Leaderboard

Merry Christmas Gents

Merry Christmas Eve! ??? May ye receive all you want. ?

Merry Christmas alll. Stay safe and be happy over the festive season

an awesome Famoso helping me tend the rib roast, courtesy of @MigsG First third was a little rough, but the second third came through with big raisins and prunes, so great. Making me wonder why I don’t have a box of these.

Merry Christmas! Connoisseur #1 Trinidad- Shorts Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Christmas Eve day and after I closed up my office I enjoyed a EML FEB 14 Punch Punch originally in a tube. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone has a great day and finds a bit of time to relax and enjoy it! A Club Allones with coffee at lunch followed by a lusi after a late Christmas dinner.

Christmas eve night.

MSU FEB 19 Definitely one of my top 5 from 2019. MUR JUL 13 First one from the box and a real treat.

Montecristo - Petit Edmundo (BTR MAR 09) Trying to enjoy this while my son is napping in the somewhat mild weather for the season. Gotta hurry before the sun goes down within 30-45 min.

annual bonus get and went straight deep to PCC... Tainos Formosa and Punch 898

Merry Christmas all! Thanks to @Thirds for this fantastic gift. One of several exciting cigars for my Christmas lineup. '14 VR Short Robaina ER Mid? '18 HdM Epi2 Got two 6ers from FOH and forgot about them for a while. Was a little disappointed because they seemed dry, thin wrappers, and absolutely no smell. Well this is a Christmas surprise! From the first puff, marshmallows, and still marshmallows getting into the 2/3. A different Epi2 from what I'm used to. Gonna let the rest sleep some more!

La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4 MSU Jun 2017 I had two straight from the box (or in colloquial terms, as we enthusiasts like to call it, 'right-off-the-truck') three months ago and they were both great, so why not have another? Why not indeed! Last time I got beautiful notes of almond nut, fruit and spice in the first third, like smoking a date slice. The second third had a hint of cream until the wood took over and the last third was dry wood and white pepper until the end. This had no hint of almond nut or creamy texture. In fact, I found it quite 'toasty' in texture by contrast. When LGC 4's are like this I find them more woody or herbal in nature, as this cigar was. There was also copious amounts of white pepper and it was still fruity, only less so than my last one smoked three months ago. In conclusion, give me a La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4 that is full of almond nut, creaminess and fruit or date flavours and I'll be in heaven smoking it, give me one more akin to this drier, toasty, wood and herbal offering and I'll still respect it for what it is...a complex long-and-skinny representing the last regular production vitola in the La Gloria Cubana marca. Long may it be so!

Smoked this beautiful Sir David courtesy of @Chucko8. Thanks for the smoke Kurt! Cheers and happy holidays to you and yours.

Reynaldo Robusto and a Rothaus Pilsner Merry Christmas!

SUR

One last package before Santa arrives ... sons birth month is a bonus

08 Espy

October 2014 Punch Punch. 2015 CoRo

Merry Christmas to me, a bunch of stuff showed up over the past few days. Many thanks to the ultimate BOTL @Cayman17 for sharing some CoRo RR and being a mule for a few boxes. Nice to see the quality of the El Laguito Siglo VI and Lanceros. Check out the sheen on the SW.

All it takes is 24:24 and a moment of weakness

Partagas Lusitanias MOB JUL 14 Construction is excellent. A distinct box press on this example. The Cold nose is mostly woody notes. Draw is effortless and lights easily. Outdoor RH is 30% which dropped again prior to a cold front bringing rains tonight here. 1/3: initial draws pull lots of rich smoke with profound nuttiness and rich earth. There is a leathery underbelly here that has some delicious sweet cream on it. Mild and satisfying. The ash is flaky but firm holding an inch+ easily. Burn is excellent on a thin line. 2/3: Woody flavor dominates in this third with leather still present and early sweetness and nuts receding. That wonderful earthiness that draws me to this marca is present here in spades. There is a light peppery note as well now that builds in the finish. Intensity is gradually moving up through this third and past the half pole it’s at a medium strength. 3/3: The draws are yielding YUGE mouthfuls of flavor effortlessly. Burn remains a 10 and I wonder why all CC can’t be rolled like this. A master Torcedoras, no doubt on her game. Overall a 93+ for me. A special occasion CC or for when I can set aside the requisite quiet time. Cheers

El Rey del Mundo Choix Suprême MLU Nov 2018 El Rey del Mundo, which means 'The King of the World' in Spanish, was once considered the premium marca of Habanos cigars in the mid-20th century, much like Cohiba is considered the premium Habanos marca today. Indeed, in the 1940's and 1950's, El Rey del Mundo had gained a reputation for prestige, excellence and a higher price tag. After the Revolution, the brand was still considered 'high-end', even into the 1970's. In the 1980's and 1990's trends changed, favouring stronger cigars and sadly lowering the opinion of El Rey del Mundo cigars as being 'too mild', even (incorrectly, in my opinion) more suitable for beginners. This El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme (and please do kindly pronounce choix like the French - shwa and not choy!) was picked up in a 24:24 quarter pack offering of light-wrappered PSP ERdM CS' in April this year. I smoked my first one in June and my second one in October. The first one was superb, the second one had construction issues. Today's example was a glorious return to form, so-to-speak. Simply put, this Hermosos No.4-sized cigar (48 ring gauge x 127 mm or 5 inches in length) had a wonderful aroma, was full of mild, sweet flavours and made me pine for a time when the El Rey del Mundo marca was more extensive and well-known. How else could one categorise the candied almond nut, shortbread, honey and citrus delicacies which delighted me from beginning to end? At just 12 months of age, I am genuinely surprised how approachable this was for an ERdM cigar. The brand is reputed for benefiting from long-term aging and perhaps this was a major factor in its decline in popularity. However, after smoking this Choix Supreme today, I have to ask why I don't smoke El Rey del Mundo cigars more often? The answer may lie in the fact that there are only two regular production offerings left, the Choix Supreme and the diminutive Demi Tasse, but isn't it just great that PCC brought out a Tainos Churchill-sized cigar for its Asia-Pacific Regional Edition recently?

That smell!!!

Unseasonal warm day in NJ. Smoking a P2 from 09 on the deck

Christmas smoke - delicious.

Merry Christmas FOH...this encantos may have seen better days but its a nice light smoke on a rainy afternoon.

Last week in Hong Kong - A 1972 Hoyo de Monterey Chateau Yquem - the most oily cigar I've seen in my life. Absolute delight to smoke.

This cigar was from the end of the fiscal year clearance sale. I decided to save it for last on my trip to Turks and Caicos, and it was worth the wait! We started the day snorkeling around the reef, and saw several sea turtles. Then the cigar. Perfect draw, tons of mouth coating, flavorful smoke. The location could not be any more perfect! I obviously didn't write anything down, but this was a superb example of the cohiba profile. Honey, biscuit, slight hay. 90+ for sure. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

08 Siglo IV

Stick was in perfect shape. Pre light had a heavy whiff of raw cherrywood. First light was flawless. Draw was a bit firm but nothing so awful as true tight draws. This gently attenuated a bit over time but I may have just gotten used to it. Early tasting notes held more fruitwood, developed baking spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. The room note felt like the holidays with someone you love making a pie. More smoke later. Cream and touches of brighter lemon peel. At this point the burn was still terrific owing a good deal to great construction and perfect care. This example came to me from wailbait’s humidor. His collection is rock solid in that regard. Final third was denser, stronger with the cream and done fruitwood remaining but a bit compressed by a growing touch of acridity. Nothing that would ruin a smoke but it came in like a lurker in the fog. A touch resinous. Some smokes are such classics, we can remember our first ones. I smoked my first Epi 2 as a gift 9 years ago at the after party for a film I was in, proffered by the very generous star. It had some age. Smoked beautifully and had those broke citrus and fruitwood notes. Whilst that night was very special, every cigar of its mark and vitola I’ve smoked since has had a strong familial resemblance to that first one. Epi 2 will always be dear to me.

Christmas Eve post-lunch paired with Henry McKenna 10 yr. Perfect rosado wrapper Starts stronger than Punch Punch and much stronger than the DC....well balanced. Roasted nuts, woody, savory. No floral or sweets. Solid medium body+. Perfect construction and draw. Medium firm to the touch. Rich depth and perfect balance in 2/3. No change in flavors. Cannot tell that this is only 5 months old. Final 3/3 detecting some punch DNA finally...hint of floral, but fleeting. Returns to woody, nutty profile where it recedes to empty space. 90+ point cigar for sure. I don’t see it getting any better as it had a lush, rich profile devoid of astringency throughout. 90 minute smoke. Thanks Prez and Company for making this sampler available to those of us who enjoy tasting the double-banders, if only for the novelty.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

From Di, I and the entire team, a very merry Christmas to you and your families ..........and may 2020 be an absolute corker! Thank you to all the mods for the great work throughout the year. All of you (bar Ken) provide great counsel. Ken you provide other things (notably stress ). Steve (MoeFOH), you have become a rock to the FOH team. Kudos mate and many thanks. Ben/Alex great job on FOHauctions which has gone from nowhere in May to over 1000 boxes sold and the leading cigar auction site in the world. Wait until the launch of phase II in late Jan when approved members here can get in on the program. It is going to blow people away Adam and the logistics team, bloody awesome Greg left big shoes to fill and you have not only followed but moulded a whole new set of treads. To Nick our new IT guru, you have taken over seamlessly from Jason who has gone on to launch a new (and highly successful) gaming business. Great stuff mate. To Raky and Sumeet our merchant gateway and payments advisors, you are legends of the highest order. To Di and Lise, thank you for keeping the wheels turning when things are good and more importantly when things don't go as smoothly as planned To PCC, Angelo, Brett, Dag, Norio, thank you for all of your support during the past year. I couldn't have asked for any more. To the Oz connection ....specifically the sydney and perth lads + the local reprobate crew, thank you for constantly demonstrating what cigars are all about. To all our members, thank you for creating and maintaining the culture that is FOH. God knows it may not be perfect but it's one of the best out there Merry Christmas folks

55 degrees in Chicago on Christmas and no wind! Thanks for the stick @Buck14 I'll keep rolling with the merry double banded Christmas while I sit on my balcony in a t shirt. This is unreal. I love it.

Incredible restaurant last night has an enclosed section for special whiskies and cigars! Right on the ocean and we sat at a table with highest waves just far enough to blast but not touch us. Delicious! Photo of whiskies is missing a lot of them. I drank 25 year old Havana rum and Evan Williams 1991. CB

Just placed an order for this same exact combo. . . Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Those look absolutely incredible. Could you describe a little of what you got out of them? I just licked my computer screen and want to compare tasting notes.

A couple Christmas Eve pickups

Arrival!

Diplomáticos - Nortenos - ER Canadá 2018 Az én iPhone készülékemről küldve a Tapatalk segítségével

BRC ULA AGO 15. Have a great Christmas FOH ? MC#5 EPM ENE 18

Nice prize pack showed up in time for Christmas! Thank you El Pres and the rest of the FOH crew for the HdM DC, La Punta and Rascc! Happy Holidays ?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Short smoke... Merry Christmas! FOH! Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk Smoking this one into Christmas!!

TOR DIC 16 TOU DIC 17

Decided I wanted some good regular production smoking stock several months back. After several trips around the world, they’ve finally settled on Maui, just in time for Christmas! ?