soutso

when in Rome ..

You bet John. 27 in fact. I still check out the youtube highlights to this day!

That season Phil Blake had made an 9 year old me become an avid Sea Eagles supporter. Had to wait another 38 years for Tommy Turbo to do something similar. I often wonder how many goals Harry Kane would get in that City team. Probably similar numbers to Haaland I think.

Great movie!

I have not posted much over the last few years but I do occasionally log in. The Mareva size is simply the most perfect sized cigar I've had the pleasure to hold. This Nudie range is the best cigar related thing/news/product I've experienced in several years. I just want to say sincerely, thanks.

There is an Arsenal blogger who has a brother who supports Liverpool. When they were young, the Liverpool supporter smashed his brother's Arsenal mug. He then called his brother the Mug Smasher. The name stuck and grew to represent all of us Mug Smashers. My guess is that the mug was smashed in the 89th minute of the last league game played in the 88-89 season.

My first post in a long time, @PigFish This is precisely why I love you!

Right back atcha brother! Yes things are tight but it's also been a good way to sift through your cool neighbours from the ones willing to send your details to the Gestapo at a moments notice! Some of the behaviour around my way is incredibly petty. Talk soon.

We are in the background, watching, always watching ....

Terrific story! I have not visited this great forum in a long time and just when I do, I stumble on the best post I've ever read. God bless you and your family. It's also nice to see another family in which the women are way hotter than the men lol

What else is there to say?

I hope the pics come up clearly on your screen. The tunnel was about 4mm wide and forked off into two 2mm ones. Forgive the order of the pics.

Hello Friends, It's been too long since I've last logged on but I experienced something last night worth sharing. Some months ago I received an unopened, uninspected box of El Principes. Sadly they were affected by tobacco beetle. Four sticks were irretrievable. I froze the other twentyone for six days and stored them separately for a few months. The pics below illustrate my experience. Not sure if the pics are clear but you'll see a unique form of tunnelling. One I cannot blame the roller for! At first it was a single tunnel that then forked off into two smaller tunnels. For the record, the cigar was splendid. Though the beady eyes staring at me were a little unnerving....

G'day Ray, Well I haven't logged on in a while and I'm glad I did this morning. Great vid my friend. I always enjoy them and I'm glad to see that you enjoyed a smoke that you didn't expect much from. That's always a bonus. My gear looks terrific mate! Interesting that the false back is collecting the moist air from the side. We need to talk!! Let me know when you're on the long drive home and I'll give you a call. Good luck on your construction job! Nik

They should enjoy the memory. We won't see many more players that are that good for so long many times in out lifetime. I hope Billy gives his Clive Churchill medal to it's rightful owner ?

Hello to my fellow EPL fans. Just a shout out to those who love the beautiful game to explain where the EPL team that they love (and probably sometimes hate!) will end up at the end of the season. I only ask that you give a range withing three placings and why you think this. If you don't think your club will be first, tell us who you think will. I think my beloved Liverpool FC will end up 3rd-5th. Why? Our greatest asset is our manager and he will push the team to it's limits. I am confident of making the top 4 which sadly seems to have taken over the desire to only be first. EPL Champions - Spurs! Just based on their consistency over the last two seasons, their team is a year older and wiser. Your turn....

Enjoyable vid my friend. Just promise me now that you've hit a hundred you stay humble and not give in the the flashy Hollywood lifestyle that beckons... Sad to hear the cigar wasn't a hit. Was hoping you'd find some improvement in the hole punch method. Just wanted to add that I liked how you toasted the foot to draw some flavour improvement. That's something I do as well and it usually draws some success.

Hey Piggy! Yes it is in my interest to get my cigars to my desired PMC (percentage moisture content) asap! I did describe what I do in a previous post but I cannot locate it easily from my phone. Hi @JamesKPolkEsq I store my cigars in a custom built Piggy special! My set points are 60RH 70 Degrees. Having run my unit for two about and a half years now, I have a feel for what constitutes a 60/70 acclimatised cigar. I mainly smoke Perla and Minuto sized sticks and I have noted that if I receive a box of say, Monte 5, if I place that box in my humidor it will take 6 months to a year to truly acclimatise to 60/70. I suspect that the difference in time is due to just how wet the cigars are upon arrival to my doorstep. If I desire faster acclimatisation I take the cigars out of the box and place them in an open tray inside the humidor. This essentially halves the time to 3-6 months. If anything this tells me that a simple dress box certainly does a job in shielding the cigars from environmental change. Just remember that I am not moving my cigars to an extreme environment. They are going from where they have been to a settled and consistent 60/70 space. I would guess that if I changed my humidor settings to say 50RH/80 Degrees my cigars would dry at a faster rate, though I would suspect I run the risk of damaging the wrapper if it dries too quickly. Larger cigars take longer to acclimatise. My Petit Coronas take about 6 to 9 months in an open tray, 12-18 months in their boxes. I hope this is of interest to you. cheers, Nik

I used to vacuum seal my boxes. I once vacuum sealed a box of Dip 2's - a very thorough and tight vacuum seal and this was the result ? That said, IMO it had no affect on the flavour.

Does the pyramid merely have a toothy wrapper?

Being nervous just means that you care. That is a great start. There was a comment earlier about doing it in front of your wife. (Lol) That is actually a great start but go little further with it. Deliver your speech to someone you know but deliver it in an exaggerated and almost silly manner. Kind of like the late, Steve Irwin but on steroids. Get out of your comfort zone. Really ham it up in any way you can. You will feel foolish at first but very quickly, you will get used to it. It's amazing how quickly you will adapt. You will be out of your comfort zone and just that little bit stronger to take them on, on your big day. Best of luck and please keep us updated of your success.

I've had stages of where this happens to me a lot and then doesn't for a long time. I have begun to suspect that it's the ambient conditions. (Temp and RH) I actually suspect that the ambient conditions can influence the taste of a cigar too. I've always promised myself to one day record the ambient conditions befire lighting up and take notes of the experience. Clipping the head a little works well and yes slow down how often you draw and make the draw a light one. When I can't clip further I actually very lightly and gently toast the head with my jet flame, careful to not touch the head. You will see that the moist tar burns up quickly and you won't need to toast the entire head. This works well for me too. FYI I store at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 60RH.

I enjoyed that Ray, thank you. I once had a friend named, Cassandra. If I walk around the house listening to this song too much I'll be able to hear the good wife growling from the adjacent room....

Very true! Though you can enjoy a man's craft, it don't mean you would enjoy his.... oh dear! By the way, in one of your YouTube vids, Queen's song, "Seaside Rendezvous" is on in the background. Very very interesting....

Queens first 4 albums are still my favourite all time albums. They just have everything I could possibly enjoy. Freddy's voice is my all time favourite voice.