MountMandolin

[I know I’m now taking this sorta off-topic since this thing I quoted was on the first page, but hey, feel free to ignore me all you want! Just saw an opportunity to run my mouth about Alaska and got excited!] This is all basically right, per my memory of the massive reams of research I did while contemplating (and almost going ahead with) a move to Alaska. As for the tax stuff, the government doesn’t provide much in the way of services either, so yeah, the taxes had better be low unless services increase! But the people who live there aren’t generally “I want lots of government services” types anyway, so it works out. Thing is, Alaska is a very weird state: almost 3x the size of Texas but extremely isolated (just look at it on the map and imagine trying to travel anywhere in the “lower 48”, as they call the continental US, by land or even by air; it’s both expensive and time-consuming, to say the least), so you’d better really like it there, especially if you live anywhere outside of the two airport cities of Anchorage or (to a lesser degree) Fairbanks; very difficult to make a living unless you’re in medicine or oil & gas (and at this point medicine is the safer bet), and the permanent fund revenue you’re talking about doesn’t go that far in Alaska, which leads to my next item; very high cost of living (try heating a house to a comfortable temp when it’s -45°F outside for days and days on end!); everything is very far away from everything else, and there are only four real highways in the state, so quite a lot of places—fittingly including the state capital, Juneau—are “off the road system”, meaning you must fly there, or take a boat or snow machine if practicable. And all that just barely scratches the surface of the weirdness of the place. If you live in Fairbanks—the second-largest city, located in the harsh and unforgiving “interior” of the state—you’ll get like 3 hours of light in the winter and damn near constant sunlight for part of the summer, so get some really nice blackout curtains! And quite a lot of people in the interior do not have indoor plumbing; they use outhouses (some of which are quite nice, to be fair, but still, it’s an outhouse!). Also, the interior is known for its long stretches of -40°F and below, due to certain geographical and meteorological stuff that I don’t understand very well (in FBX, part of it is a phenomenon called an “inversion”, as it’s in a valley that traps the cold air). Oh, and you’re halfway between Anchorage and Point Barrow, the northernmost place in the US, which is WAY above the Arctic circle—FBX itself is pretty close to the Arctic circle, in fact. I could go on for ages—I absolutely love Alaska and sometimes still fantasize about living there, which would be quite the change from my home here in New York City! I just can’t quite get myself to believe I could do it, though, and now that I have a wife it’s even less likely (though she, astonishingly, is not totally closed off to the idea; she’s a good ‘un!). But I will stop here. Suffice it to say, Alaska is an absolutely breath-taking place, and anyone who gets the chance to visit should do so! And take as much time as you can: the place is HUGE and you’ll wanna see as much of it as possible. And if you’re anything like me, you won’t wanna leave!

Next week, you say? You know, your Chinese-water-torture method of selling cigars is a ruthlessly effective one, Prez; I have to hand it to you. Very impressive stuff. I've been hemorrhaging money ever since I found this lovely place. It's almost a perfect case study in some sort of Havanaustralian Stockholm Syndrome.

I'd say BBF by a considerable margin, both because of their excellent flavor profile and their near-perfect consistency. I mean, in the last two years I've gone through a couple boxes and have a couple more stashed away, and I haven't had more than two or three that were anything less than excellent. And man are they gorgeous to look at. I've not yet tried the Cohiba PE, for obvious reasonsthey're fackin' expensivebut based on prior experience with other Cohibas, I bet I'd love them. If anyone wants to help me have that experience, don't be shy.

I'd say that passing up on two boxes of Boli GMs, offered to me at $165 total (for '08 sticks, for that matter!), was a massive mistake. I really should have bought up every box of BGMs I could find back when they were everywhere. I still see them occasionally, but much more rarely; besides, they're getting close to a sort of time limit beyond which cigars sometimes start to fade. But yeah. More BGMs, even though I didn't have the money; hell, I could have taken out a line of credit, amirite?

The United States embargo with Cuba has always seemed to me like the sort of thing a bunch of political scientists would do if they were able to run clinical trials, as it were. It's the sort of thing that would be titled "The Real World Implications of the Application of Game Theory to Political Relations Between Nations: What We Have Learned, and Will Learn, from our Position Towards Cuba". Or something like that; you get the point. The thing is a relic, completely irrelevant to the modern world and helpful to exactly no one. We trade with China (remember when it was perfectly normal to call it "Red China"?), we trade with Russia (formerly the real deal boogeyman). We trade with the reclusive, theocratic royal crime family that runs the Arabian Peninsula like a sordid mixture of a casino and an auction house. Let's get real here. Anyway, I don't want to get too far down that rabbit hole, and those are, to a shameful extent, milled and rewoven talking points that have been hackneyed for years now. The point is that no thinking person supports this embargo anymore. None. And that's not even a political statement; the vast majority of Americans who pay attention to foreign policy (hard to know how large or small that number is) support trading with Cuba. The extent to which it would prop up the Castro regime would be at least cancelled out by the good it would do for the country, and I cannot wait to be one of the first in line for a plane ticket to Havana. One thing I can't resist, though, is the thought that the demand for Habanos—which would explode, and about that I'm fairly certain—could have the effect of reducing the quality of production. But perhaps someone else has a better handle on that than I do?

It's not only you. I intentionally look for marcas that tend to smoke well young, because I really don't have the time, money, or humidor space to wait 4-6 bloody years to smoke my cigars. (Nothing against those of you who do, but I simply don't.) So, having said that, Partagás is one of my favorite marcas, and I think one of the most consistent marcas in terms of flavor and construction. I've literally never smoked a bad 898 in my life (and I abhor the overuse of "literally" and use it sparingly and deliberately). Absolutely not a single bad one, or even a single one that was below par, for that matter. My only regret is not being able to buy more of them, although it helps that they're available in 10's. So yes, I like them a whole hell of a lot, and I don't think they need anything like 4 years of aging.

I really disliked the first dozen or so Juan Lopez I ever smoked, and then at some point something clicked for me and now I really enjoy them. Sometimes only a JL will do, as a matter of fact. Very singular cigars, those JL. Big caveat though: I have to really be specifically in the mood for a JL; they aren't a regular smoke for me. (If you're short on friends and need someone to gift those to, btw... lol.) And this: There's a lot to this. I don't necessarily think the JL1 is better, but it's definitely as good. It's different for sure. JL have a really unique wrapper, IMO, and the corona gorda lets it stand out. Funny thing is, they're usually pretty ugly things. It's like their defense mechanism: the wrappers all look vaguely sickly (and sometimes completely sickly), which keeps the price down for people like me. As to this thread: Partagás P2 is the first one that comes to mind. LGC Immensos. Never even had a Monte 2, so that too. And I know this isn't the topic, but "never had a less-than-stellar one": Partagás 8-9-8, Lusi, Cohiba Lancero. All very affordable too, how handy.

Gorgeous photo! Bravo. I like piddling around with photography, and I'm not expert; but I know a nice looking shot when I see one. And I'm very envious of all you folks who are able to travel to the Island and get those farm sticks. So I had a couple cigars the past few days. A lowly, unassuming NC, barely worthy of these hallowed boards. Immensos. First one I've ever smoked, and I hate to say it, but I don't feel a sense of regret for having only bought a couple of singles. And then this one. It started to taste really great and sparkly once I got to the yellow part.

Twice as good as it looks. Maybe three times.

Well they're really odd cigars in that the shade of some of the wrappers is darker than what I normally see. I mean, you put them next to another cigar from my humidor, like some really nice looking RASS I've got for instance, and they look less brown, if that makes any sense. They're not even what I would call "pretty", but I smoked one right off the truck (I usually do, and then I don't touch them for a month or more), and they tasted like peanut butter and toast and caramel. Peanut butter is a new one for me, so I'm encouraged. I've had cigars with hideous wrappers that were fantastic, actually, specifically some Bolivar Coronas and Royal Coronas. Aaaanyway. Got some cigars recently. These came from our hosts, and goodness they are lovely.

Good lord. Every time I see someone post a picture of a box (or a single stick) of those Encantos my wallet trembles and I feel a little twinge in my loins—er, you know, something like that. I think two or three more of those and I'll be down $300. It seems almost inevitable now, really. So I got a few cigars 'n stuff. Punch2 – OPG ABR 14 (anyone have any info/opinion on the OPG code from '14? these are promising) Boli PC – MUR AGO 13 (from our hosts and gorgeous), and some Siglo I (BTO DIC 12, and yeah, they're phenomenal)

No BAM code here, but I have an OPG ABR 14, and while they have the world's most show-stopping wrappers (they look good, just not crazy great or anything), they are absolutely delightful to smoke. I admit I've only had one, because ABR 14 is awfully young, but I find Punch2 don't need years of age to be great. That's one of the things I like in a cigar actually—not enough humidor room to be buying 10 boxes a week or anything—and these are one of my favorites. They get better with age, as most sticks do, but not THAT much better (not like Cohiba, say). Haven't let me down yet. The one I did smoke, which I smoked as soon as I got the box into my house, was stunningly good, actually. Rich, toasty, roasty, and—get this, no joke—peanut butter on the finish for the last third, and on my palate for the next 30-40 minutes. No lie, peanut butter; and not a bad/weird flavor either. Totally unusual in my experience, but man, it was phenomenal. Yeah, Punch2 are great.

Yeah, these are PUM MAR 13 (I think that's the factory, but I know that's the right date), and the one I smoked yesterday was just excellent. Might have be buying more RyJ in the future. Would have bought one of the Short Churchill boxes from LFTW if I had known what a nice flavor profile the marca was capable of having. Smoking a really nice Epi 2. It's from NOV 12, I believe. Whenever it's from, it's terrific.

Somehow I had never smoked any RyJ before. That changed today, and although this is a cigar you don't tend to hear much about (or I don't, anyway), I thought it was phenomenal. Sweet, toasty tobacco, some stone fruit type stuff going on. RyJ Romeo No.2 Tubos:

Oh man, a few come to mind straight away. Lusitanias — Absolutely no-brainer, as anyone who has smoked one knows. Also, I'm a Partagas fan, big time. Luckily, they come in 10's, so I can still smoke them. But man it would be nice to be able to buy a whole box of 25. Partagas 8-9-8 — Basically the same thing as above. But again, they come in 10's, so yay. Plus, I love a Lonsdale. Cohiba Lancero — Easily the best cigar I've ever smoked was a 2008 CoLa, not even a contest—and it was a gift. To this day it is still the only Cohiba I've ever smoked, and the reason for that is the price, plain and simple. Thinking about buying a box of them when I finish my grad school program, though at this rate I might be 40 by then, and I shudder to think what they will cost by then. There are others, such as any and all DC's. Quite a few of those that I haven't tried (but would like to), like Hoyo and Punch. Luckily I don't go for Monte's too much, so none of the usual suspects there. Still never had a 520 or an A. Would love to try the Connie A though.

Absolutely fantastic BBF, from NOV 12 (don't remember factory code off the top of my head).

I know this is a couple days since this thread stopped moving, but I had a comment and a question. As to the Mercedes-Benz, I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, but a friend of mine who is sort of a car headhunter (you pay him to find you an excellent car at an excellent price) drives an '87 or '88 (can't remember which) Mercedes SL. He says that that particular year and model is the "last of the great hand-built German M-B's. He said after that model year he has been unable to find an M-B that wasn't, in his words, inexcusably piss-poor. I was surprised to hear that M-B hand-built their cars as recently as that, but the man knows his stuff, so I believe him, minus a smallish grain of salt. He also owns an '80s Porsche 911, coupe of course (torsional rigidity and all that, plus who wants to drive around in a wind tunnel). Now the question: what model Subaru did you buy? They are on my short list, specifically the STI hatchback. I have been an absolute snob ever since I drove an E36 328i, still to this day my favorite reasonably priced car—favorite would be the great king of cars: the 911. That said, I drove an STI hatch recently and was sorta blown away by the handling, which is what first got me into BMWs (the broad, flat power band being nearly equal). So what model Subaru do you drive, and what's your opinion of the handling, power band, etc.? Also, I have to have a manual transmission, and that's becoming harder and harder to find in the US, which is a friggin shame. Luckily, Subaru has not abandoned them just yet. So ideally my next car will be a 3-series, probably an E46, but if that isn't feasible I'm strongly considering a Subie. So yeah. All that blabbering and what I'm really looking for is your opinion (and that of anyone else around here, of course).

That's one of the most glaring items on my list of Habanos that I haven't tried yet. Diplomaticos, and a couple of the high dollar Cohibas—and the Cohibas may be out of my league. I get so comfortable in my little Bolivar-RA-Partagas-Upmann-Punch world that I neglect those lesser known brands. Lovely looking cigars there.

Some absolutely incredible QdO Coronas from our host. These are MUR ABR 13, and they are spectacular (really, they're great). Smoked one right off the truck, because I couldn't wait, and it was really, really good. I didn't expect it to impress me all that much, but it did indeed. This is the first time I've ever bought (or smoked) any QdO product, but it will certainly not be the last. The flavor profile here is exactly what I like, and I can't believe I've waited this long to buy some. Just wonderful, wonderful cigars.

I'm saying Jordan as well. As far as him being a jerk, I will have to disagree. I have had the privilege of speaking with him at length on several different occasions, and I found him to be a very likable, personable guy. What you can say about him is that he was extremely, extremely competitive, and I think that's where a lot of the talk about him being a jerk comes from. Still, I beg to differ. My vote goes to Jordan no doubt. In the tennis world, Pete Sampras was always a hero of mine. Never have cared for golf or soccer/football/what-you-may-call-it. Hockey it would have to be Gretzky. Baseball is a bit of a toss-up. When you get right down to it, I just don't know that there was ever a sportsman who dominated his sport as completely and irrefutably as Michael Jordan. Greatest of all time.

Non-Cuban, but it deserves mention in here anyway, in my most humble of opinions. I can't always have a Cuban since I'm Stateside and can only store about 450 cigars in my humidors. I've built up a nice list of NCs that I think are excellent, and this is one of the most recent additions. Really gorgeous toasty tobacco taste, with some sweetness to it, and no excessive pepper, which to me is the most obnoxious characteristics of bad NCs. Try one sometime, if you're so inclined.

Looks like I'm not the only one with bands that are wanting to slide around a bit (held them in place for the photo, but they are loose enough to slide right off the cigar). Still, not bad at all flavor wise. This one is JUN 12 I believe. Smoking pretty well right now. The wrappers are so dark and pretty too.

Great photos, and I'm a huge fan of the Headley Grange. Easily in my top five favorite NCs. Having this tonight, a Trinidad Coloniales: Not sure when it's from, as it was a gift from a friend, but it's smoking very well. Very enjoyable cigar. Wrapper was nice and oily. These were sent to me as I had never tried any Trinidad before, and I believe I am a fan of the line if this one is representative. They won't top my Partagas or Bolivar on the "to-buy" list, but they will go on the list, to be sure. Not a very large cigar, but I got a good hour and 20 minutes from it. Nice night here, 56F (13C), 67%RH, and no wind to speak of. Just gorgeous weather for smoking.

Despite the large variations in opinion, I very much appreciate everyone's responses. Have not reached a decision yet, but I am sure that there will be some Cohibas in my humidor before too long. Waiting on my most recent order to come in before I order any more CC's, but Cohiba is on my short list for sure. Might have to just spring for the Lancero's, but I will bookmark this thread and refer back to it when I get around to ordering some Cohibas. This may be outright blasphemy on this forum, but I do not exclusively smoke Cuban cigars. Non-Cubans are what got me into cigars in the first place, and there are plenty of very good ones out there. So, if nothing else, I can always rely on non-Cubans for more frequent smokes while I allow my Cubans to rest and improve. I have definitely seen what age can do for Cubans (and I believe aging is more important with Cubans than non-Cubans), so I will just have to suck it up and wait to really reap the full benefits of Cuban cigars. As I have experienced first hand, it is well worth the wait. Thanks again folks! I appreciate your advice.

Having a 2011 Lusitania tonight. No picture because I'm feeling lazy, so you'll just have to take my word for it. It is, true to form, absolutely excellent. The Lusi is one cigar that just never disappoints.