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Getting ready for a lovely evening. Vegas Robaina 2013 Clasico . Because I was talking to a friend about liking lonsdales. CB

QdO 50 Perfect for this 104F day in Northern California

Party short. Ahhhh life is good cheers

LGR FEB 18. Second stick from this box Waiting for the raptors game!!

Punched a SOM SEP 15 Punch Punch from a cab. Raptors pre-game cigar. Hopefully I’ll be smoking something special tomorrow [emoji459] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Worked all weekend, too windy to spray today so I’m off early. ‘08 No.5

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1948 Benson and Hedges Clear Havana petite Corona. This thing still had some life left. Full flavors from a 71 year old cigar. It even had some tar buildup. It was definitely past its prime but a experience none the less. Look at the filler tobacco wow.

2015 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rare two-cigar day for me, although I went for an afternoon run to balance it out... ERDM CX from 2015, and a young Monte 2 from SMA NOV 18. The first was a nice morning smoke, not too strong. The Monte was a lovely late evening number. Started to split, but a bit of cauterisation seemed to save it. Whether luck or judgement, it was delicious for well over an hour.

Starting the day with a HDM petit robusto

PSD4

A colleagues daughter returned from Havana bearing gifts from Alex [emoji7][emoji7]

Talisman 17. Great smoke! What@JohnS said above. I’m gonna fully dedicate myself to the smoke and put the phone away. Cheers Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good morning HDM! Epicure Especial. Another first for me. Solid Medium + notes of Black coffee, Brazil nuts, earthiness, finish with some bakers chocolate. Firm draw like a tent peg. PerfectDraw sorted it out. Looking at the wrapper burn I think dry boxing this for a few days would improve that initial burn line but it seems to be auto correcting fine. It’s giving me the breakfast hit I like. It was hard to reach over that perla / minuto stack of wonderment. No regrets here. This was a solid 91 all day For all you HDM No.1 and No.2 fans, let me know where this falls on your wheel house and flavor profile compared to this marca. Cheers and thanks

HQ/psp (there’s both orange and red stickers on the box ha!) UEB MAY 18 Monte 4’s. Wrappers aren’t super dark, which I like, and have a great sheen and aroma. I have a feeling this will be a great box!

OCT 17 RyJ Churchill last night, hiding from the rain in the garage. The flood lighting in the garage gives the cigar a nice shine. Even without it, it is a beautiful wrapper. Today, UAO OCT 17 Siglo VI And then, one of these.

Sig II

Split a box of SLE Oct 2016 Trinidad Vigia with @Fuzz. Thanks too @Raskol!

Not a purchase, but a gift from a few brothers. I turned 50 in March, and I quietly slipped by without much damage (or so I thought). Anyway a couple of them presented this to me in person this past Saturday. Needless to say I was overwhelmed with their generosity.

Yesterday’s stroll in the woods cigar. ETP APR 16 Petit Coronas from the first Handicapped Box Pass. Today’s stroll in the woods cigar. ALO JUL 16.

Just had a great dinner with Rob Duron (gorob) and his wife Cathy. Fantastic people. The majority of the Amicigar crews arrive tomorrow and Thursday. Maiori is a special place indeed.

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These will be my daily smokes this week. Family vacation in Lake Tahoe. My favorite getaway spot. Usually try to get there three or four times a year.

I have said it many times over the years, the FIA need to appoint stewards that are the same people for EVERY race. I have always felt that some stewards are biased toward "some" drivers (Of course there is no proof) and their decisions are always inconsistent from one race to another. I also believe HERMAN Tilke tracks should be scrapped. The FIA need to put such jobs out to tender and appoint other firms because we aren't the only forum complaining so surely, everyone has heard similar complaints?

Another fine round of reviews! Pretty sure I saw a box code in the bunch that was MOE something or other and, personally, I felt that was enough reason to win ...but the random draw had other ideas... The winner is @ohbob976 !! Congrats! Please PM your details to @First Lady so Lisa can dispatch your prize. Thanks to all who entered. Stay tuned for the next weekend's comp details - start planning for Piramide/Belicoso!

A box of Rafael Gonzalez North Star RE Nordico Baltico Sent fra min CLT-L29 via Tapatalk

Thank you to everyone who made our stay in London so much fun! Special thanks to Rob Fox for giving us the run of JJ Fox. It really is a beautiful and vibrant city. The food culture is great and last night we (Andy/Rob/Stu/Myself) sat outside the Stamford Hotel and enjoyed some fine cigars and cocktails while we reminisced on the week. Very very civilised! Mind you, I need to leave because London on my lifestyle is not cheap I shouted Mike a cigar at The Ritz and so selected some Ramon Allones 35th Anniversary (Libano 2015). The two cigars came in at 100 pound which is still cheaper than back home!. Mike was going to order a Negroni but that came in at 90 pound The cigars were indeed superb! I will catch up from Amalfi. Have a cracker day!

All about the short smokes these days. Regular production Minuto collection now complete: Ramon Allones Small Club Corona DIC 2016 Partagas Shorts FEB 2018

I think these should be good enough...

Over the weekend Blind Homeroll Or Lirio Wayfarer Uncle Lee Sunday Today

We've had the craziest week of weather in Chicago. Tuesday night lightning, followed by 3 straight days of the thickest fog I've ever seen, including in San Francisco. I made a timelapse from the Hancock over sunset here. Summer hasn't quite made it here yet but I aint complaining.

HQ box of Monte 4's REG MAY 18.

After 30+ continuous years of watching F1 (I'm 37), I have finally have given up this year, I watched the first race of the season and was disgusted. Then, i had the unfortunate privilege of watching yesterday's debacle. Am I a Tifosi? Yes. However, my issue with yesterday has more to deal with racing in general. "Racing" is finished in Formula 1. After Ferrari was dominant during the 2000's, the British were so incensed, they put their finger on the scales. This formulaic BS is actually hurting the sport and the quest to try to earn green credentials is actually limiting competitiveness from teams not named Ferrari or Mercedes. F1 is a guilty pleasure, it should be about building the fastest car within a certain set of loose specs. Brink back re-fueling, no tire restrictions, get rid of these engine lifespan requirements. I'm listening to the announcers tell me yeterday how Seb's car will be shit in the last few races of the year because he was in setting 1 for so long to try and win yesterdays race. The wear and tear will eventually catch up at the end. Wow, really exciting stuff there guys. On another note, all of these new tracks are also ruining things. Its the same souless track over and over again in places people don't care about. If you loosened up the rules and some up-and-comer set the world on fire with a scrappy team, I'd be excited as hell. Think Schumacher with Jordan or Senna with Toleman or when Red Bull burst on the scene (I get it, Ross Braun). I mean seriously, can we just let them race. I guess F1 is just one more victim of political correctness.

Well isn’t this nice

Looking to get a pooled consensus of the regional editions worth going after. Added every searchable tag on the title for ease of searching. I think I'll start a list with a simple 0-10 point scoring system with all the regionals I have tried and took notes of. Hopefully others can chime in, and then we can average out the scores to see what are the hottest and best ER's recently! (will also include how many entries a particular ER has been scored/voted for at the beginning of each) I know there will be the 'age' factor on the ratings but lets keep it simple for now (1) Saint Luis Rey Incas: ER Peru 2014 ---> 7.0 (1) Ramon Allones Silver Jubilee: ER Asia Pacific 2017 ---> 7.5 (1) Quai d'Orsay Secreto Cubano: ER France 2016 ---> 8.0 (3) Rafael Gonzalez 88: ER Asia Pacific 2016 ---> 5.5 (1) Por Larranaga Encantos: ER Asia Pacific 2010 ---> 8.5 (2) Punch Sir David: ER Hong Kong 2018 ---> 9.25 (1) Ramon Allones Nuevo Mundo: ER Costa Rica 2017 ---> 7.0 (1) Bolivar Tiempo: ER France 2017 ---> 8.0 (1) Vegas Robaina Short Robaina: ER Andorra 2014 ---> 6.5 (1) Ramon Allones Sur: RE Libano 2014 ---> 8.5 (1) Bolivar Silver Jubilee: RE Asia Pacific 2017 ---> 6.0 (1) La Gloria Cubana Paraiso: RE Caribe 2014 ---> 8.5 (1) Por Larranaga Sobresalientes: RE Gran Bretana 2014 ---> 9.9 (1) La Gloria Cubana Invictos: RE Italia 2017 ---> 6.0 (1) Bolivar Bosphorus: RE Turquia 2014 ---> 9.5 (1) Diplomaticos Excelencia: RE Cuba 2015 ---> 9.5 (1) Sancho Panza Quijote: RE España 2010 ---> 9.8 (1) Ramón Allones Grandes: RE España 2008 ---> 9.8

For me it was my first BBF, a 4 year old specimen at the Wingtip club in San Francisco with the best old fashion I've ever had. I had a few cubans up to that point, but that was the cigar that opened up the CC world in all of it's glory to me.

Of course. Who’s foot do you think it is? Mr Beaver’s? lolol CB

Cohiba Talismán 2017 - Edición Limitada UAO Ago 2017 Do you remember the hype surrounding the release of the Cohiba Talisman 2017 Limited Edition? It was launched in London in October 2017, it sold out quickly despite a hefty price tag and it was subject to rumours of unauthorised pre-sales in the United States or distribution of copied fakes. From a marketing point of view, what more could Habanos S.A want? It is the seventh Cohiba Limited Edition since 2001 (Piramides Extra 2001 and 2006, Double Corona in 2003, Sublime in 2004, 1966 in 2011 and Robustos Supremos in 2014 were the others). It is a Cañonazo Doble at 54 ring gauge x 154 mm or 6.1 inches in length. The common name for this cigar is a Robustos Extra, however take note of that factory name as the Cohiba Siglo VI is a Cañonazo, being slightly smaller, and in my mind, this cigar is its direct cousin in terms of how it smoked. If you have picked a 10-count box of these (or two), or perhaps split them as I have (with our dear friend @Luca...thank you mate), what can you expect? How do you approach this cigar in terms of when to smoke it and how does it compare to other Cohiba vitolas? After smoking this today I can assert that the Talisman is like an amplified Siglo VI, much like the Robustos Supremos was like an amplified Magicos, in my opinion. There was complexity through the thirds too. Prior to smoking it, I untwisted the pigtail and removed the cap with my thumbnail. The draw was fine, as was the smell of hay/barnyard on the wrapper. The cold draw has notes of coffee, nuts and a little spice. The first third saw this at its very best. I was especially impressed by the smoothness and velvety plumes of smoke on the draw, which were plentiful throughout. Cohiba mocha coffee, citrus, a little honey and a buttered cream texture reminded me of some of the best aged Cohiba Siglo VI's I've enjoyed over the years. The middle third saw some spice or white pepper notes and anise sweetness pick up in the blend. At this point I wanted to compare notes on the retrohale as I find aged Cohibas very pleasurable to exhale through the nose, and this did not disappoint, it had quality spice but did not overwhelm via retrohaling at any point. The final third saw change further still. The cigar picked up in darker coffee, earth and leather notes but it still had that honey and anise sweetness. It was easy to nub. My conclusion on the Talisman? It ended up being a great choice to celebrate my birthday this weekend. Like the Robustos Supremos, this will get better with a few years as the middle and final third meld and becomes more akin to the flavours in the first third, no doubt. However, I enjoyed the cigar for what is was. I wouldn't hesitate to choose it to celebrate another milestone event in the near future.

I was excited to re-review my first review. This was my first CC box purchase in March and I haven't had one in over a month. Has been sitting in my desktop humidor then dry boxed for 4 days. Construction: Matte wrapper (although it looks better in the pictures) Overall good construction with a few lumps from what appears do be veins below the wrapper Aroma: Hay / Cedar Cold Draw: Hay / Cedar with a sweet finish Pairing: Plantation Original Dark on the rocks 1st Third: Great draw and good smoke output Nutty toasted tobacco at the light. Citrus and cream come in shortly after. The full rest appears to have brought more pronounced citrus since my initial review. Consistent burn and medium bodied 2nd Third: Burn is great and ash holds on till about an inch into the second third and then falls off as I scroll FOH reviews Tobacco twang becomes prominent and cedar from the cold draw comes into play. Otherwise similar flavors to the first third but with the citrus cream muted. Medium - Full bodied now Final Third: There was a large glue patch on the band and after some massaging, a piece of wrapper still came off but did not have a noticeable effect First minor touch up is required as well but still a great burn Smoke output really picks up and flavor is predominantly nutty tobacco and cedar with a citrus cream finish Still medium - full bodied I am very happy with the way these are progressing and glad I grabbed a second box recently. While petit coronas fit my schedule best, the corona gorda is my favorite vitola I've tried. Smoke time was an hour and 15 minutes Score: A / 95

another find from Spain. first of all I can say this is one of my favorite vitolas. sadly discontinued. found few of those in Zaragoza. decided to light one because of the challenge. started with espresso, woody notes, sand cookies. I can feel the power of Bolivar yet, despire of the 18 years of aging. that's why I love the marca and especially vitola. some nuts, fried toast in second third. hint of earth, still woody and got creamy. still feell coffee notes, so probably cappuccino. brilliant cigar. my advice to everyone, buy if you can find. hold for few years if possible. 96/100

Partagas- Shorts (2015) Shorts NUB! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Hoyo De Monterrey [emoji1083]- Palmas Extra Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

C&C Time! JL No. 1

*** I've been rather wordy with my last couple of reviews. This one will be more succinct w/ bullet points mostly, as I'm trying to get this review in on time. Wrapper Aroma: Sweet cedar Hay Light cocoa Faint kitchen spice Foot Aroma: Sweet tobacco Light cocoa Initial Light: Touch of black pepper Dry cocoa Green wood/grass First Third: Chocolate note faded gradually as the first third went on. On some longer, deeper draws, there's definitely a dark stone fruit character, like cherry or ripe plum. Toward the end of this third, the floral note I often get in young CCs picks up. Not as sweet as I expected, based on the wrapper aroma. Just under medium body so far. A buttery note is sometimes detectable on the finish, but often doesn't last long. Second Third: Pepper kicks up a notch. There's also something fresh tasting besides the light grassy note, like a green pepper. The cocoa note is a little richer, almost a chocolate, but not quite. So far, the burn hasn't been pretty, but no touch ups necessary. Around the halfway mark, the flavors seem to be getting muted. Smoke is getting a little harsh. Last Third: What the heck is this? All the flavors literally just disappeared as soon as the burn line hit the band. The smoke is very harsh. Cigar isn't getting hot or anything, but definitely not worth finishing. Final Thoughts: This cigar was dry boxed for 5 days. Sorry I couldn't get more pics, but my phone died. First and middle third were decent, but the last third was a complete mystery. This is my second JL1 from this box. The first one was worse than this one: burn issues w/ just a wet tobacco and hay flavor. My final rating on this cigar is 82/100.

48 hours down 48 to go an ERDM choix Supreme from 15 tastes like cashews with some honeycomb delicious!

ELU MAY 14 H. Upmann Sir Winston paired with a little Eagle Rare Bourbon. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Cohiba Talismán 2017 - Edición Limitada UAO Ago 2017 Do you remember the hype surrounding the release of the Cohiba Talisman 2017 Limited Edition? It was launched in London in October 2017, it sold out quickly despite a hefty price tag and it was subject to rumours of unauthorised pre-sales in the United States or distribution of copied fakes. From a marketing point of view, what more could Habanos S.A want? It is the seventh Cohiba Limited Edition since 2001 (Piramides Extra 2001 and 2006, Double Corona in 2003, Sublime in 2004, 1966 in 2011 and Robustos Supremos in 2014 were the others). It is a Cañonazo Doble at 54 ring gauge x 154 mm or 6.1 inches in length. The common name for this cigar is a Robustos Extra, however take note of that factory name as the Cohiba Siglo VI is a Cañonazo, being slightly smaller, and in my mind, this cigar is its direct cousin in terms of how it smoked. If you have picked a 10-count box of these (or two), or perhaps split them as I have (with our dear friend @Luca...thank you mate), what can you expect? How do you approach this cigar in terms of when to smoke it and how does it compare to other Cohiba vitolas? After smoking this today I can assert that the Talisman is like an amplified Siglo VI, much like the Robustos Supremos was like an amplified Magicos, in my opinion. There was complexity through the thirds too. Prior to smoking it, I untwisted the pigtail and removed the cap with my thumbnail. The draw was fine, as was the smell of hay/barnyard on the wrapper. The cold draw has notes of coffee, nuts and a little spice. The first third saw this at its very best. I was especially impressed by the smoothness and velvety plumes of smoke on the draw, which were plentiful throughout. Cohiba mocha coffee, citrus, a little honey and a buttered cream texture reminded me of some of the best aged Cohiba Siglo VI's I've enjoyed over the years. The middle third saw some spice or white pepper notes and anise sweetness pick up in the blend. At this point I wanted to compare notes on the retrohale as I find aged Cohibas very pleasurable to exhale through the nose, and this did not disappoint, it had quality spice but did not overwhelm via retrohaling at any point. The final third saw change further still. The cigar picked up in darker coffee, earth and leather notes but it still had that honey and anise sweetness. It was easy to nub. My conclusion on the Talisman? It ended up being a great choice to celebrate my birthday this weekend. Like the Robustos Supremos, this will get better with a few years as the middle and final third meld and becomes more akin to the flavours in the first third, no doubt. However, I enjoyed the cigar for what is was. I wouldn't hesitate to choose it to celebrate another milestone event in the near future.

OLM JUN 15 HDM San Juan LR SEP 12 VR RE Canada, XV Aniversario LBT MAY 12 Siglo VI Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This weeks haul: 15 Tubos PSD4 ATP SEP 18 15 Tubos PSE2 SMA NOV 18 25 Upmann No2 BRE JUN 18