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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/19/2022 in all areas
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RASS from TRU MAR 18. Back home from Vegas and enjoying some R&R Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk17 points
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Thanks to this thread I flew through a box of Monte Subs, and tonight I'm cracking open my last box of Grand Edmundos. Now to find something to pair it with. Maybe I'll open my last bottle of 4 roses Sib from the Jim Rutledge days. No sense in squirelling away things for a day that may never come. You can always buy other cigars, but you can't buy a community. Thanks Mike for all you've done. Cheers brother!12 points
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Monte G.E. SEP NOV 10 Purchased Feb 2011 in Holguin I took flyer on these and rescued from an over humidified vendor. No obvious water damage except for some minor cracked feet on two - just a couple mm. Relatively good looking- slight box press that didn't round again after the humidity. Pre light draw - not much other than typical Monte flavors. Initial draw after lighting - blast of milk chocolate and wafer cookies 1/3 sweet chocolate mousse, a hint of coffee with a pleasant bitter aftertaste. Burn was askew after sleeping for so long without a proper dry-box to even the humidity, but it didn't stray for long. 2/3 chocolate became more of a bitter bakers chocolate and a hearty Guinness-like flavour entersas does a suble grassyness. Burn is near even. 3/3 full on chocolate stout with heavy nuts and a hint of citrus. Nicotine has come to say 'hello'. Total burn time was approx 80 minutes. Final thoughts - as mentioned in Mike's 'No Time Like The Present' thread, I was inspired to crack open and enjoy some boxes over the last few years that I was saving for no particular reason. This box was purchased on our honeymoon and I appreciated the opportunity to reflect on the wedding, my wife , and our family. The stick performed well, construction was flawless and the flavors were true to memory. It's been 5 or 6 years since I last lit one up, so it's hard to recall how much they have evolved in that time. It's hard to score it fairly with all of the nostalgia attached to it, but I'll give it a solid 93/94. Cheers all, and a giant thanks to Mike!11 points
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Mike and I were brothers from different mothers. This photo was taken at Santy's in 2018 Mike was always trying to get me to commit to playing Santa and help him out at Christmas but I was committed to the Hemingway look. Those Cuban trips... We would run into each other mid day, get lost in the shuffle and then wind up drinking until the wee hours. One of my many fond memories was closing down Tocorora, crossing the street to the next bar in the middle of nowhere and continuing the evening until it was time to go to the pre dawn bar that was open until breakfast. Kelley wanted to continue on for just one more drink and Mike patiently explained they had a morning flight in a few hours and they still had to pack. Andy Ryan was there as well as Stuart and maybe Rob Fox and perhaps can fill in the blanks as to the various bars. My wife Agnes remembers the conversation but not where we were. It is St. Patrick's Day and certain libations have clouded my mind of the details. Mike told me a story in one of those bars that I never heard clearly but have my version that goes like this: Mike was either doing Beta testing or the subject of a Beta test that was trying to get the bugs out of the system on the space shuttle that allows the astronauts to reclaim the water in their urine. Periodically, Mike would take a sample for someone to taste or someone brought him a sample (this is one of the parts I never got straight) and see how the fix was working. The taster invariably said "It still tastes like piss!" Eventually (if I got the story right), Mike or the actual taster realized that there was no Beta testing going on and someone was just literally taking the piss of of someone by giving them dilute whiz to drink. Now I will never get the story straight and this is one of the 10 million reasons I will miss Mike. Last night I smoked a cigar he gave me, a Puntilla rolled by Alex. But Mike didn't just send me one Puntilla, he sent 4 from an experiment he asked Alex to do. Mike sent me a regular Puntilla, one with a Maduro wrapper with double liguero, one with a Colorado wrapper with double seco and one with a Claro wrapper with double volado. Last night I smoked the Maduro and what can I tell you? I liked it a lot. Beyond that I can give no details. I was too caught up in the emotions of the day. Mike, we'll see you in the next life.11 points
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While we're all still reeling from Mike's sudden and tragic passing we also know that he'd want us to continue celebrating the reason he loved this place and why it loved him back so dearly. While many tributes are flowing in on the thread that announced this terrible news, we also thought it would be a lovely idea (as suggested by @La_Tigre - thank you) to have a tribute thread where anyone can grab a cigar, raise a glass, and tell us your stories of Mike... Whether you knew Mike well or not it doesn't matter... on this thread, post up your pictures of what you're smoking and include your stories and memories of Mike or if you didn't know him well you might just light up something special in tribute... we leave that up to you. So, this weekend, grab a cigar and raise a glass to the memory of a genuinely wonderful character, friend to many here, and an FOH legend who will be sorely missed. RIP Mike. ❤️ 🙏9 points
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Saw Mike many times on Zoom. And he was kind enough to send me a large batch of plugged cigars, in response to my claiming on the forum that I rarely got plugged cigars. Except for one box of partagas mille fleurs and a quarter box of Ramon allones gigantes, I have been lucky not to deal with too many plugs. Mike's batch helped me better figure out what works and what doesn't. The best technique is to drill into the head about 1/2 deep, as much as necessary. I smoked a plugged Bolivar gold medal he had sent me when I heard the sad news. And managed to finish it. It was good mainly leather/tobacco and fruit, though bitter at times. But for this review I tried not to pick a plugged cigar. 2020 Sir Winston. Chocolate tobacco barnyard aroma at cold. Wood, leather, tobacco, upmann flavour but a bit bitter and quite tangy, some spice on the retrohale. Had a bit of spice/incense at times. I feel these some time for some sweetness to come in.9 points
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I never got the pleasure of meeting Mike, but after scrolling through this thread I see that he had a a huge positive influence on FoH. In his honor, here’s my lineup for tonight - Bolivar Petit Corona - Partagas Maduro No 1 - Padron Family Reserve 44 Years Pairing with a 6-Pack of Lazy Magnolia Coffee Shop Stout Rest in Peace Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk8 points
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Had a few chats with Mike and he was always a very pleasant, decent chap. Never met him nor established a deep friendship although I could see he was a stand-up guy and contributed to this forum very positively. I'll toast him this evening with a cigar - not a Cuban one, but one of my favourites. The Opus X Double Corona (c2-3 years age on it). RIP Mike...7 points
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Mike had created the thread „ no time like the present „ as we all know. during the period of time Mike decided to bomb me with cigars because he thought I own him something. i was blown away by his generosity. The afternoon cigar was from a trade of @CanuckSARTech ( brother where are you) many moons ago. One of my white whales PL Encantos. A great dark chocolate 🍫 bomb 💣. very enjoyable for the first spring afternoon in the garden. Mike until we meet again.6 points
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I also posted this in No Time Like The Present but going into a bit more detail on this post. Trying to decide what to enjoy in Mike’s honor, I decided on a custom from Cuba. I picked a Monsdale rolled by Mons himself that I got in 2012. It was a special anniversary Monsdale rolled at the time with aged tobacco. much like Mike, this cigar was all class. I’ve had many Monsdales rolled by Jorge or more recent ones but the quality of this Monsdale is what made them so famous. Smooth, complex with a great depth of flavor. Interesting that the ash held strong where other Monsdales I’ve had the ash is very weak. I spent some time with Mike in Havana at events and on the back patio of the Hotel National. I didn’t know him really well but the time we spent talking was very enjoyable and it was easy to see why this outpouring from this community has been so strong. He is and will continue to be missed.6 points
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I didn’t know Mike but it’s apparently clear that he was loved and will be missed deeply. I’m having a Ramon Allones Gigantes in his honor tonight, my first one ever from a 1/4 box purchased months ago. It’s such a fantastic cigar and perfect honor of his memory. My condolences to his family and many friends from FOH.6 points
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