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After a great steak dinner I enjoyed this LRE OCT 08 BGM with some Santiago 20. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

UPE ABR 13 HU RR Medium to full in Flavor and Strength, flawless construction. It’s good to have more than 1 box.

'14 H. Upmann Connie A paired with a little D' Usse VSOP Cognac. What a great combo and a great night to get outside again. Would love to spark up the fire pit table, but it has glass beads in it and it kinda feels like it might rain in an hour or two so I'll refrain from lighting it up. Still an awesome night. On another note, I finally feel like I'm starting to get a grasp on life post the new house, the new baby, and the new dog, so hopefully I continue to manage it without completely losing my mind. Hope you all have a great rest of the weekend. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Bike ride, took the dogs for a walk, scalped the grass. All in all a decent days effort before the next spring snow.

Sautter Custom Super Mario I'm grateful to @Luca for picking this up from Sautters in London. As some of us may be aware, Laurence Davis likes his Cuban Customs made with huge ring gauges and this certainly did not disappoint in that department...60 ring gauge x 101 mm in length or 4 inches. It was so big that I had to use my Xikar XO cutter to clip it as that cutter is designed for cigars up to 64 ring gauge, although Xikar claim on their website that it can cut cigars up to 70 ring gauge! I actually feel that this Sautter Super Mario custom was even a little bigger than advertised, perhaps even 64 ring gauge as my next cigar after this one was so much better to draw from even though it was 47 ring gauge in diameter. It felt minuscule in comparison! Anyway, how did it smoke? Well, as my last Sautter custom was the similarly huge Elephantes I expected a supremely mild Montecristo/Por Larranaga combination like that cigar but nothing could be further from the truth. This was like an amplified Partagas Serie D No.4 all the way. The closed foot screamed pepper upon the first few puffs, which settled rather quickly into paprika spice, sourdough, leather and light coffee flavours for the rest of the cigar. The sourdough was quality though, beautifully 'airy' bread texture that you get in cigars rolled with quality leaf. How long did this take to smoke? Well a 40 ring gauge x 102 mm (or 4 inches) Perlas would take me 30 to 35 minutes to smoke on average, perhaps a tad longer. With this ring gauge I calculated the volume was around 2½ times larger and so it proved correct...this took approximately 75 to 80 minutes to finish. The nub got very hot at the end so be mindful if you ever come across this, you can't nub it as far as other more standard ring gauge cigars.

El Rey Del Mundo- Choix Surpreme ASE May 09 Watching UFC Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2008 Monte sublimes...

I had a Ramonitas picked out for this week as the weather was supposed to be a little lackluster, but the gods of fortune changed their minds and gave me an excuse to light up one of my last few 898s Tight draw but certainly not unsmokeable, the foot looks well packed so I'm guessing the draw will loosen up a little as things get going. Straight up and a big hit of rum. I get rum and raisins from aged RASS sometimes so it's not too unusual, I just wasn't expecting such a ferocious blast right out of the gates. Deep molasses and caramel that's just caught. A little way in and the rum subsides a tad and that classic stewed plum and overripe berry-fruit sweetness takes over. A hint of spice in the tip of the tongue. Second half and a big swing in flavours; it's all caramelised peaches and cream. It's like a Cohiba 1966 but your jaw doesn't ache. Towards the half way point and the draw actually begins to tighten up a touch, the burn begins to waver. Final third and the sweetness has gone, replaced by a heavier floral perfume note. The Christmas cake core is still there and grows in depth and darkness. The last 10 minutes throw up a lovely doughy and richly spiced bread 94/100 A fantastic journey of flavours only let down by a few burn and draw issues but considering it's a 2001 creation, I'm not going to hit it too heavily. I haven't tried the German RE release but if they get close to these originals then kudos indeed.

Great Epi 1 that I had tonight (PUS OCT 17). Thank you @Akela3rd. Got some nice notes of dry grass, toasted bread and nuts.

A few cigars while watching the Masters and celebrating a fellow BOTLs birthday. This was good and will be even better with a few more years down. First from the box. UEB JUN 18 Thanks Jer for the Punch 48 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Parti Lusi Edit with tasting notes at halfway: Gingerbread, gingerbread, and more gingerbread. Mmm. Saturday night part deux

HUPC MEG AGO 15. First from the box. Fantastic.

Couldn’t wait to try these Demi Tasse. Yummy, I do get some floral notes

Glad you enjoyed it. RyJ Exhibicion No.3 2009 at JJFox yesterday. I'd promised myself one since I was last in there (with@Luca, coincidentally), having been distracted by a vintage Ramonitas that time. Very good cigar, quite mild but very RyJ in it's profile. Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

Very light just what i needed this morning Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JL2 - January 18

An April 13 Siglo 6 to celebrate my birthday yesterday. Paired it with an orange juice after seeing the FOHrensics this week. Certainly interesting!

There's always a sense of occasion when I pull a cigar out of a 3-4-3 box, an especially pleasing packaging to me, and a TEB factory code from the 07/08 era is always a good sign. Pre-light: The wrapper on this Pacos-sized cigar is on the light side of the RA spectrum, and has a pungent, feral scent. Feels nicely firm along the entire length. A straight cut reveals a pronounced dimple (another good sign) and the draw is just about perfect. I am pairing the cigar with a Taiwanese aged black tea, drunk lukewarm. First 3rd: The Grandes starts off mild, with just a slight sweetness and some dried citrus peel - not notes that I typically associate with RA. In fact, for the first cm or so, it reminds of more of JL#4, another favourite ER of mine. As it gets more into the first third, I get moscato and a hint of tannin...and here come the raisins, initially only really noticeable on the retrohale, but building. Both burn and draw are very good. Body is below medium. Second 3rd: This is where the Grandes hits its stride. The raisin flavours have become more of a brandied fruit cake flavour. There is also nuttiness, marzipan and cream that intermingle. The body builds up to solidly medium. A word on the construction: The contribution of a great burn and draw should not be underestimated. There were no touch-ups necessary, nor "maintenance" puffs. The ash was very firm, and this would not doubt have been a subject of a long ash photo, if I hadn't chosen to concentrate on the review instead (I'm not good multi-tasking). As it was, I ashed the cigar exactly twice - at the end of the first and second thirds. Last 3rd: The flavours have become darker, with the fruit cake now dominant. Icing sugar and bitter almond essence. The body is also ticking up, but it doesn't threaten to burn hot and so continues to be pleasurable way past the ER band. Smoking time: 1 hr 40 min Score: 93. Based on the middle and last thirds, there could still be upside in the next few years, but I would be happy smoking through a box now.

Been meaning to get a box of these babies ever since I tried my first one years ago...

Fonesca No. 1 with some Prosecco.

I picked up this box at Fincato in Rome on my Honeymoon. Little over a year, and I've heard such good things I figured why not try one for the Ramon Allones Review Weekend. I've been lucky that most of my boxes don't have giant stickers, but this one has a nice Italian one that, I believe, translates roughly to "if you need someone to smoke these with, call Francisco at 800xxxxxxx". Something like that anyway, I took French and Spanish, and may be a bit rusty. My cigar buddy was over helping with some garage things, and since he's a huge fan of Belicoso/Pyramid type cigars I gave him the BBF you see in the pics. He enjoyed, but is still a confirmed Monte 2 fiend. It's been quite a week - my wife and I joked it's the week of Guy: Masters Monday, Boston Tuesday for Red Sox home opener, then the Braves on Friday night. And tonight is final season of Game of Thrones. Quite a week. Construction good, but I'm getting spoiled with PSP sheen. Is that a common malady suffered by people here? I would think so. A nice cedar smell, and I used my usual V cut. Nice draw, nice even burn, good conversation and drink and smoke. Cedar and a little peanut. Delicious. I'm definitely keeping more of these around, when I *finally* get to Cuba I'm going to grab a couple boxes and keep my eyes open for PSP variants here.

Hey everyone, What was the first cigar experience that it all went click for you? I was in first year university, first trash apartment, firsts for a number of adult priviledges while forgetting all the responsabilities and found myself in what i call in retrospect, a "shitty time of my life". Windsor, Ontario has kept a few cigar shops since the 90's and a few days before my experience, with no knowledge or experience smoking, I impulse purchased a Monte 2. It was right at the end of the university school year, spring was still soaking wet but it smelled warm and familiar, and earlier that afternoon I got my grades and realized that all my hard earned work had paid off and I would not be graduating. Not be graduating from an accounting degree that my parents essentially forced my introverted, pliable, high school mind to do. I loathed it so badly that by the end I just stopped going, and like a lame duck, just ignored the emails and phone calls from the school, and ignored the fact that eventually all will be revealed to my father. On this one particular Saturday Night, we decided to attend a party on the riverfront (Windsor, Ontario is right at the border of Detroit, Michigan), and we were young enough for the nights to still feel long. Discarded red cups with half a sip of warm beer dripping onto the countertop filled with bottles and abandoned chip bags and cigerette ash. hammered sardine can situations of too many people in a room, marred carpets from the shoes that cut across the lawn, and I just couldn't get my mind straight about what I was gonna do about anything. We carried on until suddenly that shock of dull grey daylight told us all to go home, and I decided to walk to the river and finally smoke this cigar i've had in my pocket all along. I grab a bench overlooking the Detroit river and bite the torpedo end off of the monte 2, I light it haphazardly with maybe 8 smushed matches, one eye shut with god knows what look on my face and go thru the big huffs and flame ups and scortched gnarled beginning that occurs when you've been up all night drinking and now your smoking a cigar for the first time ever. I catch my breath and remember tasting what was not unlike the smell of old furniture and i smoke it agressively again, agressively and than again but more chill and drawn out and than I just take this perfect, controlled sip that filled my mouth with the taste of the best, warmest, fluffiest chocolate milk I've ever had tasted and my vision came back into focus, and i came back to the surface from the drink and just listened to the birds and the river move and the distant morning commute and I realize how tense I had been for so long. And I thought about what I'd say to my Dad, and I thought about how great it will be to not work a job I hate, and I caught myself in a moment of clarity. I caught myself cherishing the weight of this cigar in my hand, and the state of mind it brought to me. And everything worked out fine.

I’ve been looking forward to the Ramon Allones review weekend for just this reason. A PSP 50 cab of RASS, far and away the most beautiful, best smelling box of cigars I have. As soon as I open it, I am smacked with pungent, dank, manure, with just a tinge of sweetness. Satin sheen everywhere. These are the ones Pres says take selfies with ?. Just hit 12 months of age, and patiently resting in my humidor for 4 months, so I decided it’s time to take a sample. I pull the first one off the top. Hallelujah, the draw is perfect. Cold draw tastes basically like the box smells, funky, pungent, with a hint of sweetness, and a little yeasty bready flavor. My mind is already projecting a waterfall of raisins. Here we go… First puffs are all dark soil, mineral, bitter espresso, and it’s tasting more like a Cohiba Secretos than a RASS. But it is very, very good. Halfway into the first third, start getting some raisin. A ripe, fruity raisin, rather than the bready toasty raisin that I lust after in RASS. Then lots of chocolate, alternating between bitter dark choc, and lighter milk choc. I have never had anything like this in a RASS. At times, a faint, green vegetal note. Lovely white ash, perfect burn. The finish is like a brownie with walnuts. Second third, all the same flavors, though the raisin never really shines, just comes and goes. I am continually reminded of a Cadbury fruit & nut bar. Final third, the chocolate pretty much disappears, and I am left with just wonderful cuban tobacco, some twang on the finish. A couple touch ups to prevent slight tunneling, but no harm done to the flavors. It never gets overly bitter or ammonia or any of the signs I associate with young cigars. I run it down farther than I normally would, well into some heavy nicotine. It does finally get a bit hot. Overall, this was spectacular RASS, easily a 92 cigar, and I am absolutely giddy to have this cab in my life. My plan was to try one per year after this, though I’m thinking now it might have to be one every 6 months ? When I have one this good, it is almost equally as disappointing, because it is proof that Cuba is capable of producing such high quality cigars, and yet they let so much crap through. I have a box of 2016 RASS (not from FOH) that I think I’m just going to pitch in the trash now. They have been a continual let down, and they are not even on the same planet as this cab. As a side note, I intended to pair this with an orange juice, in the name of FOH science, but alas there was none to be found in the house. I went with a San Pellegrino Clementina, which was refreshing, but I don’t think it helped or hurt the cigar.

For those who don't know, RASSsssssssss is in fact the specially selected. Also something you may not know, specially selected auto corrects to special Olympics on my smart phone. Another thing you may not know, my smart phone is generally not smart. I enjoyed this beauty on the way home from work. Pre-light flavors: Cedar, tobacco, Hydraulic fluid, sealant, gloss blue paint, doritos, and ginger ale. (I work on helicopters) Construction: gorgeous specimen here. She is a little thick when compared with height to width ratio. Wrapper looks clean with exception to the glue, which I take as a happy worker being excited, not a flaw. Caps.... Respectable. Band... Intriguing. Excited... YES! 1st third: super light, would consider this portion a light to medium. No tingling for retrohale. I may have tasted chocolate and I may have eaten chocolate recently and don't remember. Burn is uniform and no runs. 2nd third: retrohale sensation greatly increased as well as the overall flavor is a full medium. Outstanding fragrance. Construction holds well with windows half down doing 80 mph on the highway. This was a necessary step in the review for judging quaity construction. 3rd third: she is a strong thick girl. Showing exact opposite as stated in the first third. Not in a bad way at all, I love strong thicker ones, especially to help with groceries and moving pianos. Although I like to refer to them as sturdy.... Yes a .....sturdy....cigar. All in all folks, I love the RASSsssssss as expected. Always delivers what is expected. I am looking forward to getting a few more boxes of these to see how well they age. I've heard a year old is nothing compared to 5 years. Recommended: utilizing my cigar calculator that is one of a kind and no one else has one.... I recommend this 9.967134014 / 10. So if you are on the fence about trying one, trust the mathematical facts stated above. Get it and love it!

Great Weekend So Far. The First band on the Melanio is when i began to consider a crash helmet. Oh My...

Mag 54 overseeing the garage sale today.

C&C Time! LGC No. 4 (2016) - 24:24 Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

The amazing siglo vi Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

‘07 PLPC while grilling some dinner.

Monte 2 - Feb 18

Early birthday present from my wife...

Ramon Allones 'Bits of Havana' 1990s Aroma at cold: Not much, old leather, sour butter, bit of barnyard Cold Draw: Just a clean light tobacco taste 1st Half Impressively this is Ramon Allones right out the gate, lovely creamy notes with that deep fruity raisin backdrop. Quite a bit of astringent woody tannins similar to that I smoked in a party SDC 3 the other day. This is not shy and retiring, there is still pinch in the nose, and fizziness on the palate. Power in aged tubos and cellos are so enjoyable for this reason. The power is present, but it’s perfectly directed. Big flavour on the retro, and off the foot, but oddly not too much on the palate the finish is almost immediate. 2nd Half Touches of a milk chocolate that may have been a lot more present in it’s youth. Very enjoyable, a would of bought slabs of these back in the day if I could. But I think I may of preferred them young and wild. The rosado in the wrapper is giving this lots of tang, which is working really well with the core raisin profile. Theres is a great deal more grunt and woodiness in this than todays RA. I think the name ‘Bits of Havana’ gives you an idea of what these were probably intended to be, i.e little snapshots of grunt and tang, and colour. Hopefully these will make a comeback and not be called RA shorts!………..get Don Draper on the case!............................Lovely sweet strong finish Conclusion A lot of love for these. Power, finesse, colour and vibrancy. Quite a long smoke time. I have no idea what they cost back in the day, but my guess is they would of been a uber bargain. One of the best puritos/chicos I've ever had Score: In their own bracket as a purito/chico, these have to be scoring quite highly i.e. 94. As a cigar against all the rest, a solid 89-90

I found myself with some free time this afternoon, a rarity on a Saturday with two kids, so I went diving in my humidor for something to pair with the nice weather. I actually didn’t think that I had any Ramon Allones for this weekend’s contest, but then I found a Silver Jubilee hidden away. This was a wonderful cigar, and I really wish I had more! Started out with some slight fruit notes as I typically can find with the marca. However what really stood out was a salty bread flavor similar to a fresh baked pretzel. The salt wasn’t like you find with a sancho, and it wasn’t overwhelming, but it left me licking my lips and wanting more. As the cigar developed, the fruit and bread dissipated, and some nice fresh pepper came on. The saltiness was always there, but it just lingered in the background. While I found myself hoping the fruit would comeback and even intensify, the cigar was just spectacular- from the flavors, to the construction and burn. These should only get better with time! 5/5.

Petite royale

Eddies.

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2001 Diplomaticos no. 5

2013 perlas. Sure to be excellent. They always are.

'12 ERDM Choix Supreme paired with a couple fingers (OK... big couple fingers) of Whistle Pig Rye that a buddy of mine got for me as a house warming present. Never really tried many Ryes, but this one is quite tasty. Hope everyone enjoys you weekends I know in the NE USA the weather is going to be spectacular, so I can't wait to enjoy all the yard work I have lol. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Here’s one I never thought of, a wall mounted beer holder for the shower...

I have always found the RASCC to be a mixed bag. Sometime they're on, other times they're mediocre. Never bad. This Saturday breakfast smoke fell somewhere in-between. Overall this is a medium bodied cigar that is not big enough to evolve. I got a good 45 minutes with a cup of coffee. The ash was tight and dirty grey. Even burn; good construction. I enjoyed it, but not going to be craving the next. I prefer the RASS. It has a lot more of the unique RA flavor profile. These midgets have their place though and I will undoubtedly keep them on hand for quick smoke and change of pace from my usual morning smoke from time to time. This RASCC gets a "B" but if he hangs with the right crowd and keeps up with his studies, he's capable of making Honor Role this semester.

Montecristo A MOL Jun 2017 The biggest Montecristo cigar around is this one, but don't fooled, it's not the strongest. At 47 ring gauge x 235 mm in length (that's 9¼ inches!) this felt like a toothpick in diameter in comparison to the mammoth Sautter Custom Super Mario Habanos cigar I smoked prior to this one. At two months short of two years in age, this was simply sublime. The Montecristo coffee and cocoa was there, albeit in a diminished capacity, however, it was the flavours that complimented the muted Montecristo quintessential flavour which esteemed it so highly. @Luca smoked one with me this night and what I labelled as almond nut he noted as hazelnut, like Frangelico liqueur, which upon reflection I believe is quite apt. However, in regards to the orange citrus twang like Cointreau, there was no doubt whatsoever, for this was the absolute superlative flavour which held us both in attentive bliss for easily over 2½ hours. So, in summary, if you are looking to this cigar to overwhelm you with strength or complexity, then look elsewhere, otherwise do yourself a favour and give this some time to rest (at least 12 to 18 months in my opinion) and hopefully you could sit back and enjoy it like I did. This is a strong candidate for my best cigar of April thus far.

UTL ENE 18. Paired with orange juice. They weren’t lying. Takes all the youth/edge out of the cigar and turnes it into a cream bomb.

All you need to know about communism and why it does not work in a sentence! Over and over again I am told that the plight of the condition of the Cuban cigar stems from capitalism. The island's economy is in shambles. Yet the reason why the Cuban cigar is not innovative is because of capitalism... I used to think that when you did the same thing over and over again with no success, that defined stupidity. Not really. It defines communism. God help those people. -the Pig

Picked up a couple boxes of these late last year. Kind of soon to have one but after a nice birthday dinner for my daughter and company leaving it’s late so the size seemed a good fit. UTL JUN 18 PSP Vigia. It’s off to a good start. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk