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Simones Oct 08, first out of this cabinet and I’m optimistic 😊 Reyes Jun 04, lots of pep left in these fellas. Could probably let them go for another 20 years.

Epi 2 from our gracious host. BRM Jun 20 Beautiful day for it as well.

Punch DC . Glorious cigar! 95. Watched some live Scorpions 1983 in Dortmund.

Rarely do I find them disappointing, this was. Looks and burn impeccable with a smooth and shiny golden wrapper, someone just forgot to add some tasty leaf to the bunch. Tossed it halfway, broke out a Chicos, and the world was good again.

No.2 2019 smooth and delicious! Lovely dark cherry looking wrapper. Stored in the tube all this time. At some yard in Hackney.

Really enjoying an Aliados tonight, fantastic cigar. Then it’s off to Vegas in the morning for the builders show. Cheers!

Short de punch watching Mexico Open

Spada Gorda. These may be a tad strong for me. Nice sweet creamy profile.

Very interesting flavors on this one.

Nice PL galanes this afternoon. Not sure how old it is, bought a single from the shop. Smoking great regardless! RyJ Cedros de Luxe LCDH. Construction on point. Nice way to end the evening.

SRO OCT 17 Siglo III Courtesy of our host. These have been phenomenal.

Not a purchase, but gifted from friends over Chinese New Year. Will let them rest a bit and save for special occasions😃

Fuente rosado magnum r44....super creamy and rich

Reasonable nice afternoon yesterday so had a EOS DIC 14 Siglo III while watch the Dodgers preseason baseball.

Ah New Zealand, you got so close! This has been one of the best trips I have ever been on. Aside from the muppets at qantas on the way over, everything has been brilliant. The people, places, wines, everything. Loved every moment (okay, with the exception of when team leader Steve Smith decides that he and I should do the outdoor cabins in North Canterbury – where we saw the infamous Canterbury Panther sneaking through the bushes at night – and I had the joy of waking up and looking out of my cabin to Steve in all his glory outdoors first thing in the morning – in fairness to Steve, it was an extremely cold morning). 15 days. Today, the final day. All that has to happen is Blenheim Airport, heaps of time, a flight to Orcland and qantas home. Several hours transit time. Surely nothing could go wrong. At least this time, it was not Qantas. But even when Air New Zealand stuff up, they are all so nice about it. I was on the same flight to Orcland as Kenichi and his family – one of the group – nicest person ever. Suddenly, the incoming flight is a bit delayed. Then a lot delayed. We look like we’ll be an hour or so late. Still heaps of time. But… This next bit, you could not make it up. I chat to the very nice french guy at the counter. He assures me a 70% chance all will be good. Horrible odds when it comes to airlines. I am watching the flights. As it turns out flights all over the country were cancelled or delayed or lord knows what. I go to our french friend. I see a flight coming in from Wellington about 12.10. We are scheduled to board now at 12.50. I ask if this is the flight that will take us. No, it goes back to Wellington. Fair enough. Okay, I see a flight coming in at 12.40. Is that going to be ours? No. it is the later scheduled flight back to Orcland. Is it full? All flights are full today. Okay, I see that there are no other flights coming into Blenheim today. Is that correct? Yes. No flights at all? That is correct. There are no other flights. So there will not be a plane available to take us to Orcland. Is that correct? That is correct. And yet you are still showing that we will board at 12.50. Yes. We won’t be boarding at 12.50, will we. No. Special. Okay, I say, instead of letting us all flounder about here in ignorance, do you think it might be a good idea to announce this? Yes, we should. Perhaps you might like to do it now? Yes. And so they made the announcement. Which of course, caused chaos. The three members of Air New Zealand at Blenheim Airport suddenly had dozens of very angry customers. Being the front of the queue, I am told that the gentleman there would help me. The woman points away from herself. You mean the one running away. Yes. Him. Oy!!!! Stop! He was so close to escaping. In fairness, he did try and help us. Many times (you’d think he might have stumbled across an answer perhaps once). The guys who organized the trip come back to assist. I get a flight out of Nelson to Orcland. The guys who organised the trip will take me – I am not excited by the idea of the Air New Zealand shuttle for two hours. Poor Kenichi has himself on one ticket and the family on another and no one can link them, and he needs to get back to do a big speech. In the end, I think he got a cattle class out of somewhere to Tokyo at 1am with the family to follow. We are all off to Nelson. But too many of us for one car with all Kenichi’s family. We have to wait for a reinforcement. All good. Our reinforcement arrives. But Kenichi has two tiny children, and we have no kiddy seats. So I am put on the shuttle, and they look for kiddy seats. I make Nelson but more cancellations and delays. But they are so nice about it. And give me vouchers. So much nicer than qantas. I did feel sorry for the teenage girls who all missed their connection to Sydney, so no Taylor Swift for them. But parents please? Education? Is tomorrow not a school day? Even in New Zealand, that should mean something. Eventually, I get to Orcland, way late. I am in the Holiday Inn for the evening and then out tomorrow. But the fun has not stopped. Someone thought it a good idea to put the bags from 8 flights on the one carousel, at the same time, but only after all were delayed. Then I look for the hotel shuttle. Turns out, there is a tiny sign outside the airport saying ‘yellow bus’. This is what I need. But no one told me. Clearly this is my fault because I don’t speak idiot. No mention of hotel shuttle??? Finally, the yellow bus comes. Off we go. Only as far as International where there are heaps of cancelled flights. So the bus is chockers with very old persons (one Pom, I swear, I have never seen anything look more like a corpse – he was Arctic white. And looked so sick). Another old bloke looks at me and says, this is what you have to look forward to in ten years (I was by far the youngest). Only if I can’t find a hungry croc. Turns out we are going to many hotels. And so, off we head on the Magical Mystery Tour of low budget Orcland hotels, all of which are cleverly hidden in Orcland’s industrial estates. The Holiday Inn is closest to the airport, but our driver does the giant lap and comes back to drop us off. An hour on a bus full of grumpy old people and several 75-year-old women who are very pissed (I suppose if you are stuck at an airport, you may as well drink) and very loud and under the misapprehension that this makes them the funniest people who have ever lived. The Orcland Holiday Inn is fine. Clean, friendly (although I was a bit concerned when I saw the bloke who’d been panhandling outside the airport walking into the restaurant for dinner). It is extremely spread out. Bigger than Suncorp and with fewer Kiwis than at a Bledisloe game there. They kindly put me on one of the upper floors so I can avoid the wedding (who gets married in an industrial estate?). This would have been nice if they had lifts. So I have to lug the 30kg suitcase up endless stairs. And for the wedding, the strains of Careless Whispers and Knowing Me, Knowing You… Has there been a wedding this century without those songs? And does anyone ever listen? They are songs about bad break-ups. So why play them????? But allow me to say, the bloke doing reception in an industrial estate low budget hotel on a Sunday night? Probably not typical CEO material. You could not be more wrong. This guy was one of the most competent, customer-friendly, organised people I have seen in years. I had three or four questions. He answered every single one, as I was about to ask it. Qantas, Air New Zealand, Telstra, aust post – someone grab this guy. He could not help make you way better inside a week. Put him in charge. He is a diamond. Anyway, I have an amenity allowance (which specifies no alcohol – why the hell should they care how I spend it?), so to the buffet. I suspect that this is a LTBQXwhatever kitchen because I sure as hell could not tell you what sex they were. I do think one was a Sontaran. And clearly teeth were not a pre-requisite for employment. I did look at the Seafood Melody, but the only thing I could imagine those tiny prawns were singing was please take me back to my natural habitat, the freezer. Anyway, up at five tomorrow to give this another go.

Great weekend away with Adam, Ann, Artie, Gloria, Stan, Anthea, Ravi, Pam, Di and myself. Cigars, champagne, beautiful wines, laughter and stories a plenty! One for the ages 🤣

04 Partagas Corona. Great smoke.

Papo LaRosa

From Halfwheel, some more detailed information about the ornate humidors that will be offered for auction... FEBRUARY 24, 2024, BROOKS WHITTINGTON - NEWS HABANOS S.A. ANNOUNCES FESTIVAL DEL HABANO XXIV HUMIDORS FOR AUCTION Habanos S.A. has unveiled the seven humidors that it will auction off at next week’s Festival del Habano XXIV in Havana, Cuba. There will be seven different humidors: one for each of the company’s six global brands and one dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Trinidad brand. The auction of the elaborate humidors is an annual part of the Festival del Habano and all of the proceeds go to the Cuban Public Health System. Last year, the auction generated a record €11.22 million—roughly $11.89 million at the time of the auction—in combined sales. The first humidor is for the H. Upmann and was made by DeART out of European maple, brown eucalyptus and orange wood. According to the catalog, the humidor also incorporates “advanced technology with its electronic lifting system and hidden pistons” and measures 178cm tall, 192cm wide and 74.6cm deep. There are 350 H. Upmann cigars included in the humidor: * 25 H. Upmann Butifarra No.2 * 20 H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1 * 20 H. Upmann Connossieur No. 2 * 20 H. Upmann Connoisseur * 25 H. Upmann Grandes * 20 H. Upmann Magnum 46 * 20 H. Upmann Magnum 56 * 25 H. Upmann Magnum 50 * 25 H. Upmann Magnum 54 * 25 H. Upmann Magnum 52 * 25 H. Upmann Magnum Especial * 25 H. Upmann Magnum Finite * 25 H. Upmann Sir Winston * 25 H. Upmann Super Magnum * 25 H. Upmann Upmann No. 2 For more information on the decorative Hoyo de Monterrey, Romeo y Julieta, Partagas, Montecristo, Trinidad and Cohiba Humidors follow the link below... https://halfwheel.com/habanos-s-a-releases-festival-del-habano-xxiv-humidor-auction-catalog/435288/

Viaje Exclusivo Short 2016

Tried the same shop in Varadero again today and these were the finds this time.

The 24th edition of the Habano Festival kicks off From February 26th to March 1st, Havana will once again become the world’s epicenter of premium tobacco The anniversary of Corporación Habanos, S.A. and the Quai D’Orsay and Trinidad brands will be the main protagonists of the 24th Habano Festival Havana is decked out to welcome experts and premium tobacco enthusiasts, and especially, all Habano lovers from around the world, at the 24th Habano Festival, to be held from February 26th to March 1st, 2024. This year, the Festival not only honors the rich heritage and tradition of Cuban tobacco with special celebrations for the anniversaries of renowned brands such as Quai D’Orsay and Trinidad, but will also look back on 30 years of success for Corporación Habanos, S.A. The Festival will kick off with the opening of the Trade Fair, a key meeting point for industry professionals, manufacturers of premium products and artisans, which this year welcomes 85 companies from 11 countries. That same night, the Club Habana will be the venue for the Welcome Evening, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Corporación Habanos, S.A. The Quai D’Orsay brand will be the star of the Mid-week Evening at the Cubanacán Protocol Lounge in El Laguito. During the event, attendees will participate in a tribute to the brand’s 50th anniversary and will personally discover this “Special” vitola, in its world premiere presentation, in honor of this commemoration. As a final touch to this edition of the Festival, the Gala Evening will take place in Hall C of the Pabexpo Fairgrounds. This will mark the beginning of the “Trinidad Year” during which its 55th anniversary will be celebrated, and some of the most important launches for the brand will be enjoyed. On this last night, as on previous occasions, awards will be presented to the winners of the final of the Habanos World Challenge contest as well as to the winners of the long-awaited Habanos Awards, a worldwide recognition to those who in 2023 supported Habanos the most in terms of communication, business, and production. The final highlight will be the traditional Humidor Auction, which this year will feature novelties for attendees, and whose proceeds will go, as usual, to support the Cuban Public Health System. (Download the 32-page Auction Catalogue here) A FULL PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES The traditional visits to plantations will take place in the zone of Vuelta Abajo, in the Pinar del Río, recognized worldwide as the best land to grow tobacco. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Habanos factories of La Corona, Partagás, H. Upmann and Carlos Baliño, where they will be able to learn first-hand about the “Totally Handmade” Habano-making process and take part in a Habano-rolling master class in which they will be able to make their own Habano. The International Seminar will feature presentations such as “Two Cities United by Habanos”, focusing on the Quai D’Orsay brand, and the panel “Trinidad: Past, Present and Future” which will delve into one of Habanos’ most prestigious brands. Besides, exclusive pairings will be offered, such as Taittinger champagne with Habanos Trinidad, Quai D’Orsay, and San Cristóbal de Havana. Or the very popular Habanos Moments with the best rums and the finest wines. The Seminar will close with the final of the Habanos World Challenge contest, where aficionados will be able to put their Habano knowledge and skills to the test to prove they are the most knowledgeable as far as the universe of Habanos is concerned. The 24th Habano Festival, with an extensive agenda of activities, promises to be an unforgettable experience for those who wish to celebrate the rich history and culture of Habanos in Havana, the world capital of premium tobacco. Source: https://www.habanos.com/en/news/the-24th-edition-of-the-habano-festival-kicks-off/

MAR Topes to celebrate the Lantern Festival. Excellent construction. Lots of smoke. It was all woody and grassy the first 20 minutes. Then picked up the buttery creamy coffee notes. Happy weekend FOH!

‘22 M2 and stout. Ireland vs Wales on the box. Have had worse afternoons.

A Reyes from 2019 thanks to our host

The Punch Triunfos, an addition to the Retro line that was first announced in 2020, is to be finally released in 2024. According to Cuban Cigar Website, it comes in a dress box of 50 cigars in 10 aluminium tins of 5. The Cigar Aficionado article adds some details below... A New Cuban Petit Corona: Punch Triunfos Feb 20, 2024 | By David Savona Cuba has added a new size to its venerable Punch line, a petit corona called the Punch Triunfos. The cigar will first go on sale in Switzerland’s Casa del Habano stores on May 3, according to Habanos S.A., then they will move to a broader launch starting in December. The little smoke measures 5 1/8 inches long by 42 ring gauge. They will sell for 80 Swiss francs ($91) for a tin of five cigars, making them roughly $18 apiece. The Triunfos are the newest part of Cuba’s Línea Retro line, a series of cigars packed in snazzy, eye-catching aluminium containers modeled after designs from the 1970s. That line made its debut in the fall of 2017, when two sizes in the series—the Romeo y Julieta Club Kings and the Partagás Capitols—were unveiled at a trade fair in Havana. Other sizes in the Retro series include the H. Upmann Regalias and the Hoyo de Monterrey Souvenir de Luxe. Source: https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/a-new-cuban-petit-corona-punch-triunfos

I will provide a proper update over the weekend when a few more photos come through 👍

Warped Don Reynaldo Corona de Luxe 2019 Feet for perspective

We did help with the BBQ 😉

Jul 11 Jun 08 Secretos and some suds.

Hoyo de Mena custom and coffee

Allones Superiores, from @Rushman. One of my favorite smokes, thanks again! MSU DIC ‘17

A great article from Cigar Aficionado in regard to June Barton, who is still enjoying cigars well into retirement. Have a read of the article below... June Barton: Looking Back Through Smoke Feb 13, 2024 By Thomas Pappalardo Ninety-seven-year-old June Barton is a familiar site at Smoke Rings ’72, a cigar bar in Merritt Island, Florida. Who doesn’t enjoy an evening of reminiscence over a burning cigar? Like a good meal paired with a fine cocktail, cigars and storytelling go hand in hand. They sustain the soul and give an evening a special glow. Going to a cigar bar is a great place to enjoy both, and at age 97 (and a half), cigar smoker June Barton of Merritt Island, Florida, has accrued more than her fair share of stories. Some of them even prominently feature a cigar. Born in Boston in 1926, the nonagenarian has had a lifetime of adventure and is always happy to tell you all about it, from the time she jumped out of a plane in 1964 to meeting Julio Iglesias in Costa Rica right before his first American tour. You might hear one of these stories while Barton is having a cigar with a Michelob Ultra at her favorite cigar bar, Smoke Rings ’72 in Merritt Island, Florida. Or Barton might be sipping on a “Taratini,” a wine-based version of a Martini that she enjoys to sip. “A glass of wine and a good cigar,” she jokes, “and you’ll live to be as old as I am.” Like many, Barton’s introduction to the world of cigars began via an older family member. When she was four years old, her father passed away and her grandfather stepped in to help fill the void. Together they would sit together while he smoked a cigar, and, as Barton recalled with fondness, sometimes would remove the cigar ring to place it on her finger and tell her how much he loved her. Even then, the youngster was enchanted by the cigars. “The smell of cigar smoke was just great,” she recalls. Her stepfather was also a cigar smoker and years after he and her mother divorced, she befriended him as an adult and would smoke cigars with him as well. Decades later, cigars became more than simply a source of warm memories but also as a stepladder to enter a world that didn’t always welcome her: business. After years in real estate building and selling houses, Barton says she ultimately became a millionaire at the age of 39. After some adversity that reversed her fortunes, she regrouped and became one of the first, if not the very first, women to enter the world of franchising. June worked in various franchising sectors including Tiffany Marble, where she became international marketing director for factories that made cultured marble. “We’d sell the formula, the training and so forth to them.” Of course, in the 1960s, the world of business was largely run by men and June’s presence was not readily welcomed. In those heady days, many business deals were made over a drink and a cigar and the audacious June was not to be left behind. “It was all men that worked franchise shows. Women were models but weren’t in sales at all,” she recalled. “So, to get friendly with the fellas, I started smoking cigars with them and having a beer. I have a very outgoing personality and… make a lot of friends very easily and so I won them over.” In her interesting life, cigars have definitely played a great supporting role. Once at a franchising trade show held at a hotel at JFK Airport in New York, Barton was enjoying a cigar and drink and caught the eye of none other than The Man with No Name himself, Clint Eastwood, who was sitting with fellow actor Richard Burton. He approached her and invited her to join them. While sitting on Eastwood's lap, June and the two actors spent the evening telling stories and jokes between puffs of her cigar. "Things just happen to me,” she says with a laugh. She believes that Burton was also smoking a cigar as well. Another time, she went to Caesar’s Palace with a friend and tried playing craps for the first time ever, with the friend placing the bets. Between puffs of a cigar, she threw the dice (the first one missed the table and shot across the casino floor) but after that, her aim improved tremendously, and she says she pulled in quite the financial haul. Along with $40,000, she says, she also walked out with a few extra cigars in her pocket, courtesy of the casino. “They brought me over a whole big tray of beautiful cigars…I just picked a bunch of them.” Cigars have certainly changed over her long life. In the old days, “when I was smoking cigars,” she says, “everything had to be Cuban… Now we get all kinds of varieties.” Today she is happily retired and enjoying her golden years in Merritt Island, Florida. She has five children (two of them adopted), five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. After her retirement from franchising in the early 2000s, she took a break from smoking cigars, but returned to them last summer when her granddaughter Melody and a friend brought her to Smoke Rings ’72 where her passion was reignited. When smoking she prefers robusto sizes and her tastes run on the milder side, such as Perdomo Lot 23 Connecticut, along with smaller, boutique brands. When she’s not having a cigar and a Taratini or Michelob Ultra at Smoke Rings ‘72, she likes to have a cigar at home on her porch. She goes to the cigar bar about three times a month and loves the atmosphere. “They treat me like an absolute queen,” she said of Smoke Rings ’72. “I go with my granddaughter and her friend and I have a lot of friends there that I have made. They gather around me and we talk and smoke cigars and have our beer and I just enjoy myself tremendously.” “I’ve had a very interesting—and I might even add exciting—life,” Barton says. “I’ve almost enjoyed every minute of it.” Source: https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/june-barton-looking-back-through-smoke

Looks like the most expensive Birdhouse ever..

Long weekend in Mooloolaba Girls are prepping Men are ..... 😅

I also like meat!

TLP Dec 22 Smoking beautifully! Weather is nice again. It's been so humid here lately. 25% now. I'll take that 👍

Excellent Monte 1, spice and cinnamon

Again very simple and for me Tasmanian sea urchin is the best in the world. By far

West Tampa Red Toro (++): A nice smelling stick with a reddish San Andres wrapper. The size is bigger than what I like, but ends up being an okay size for a session at the local lounge. The stick opens at medium body and stays at that level for the duration. Flavors are toasty tobacco, bread, and in the final third some honey sweetness. No changes or dazzling flavor notes, just a nice consistent flavor throughout. A nicely balanced cigar.

Upmann coronas major somewhere in the Tasman sea. Unfortunately the smoking room on board has been flooded with cigarette smokers.

The slang for a poker machine.....and one of my personal favourites "Brickies Laptop" Bricky being of course a bricklayer 😉

Gorgeous day out for a PSP 2016 picadores Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have a nice Friday evening everyone... Saturday morning with RG PC 22...

We extended our stay, but had to switch hotels in order to do it. This is the final day of our vacation. The sun rises late here. Smoking an early AM Siglo VI.

Dogs are giving me dirty looks as I head to the garage to convert this Sep 07 Familiar to ash. ERDM Lunch Club sep 06 that seems to be past its best before date. I’ll give another a go to make sure but I suspect these will be given to folks that want to pretend to smoke. Edit: after getting through the first third I realized there was some life still there. Switched my beverage from coffee to water and it’s lovely. Incredibly subtle, but these were never strong cigars anyway.

Galanes RAT May 20 from our host on this pleasant Friday evening

😅

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