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1999 VR Clasicos

Some smokes from a recent vacation.

Glorious early Spring afternoon, perfect for a Siglo III, bought in a group of singles in early 2022. Another great day is forecast for tomorrow, when I plan to follow this Corona Grande up with the same vitola from another brand.

Nudies have completely taken over my dog walking smokes this winter / early spring. I think they’re really coming along with a little time down. Can’t bring myself to reach for anything else.

P2

Diplomatico Leal. Lovely start. Roasted nuttiness at the get go.

Monte No 2 PTE NOV 23 (from Pres)

Puro Desnudo,Queen Corona N5

This how I support my dear estancos, by sharing the burden of liquidating unsellable cigars sold in singles #estancostrong 😂😂. That "ring" is a billboard, lol! Have a great day y’all.

This box came yesterday and I opened it up and it was just stunning, heart stopping almost. I stood by the humidor just staring at these wonderful cigars and a sort of panic came over me. HOW, am I going to smoke these and not just put them in the collection, back to sleep? They are just too perfect. Then, a thought washed over me. Made the hair stand up on my neck. WHY have I been hoarding all these years? WHAT am I doing! WHY, am I not smoking them, enjoying them? What’s holding me back? My life is likely more than 1/2 over and I love to smoke great cigars. I decided then and there- I am going to wear the watches I’ve put up, smoke my cigars, and enjoy all the things I’ve worked so hard for over the past 20 years. It’s incredible how this box of LUB OCT 2014 Upmann 2 (PSP), shifted my mindset. I am thrilled it did. he generous BOTL I acquired these from said to me— “you deserve these” and he couldn’t have been more right. *As a side note, I had been listening to @LizardGizmo and friends on an episode with a Connie A from LUB 2015… what a revelation. What a truly great run from Upmann factory. I am thrilled to have these and intend to share some with my close friends and smoke EVERY single one! No flash - wow! With flash WOW, and the smell-sublime!

Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour I’ve had these resting for a little over a month. Size: Robusto 5in (127mm) x 52mm Wrapper: Ecuadorian Binder: Mexican Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan (The Nicaraguan is mineral rich volcanic soil from Condega and Esteli. The Condega visus tobacco is aged in original Scottish first fill single malt whiskey casks) Initial light up: Creamy oak with milk chocolate. Beautiful wrapper. So very well balanced. Slight bit of creamy nuts. Building quickly to a shot of espresso with cream. Wow. Slight hazelnut with a hint of chocolate vanilla liqueur. End of first 3rd: So much flavor going on here. It tastes so refined and smooth with many years of age, or maybe that’s just the way of the blend. Very molted toothy wrapper. How long have these been on the shelves? This chocolate vanilla liqueur is building and it tastes so great with the espresso dancing in and out. The espresso has so much flavor must be that rich volcanic soil as the notes remind me of the 100% Hawaiian Kauai coffee you’d buy off their website. Not the cheap stuff with the same label on Amazon that only has 10% Hawaiian and 90% Arabic. (The good stuff by the way has good actual natural flavors where as the Amazon same label stuff is chalked full of artificial flavors. This tastes like the real deal. Medium in strength. End of second 3rd: I can’t stop smacking my lips it’s so good. More chocolate is building along with a second shot of espresso. Wow. Just before the end of the second 3rd it built even more in flavor. The pure smooth Kauai double shot espresso with a balance of creme is paired now with homemade chocolate chip cookie batter with a dash of cocoa powder and an extra shot of homegrown/made vanilla extract. Strong vanilla flavor. Eating that raw with my coffee is heavenly. It’s not heavy, it’s hard to explain. The best way I can put it is; it’s basically one of the smoothest medium plus at times just under full body smokes I’ve had so far. Prob in the top 10 of late. For being so rich, it is incredibly smooth. Very well balanced. Medium+ overall in strength. End of final 3rd: 2 shots of vanilla extract in the raw cookie dough that has transformed into rich chocolate torte. One of my favorite desserts. (Similar to chocolate cake recipe but w/ out flour and more eggs making it more rich in texture and flavor) As it builds, throw in a few random raw cocoa nibs here and there. 3 shots of espresso with 2 shots cream. Full in strength but again so very smooth I don’t find it overwhelming at all. Nub/Pipe-worthy: I didn’t have the corn cob nubber on the walk today, so I got to scorch the fingers and throw it in the pipe a little sooner. It was flavorful, rich at the end and cooled down nicely in the pipe. I was recommended this a few times by a few different folks, and now I can see why. I’ll have to recommend it myself now. Final thoughts: Phenomenal crescendo cigar. In flavor and strength everything elevated so beautifully. Definitely picked a good one this time. My first Davidoff and I know the brand is a big name and can be pricey. While I can’t speak on other sticks from them, this one was great. So rich but not too heavy, very smooth and flavorful; how it just takes even strides increasing in flavor all the way to the end is amazing. I’d like to see this cigar rested even longer and check on its progression. Smoke time: 1 hr 22min in the S.E. Alaskan sunshine; with a mix of snow, rain, and sleet today. Score: 96/100

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art

New Bolivar Gold. First time to try it and not disappointed. Last third was fantastic.

Hq 2020 from our host

Trinidad Reyes ESM AGO 22

It's been awhile and we are beginning to thaw out in Chicago. First smoke in maybe 6 months. Casa Fuente!

Sunday nights cigars 18' Punch ManTua Edición Regional Italia Espresso with extra sugar, Molasses, Nutella These are smoking so good right now rich, sweet, flavor bomb! 14' Ramon Allones Allones Superiores La Casa del Habano Exclusivo Baking Spice, Stone fruit, Cocoa 1/2 Blah Ok Good Tasty Heavenly

Cheltenham Festival today. It’s like Melbourne Cup but lasts for four days. The D4 was much better than the crappy larger.

Media Luna BSM ENE 20 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A Ninfa, quickly becoming a favourite of mine

JL2

Monty Maltes, OCT 2018, RUM factory code

For those of you who have a sentimental memory of the Punch Churchill, David Savona at Cigar Aficionado wrote a short review of a 1991 example this week... Connoisseur’s Corner: Punch Churchill (1991) 98 Punch Churchill (1991) Big Punch cigars can be glorious, and this stately Churchill—which is one year older than this magazine—doesn’t disappoint. It has a true box press, its edges squared by being compressed into a dress box next to its neighbors. It starts off with an earthy core balanced by copious coffee bean notes, a wisp of leather and a light chocolate sweetness. About halfway through, it hits a new gear, picking up strength and complexity, evoking flavors of almond paste and cappuccino. Wonderfully balanced, teeming with flavor and hard to put down. —David Savona Source: https://www.cigaraficionado.com/connoisseurscorner/connoisseur-s-corner-punch-churchill-1991

Box of 25 Montecarlos for a split.

I figured I would give this RP The Edge Maduro Toro a shot. Weirdest cigar I have ever smoked. 2 hours, lots of smoke output, flame retardant wrapper ,and not much evolution. It wasn't horrible by any stretch but who wants to smoke a one dimensional cigar for 2 hours? Won't revisit. Picked up a box of these at a local B&M. Cheapo little machine made Petit Robusto-sized smokes. I burned through them. Great morning coffee cigars for 3 bucks a piece. Surprised by how much I liked them. Will revisit.

Time for another E2 out this 2013 box

Back to a favorite for the weekend. Picking this JL2 up, I notice it’s got quite a bumpy wrapper. Medium-brown, with a slightly orange-ish hue. Cold draw has some coffee and a little honey. The draw is nearly wide open, making me wonder if this might be underpacked. Light-up puff tells me I shouldn’t care. Coffee, wood, Hershey’s chocolate, and a twinge of citrus. Great start. Going on, there is quite a bit of sweet hot cocoa with a splash of orange liqueur. Veers more into coffee frequently. Just what you’d expect from the marca, no surprises. Flavors are muted for awhile, and the cigar is eating away so fast. Definitely under filled, and gets a little bitter for just a moment. Moving past that, Cointreau returns, coffee, and the caramelized edges of crème brûlée. Still, though, not very rich. Strength is holding at medium, meanwhile. Second third is more of the same. Smoking at my leisurely pace, hard to believe how fast I get to the midpoint, and then the last third. Pretty boring middle act. Some honey/agave shows up briefly, but barely enough to note. Just looking for anything here. Last third has notes of tobacco, on a bed of tobacco, with whisps of tobacco floating around. Not much else. Not unpleasant, and not at all bitter. Coffee would be the only thing I can really pick out at the end. I contemplate putting it down but decide to keep enjoying probably my only smoke for a few days. Luckily the nub has some clove and a little leather, so a tiny bit of reward for my persistence at the end. This has the be the only time I’ve ever given an 80 to a JL2. Boring, after the first third. Poorly constructed, though not a terrible burn. It’s almost as if they left out one of the leaves when they rolled it…the one with the flavor.

Plasencia Alma Del Fuego I’ve had this cigar resting for 2.5 years now. Size: Candente (Robusto) 5 x 50 Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Sun Grown Jalapa Valley) Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan (Ometepe) Initial light up: Black “peaberry” Kauai Coffee. No crème and ever so earthy and smooth. Hints of citrus undertones. After 7 draws add 1 teaspoon of creme with the hints of citrus undertones. End of First 3rd: So earthy and rich and incredibly smooth. A reminder of my love for well balanced Nicaraguan puros when done right. Little cashew and almond very faint in the cream. The citrus is popping a little more now. Flavors are building at the end here the citrus is now more prominent and you can really taste the richness of the soil in the coffee. Amazing. End of Second 3rd: Amazing full coffee flavor, earthy and rich. Full of orange citrus notes while the cream is replaced every so often with 100% pure dark cocoa. Theres a ton of flavor. Slight cream comes back to balance it out again. Back and forth it goes. That orange coffee cocoa is amazing and bold while staying so smooth, its like having an orange chocolate with that Kauai Coffee. Medium in strength. End of Final 3rd: The slight cream stepping in and out is here to stay now, with a delicious macadamia nut creamer. That along with the orange citrus is incredible. Touch under full in strength building to full at the end and ever so smooth. Nub/Pipe-worthy: Yes great into nub stage but will save the pipe for after dinner. I am satisfied. Final thoughts: I was told the could be pepper bombs but the only slight pepper I noticed was on 2 slight retro-hales. With 2.5 years resting and who knows how long on a self; this cigar was phenomenal. Makes me skeptical of a fresh one but I’ll have to give it a go. The complex coffee and orange citrus notes with cacao paired very nicely. A truly well aged volcanic soil grown cigar can be a truly flavorful thing. Very unique earthy flavors that I’m sure, if younger, would not be as appreciated. I’m sure it would just be plain coffee, cocoa, and a slight orange citrus at the end. This wasn’t the case here, the flavors really came out and tasted full of flavor making them unique. Not just coffee but a special coffee with tons of flavor. As if you could taste the freshness of the soil. The best way I could describe it would be comparing store bought sourdough bread to some fresh homemade sourdough and this being that sourdough. So rich and smooth. Yet that being said, what do I know, for I haven’t smoked a “fresher” one. Score: 95/100 Smoke time: 1hr 21min in the S.E. Alaskan drizzle. Pairing for me: Now I know I would like to pair this with Kauai “peaberry” for its citrus and beautiful balance from their Estate Reserve coffee after a nice steak. Would be great with that SWC Late Hour Robusto as well.

I picked a few or these Turquinos singles from a 2024 box. Cut and Cold Draw: The draw seems excellent on this, barely any resistance. The cold draw is all floral and graham cracker. 1/3: Right off the bat, this cigar is rich and quite strong. Some honey sweetness up front. Floral and heavy spice on the retro. There is breadiness similar to an Upmann on the finish. 2/3: The strength has dialed back a touch. Upfront is still honey sweetness and buttered bread note. The retro is still very floral, but has gotten considerably sweeter. The finish is shorter now, but still pleasant with some earthiness and leather. 3/3: Leather, breadiness, a touch of sweetness. I am finally getting some classic LGC savory herbs on the retro, but leather is dominating. Final Thoughts: I would never guess this was a LGC, thankfully it wasn’t a blind review. I am glad the strength or this cigar toned down as it progressed, it really surprised me in the first third for a cigar of this RG. I would give this 88/100, these will definitely go higher with a few years of age.

Smoke now. Regret later.

Getting better every year!

Love the Lancero but we are currently doing a reblend as we have a blend that we have developed that we prefer. Off to the tasting panel next month. Love this process

there were a few times netting was crucial. one night, we camped between long grass (as in six foot stuff) and a river. warned to beware in case any errant hippos came wandering out of the grass in the middle of the night, but much, much worse were the mossies. lord help me, there was no sleep. the size of hummingbirds. as noisy as a motorbike and as persistent as Indian street kids. all night they kept at it. the netting seemed irrelevant. i was praying for the hippos.

Been chasing select regionals for years. Love the program, hate how hard it is to get them. But also kind of fun dong so. My top RE's La Escepcion Selectos Finos (exquisite full bodied smokes from the start. Aging fantastically) Ramon Allones Celestiales Finos (probably the strongest CC I've had. Absolute monsters when fresh, but still delivering tons of flavour. Also aging beautifully) La Escepcion Don Jose (the power of the RA Selectos Finos, the finesse of the Selectos Finos) Punch Mantua (another hit in the Italian region. Chased these aggressively and glad I did. Very close to the LESF in terms of finesse. Very Un-Punch like, but great) Juan Lopez Seleccion Superba (got gifted one from a friend. Smoked it, blew my mind, grabbed two boxes ASAP. Absolutely stellar performer. Smell great cold, lots of flavour lit). Bolivar Bosphorus. (on par with RACF in terms of body. TONS of flavour. Didn't get many of these but have smoked through a lot of them rather quickly. That says something) El Rey Del Mundo Infantes. (smoked through a few boxes rather quickly. Packed with flavour) La Gloria Cubana Invictos (smoked one on the streets of Rome, went in and grabbed five boxes. Another hit for Italy) Ramon Allones Gladiator (monster smoke, tons of flavour) Ramone Allones Super Ramon (Canadian Regional makes the list. Huge Piramide, lots of complexity).

Robusto 52 x 5.5in (140mm) Wrapper: -Connecticut (Aged 3 yes) Binder: - Habano (Aged 3 yrs) Filler -Esteli Seco (Aged 3 yrs), Jalapa Seco (Aged 3 yrs), Jamastra (Aged 3 yrs), Piloto (Aged 3yrs) Initial light up: Toasted tobacco with light oak with hints of maple syrup. Slight white grape sweetness. Just under medium in strength. End of First 3rd: Has been pretty much the 2 same flavors. Maple wood with a touch of white grape sweetness. Just under medium in strength. End of Second 3rd: getting faint hints of the maple syrup sweetness again with the maple wood. A little vanilla trying to come in and out, toning down the woodiness. Not too much ammonia trying to come in I’d describe it as tasting more of tannin. Now that is gone and I’m getting the woods back and forth between cherry/maplewood. Medium in strength. End of Final 3rd: Faint Cherry/Maplewood but mostly covered by the tannin flavor. Pretty one dimensional at the end here. The vanilla ever so often tried to come through but was quickly swept away on the next puff before I could get a real hold on it. Nub/Pipe-worthy: Nub was debatable. As I walked inside to look for my corn cob nubber since the ammonia had left it came right back so I decided not to throw it in the pipe. Final thoughts: I had high hopes for this one. Was it bad? No, it was pretty good though and borderline with ok. The flavors that were there would show their balance from time to time. Never really took that extra step with the flavors that were there. Definitely shows a lot of potential and seems to need to rest a little longer. I see this being a great cigar, it’s just not its time to shine. I’ve had this for 6-8 months and might revisit in 6 or 18months. I think mine hit a fermentation sadly as I’ve taken them to Dutch harbor, to Cali, and then back to Southeast Alaska. Plenty of time for temp swings. Smoke time: 1hr 22min Score: 89/100

Koma Singapore last night. That prawn rice was on point. The dessert tree decadent.

Hupmann Mag 50. The Leederville Perth.Perth Boys.

At one time I thought them them best of all all Churchills. Sadly, the Churchill lineup is a shadow of what it once was. Nice to see some still around. Does anyone else have fond memories of this lovely cigar? https://www.bondroberts.com/product/view/7801/Punch Churchills

There is only one right answer here.....No it's not! One of the few redeeming features of travel is great lounges and free pour Champagne. The food is pretty damn fine these days as well. See you in HK people. Just stopping off in Singapore to catch up with mate Manu.

So who do you think represent the best Regional Edition Series? I have not doubt that Edición Regional Italia takes 1st place, I don't think I have ever had a bad Edición Regional Italia! Also name your favorite Edición Regional? #1 La Escepción Don José Edición Regional Italia #2 Ramón Allones Gladiator Edición Regional Andino B.P.E. #3 Sancho Panza Eslavo Edición Regional Serbia

I’ve always thought possibly these late 2014, early 2015 Upmann 2 are rolled with tobacco from the Reserva release. If I recall (only had a partial box) the code for most of the HU2 Reserva was LUB JUN15 (Upmann factory) and they looked nearly identical to this cigar-maybe slightly lighter wrappers but very similar. Maybe they don’t put this much thought into it, but it seems very curious. For box code/tobacco run hunters like myself, I think it’s a great idea to look for other same size cigars from around a similar time frame as the Reservas and Gran Reserva. Just like the Dip 2 from Bushidos time, these are different than most Upmann 2-even the box smell is different. More like the way Winnie’s smell. Something IS different. Most assuredly elevated in many ways.

a mate sent through a couple of old pics from the trip i was on back in the mid/late 80s. the first is a campsite which would be the Sahara somewhere. southern Algeria or northern Niger most likely. by a chance coincidence, the driver of the trip was at my place last Monday. he is now one of my editors and although he lives in France, is a Qlder. back for family reasons. unfortunately cyclone Alf meant we could not catch up as much as we wished. the trip was seven months long on the back of a truck (except for a flight from Nairobi to Khartoum and then train - and that was one hell of an experience) up to Wadi Halfa, a small village near the Nile on the Sudan/Egypt border. unfortunately, we arrived literally an hour after the weekly boat had left so had a full week there (the boat is actually a smuggling boat - you pay the operators a small fee, sleep on the deck and don't annoy them or ask questions when they stop in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere). every day approaching 110F. they often go years without rain. our water supplies got very low and we had nothing on which we could boil anything, so in the end, several of us would go down to the muddy Nile, wade in a bit and carry back buckets of water which we'd drink without treatment - by that stage, we'd been travelling so long that our stomachs were close to bulletproof. otherwise, it is truck from London to Nairobi and then another truck, Aswan to Kathmandu. one of the greatest experiences of my life. this pic, below, is dave and myself - dave is a welshman and it was him who sent me these. it was after the most bizarre and extreme night of my life. we had just gone into the Serengeti. we were supposed to have a couple of days there. first evening was down towards a well known waterpool to watch the late arvo/early evening animals come in for water. there had been serious rain and we got bogged badly several hundreds yards before we got to it. as in mud up to the floor bogged. just happened that there was a bloke and his wife doing a 4WD trip around Africa also there. turned out, he was an old mercenary who'd fought in Rhodesia and was back visiting his old killing fields, sorry haunts. he said he could fit two of us on his roof, hanging on to the roofracks, and he would take us back to the enclosure, a two hour drive, where we were supposed to be camping. we knew another truck would be there and would assist. it was illegal to be outside the enclosure and in the Serengeti after sunset, but not much you can do if bogged. so off Dave and i went, hanging on through the plains of the Serengeti (and yes, loudly singing Toto). the great migration was on and this was one of the most incredible things i have ever done. spectacular. about half way, the heavens opened (made cyclone Alf look the whimp it was). torrential. and freezing. we were just whizzing through with no protection (that coat came the next day - just a t-shirt). we just about had frostbite. got to the enclosure and rallied the other truck to come to our aid (after hot soup and blankets). but the trip back (thankfully not on the roof) was so different. little trickles we'd crossed had turned into raging torrents. several times we had to form human chains to make sure they were not too deep for the truck. not the cleverest thing (and you hang on so tight because if anyone lets go, you'd never be seen again, swept into some croc pond), but we could not risk the truck being washed away and one of our group had picked up malaria and we needed to get him out. that came on very quickly and we did not know at that stage, he was very close to death. when we finally got there, the rain had stopped but we had to park 100 yards away so as not to bog both trucks. so five of us, with torches, head off to the bogged truck. and there, in the fresh mud, are new lion paw prints. so; given the rain and timing, they are at the most, 15 minutes old. if you ever want to know what it feels like to have your sphincter in your mouth, try this. never have five blokes squeezed together more tightly and then moved faster as one. you could hear them roaring all night, but they are reasonably well fed and we were making a lot of noise all night. we got the other truck in but it could not help. it got bogged. so then we needed to get it out. we dug and pushed and drove that thing for the next eight hours and made six kilometres (the original truck stayed stuck with most of the group banging pans etc, to keep from becoming dinner). never been so exhausted in my life. i remember at one stage, along with everyone, pushing as hard as i could and then going straight into the mud, having fallen asleep while pushing. eventually, we got it back to the main drag through the park and got back to the enclosure - a tour group of Americans had finished breakfast and were about to head out in their protected vans to look at the wildlife - they made us line up for photos for each and every one of them, not having a clue who we were or where we were from. we were literally mud, head to toe. if i recall, this was taken by one of them and sent to Dave. anyway, Dave and i got back to the enclosure and arranged for the local tractor to head down and wrench the truck out of the mud. that was one hell of a pop. by the time we had got it out and sorted and a chopper took our near death bloke off (he survived, thankfully - we keep in touch though have not seen each other since the trip, although we literally missed each other in Havana by ten minutes. he had a plane to catch and i could not get to the National in time as returning to the city was out of my hands. literally ten minutes), i'd been up and going flat strap for about 40 hours. slept well that evening. there are a heap of other absurd adventures we had. wonderful experience. lord, to be that slim again.

80’s Davidoff Château Margaux The cigar it’s self is a marvel to be held in your hand, light but balanced. As you look at the foot you can tell that the cigar was rolled using the entubado method. The 1st third starts with woodiness but also creaminess, quickly opening into milk chocolate. The 2nd third is heading towards champagne flavors floral and nutty notes, apple, pear and peach rich in aromas and complexity. The 3rd third is now showing its depth with sweet earthiness and truffle flavors, while still sweet cream! Smoking this cigar was like sitting in a dream state, with clouds of sweet rich smoke swirling around my head, almost like a state of euphoria. From the second I picked up this cigar and ran it under my nose, I knew I was in for a long lasting memory. This cigar was almost perfect, I would have to say in my personal rating scale Heavenly. In the 100 pt scale I would say a solid 98

H&F do a great job. 👌

Agree with all of the above (except I’ve missed a couple of the newer ones). The La Escepcíon was hands down my best ever cigar, until a friend shared some highly unusual customs. Nonetheless, the La Escepcíon will always hold a special place in my memory.

The RA Private Stock 230 was hands down the BEST cigar I've ever had. I only had one, but my god it was euphoric. Unpopular opinion, I like the Edmundo Dantes Conde Belicoso over the Conde 54/109. And I'm gonna regret saying it because they are still some what affordable in today's market, the Sancho Panza OMHPOΣ Edición Regional Grecia y Chipre are smoking out of this world. I've gone through 3 boxes and always on the look out for more.

I’ve seen pretty consistent results from anything from the Belux, Benelux or Paises Bajos regions.

18' Punch ManTua Edición Regional Italia Espresso with extra sugar, Molasses, Nutella

Saturday "Birthday" nights cigars 80’s Davidoff Château Margaux The cigar it’s self is a marvel to be held in your hand, light but balanced. As you look at the foot you can tell that the cigar was rolled using the entubado method. The 1st third starts with woodiness but also creaminess, quickly opening into milk chocolate. The 2nd third is heading towards champagne flavors floral and nutty notes, apple, pear and peach rich in aromas and complexity. The 3rd third is now showing its depth with sweet earthiness and truffle flavors, while still sweet cream! Smoking this cigar was like sitting in a dream state, with clouds of sweet rich smoke swirling around my head, almost like a state of euphoria. From the second I picked up this cigar and ran it under my nose I knew I was in for a long lasting memory. This cigar was almost perfect, I would have to say in my personal rating scale Heavenly. In the 100 pt scale I would say a solid 98 16' CORO Vanilla, Honey, Citrus 86' Punch Exquisitos Burnt Sugar, Cola, Molasses Blah Ok Good Tasty Heavenly