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Sig III this evening, lovely

17 Party 898. I think August. Celebrating two things. First I found another box of 898’s. Thrilled w that order confirmation. Second the big equipment has been at the back of my house to demo the old cement porch. Should finish tomorrow. Then construction begins. 6-8 weeks for my covered cigar smoking lounge. My wife thinks it’s a covered porch. Ha!

Punch Punch

No no no.....it was a concidence! Looked nothing like him. ....it was all detailed in the response to the legal action The Monkey was chosen as it was the least likely to sue us.

1998 Partagas Lusitania Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

La Punta TOS FEB 17

HdM in the Valle de Guadape. Baja’s Napa. Beautiful year round.

Partagas E2 MAR DIC 20 Secretos TPO ENE 18

Horrible looking coro. Veins all over, wrapper looks too small for the cigar, felt tight. 1cm in and it's actually doing well. Burn getting a bit edgy, but taste and draw is thankfully fine! Hope it continues Edit: it actually smoked a dream all the way. No need for relights or touchups, the burn wasn't perfect but kept correcting itself. Goes to show that the ugly sticks can deliver on occasion! To think that I actually passed over the cigar hesitating to light it up so many times!

I don't bat lefty often, but every once in a while it's good to take a swing from the other side of the plate. These are really good.

Padron 1926

LGC D5 ER Spain - TOU DIC 17 Distinctive aroma, but not overpowering. Tasted roasted sweet potato, once past the first third. Can envision it become even better with few more years.

Another beautiful box of Monte 2’s. Almost a year and a half of age as well! These have those gorgeous mottled Colorado wrappers...excited to light one up in a month! It's interesting, these are VERY wet. Probably at 70-72% humidity. Goes to show why the 30-60 day waiting period is so important!

RyJ Mille Fleurs Always tasty and with consistently good burn,draw and construction. Hard to beat for the price Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Paul Stulac White Blending Light lancero, very strong pepper and very delicious Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had my first QD No.54 the other day, very nice 👍. This D4 is another gem

Sunny day here, warm and nice, celebrating that I have a vaccine appointment coming up soon ...

UTL JUL18 from our hosts. What wrapper shade do people tend to prefer for JL. All of mine are this shade but I have seen some near black.

👌

Ken before his plastic surgery. Was it a success? You be the judge.

H. Upmann Magnum 46 (ABR 19) My first, and so far very good. The taste during this first third got me thinking toasted breadcrust or nuts. I had low expectations when this was delivered as it has been pressed oval just around the band (the retailer told me it was due to the silk ribbon pressing during changes in humidity since rolling but looking at pictures it's not even in the same spot) but so far I'd even say this may get a spot on the shopping list. Its on the bigger end in terms of what I prefer in terms of ring gauge but let's see what the overall score ends up at. As a follow-up, indeed this continued as it started in terms of flavour. It had a straight burn and solid ash, which for me are signs of good construction added to the easy draw with a v-cut. Overall I must say this goes on the list. It's not outstanding to the point where I wish I had more for now/tomorrow, but certainly a good HU candidate! So let's say 600 out of 756 total rating (I'm still refining my system)

Today I sampled from one of my mini-coffins of Montecristo D Edicion Limitada 2005 dalias. This is my first after acquiring them in the year of their release The box code (on the cardboard outer cartons which are stored elsewhere) is SVF AGO 05. A good code in a good year. Having not been opened in years, I was expecting quite a treat. However, even I was surprised at what hit me. The aroma was dense as ironwood and pungent enough to make you roll your eyes from the pure tobacco fog. It was, frankly, stunning. Not a hint of ammonia. Nothing but heavy, rich tobacco, leather, and meat from the very first sniff. Prelight and from the foot Bold, mature tobacco. Not exactly sweet like a maduro or the Cohiba Maduro 5 line, but clingy almost with a whiff of aromatic pipe tobacco. Potent. Construction and appearance Construction is precise. Gauge and length, wrapper tension, all spot on. The wrapper, as you can see is rugged and mottled. Just like a well-worn leather arm chair. This is no supermodel. Rather, the wrapper seems to say, in a Danny Trejo voice, "go ahead, light me if you've got...the balls." It's a challenge that I'm not quite sure I can meet but I'll sure as hell try. Light, and initial burn Perfect. First aroma from foot smoke is piercing, potent, and assertive. This is not you'r granddad's Macanudo. First 20% I don't measure out a cigar in thirds. I've found too much variation over the years to clearly bucket into the experience into these predetermined proportions. Rather, I smoke and make note of the character and when it changes. The first part was a bit closed. A touch dry and plain, which is surprising given the surface appearance, but such was the case. Straight solid tobacco. Middle 60% Wow. A period of increasing density of smoke in both flavor and texture. Smoke mouthfeel getting heavier and stronger! The Monte D is among the top third strongest of all the Habanos I've ever smoked. So powerful but so unlike an NC ligero bomb. The strength was clean and pure, the flavor was crystal clear and distinct with actually only moderate "nic kick." In other words, it made my palate dance without putting me into the spins. Just stunning. Dense wood, leather, meaty tobacco, chewy and substantial. Think the flavor of a perfectly seared 24-ounce porterhouse jammed into the svelte profile of the dalias vitola. Aromatic with some intriguing sweet flower, perfumy notes, much like a 14% brunello del montalcino or an excellent chianti gran riserva. Not just a brute, but with finesse and top notes to keep you entranced. Final 20% The light notes and sweetness begin to fall away. And by the end, I was left with just strong tobacco but without any harshness. No bite even to the very end. Overall The Monte D is an exceptional cigar. In a sea of overpriced and overhyped ELs over the years, this cigar stands out. It delivers on its promise and more. If you've got 'em, smoke 'em. Or keep them for another 5, 10, 20 years. I think these babies are up to it.

Siglo II TAO JUN 20 - wrappers a touch dark, still lovely, but the real story here is the cold aroma - as fine as any box of Cohiba I’ve ever opened. Glad I’ve got some ‘15 & ‘19 boxes to work through so these can age.

First experience with the vitola. Rested at 62RH for just under 4 months, about 10 months of box age. I pulled this one from the box early on and rested it in a separate bag where I keep a handful of cigars from newly arrived boxes with a couple Boveda packs to, in theory, acclimatize them faster with a higher ratio of Boveda to material, since there are fewer cigars and no box material to acclimatize in addition to the cigars themselves. Hopefully this helped particularly with the Cazadores, since the foil packaging could, in theory, slow down the acclimatization process that a whole box would go through in a humidor/tupperdor. First third: opens with straight rich, smooth tobacco. It feels odd to say, but while I've had occasional tobacco notes from various cigars, this is the first time where it really tasted like I was smoking tobacco. The first half inch was all tobacco and reminded me of the phase in college when I was rolling my own cigarettes. It tasted like I remember those bags of Bali Shag smelling. After almost an inch, some other notes of sweet creaminess and cedar start coming in, and eventually some nice cherry notes start coming through. Middle third: Spiced cherries and sweet cream with cedar leather and earthy tobacco in the background. Some nice coffee notes appear halfway but disappear again. The creaminess fades a bit to the background, leaving some bright spiced cherries. Towards the end, the cedar becomes more tannic. Last third: Tobacco takes the lead again, with a nice creamy tobacco through to the end of the cigar. Construction was great throughout, with the ash continuing to hold on securely in chunks larger than I typically allow. Overall: I think I can see why the Cazador flavor profile is a bit divisive. Unlike the other RyJ I've had, which have been much creamier and sweeter, the Cazador, at least at this point, is heavily driven by rich tobacco notes. I gambled on these and picked up two boxes, both RUP MAY 20, to guarantee I would have enough to age some for the long haul and be able to continue to sample them over time, so I'm curious to see how these evolve. 89/100 Side note: I'm heading into the home stretch of SF apartment life and we get ready to move into our newly purchased home. I'll certainly miss the view.

Another good 2020 stick. petit tubo. 3rd from the carton for me. Took them to a bbq on Saturday , perfect size for seasoned smokers and non smokers.

This Punch is at least 12 years old. Honestly I’ve lost track. Based on the first third, the others I have won’t last very long! Purchased back in the day when bands were shipped separately.

You have the right to put alcohol into your body, but you don't have the right to then get behind a steering wheel. You not being vaccinated puts others around you at risk, and, en masse, it increases the likelihood of complications in ending all this. The combined global medical and scientific communities went all in on these vaccines. The only other time the world was ever this united against a common threat was probably after Bill Pullman's speech in Independence Day. We're sooo close to being done with all of it.

Punch punch

LGR FEB 18 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Partagas E2. The sketchy wrapper at the head hasn’t detracted from the smoke so far.

When out and about I carry my lightweight cigar pack that fits what I need for the next couple of hours: Imperfect Draw tool with Cohiba case Fine but Lames cutter Stank Dupont lighter 24 carat golden cigar stand Partagas Tubo for the Siglo 6 (why not) Transparent leather humidor case I then try to find a nice outdoor spot to sip some brown gold at. What does your packs / kits look like?

Partagas Lusitania SOU NOV 20

Spot on, flawless medio siglo from a ‘16 box

Custom rolled Cervantes from 2005. Still strong and powerful.

I had opportunity to have an extended time at a divan. As I usually smoke coronas and smaller, but had several hours to fill, I grabbed the biggest in the NC brands I've been waiting longest to try. 1st up, Sobramesa Brulee. Choosing this for a 1st up is a no brainer. Light Golden Connecticut wrapper. It's huge. Unfortunately, this divan and my friend only had straight cuts, this really needed a large punch or a v, we'll get to that later. Easy to light, even with the large diameter, soft and easy from the 1st puffs. This is very pleasant for the next 2 hours, but doesn't go anywhere. Monolithically custard, golden syrup, condensed milk. It's great with the conversation, but it's not a distraction. Incredible value for the time. Unfortunately by the time I got to the last few inches, the open draw had turned the usually most enjoyable part bitter. +1 for keeping a vcut handy in the car. 7/11 I'll gladly get another and would even hide a few of these away to see what 5 years does to them, there's some meat on the bone, but I'd have rather chained out 3 marevas.

Stop the BS and get the Jab.

This JL 2 ULT JUN 17 begged to smoked due to the small hole in its wrapper.

C&C time.. Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

My first thought is shock that there is not one, not a skerrick of a petit robusto or montesco release in that list! 😂 It's nice that Ramon Allones is getting another regular production cigar (similar in size to the Partagas Series No.1 LE from 2017). I'm really enamored by a Hermosos No.4 for the Rafael Gonzalez line to join the RG Petit Coronas and Perlas. I could see that marca having a real 'chic' with cigar enthusiasts who are traditionalist in style, harking for those smaller ring gauge days that don't seem that long ago!

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Gonna give these at least 5 years Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk