MMarbs

"I prefer small." Ken Gargett That's not what she said.

So I suppose we can put "the rarity of medio tempo" in the category of "it's not mold, it's plume!".

I think the embargo should end - completely. Not just softened; not because I think it should end in the name of "human rights" and "self-determination", which are terms that I think have mostly become empty platitudes and pious camp, but because the Soviet Union is DEAD. The embargo made sense during the cold war when the Soviet Union existed and heavily funded movements - and regimes - in Latin America that were a threat to the U.S.'s vital strategic interests in the Western Hemisphere. That threat is gone. By normalizing relations with Cuba, the U.S. can prevent Cuba from becoming another satellite for a current adversary (China) that can potentially threaten their vital strategic interests. Cuba has had over half a century in experimenting with a planned economy; it's been a disaster, just like every other planned economy. The Cuban regime, I believe, deep down knows this, and ending the embargo could probably speed up the process of Cuba moving away from that type of economy and trying some political reforms. Yes, I am coming at this from cold, real-politick. It smacks of Machiavellian realism, I know, but I am convinced that realism is the correct approach for states in international relations.

Happy birthday Diana!

As the average cigar ring gauge increases, so does the average size of a wristwatch. I'm sure we'll start seeing 60 mm case monstrosities soon.

You hear that, @El Presidente? That means: next time you and Ken do a cigar review, Ken will be picking your cigar - and it will be a Monte Open.

I sometimes watch these two discuss cigars. They're alright, and I think they play up that posh character a bit - though it is a little weird.

Raul stepping down - by itself - won't change anything. What one should look for is more market reforms being brought in and/or a loosening of the Party's grip on political power. That's when you know something is changing. I think the route Cuba will probably take is the one that China took on under Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin: a quasi market economy with an authoritarian regime that still has no independent political or judicial institutions.

"Diabolical." - Ken Gargett

I know we are currently living through a pandemic, but after seeing these pictures, I'll say this: what at time to be alive when it comes to Cuban tobacco.

At 4:55 of the video: "Nothing can go wrong." Except for, you know, a crooked cut.

Yeah, chasing the dragon is definitely dangerous. I guess I should have clarified my statement a bit in that that flavor profile is always in the background of my mind when I light up a Bolivar. I'm trying to clear that thought out as you should always try to approach a cigar fresh and not force it into preconceived expectations.

I got that same flavor from a Boli Gigantes I had back in 2014. It was one of the 3 best cigars I've ever had. It arose in the second 3rd and continued toward the nub. Unfortunately, I haven't got that flavor in any other gigantes - or any other Bolivar for that matter - since that stick. Your experience gives me hope that I may get that flavor again because I've been chasing it in Bolivars.

Yep, I get that cookie dough quality in almost all of the Triniad vitolas. It's one of the reasons why Trinidad is one of my 3 favorite Cuban marcas.

A lot of movies that frequently fall on the list of "Worst Movies", such as Plan 9, wouldn't crack my bottom 100. Plan 9, Jaws 4, Troll 2, etc. at least have some level of entertainment as they are generally so bad they are hilarious. The worst movies are the ones that are so bad and incompetent that they are painful to sit through; they have no redeeming qualities. Manos: The Hands of Fate is one of those movies. Of note: manos is Spanish for "hands". So it's Hands: The Hands of Fate. ?