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Christmas eve here and I am sitting back with a gnarly Negroni and a MOFOH Robusto (excellent). Di is asleep and the neighbourhood is quiet except for parents trying to get their kids to sleep. Gorgeous. I love this time of year On reflection, 2023 has been a great year for myself and the team. I am blessed in that I get to work with my wife (Di) every day. as well as a group of Czar zealots such as Lisa, Alex, Jake, Matt and Nate in the engine room that is shipping and sending CC's accross the globe. Those folk are pure gold. Steve, MOFOH is a godsend and an integral part of what we do. His advice is always on point and his contribution to FOH exemplary. He has a beautiful heart as do all our mods: Fuzz, JohnS, Ken (yes...Ken), Frank, Andy, Mus., Alex Groom. A finer group of people you will never meet. Thank you. I have never been one to seperate business and friendships.I have had 5 joint ventures in my life going back 26 years and each of those partners are still with me. Each of those partners are some of my closest mates. In the cigar world they are Hamlet, Rob and Stuart Fox, Ravi. You would have had to be at my wedding week in May to understand our bond. This year has seen the explosion of Nudies/MOFOH cigars that I am so proud to be partnered to with Hamlet. I am thrilled with the success of the program as much for Hamlet as anything. We dreamt, we built, we executed something special. We have only just begun. Whiteboards are great but there is no substitute for passion, execution and a striving for perfection. On the Bond Roberts front, we have had an exceptional year. Let's put in in perspective, when Rob Fox and I launched BR in April 2020, it was at the pinnacle of covid. We honestly didn't know if it was going to last 3 months .Three and a half years later it is a behemoth and that is primarily down to the work of Andy Ryan and Ben Ayala (my eldest). Their contribution has been remarkable. Andy moved on to pursue his own projects in July of this year and we have lucked out in bringing on board Alexander Groom as our CTO and general expert in all things Cuban cigar. I have to thank our listing pro Alex Retamal as well. His learning curve has been steep .(this is a specialist area) but today he would be in the top 2% of Cuban cigar assessors worldwide. To this day we reject the listing of 30% of boxes on BR for one reason or another. I take over 100% control of Bond Roberts this month with good mate Rob Fox transitioning to senior Bond Roberts board advisor. I rely on Foxy so much both on Bond Roberts and the about to be launched Bond Roberts cigar range that will be distributed internationally.in mid 2024. People, we met at a bar in Havana over a decade ago. El Gato Tuerto to be exact. Great things happen at bars.......don't let anyone tell you otherwise To my suppliers, PCC, specifically Angelo (CEO) Brett and Dag. When supply got tight, they could have cut me/FOH. They didn't. We have known each other, done business together, since 2002. Our tagline on FOH is Friendship, laughter, fraternity, loyalty. They/we have exhibited it in spades. Thank you. On any given 2424 day, outside of BR, FOH has the best range of cigars available in the world. To you our FOH'ers. You are a joy. When I started FOH in 2004, I wanted to establish a global cigar divan/club, without borders. I pictured a cigar safe space that you could access from Azerbaijan to Argentina.I didn't want a simple "shopping cart". My personal favourite time of the week is catching up with my mates on the Czar deck on a Friday for a couple of cigars and a decent drink. My vision was to do the same online. Somehow it worked. I have made so many great friends through FOH, too many to mention. We have caught up in person through travels or just online. What really thrills me however,is that many of you have also made great lifelong friends through FOH. That is something special and the greatest achievenent of this little place. So to all of you this Christmas and New Year. Thank you . Not for your spending but for your gift of friendship to myself and all of us here. You are all much loved and treasured. Merry Christmas to you and your families. May 2024 bring something special. Cheers. Rob

Let's cut him a break. He never had a Christmas in Cuba Still..........his attitude needs some intervention

P2 TUA Dec 20 from our gracious host! Happy weekend all 👍

Waterfront sunset and an Eye of the Shark.

Good evening everyone...

Cohiba Espléndido.

First cigar of the trip. We did Park City this year instead of Vail. Media Luna

Wasn’t too cold

Chill Bro.

Meh. Let's hope it gets better

ARS JUL 19 Vigia Tubos Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rested spada gorda, Blantons and a brand new (obligatory) fire pit! 😁

N3 Carlotta

Esmeralda GLE MAR 2020 pre dinner

Southeast Asia Tour, Day 3 @Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Merry Christmas 🎄

This is “chilled” this is “chill”

Well first off I made my late mom’s carrot cake. Also made some coconut macaroons. Praline crack Double chocolate chip cookies When Covid hit I became a home baker with lots of praise. I make a lot of other things like all kinds of scones, muffins, cupcakes, etc.

With my father in law today. Gotta love be home for the Holidays with family. I’m with a Siglo VI MAR MAR 2020 I brought him a Trini Topes TLU ENE 2020

Montecristo Linea 1935 Dumas.

Marron Glacé or Candied Chestnuts To be enjoyed with a strong coffee, and a RGPC

Southeast Asia Tour, Day 2 @Singapore，Smoking is strictly prohibited everywhere😂

The 2023 Man of the Year is someone who bends over backwards to help other members. Someone who embodies all that is good about FOH and the wider cigar community. He comes armed with a smile and a positive word on all occassions. Congratulations Charles aka Chas.Alpha Steve will arrange your Tshirt in the New year

One of Cuba’s best - wish they’d do a one time resurrection in 50 cabs. 2017

Gorgeous and absolutely flawless June ‘19 Connie 1 from FOH. One of my best cigars of 2023.

Hello sure this... Greetings parents...🇨🇿

Hello all! First, big thanks to those that run the site and the store. This community has been crucial in getting me involved with CCs starting just a few months ago, and wow I really didn’t expect to be dive so deep so quickly. But here I am with a 300 count humidor that’s no longer big enough. My short experience pales in comparison to some of the veterans I see here who post. @PigFish, @El Presidente, @JohnS, I know you don’t know me, but your insightful posts scattered throughout these forums have helped me tremendously. I have been able to set up my humidor correctly, find a good selection of cigars to start with, and really appreciate some of the factoids and history surrounding my new hobby. I’m sure my gratitude is matched by many silent guests who never make a post. Big thanks to you guys. Anyway, on to the review. Here’s my proud papa moment: I revealed a selection of my first CC’s bought for my friends in grad school. We’re just about to be white-coated, an initial ceremony held for some going into the medical field. This intro to CC’s was my way of adding to the celebration. It was well received to say the least. We headed back to the house, and I went to my humidor to pull out what I thought would be better for a sampling for us all. Lit up one of each: HDM epicure no. 2, HUHC, ERDM Demi Tasse, San Cristobal El Principe, and a Trinidad Reyes. Took our time with each, then passed em to get more variety. Maybe this sounds strange to some, but we didn’t mind sharing at all. For a lot of people this was their first exposure to cigars ever, so they didn’t want to commit to a whole one, even if they’re smaller. Below are some paraphrased thoughts from all of us newbies. HDM Epicure No. 2 - ETA APR 23 “Sweet-ish and smoother than all the rest.” “Kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what it taste like, but whatever it is, it’s real good.” “Stays about the same each time it comes around, not in a bad way” “Clean, light, nice!” “Hey, lemme trade you for it” H. Upmann Half Corona - OBS MAY 23 “Not as smooth as the HDM” “Haven’t tasted much this whole time from it, but then all of a sudden I got a strong taste of like graham crackers or cake, absolutely delicious. Just as fast as it came on it was gone. Makes me want to keep trying but I can’t find it again.” ERDM Demi Tasse - PGM MAR 23 “Is this a cigarette?” “Harshest so far, by far” (my guess probably he was smoking too fast) “Not good, not bad, but not as satisfying as the rest maybe because of its size” San Cristobal El Principe - BRM Nov 22 “Tastes like Mexican hot chocolate. Started out really sweet and smooth, cocoa-y too, then later in the middle I got some spicier pepper and those flavors together take me back –real nice.” “Kind of a contrast happening here, tastes dark and light at the same time. Dark like the flavors are burnt sugar and cocoa, but light cause it’s not punching you in the face with it, you have to keep chasing it” Trinidad Reyes - ESM Dec 22 “WOOOOOOO! Shit! Mmm!” “It tastes like straight tobacco and with a bit of honey, what more could you want?” “I get it, I still like the HDM over it tho” (this guy could not be swayed off the epi 2, but the reyes came closest to it) With nubs smoldering, I took a quick poll to see which was each person’s favorite: 4 votes for the HDM e2, 1 vote El Principe, 1 vote Trinidad Reyes. Of all the cigars, the HDM was the crowd favorite. People liked how the robusto size felt in their hand over the smaller cigars, even though they wouldn’t be close to finishing a whole one themselves. In addition, I think because it was the most mild, it led people to conclude it was the “smoothest” of them all. That sentiment came up often. My personal favorite was Trinidad’s Reyes. I can’t say for certain if it’s just confirmation bias of me trying to justify the higher cost or prestige, all I know is that they’re damn tasty. My personal scores for each are as follows: 1 to 10, 10 being perfection. 9 - Reyes 7 - Epicure No 2 7 - El Principe 6 - HU Half Corona 5 - Demi Tasse All were enjoyable, but clearly there was a stand out I liked most. I know this review is different than most in depth ones, but since I’m newer I don’t feel able to really pull apart nuances yet. I hope our light take on a few cigars helps others new in the hobby feel better about being new too; you don’t have to take it too seriously to enjoy CC’s. Cheers all! Thanks for reading! If you have any general advice for us, or maybe some recommendations for what to buy next, please share!

I did not see that one coming! I have no doubt that this honor would never have been bestowed on me were it not for the sometimes-instantaneous editing of half of my posts by @JohnS , otherwise I’d have surely been banned by Christmas 2019!!! 😀 What a cool thing to wake up to this morning! 🧀 Thanks FOH/BOTL/SOTL

I’m curious what peoples annual holiday treats are? You know those treats that would make the holiday feel incomplete without. Even if they are atrocious, like the jello mold. For my family it’s caramel cookies, spritz, Christmas pickles, monkey bread Christmas morning, and orange jello mold for evening dessert 🤢. Feel free to post recipes! (unless its a family secret and Nana would murder you) •These Christmas pickles are by far the biggest staple. Easy to make, amazing paired with some white cheddar, an instant hit! •The caramel cookies are old school and seriously dangerous. I could easily smash 50 of them in one sitting. Actually I’m eating some as I’m writing this. Happy holidays everyone! I hope you’re able to embrace the magic of the season, and spend time with those you love. Cheers!

I have Axis & Allies. Same deal. We once got through setting it up and I accidentally knocked the board and sent shit flying everywhere. We just gave up and did something else.

Broke my ROTT rule and lit this up Viaje Private Keep Lemon Yowsa

No matter how you spend Christmas, whether with dear family or friends, whether you eat or drink too much or just simply you are grateful that you live in a country that has the following day as a Boxing Day holiday to recover, here at FoH, we wish you a Merry Christmas for 2023! Be sure to check our FOH Christmas wrap topic too! Me? I look forward to spending time with family on Christmas Day, which is becoming ever-increasingly international as I get older. Sure, my family are all Australian citizens, but if you were to look at the countries we all have come from, down-the-line, I could name destinations such as China, Egypt, Italy, Greece, Sri Lanka and Turkey without giving things a second thought! Wow! How are you looking forward to spending Christmas in your country? What are some of your traditions? In Australia, there are some traditions that remain strong to the present day such as hearing Christmas Carols everywhere you go during December, enjoying extra work and social events during the same month in the lead up to Christmas, as January is the traditional vacation month where everyone goes on holiday, and businesses traditionally take a few weeks off. Of course, Christmas Day is always either extremely hot or extremely wet or extremely stormy (in other words, navigating an extreme weather event at this time of year is 'part and parcel' of living in this country) but if there's one thing you can count on around Christmas, it's the traditional Christmas BBQ! (Yum, yum!) Other countries have their own traditions, such as Japan where sales of fried chicken are at the highest on the day and people spend time with their family. Or other countries such as Malaysia where it's a public holiday on Xmas and Shopping Malls in big cities go all out on Xmas decorations. How is Christmas celebrated in your country? For reference, check out the following link which provides some interesting information for how Christmas is celebrated around the world... https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/

JL2 UTL FEB ‘18 Punch Punch SOP OCT ‘20

Congratulations Chas. Well deserved. I so look forward to reading your posts, responses and comments in 24:24. You bring a wry sense of humour to this Forum that we all enjoy. Moreover, you embody the spirit of this wonderful fraternity of BOTL and SOTL. Wishing you all the best, most especially during this holiday season.

I will point out they did do quite a few reviews of some of the contenders in multiple sizes. Over 200 eligible cigars this year. It was a lot of work this year to collect the data. The M81 got 95 in the corona, 92 in the corona doble and 92 in the Toro. During the resmoke process the Corona was still the winner. But agreed that many blends will stand out in a particular format. For most NC manufacturers they'll blend it to a Robusto and then adjust ratios to other sizes.

Beautiful. That's how grandma used to make them. My mother now uses loaf pans (easier for the toaster but not as pretty). She makes at least a dozen Hoskas for the family. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays FOHers!

My wife makes a popular Greek sweet every Christmas that friends and family absolutely adore. They're like a shortbread cookie (or biscuit) topped with icing sugar. Mmmm...delicious!

GEM ENE 20 Last M80. These tats are [emoji91] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He's a jabroni.

Someone definitely needs to chill...lol

Don’t forget the benefits that come with the honor: keys to the executive outhouse on the deck and the exclusive right to the FOH Man of the Year parking spot in Woolloongabba! But that’s not all!

I can't go and ban the FOH Man of the Year 2023. He gets a year's grace.... kinda like Miss Universe reigns for a year.

Well...umm, he's obviously done something right to become this year's FoH Man of the year, so no need to change what he's doing. Charles just needs to take each day for what it is and try to be the best version of himself. If it doesn't happen, put it behind you and start again the next day. Don't give up on the Minnesota Vikings. And finally...above all, don't get yourself banned. You've attracted Fuzz's attention! 😂

Mom and dad arrived at the house today driving up from Georgia. Mom had to show me the Hoska loaf or I wasn’t letting them in. 😁 It’s a Bohemian Christmas bread; dense, sweet, raisins and/or apricots, Sliced, toasted, buttered with a cup of coffee means it’s Christmas time. Pictures tomorrow if I remember.

I’m not touching that link. 🤣

Past few days

H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1 (BRE JUN17).