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Boil CJ. MSU from 18. Can’t remember the month. Last stick from the top level. Sad really. This has been an exceptional box of cigars. wife did say I stunk when I walked in the house but this stick made that insult all ok. Pure bliss for 30 minutes at the end of the day.

This afternoon's smoke - JL2 (RUM AGO-19). Smoked a third of the cigar before I remembered to take a picture .....

No.1 ???

Edmundo

GAO SEP 15 RACA. I continue to enjoy these. Great Raptors game with Vanfleet getting a franchise record 54 points and Lowry getting a triple double. Classic game.

Late night stroll to clear my mind. HdM DC '15

They say this is Michael Jordan’s favorite. 从我的 iPhone 发送，使用 Tapatalk

First Mar CoRo box code. The 5 year minimum guys might be shaking their heads, but this a damn good smoke. The coffee, in the dark wrapper, and light barn hay, in the filler, is something that will disappear soon, which is not dominant but certainly some welcome flavors. so these may never see next year.

When I first got this box, it wasn’t very good. I’ve had a few cigars here and there waiting for something to happen. Although I can’t say these are all amazing, these have turned for the better. The wax paper is now yellow and has the look of a rich aged cab regardless of only being four years old. There was a break in the rain in Northern California so I figured it was a good time to stick my 2 year old daughter in her high chair and put a movie on while I enjoyed a cigar (yeah I know great dad moment but those who have or at once had a 2 year old understand). The 1st third was not very eventful. I got the usual flavors I get from this cab so I prepared myself for a below average cigar. Flavors were wood, leather, and black coffee. The 2nd third opened up with some interesting flavors and tons of complexity. Spiced cream was the dominant flavor along with some bread and licorice. I felt like i was smoking a Partagas/Upmann hybrid. The Final third opened with a Chocolate- aftertaste of Reese peanut butter cups. I’ve never gotten this from a cigar and it was very pleasant. In addition, I got more Coffee and Spiced cream flavors. The smoke was dense and lingered even outdoors. The aroma was nothing short of amazing. Overall this cigar was pretty damn good. The first third pulled the score down a bit but overall very pleasurable. The draw on this stick was open which I prefer. Amazing construction. 92/100.

A recent trade. ?that my side of the trade makes it there safely.

RASS Padron Siglo III

C&C time. Medio Siglo (2017) - 24:24 Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

It’s like Christmas in feb! Thank you foh team for making it happen ?

C&C time. Monte Edmundo (2017) - 24:24 Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

After a beautiful dumping of 15+ inches up here in the Northeast, I thought I would enjoy a short afternoon break. Picked up a box of these and this is my first try of one of these. Small straight cut and the draw is perfect. Open and plenty of air. The double figuarado can sometime be a bit challenging to get going, but this opened very nicely. Woodsy taste to open up, with some leather in the retro. Bold flavors, but smooth at the same time. I honestly wasn’t expecting much being such a small size, but the smoke out out is much better than expected. Full and creamy as it gets to the body of the cigar. Wood flavor still there in the middle, but notes of sweetness and almost bready component. Very pleasant and still can’t believe the smoke for such a small vitola! Glad a picked up a box, as this is a great short smoke for these cold temps. Lots of flavor and that lovely Cuban “tang”. Past the middle and the woodsy taste has transitioned to more sweetness. Paired with a Little Sumpin’ and some good tunes. Finished smooth and great flavors. Excellent way to end a day of snow clean up! This is a great way to see some faces on here. Cheers all! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There were plenty of jaw droppers today. Some of the standouts pancakes from El Laguito Punch Punch at the very top of their game RASS have been on fire in both cabs and dress boxes Epi 2's in Cabs of 50's rule the roost this shipment. Today's mastercase of the day. Sheer perfection.

RG Perlas bittersweet rather than just sweet. (50 minutes) Bolivar Coronas junior with a sweetness with the earthiness. (30 minutes) The Perlas was more than a gram heavier than the Coronas Junior.

I purchased these from 24:24 on 1/13 and received them on 2/1. Despite 18 inches of snow received here in Connecticut on 2/1 and outside temperatures in the low 30s & high 20s, I was not able to wait even 48 hours before indulging. What I lack in words I will dazzle you with photos. So here is my first FOH novice review. Aroma at cold - cedary, woody, toasted Draw - easy and perfect (for me) Construction - very nice, not too firm 1st 3rd - I got flavors of biscuit, toasted nuts, and "some" cream. The initial plumes of smoke were great and full. 2nd 3rd - Coffee comes in and the toasted oats/nuts continue. I also took the obligatory selfie. Final 3rd - Coffee and cedar earthiness take over. This last photo is when the outside cold took over and my hands said "go inside". This was a very enjoyable cigar, burn was impeccably perfect throughout with ZERO touchups, and had a medium body for basically the entire 40 minutes. Very happy to have 24 more of these in the chamber and will let them rest for about another 3+ months until golf weather starts to come back. I'm sure they will evolve. These would go well with a morning coffee or evening stout. 90/91 grade from me. Cheers.

Coloniales San Juan

Mille Fleur UEB MAR 19

Opening Remarks: Cracked open a new cab of PLPC’s after 2 months of rest. Decided to pair it with Topo Chico since I still had a few hours of work to do. The cigar itself is flawless. Perfect bunching, beautiful dark oily wrapper with a whole alligator’s mouth worth of teeth to it. Cold draw was like burnt wheat toast. Perfect restriction but nowhere near being a wind tunnel. First Third: Used cedar to toast the foot. First puffs are a powerful mix of vegetal/dry earthiness and dark chocolate dusting notes. The vegetal lingers on the tongue and retro. Burn line is very good but not razor sharp. Combustion is excellent with a smoke that feels similar to mini marshmallows, chewy and airy but not overly thick sans the sweetness. Tanginess like an underripe tangerine comes in just before the second third. The ash is flaky and loose which keeps me wanting to knock it off before anything falls. Second Third: Over roasted, almost burned walnuts notes. Paprika. Toasted French baguette basted with fresh pressed olive oil. Still no sweetness but the vegetal notes have subsided favorably. The ash is very toothy and ends up staying on longer than I anticipated after the first third. That tanginess is back on the tongue. The retro is white pepper with a finish of black licorice. Combustion and burn remain excellent. Toasted bran muffin with melted butter. The smoke itself smells like a combination of fresh tar and leather. Final Third: Draw and combustion remain excellent. An unsalted tortilla chip flavor consumes my palate. Stale dark chocolate come back around and the sweetness on the smell of the smoke ramps up instead of the bitter tar/leather scent in the second third. Tortilla chips and melted butter. The retro has toned down and continues to provide that buttery note that has become prevalent on the palate. Paprika and a slight cinnamon sweetness round out the final few puffs of the stick. Closing Remarks: First PLPC I’ve smokes in many months. The stick started out a bit mongrel but worked into its own past the second half. Construction was excellent and smoke production did not lack at any point. It was a satisfying stick for an hour and a half but left me wanting more. Definitely don’t think that I will pick up a stick from this box anytime in the next six months or so. Burn: 4/5 (Sharp but not razor sharp. One relight needed but that’s because I let the stick go out) Construction: 5/5 (Good draw/combustion the entire way through . Well packed with no soft spots) Flavor: 3/5 (Earth, vegetal, citrus zest, toasted breads, tortilla chips, butter) Smell: 3/5 (Tar, leather, butter) Wrapper: 5/5 (Dark brown, loads of oils, toothiness for days) Overall Score: 20/25

Circa 1900 Near topless chick coupon Will run it past Di in the morning.

Day 2 of a fairly heavy snow storm. Yesterday was just awful. 40-50mph winds, blinding snow, we got about 10-12” of the white stuff but snow drifts over 3’ in places. My office is still closed so I took advantage of being home and enjoyed a minuto after playing with the kids in the snow. Cigar feels well packed. Clip the cap revealing an excellent draw. First half is a very sweet and lush smoke. Very reminiscent of the slightly burnt French toast I had this morning. Maybe some other baking spices mixed in there. Burn line is sharp and and smoke output is great. Second half is more of the same really....no bitterness, hotness, or the sometimes burnt coffee that sometimes comes up. Did have to do a touch up after the ash fell off, but no big deal. Overall, a very good example of this cigar. Dominant sweetness with a fairly deep flavor, medium+ in body. A solid 3.5/5 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Decided to bite the bullet and buy the box sure who needs a savings account ??????????????

BBF's (TUA SEP-20) - PSP / HQ selection from our host. Look great and arrived in perfect condition. My first box of BBF's - can't wait to try them.

one of my oldie but goodies.

Churchill tonight. Cut the end with my grill spatula. Didn't work out well.

My first QDO 50. Very good.

I know sex sells, but oh boy...... they sure did push that envelope to incredibly tenuous degree.

A few more PSdP landed today. La Corona factory. RAT-ENE-20. Can't get enough of these tasty buggers.

Look at what the postman delivered today!? They look and smell amazing!!! It is going to really hard to not smoke one until they get acclimated. And these are less than two years old too and I usually do not smoke any of my cigars until they are at 3 -4 years aged.

Good day, good cigar. Second one today, a bit overdose. Sweet and mild. 从我的 iPhone 发送，使用 Tapatalk

Late night working with Bolivar BBF. Fantastic MSU MAY 19 PSP Box.

Esmeralda

Michael Landon use to fire up on the set all the time Very Fine Cigar Humidor in the form of a detailed house, rendered in mahogany, rosewood and ebony, having a chimney form handle, tambour opening roof, compartmented interior for individual cigars, the four stems at the base of the handle to hold humidity wicks. Crafted by Maison Giroux

Nicely executed, but coming with a central, crucial flaw - and that’s the blade. It’s too thick! The resulting steep angle in the chamfer of the blade’s grind makes the blade (in fact the one facing the cigar is the crucial one) transversally slip in the motion of cutting (which one can actually witness in the bloke’s crooked cuts). Faulty design right from the start! An almost typical mistake seen being made in many cutters from the “luxury” (lujo) department. This thingy here has obviously been designed by someone who understands machining and a wee bit of engineering and materials. But who had no understanding of the task this „instrument” has to fulfill (and who’d likely never cut a cigar). As a ‘form-follows-function’ guy these things can really upset me. One of the reasons why even my nice Xikar (gift from my dear wife) keeps resting mostly unused in the drawer, while for everyday use, I am sticking with that simple but effective 10-bucks Chinese plain steel double-blade guillotine gifted to me years back by my son. ?

Well well we'll the hardest of the BTAC line up ? coming home with me

LGB NOV 19 Monty 2. Very good

Cohiba Magicos 2011

Monte 2 MSU JUL 19

A nice theme for the reviews this week, it's good to virtually meet all of you. I don't usually do selfies all that often, so I don't know my best angle lol. Also got the covid hairstyle and grooming (as you can see, not so existent), but tied up in a ponytail as I prefer my hair out of my face. The backdrop is our tiny Hong Kong flat, with my whiskies and her collectible display, and her piano. Work from home obviously, with the large screen. The cigar for today is a Trinidad Colo. Forgot when I got this box, but I think it would have been mid-late 19, which probably means an 18 or 19 box code. I remember back in 19 it didn't smoke too well, with a number of rough edges, but around 6 months ago these have really turned the corner and almost every smoke since has been really good. The wrappers in the box have however been sub optimal, fugly even, and previous sticks have experienced burn issues so I'm fully expecting to face some later in the smoke. Paired with my post lunch coffee, the Colo itself has a lot of coffee flavor. Pastry, butter, cream, this is a rotiboy bun. (Picture picked off google; those nails are not mine). This is a pretty good pairing, with the tastes being similar but neither is overwhelming. The cigar does not present much taste evolution but it really isn't necessary as it is such a good smoke in itself. I would smoke much more of these if my budget allows, but more often my coffee cigar would be a plpc which is around half the price. As I work my way up and build up my collection, hopefully in future I will be able to smoke more of these more often. Overall an 86/100. Taste and draw alone would be a 90 but a couple of points off for burn issues and appearances. A pretty satisfying treat for me today.

This was a great idea for a review weekend. Nice to see faces to put with names. Finished snow blowing the foot of snow we got Saturday night, cooled down, and decided I deserved my favorite for a job well done. Reached for an un-opened box of Esplendidos. All of the cigars in the box have perfectly uniform appearance including wrappers, size, and band locations and orientation. I love it when a new box looks perfect. On to the cigar, construction appears flawless, no hard knots, beautiful golden brown wrapper. Aroma at cold is pure barnyard wet straw, just what I expect. Opens medium body smooth and tangy, light citrus, very slight white pepper, slightly sweet, and undried straw. If you've ever been in a horse barn and smell a straw bale when it's busted open, that's what I'm getting here. Mid-point is much of the same but sweetness comes forward, slight lemon citrus, pepper almost disappears, and that barnyard twang is still very prevalent. The combination of barnyard and sweet gives that sensation of honey that I've heard and seen described by others. Maybe just over medium in body with lots of white smoke. Cigar finishes without much additional evolution but that's kind of the way Esplendidos roll. They just start out great and stay that way for 2 hours. Needed one re-light with a third to go but no other burn issues at all. Nubbed it of course. Solid A+ If the cigar apocalypse happens, I will be hoarding these. Pretty pictures first ?

Finishing off the work day outside in solace with a JL1 and some Leffe. Cheers, FOH!!

I'm using the tried and true scientific method of test taking when you don't have a clue what the answer is. "CAB". First Week was C, last week was A and this week I'm rolling with B. The answer is rarely D. Follow me for more higher education test taking techniqes. Next week I'll discus the "One Eye" approach.

Well. I've gotten fat. Time to Fire up one of these from 2015 courtesy of El Prez and PCCs aged program. I have the box bur sadly couldn't be bothered to dig it out for the code. This example is the lightest from the first row of the cab. I'll sacrifice it first since it's most likely to burn funny. Starts off doughy, almost light a heavily yeasted bread with unsalted butter. Really smooth first third. Toasted tobbaco was present with a bit of cedar but only on the retrohale. Getting spicy. Mostly cinnamon and clove over cream and that doughy flavor takes a back seat but is still present. Very nice. final third runs into some burn issues. The entire time through this stick the ash was pretty flaky and didn't hold well. Likely a result of it being a bit underfilled. I had to nurse it so it wouldn't get too hot. Toward thr end I was getting some nice dessert notes, sweet cream and spice. However, she sadly went out unexpectedly and the relight sent some harshness through the remainder. Had to bin it a bit before its time, but even so a solid A smoke. Now to hit the treadmill and get rid of thr quarantine 15.

Monte Dantes SAT Dec 16 - Everything I thought it would be and more. Took it almost to the nub. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.

Sunday afternoon done right