ultramag

Wow, some really impressive images in there.

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a special smoke planned for the occasion.

'99 Boli Coronas Extra with a hillbilly jug of rum and Coke. (Kraken) Way too hot to enjoy the evening smoke on the deck tonight. Fortunately, I married well.

Always impressed with those that are good at this. It's always interesting to hear thoughts about cigars when all the preconceived notions and brand loyalty are stripped away too!

I'm still not real happy about anti-lock brakes if that gives you any idea what camp I'm in. I want to be in control of what I'm operating. I may go out here and have a crash like none before tomorrow, but I want it to be MY crash. I drive class 8 trucks for a living here in the States, and up to now most of this new fangled technology isn't what it's cracked up to be IMO. We have on-board outward facing "event" recorders, side and front impact collision sensors, and something that tracks our position in the lanes of travel. The event recorders can go either way, same as the facts of a crash, eye witnesses etc. so I see them as a push. The only reason they aren't inward facing and recording every moment is because of a labor contract. The front and side sensors are a pain and frequently react incorrectly. Example, in a curve, quite often the front sensor will pick up a car in a lane next to you and the brakes are applied automatically. The braking can be quite hard, and well, call me old-fashioned, but if the brakes on the 80,000 pound vehicle that bends in 3 or 4 places I'm operating are gonna be slammed on, I like to know it's coming. The sensors that track lane position are equally as flawed. They emit the most grating sound that scares the bejeezus out of you and do so quite often when I'm driving right where I want to be. Get in a little construction where the lane markings are messed up and you're crossing lanes irregularly etc., or have some ice and snow start covering up the lane markings then forget about it. Ice and snow also covers up the sensors easily, especially the front one, and causes them to fail as well. Sorry to rant...just a sore subject with me. The libertarian in me despises it on principle and the guy who stayed in trucking to be away from the man and have virtually no work related contact with anyone while taking care of business my way en-route hates it. Fortunately, I'll be done before it's much more than an inconvenience.

Finishing out the day with an '08 PSD No. 4

I was just looking at the spirit selection in that other pic. Quite different than I'm used to in the States. As a rule here places with good beer and spirit selection have horrid cigar choices, if any, and good tobacconists have no liquor selection. Always interesting to see how different things can be elsewhere. With so many people enjoying spirits with their pipes and cigars having them together and the retailer being versed in both makes good sense to me. Thanks for sharing the pics BTW.

That humidor pic 3rd up from the bottom makes me giddy. I would love to walk in one like that some day!

I haven't really specifically bought cigars to age yet for the most part. I hope to change this, but most my aged stock comes buying more than I need or smoking something else. Here recently I hadn't been smoking as much so after having more free time again to enjoy more cigars I have quite a few with some decent age. Most of the really old stuff I've had was gifted at herfs, bought aged, or something along those lines.

Making the most of an unexpected day off, Espinosa y Ortega Cubao No. 3

I've had 65% HF beads in my desktop and a big coolerdor for several years. I live in the midwest and have a basement so I'm fortunate enough that temperature control is 65* pretty much year round. I've never seen the RH be anything more than plus or minus 2-3 percent of the 65% target. Most generally either right on 65% give or take 1% in the cooler. The smaller desktop I'm generally smoking out of seems to stay locked at 65% better. I'm not sure if it's due to it's smaller size, me being in and out of it more, or that it has an old analog hygrometer and maybe doesn't register real slight changes as well to the eye. To the point, I'd buy the HF beads at the RH I wanted to maintain. If you do prefer 60% be sure you're also okay with slightly below that target. As PigFish said above, I don't think anything is going to ever "lock on" to an exact percentage and stay indefinitely. There is always an ebb and flow occuring.

I'll have to try and track some down and try it. I have never had rum neat, or with just an ice-cube. Always mixed mine with Coke. I guess I need to broaden my horizons and give it a try.

Starting the day off skinny...LGC MdO No. 4 from '02.

Welcome to FOH from a MO neighbor!

Sorry for your loss.

Ending the day with a RASS out on the deck.

RASS is a nice introduction. Enjoy the ride!

What a nice looking shop. Thanks for sharing your pics!

Me and this guy have shared a lot of smoke over the last 14 1/2 years. Always makes me sad to think how old he his. I have no idea why my pics always post sideways. If you click on it he is right side up....

Starting off my Saturday morning with a DE Tabak Especial Corona Dulce. One of my dirty little secrets...I love these Tabak Especials with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

One of my favorites is the Blazer PB-207 "Pocket Micro Torch." Always lights, huge fuel tank, and it is a little button on the side that locks the flame on if you want. You can actually see the fuel in the tank and mine has been reliable for years now. It's a big lighter with a small footprint. They run right around $50 USD.

Got myself added too. Nice to three of us around an hour or so from each other already.

I'm in the west-central part of the state about an hour south of Kansas City. Where you at in AR? I used to go down around Fayetteville once or twice a year for a herf. Great bunch of guys down there.

Wow, what an opportunity. Thanks for taking the time to share the experience.

Yes it was. It was a really good cigar as I remember too.