physiognomy

It is a sad day when you run out of a cigar like this... Glad you were able to enjoy it & thanks for sharing your thoughts! Technically discontinued this year, but there are still recent QdO Panetelas floating around. They are smoking well...

Welcome to FOH Chris!

Some of the young #4s I've smoked lately have really showed their youth in the 2nd half, but the '05 #1s definitely are making my top 5 at the moment...

Welcome to FOH Ian... I'm sure you will enjoy your time here!

Of those I've tried more than once, my favorites are as follows - Zaya (Guatemala) Ron Zacapa 23 Anos Diplomatico Reserva Pampero Aniversario Looks like I will need to find myself a fith...

Thanks for the good laugh...

Macbooks at home & PC at work... Nice thing about the PC is that I know I will have time for coffee at the office since it takes a full 5-10mins to boot each morning.

Fastest I've ever seen him move... I thought for a second that someone was offering up free Guinness across the street

Good to see you here Stefan! Welcome to FOH...

Hey Doug, welcome to FOH... Good to see you here!

A little late to post up, but I also had a great time last week/weekend. It was a pleasure to help welcome Wilkey to Colorado and to meet Dave! Thanks again to all for the great conversation, friendship & cigars! -edit- Here are a few more snaps from the last night...

Thanks for posting up the pictures Dave... I noticed you managed to stay behind the camera. We will have to remedy that next time I'm pretty sure I can speak for all & say that last night was a blast... Huge thanks to Dave for the invite & generously hosting the evening! The conversation, friendship, cigars, rum, & scotch were all top notch! I hope Wilkey is up for doing it all again tonight -edit- Mark, there are parking lots right on 18th west of the Celtic & also some closer to 18th & Wazee... Should also be parking on the street, but it's 2hr until 10pm.

Great to see you at FOH Zach! There are lots of good, knowledgeable folk here & plenty of info... Don't mind the Aussies, they don't bite much... Thanks again for generously hosting last night Dave! It was a great night & I look forward to catching up again some time soon...

I have really been enjoying the '07 Sig 1s lately as well... Your assessment is pretty close to my experience. Great little cigar that is definitely not light on flavor!

I'm looking forward to meeting Wilkey & other local FOH/ICC members latter this week... Time to get my cigar caddy in order! ps Dale, it would be great to see you at one of the events... Seems like ages since we've caught up!

» That has to be one of the nicest looking cabinets I've ever seen!!! Thanks for sharing the details about what sort of work goes into a project like this. I'm sure you will enjoy it for years & years to come!

Welcome to FOH from another local Henry... Hope you are enjoying the mild weather tonight before we see the temp drop. I'm wondering how many more nights I will be able to spend smoking on the patio. If you are interested in meeting some of the local guys please check out [link=http://www.cfrhn.com]this link (click)[/link] & join us. People are meeting this weekend & it has become a regular monthly event.

» As to CO smoking ... I will travel Anything to get me out and around » this gorgeous state. I'll keep my eyes peeled for any herfing. Welcome to FOH... Please join the local crowd! This month we are meeting down south. OCTOBER HERF When - Saturday October 11th at 1:00 PM Where - Peak Cigars (Click for details) - http://www.peakcigars.com/ Peak Cigars and Pipes LLC 410 South 8th Street, Suite E Colorado Springs, CO 80905 719-477-1010 Google Map - http://www.google.com/maps?f=l&hl=en&q=pea...137&t=h&iwloc=A

Welcome to FOH Don... I'd like to 2nd Moglman's suggestion that you check out our local group & join us at our next herf. Everyone is welcome!

» There have been pics of some very nice ashtrays in recent (and past) » reviews - any faves? I had been using terracotta saucers until I picked this up... Much nicer when I have company over.

» What is the best cigar you ever smoked? Ever. So far it has been an '05 RA Belicoso gifted by my good friend Moglman... The combination of a phenomenal cigar & completing my degree culminated in a great night!

These are from a dress box (XLB DIC 05) & I have found them to be a very consistent smoke… Trying to let these get any age has proven difficult & I'm sad to say they won't reach the 5yr mark. I put the torch to this cigar pre-dinner with a cold Skinny Dip ale out on the balcony. Nearly a robusto at 5” by 48rg, it had a nice looking smooth wrapper with a few small veins & slight box-press. Very mild sweet tobacco aroma straight from the box. Prelight draw was initially a little tighter than I’d like, so I shaved a bit more off the cap with my Palio & I was relieved that it improved. The first few puffs delivered good amounts of sweet floral smoke that let me know I was in for a treat. The first third progressed with mild creamy fruit/floral flavours (Newb palate talking here). I am impressed with the balance of these flavours, neither dominating, but all combining in a pleasant manner. The draw opened up a little in the second 3rd & produced volumes of smoke. I think the light (swirling) breeze caused the slight uneven burn, but this corrected itself after a light touch-up. While I could probably blindly pick this as a Cuban cigar initially its earthy ‘twang’ came more to the forefront here & it picked up some faint woody tones that added to the previous flavours mentioned. Some reviews I have read mention spice, but I didn’t notice any up to this point. The last third bumped this cigar into the med category for me… I started to feel a pleasant nic buz & the floral sweetness, while still there, started to take a back seat to a stronger tobacco flavour. While trying to dissect what I was tasting more I noticed that the creaminess was still in the background. The last inch finished off with a sweet woodiness & I put it down when my girlfriend arrived home with some eggplant parmesan sandwiches for dinner. Overall, this was a great cigar that lasted me over one and a half hours. I look forward to smoking more of these. 5.25/6

I must admit that I hadn't really heard of this marca until I received one from a brother on another forum. A small (4 15/16 x 39) cello wrapped cigar with a tapered cap and closed foot. Confirmed by some quick research I assumed these might be machine made, but construction appeared good despite looking a little rough. Removing the cigar from its cello I could smell earthy tobacco mixed with a grassy aroma. Draw was a little loose even though I cut a very small amount of the cap. I could tell that this cigar would need to be smoked slowly & tried to concentrate on taking small 'sips' of smoke after putting light to it. Initial puffs were sweet & grassy, and exhaling through the nose highlighted the sweetness. At this stage all flavors were extremely mild & the draw become firmer compared to pre-light. I was glad to be drinking water as anything else would have overpowered it. Ash was mottled charcoal gray & a light tap at the 1/2" point revealed a glowing cone. The flavor began to develop & the fresh grass took a back seat to earthy Cuban tobacco with a little spice on the tongue. I was happy to see this change in substance & bump up into the med category. Earthy flavors were well balanced by the sweet undertone & exhale through the nose was very smooth. Just after passing the first 3rd I started to notice a light woody/cedar note on the exhale & this built until it was the dominant flavor. Flakey ash continued to hold to around 3/4" & the burn was generally pretty even. I usually keep the head of my cigars as dry as possible, but despite my efforts, it softened considerably & pieces of short filler started to come loose. Nothing too bad, but it was a little distracting. Entering the last 3rd I was reminded of the Quintero Londres Extras I smoked during the summer, but maybe it was just me searching for similar experiences. With just over 3/4" left the smoke started to warm up & I put it down. Nearly an hour smoking time in the end. Overall, this little cigar was quite enjoyable. Construction quality was a little below what I have experienced with other (more recent) budget-priced Habanos, but the last two thirds produced some very good flavor. I would smoke these again & give a rating of 4.75/6

Merry Christmas to all those back home over the pond... I'll have to wait until tomorrow, but some good pizza & Coopers Dark ale will tide me over

Thanks for sharing that wealth of information! In my short time, I have learned many of these lessons myself & wish I initially had this guide in front of me.