The Professor

Hot day on my front porch ... 93*F, but falling. It's about 4:30 pm and I *need* a cigar about now. I pour a Stoli and tonic with a twist of lemon, over ice in an insulated glass. A well balanced drink that should (a) take the heat off and ( compliment this cigar well. Removing the cigar from my humi, two things catch my attention. First, it's dark ... like a good milk chocolate bar. Second, it's smooth and velvety w/medium box press -- feels like a fresh soft baseball glove or a fine calves' leather jacket. the pre-light draw was a bit tight; but it was sweet and inviting, so I took my torch to it and puffed away. cut and lit very nicely first puffs semi-sweet and citrusy ... like orange or lime (not lemon) hints of cocoa and leathery tobacco sweet aroma ... very pleasing once at the first inch, the citrus really pops; but there are some strange burn issues toward the end of the first 1/4, a creaminess begins to emerge ... like smoking a creamsicle still a tad on the tight side and the wrapper is a little strange ... requiring me to apply a good pop of suction in order to get a flavorful draw. I think what seems to be happening is that the wrapper isn't staying lit as well as it could/should; so if i let it sit for as long as I normally do between puffs, it needs that extra suction to get the wrapper to burn right. odd. the wrapper adds sooooo much flavor to this, though, that the extra effort is worth it. it's also dawning on me that the ash is a bit weak. it's broken off on my shirt once and seems generally fragile. here's what gravity did to it at one point: been talking on the phone and enjoying the second half of this cigar. not terribly complex; but the sweet and citrus flavors are still prominent and delightful. a spice kicks in during the last inch or so, which is a nice contrast to the sweetness. overall, I was very pleased with this cigar, despite the burn and construction issues. I can't help but like this smoke, imperfections or not. nubbed it at 5:32 pm. ~d.

I'll be in shortly ... give me 45 minutes to finish the cigar ;-) I'm about halfway though this 98 Boli Corona right now and am typing as I smoke. :-P Edit: it's up now.

Welcome to FOH, Michelle. You're not gonna confuse me with your Kiwi tongue here, too, are you? LoL!

Fancy seeing you here, Heath. Welcome!

Welcome from another soon-to-be Southerner. :-)

Welcome!!!

Ha! I haven't tried any 05s ... but I may want to steer clear of them. The 06s I've had haven't been too bad, though. Real good now ... will be great in a couple of years.

» Launching new web site Friday ;-) wow.... I'm excited to see what changes await. :-)

Welcome from another FOH newbie!

» Welcome from a cigar loving Psychology professor. » » Pull up a chair and enjoy yourself. You will find this Board to be like » an advanced graduate seminar, but much more fun. So ... and I'm sure you get this often ... is a cigar sometimes "just a cigar"? :-) Thanks for the welcome!

» Welcome Darrel! » » I'm an aspiring professor (2.5 years into my program) and I love cigars » too. :-) » » What's your area? I'm in education. » » Wilkey Hi Wilkey, Long-time fan of your exposés! :-) I'm in communication -- rhetorical studies in particular. That means, basically, that I study public/political discourse. In particular, I'm interested in discourses of dissent and resistance forwarded by "marginalized" peoples ... with an even more specific emphasis on the intersections of race and democracy. Was that nerdy enough for ya? LOL If you want any tips for surviving until the end of your program, send me a PM or email. I'd be happy to chat! What area of education are you in? I had quite a few education peers in my grad school classes ... and have had even more as students of my own. Glad to be here and thanks for the welcome. Cheers, ~d. LLG

» Welcome to FOH...be prepared to learn learning *is* a lifelong process, after all. thanks for all the welcomes, people!

Thanks for the reply. Reading through various posts I can tell I'm gonna like this place. Already started posting elsewhere, too Good times!

These are my *favorites* right now: 91 La Corona Panetela (I love these cheap smokes) 05 Partagas 898V (need some 06s to compare) 84 ERDM Panetelas Largas (perfect with a mimosa) 98 ERDM Lonsdale (always a treat) 06 Punch Royal Selection #11 (hot damn; these are good) Honorable Mention: 05 Taboada Canonazo (haven't smoked one yet; but have it and look forward to it)

My name's Darrel and I'm a college professor who loves cigars. Found out about this place from a friend on another board and had to check it out. Loving the reviews and everything else I see! This place will definitely make it onto the daily viewing/posting list for me.