks. The cigar was beautifully constructed. Nice, oily, Colorado Maduro wrapper with a little texture to it. I used a straight cut and the draw was a little on the snug side, but not bad. Hard to describe the taste during cold draw. Nutty maybe? Maybe something sweet? Very enjoyable though. First third was good. I think I got the cigar a tad hot when lighting it as I had to fight through a little harshness. But as soon as that was gone, I could really taste the caramel notes, especially when retrolhaling. The ash was flaky from the first third into the second third, but that didn't bother me. Just angry with myself for scorching, especially since I used my soft flame lighter. Second third was great. Caramel with a little nuttiness and slight bit of toasted tobacco. The shared flavors really complement each other. The construction is great and the burn is pretty sharp. The flaky ash continued into the beginning of the second third but that went away towards the end. One of the cap layers peeled off but didnt affect the cigar at all. The drink choice was great. Final third continued the caramel notes with more of a burnt flavor to it. The nuttiness was on the end but not as noticeable. The toasted tobacco flavor really came through towards the end. The drink choice was fantastic! A Colorado Bulldog is just a White Russian with a splash of Coke. To make it: 1 part vodka 1 part Kahlua(any coffee liquor) 1 part heavy cream(or milk if you have to be healthy) Stir and finish with a splash of Coke. This drink is on the sweeter side with a touch of coffee which really brought out the caramel and nut notes within the Montecarlo. The pairing definitely gives this a desert aspect with all the flavors. Great choice for the time of year. Smoke time was around an hour which was perfect. I wouldn't have lasted much longer in the garage with this weather. I highly recommend the PL Montecarlo. Love the size and flavor. I will revisit these in 6 months. Cigar: 88 (since I scorched it) Paring: 92

Unloved ,unwanted and unavailable...so I made my own. Some blend testing with Ken this afternoon. 143mm (5 5/8) x 35 gauge. I miss my Partagas Serie De Connaisseur No 3 a lot so with some good friends we decided to make some. 8/10 for our first effort. Full bodied, rich, great construction. I just want to tweak the blend a minute touch. When they are available next year, they will be like this but in bundles of 50.

I envy the fact that you can smoke indoors. [emoji50] Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

What I enjoyed recently: ‘11 Robusto Extra. First third was meh but from the midway the flavor exploded! Fairly fresh but delicious Monte 4! ‘14 Connie A. Very comfortable smoke. Never go wrong with it. ‘03 ERDM Grande de Espana. Gem. And this batch is particularly tasty. RA 225. One of the best RE perceived by them and myself. ‘02 Hoyo Particulare. Gem again. Smoked down to burning fingers. ‘09 D4. Too popular to find an aged one. Tatuaje Monster 2016 Kruger. Best NC for me in a while.

I took the family on a weekend getaway to Washington DC, my college town. It is a dreary rainy night and I didn’t want to venture out to find a smoking lounge today. We are close to Georgetown Tobacco, but I didn’t want to buy anything and I didn’t feel comfortable sitting in there smoking my own stash. I asked the concierge here at The Four Seasons where is a good place nearby to smoke a cigar. He said, “Follow me.” Turns out the hotel has this great outdoor smoking lounge that you would never know was there, with comfy chairs, couches and a roof over it. He even asked me if I wanted a drink from the bar. Score!

I must be highly suggestible. The thread on the new Swiss Nr 109 RE made me pull out one of the older Swiss Nr 109 REs - Punch Clasico, MLO DIC 11

HUM 54

I’ve been smoking in Barcelona over the last few days. Still lots of the LGC Regionals around, even at some of the smaller Estancos. Almost had one of these beauties tonight, unfortunately my mate had to cancel and I just didn’t see myself finishing one of these 1.5kg steaks for 150€ on my own! Next time! Saw these at a market on the weekend, got two of these molds at home and might attempt to fix one up myself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't know why but it's not letting me post more than 1 pic at a time ?

Behikes!

When she's happy she does not question the amounts i spend on cigars. win/win

Smart man.....

All of them. Smoke all the skinnies. That said, the MdO4, fundadores, and monte especial 2s are all smoking very well for me.

On the C&C side, I've been enjoying PL Panatelas lately. Skinnier than most and hard to find a better smoke for the price IMO. Also have a box of the equally cheap RG Panatelas in the mail because the Perlas have been good to me. Monte 5's have been great for me as well, but I got lucky as my box is 2010 so I can't speak to recent production. I'll know more about recent prod in a few days when the mail arrives

Dare I say, all of them? Very few CCs under 42 RG am I finding disappointing. Best bets: MdO4, any Laguito No. 1, 2 or 3, Trini Fundy.

I'm headed to the deck to try one of these little guys.

Couple of sampler packs have come in from our wonderful host. #1 I'm itching to try the CoRo, the JL#2 and the P2 #2 Good lord look how big those Lusis are, and want to try the Boli's.

Guillotine always - I use the Cuban crafters, self sharpening perfect cutter (double blade). Works like a charm every time!