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Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo du Prince Oct 2016 Juan Lopez Eminentes 2016

Sig 2 after work.

This is a Nudie Hamlet Pilot that these guys put out recently. I have smoked a few, they have all been excellent but this one…Jesus. Amazing!

2 Boxes RA Allones n°3

Life is chill..

RyJ Wide Mar 20 BEL Some CnC time 👍

First one of these I've had. I'd say it's well under medium. I'm hoping for a bit of evolution .Pre light the draw was as cocoa as any Monte 2 I've ever had. Getting none of it now.

Foundation doesn't seem to make a bad cigar even if this is a bit strong for my taste.

America’s oldest park! Fitting for such a classy smoke. Stopped by J Perrotti tobacconist, neat shop if not short and gruff employees.

Johnny-O LC Year of the Rabbit Presidente. Great weather here for a smoke. Good stuff!

10 Mille Fleur from ‘16, smoked one already 😃

2016 RGPC on a glorious day. 27C/80f and sunny.

Good evening with SC La Fuerza LGR SEP 18...

N1 rosado smoking great! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was only getting half smoke 💨 on this and didn’t notice the flute hole. Beatle got to eat too. all better now. These RG Perlas are a fantastic morning coffee smoke.

Sounds great actually. My wife told me she skied there a couple of years when she was a kid, and she wanted to check it out to see how different it is now. We will get there one of these days. I have a love-hate relationship with Aspen. Love the town, but I am not so crazy about skiing Ajax. I love skiing Snowmass though, so when we go there, I end up staying in Aspen and then having to drive or take the shuttle to Snowmass every day to ski. I'm booking Christmas now, and the domestic airline prices are not much lower than the flights to Switzerland, so we may ski there instead this year. Anyway, today I am smoking a PSD4

The line up for tonight

"An 85-year-old man was requested by his doctor for a sperm count as part of his physical exam. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, "Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow." The next day the 85-year-old man reappeared at the doctor's office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day. The doctor asked, what happened and the man explained. "Well, doc, it's like this--first I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, still nothing. We even called up Arleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit, and she even tried squeezin' it between her knees, but still nothing." The doctor was shocked! "You asked your neighbor?" The old man replied, "Yep, none of us could get the jar open."

I think it all depends on how big peoples stash was pre 22. I think if you had a decent collection, it's relatively easy to take a break, smoke Nudies and NC and get a bit of perspective. I feel really sorry for people that just got into the passion in 21, must feel like a massive kick in the nuts

Sometimes work is good Padilla 8&11 might be cigar of April

Been wanting another box for quite some time

A small addition to the collection. EPO NOV 22. Gonna get a nice long rest.

Relaxing poolside with an espy, life doesn't suck today

C&C time. HDM Epi 1 (2017) from our gracious host.

must say it is amazing how quickly one gets back into form. have not done three massive lunches in a week for ages - after last Thursday, never wanted to see daylight again; after saturday, a very slow Sunday; after yesterday, feels like a perfectly normal day! lunch week, a bit like shark week only less chance of dying. or perhaps not. yesterday was the annual tripe lunch. a group of us meet. entry is a top wine or two. tony at Tartufo does a full offal menu that is spectacular. and away we go. unwisely, we did revert to a friend's penthouse (rich bloody doctors) for negronis until well after we should have. but, fresh as a daisy today. this time, i specifically locked all photos in an upright position on my computer. over here, back on their sides. rob, fix the internet!! the menu some shots of the food. the things that look like sliced stuffed olives or grapes on this dish below are actually truffle flavoured dwarf peaches. none of us had ever heard of them but they are fabulous. the wines - the first of the champers. normally love VC LGD but this one not my favourite. not every day one gets to try the 1982 salon. loved it but probably seen better days. still very happy. a glorious vintage of dom. lovely pol sir w, the 09. though much more forward than expected. always much debate of ever a selosse appears. to be honest, i am not as excited by these as some. a bit mixed. but this was a cracker. one of the best i have seen. stunning stuff. 04 krug. can't go wrong. a very limited edition Riesling from Jeffrey Grossett. first time i have ever seen it. one of the very best of the day. fine though quite mature white burg gorgeous corton C. loved it. brokenwood sourced some fruit from former b-wood winemakers, dan and sarah-kate from mt maude. this was brilliant. loved it. another amazing Beaujolais. again, no one guessed it as a Beaujolais. might be a village wine only but there are village wines then there are leroy village wines. a cracker. superb clos V. this was a wonderful as it should have been. an incredibly rare limited edition from ornellaia. drank beautifully. magnum of Barolo from one of my all time fave makers. still way too young. wonderful mature sauternes. and as we said the other day, what great lunch can possibly consider itself worthwhile if not an Yquem to finish.

Still exploring the nc world, padron was amazing and sobermesa was very good as well

Yesterday's smoke for the drive home

MAR MAY 2020

Evidence in a drug smuggling case? 😄

Courtesy of our host. Love these little guys.

My fav birthday CCs are mainly classic skinny CCs like Monte #1. I usually puff these CCs all the time but I feel them even more special on my Bday.

To clarify, my overall Cigar budget is not going to change, but the amount I spend on Cuban cigars will be significantly less than it was prior to the price hikes. I park my coin where I see value, and I no longer see value in Cuban cigars. There’s a lot of great New World cigars out there (including Nudies!), and I can actually find them in my favorite vitolas. I love a Monte 2, but it’s not a $24 stick.

I want to be friends with the person who put 50k+ You are my hero!

R & J Hidalgo

That’s a beautiful rosado wrapper on that stick. Love it!

Spot on here! I went heavy in 2020 and early 21 before the price increases. I have enough now that I can buy 2-4 boxes a year for the next 10 and never get close to running out.

Me too, it probably didn’t hurt that I was sitting next to a pool overlooking Lake Como when I smoked it. But that was it. Epi 2s are still a cigar I tend to give friends who are newer to cigars.

I'd go for the one in the vitolas you like to smoke the most. The size cigar you enjoy should be the decider.

R&J Mille Fleur, first one out of a 2016 box of ten. & 4 1/2 ounces of espresso

Answering your question is tough because taste and characterization of what one likes is so subjective. Even the definition of what one views as full bodied and full strength is very much of an individual thing. Having said that, I'll take a swing at providing some suggestions... By saying you prefer a full body smoke, I presume you mean a cigar that is deeper and richer in flavour notes, with smoke that is heavier on the palate. In terms of current performance and value for your coin, two very good 'medium-full' bodied Cuban cigars that I would recommend are Partagas Serie D No. 4 and Juan Lopez Selección No. 2. Both are smoking great young, and will give you a good introduction to the journey of flavours that Cuban cigars will take you on. Since you mentioned you have been known to enjoy lighter bodied smokes on occasion, I would also suggest the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2. This was my first introduction to Cuban cigars many years ago, and I still find myself reaching for it. None of these cigars will break the bank to buy (although the D4 is getting more expensive all the time), and each will give you a nice intro to what you've been missing. My bet is, you'll find Cuban cigars to be more complex than most New World offerings with more transitions through the thirds. Careful jumping into this rabbit hole though, it's deep and once inside hard to find one's way out. 😂

Gassing up the car now, heading down the 5. Please have everyone smoke heavily. I'll head straight for the smoke like a beacon.

I resemble this comment.

I'm friends with someone who's 100% hit that number multiple years. Let's just say it's REALLY fun going to his house! Great guy too!

What I would recommend is to try and obtain some 5 packs or singles. And give them a go. You will begin to find your favorites. I have found I have a couple brands and vitolas I consider must haves in the rotation. They change constantly lol. It's a journey not a destination.

Cohiba piramides extra is what I usually smoke. This is the one cigar that hasn't failed me yet.(knock on wood)

Bolivar Royal Coronas is a pretty good starter choice. A little closer to medium or just under but a good starting point. Obviously Partagas D4 (D5 is a tad stronger) or Montecristo No. 3 & 4 are pretty straightforward. If you can handle those you can move up to Vegas Robaina Famosos, one of my favorites. For a more medium smoke I would highly recommend HU Connoisseur No. 2, San Cristobal La Fuerza and Hoyo Epicure Especial. Most CCs are going to be medium or just under. You won't find any of the NC white pepper or spice.

Some aged Siglo 1 offering from 24:24

We just did all three on the podcast…kind of by accident until we realized we did two and decided to complete the trio. Supremos and Senadores were tied in the low 90s and the RA #2 was a complete surprise and scored very well in the higher 90s. One of the better cigars I’ve smoked this year. I think we got lucky with that box, as I’ve heard horror stories. None are worth the current price though.