Scotch&Stogie

2020 Bolicar Corona for M&CRW

Bolivar Royal Corona. An excellent cigar, though not quite up to the level of BBF, think the Animals compared to Led Zepplin, the latter of which (Led Zepplin II) I am listening to at the moment for the purpose of this week’s competition. it is a consistent and enjoyable cigar. Cedar and leather up front, not much creaminess (which I have noticed in general when it comes to 2020 stock compared to 2016-2018), but still smooth. Final third gains a bit of black pepper. It’s not as powerful or complex as it’s big brother, but remains undeniably a child of Bolivar. 87/100

About 9 months. Fiancé is a doctor who hates smoking. Thankfully, she was ok with cigars every once in a while. Then she had a CC R&J while we were in the Caribbean and is slowly coming around to the point she’s now fine with cigars, so long as they’re Cuban.

The fiancé and I are traveling to Jamaica in a few weeks and staying at one of the Sandals resorts in Ocho Rios. Any recommendations on where to buy at a good price? TIA.

NC for me today unfortunately. But plenty of brisket, scotch, and beer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

WHOOP! Thank you all. And additional thanks to the crew at FOH for this contest. It's incredibly difficult to find thorough reviews of habanos given the variations that show themselves year to year and the limited availability of many sticks. This contest has certainly encouraged me to try out different marcas with confidence.

How long do you find that ports and tawnys last after being opened? Even though they're fortified, they are still wine, and that's always given me pause about drinking them except in group settings.

Did they not have any Ammonia taste As they are quite young. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk I did not pick up on any. But I’m my experience, liquor can help mask any ammonia notes, so that’s not to say they aren’t there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Winter has finally hit Texas. Easily the worst time of year weather wise. Constant rain and the temp drops from mid-80s/low 90s to the 30s. Fortunately my patio is fairly enclosed so I’m not subject to the bitter winds. I’ve paired one of my favorite cigars with Glenfiddich 15. A wonderful pairing that really brings out the slight floral and fruit notes present throughout the cigar. Pre light has cocoa, hay, and a slight earthiness to it. First third is compromised primarily of leather, earthiness, cream, and toasted nuts. In the second third the cream comes through more prevalently. The earth and leather is still present, but the cocoa begins to show its face. Truly delectable. This is when the pairing with the 15 year Speyside starts to show just how perfect the pairing is. The Fiddich has notes of chocolate, heather, and dried fruits. I’d also recommend the Balvenie 12 doublewood, Balvenie 15 year Caribbean cask, or Glenlivet 15 solera cask. Islay scotches would likely overpower this particular cigar unless it’s Caol Ila. In the final third the cream, leather, and cocoa blend beautifully. The floral and fruit notes remain and strengthen a touch. But leather and cream notes still dominate. The hour and a half smoke time is a bit too long for the weather. Thankfully I have some Monte Media Coronas in the line up for this time of year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Damn! Nice combination. I must say I’m quite envious. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tonight I am smoking an ESL May 18 Partagas Serie D No 4 paired with a 2015 tascante ghiaia nera from Sicily. I must confess that this is my first Serie D, and it just came in last Thursday. I rarely pair cigars with wine, preferring Islay, Campbeltown, or Speyside scotch or rum; but this was on sale at a fantastic old school Italian joint in east Dallas where I grabbed dinner tonight and it was a perfect to my sandwich. Wine has soft tannins for a red yet still fairly dry. Silky mouthfeel with some jammy notes accompanying some overripe fruit alongside the reason I thought I’d give this pairing a shot, slight spice, leather, and tobacco notes. And now onto to the important bits. Wrapper appears to be Colorado maybe Colorado Maduro in color. Perfect construction. Opened with a punch cut, the triple cap holds firm and yields a perfect draw, like a well spun milkshake. Dry notes are baking spice, cocoa, and leather. First thing I notice about this cigar upon tossing the foot and lighting the aroma. The smoke coming off is lovely, almost floral in some respects. I was not expecting that in the least. Initial flavors are of earth, wood, a little cayenne and white pepper, maybe some clove, with a touch of cream. It brings out some French oak notes in the wine that I didn’t notice before. Second third the spice has leveled off, earth and leather components remain strong, with the earth becoming somewhat more vegetal in nature. Potentially some dark chocolate? Though that may be attributable to the wine. Final third is leather and earth with the spice dying off, but still present as Cheyenne pepper. Overall a truly fantastic cigar. Even ROTT. I can’t wait to see how this performs after 60 days. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dr Pepper, though admittedly I have to cheat a little bit and call a 90 minute drive local. ?

Onyx, Noble Coyote, and Merit.

Does anyone in the think tank know anything about this stick? Owner of a shop named after a certain Cuban brand in the Weird city of this Empire Wide and Glorious named after one of our founding fathers from the Lesser 49 claims its Cuban leaf smuggled to Dominica. There is a certain funk to it, but I’d like to see if anyone else has any insight before I use these as a patch while I let the rest of my BFs, and the D4s and Connie As that arrive today take a little nap. I will say they’re solid cigars, I bought one I’ll give a review later in this post for my fellow friends of the forbidden leaf, but if the owner is trying to pull the wool over my eyes that’s a deal breaker. I described the BF and Monte 3 to him without mentioning the names and he immediately directed me to these over three or four other cigars I had never heard of that I asked him about.

I created a spreadsheet for NCs but it works well enough for Cubans as well Date smoked/brand/name/vitola/size/ date purchased/wrapper/binder/filler/construction/draw/pre-light/first third/second third/final third/drink pairing/drink notes/other.