This week on Lounge Lizards: H. Upmann No. 2 with Cascahuín Tahona Tequila Blanco.New smoker Cuban Marca 5 pack?, Punch Nectaré, Cuban Tobacco Yield Drops

[El Presidente]

 

The lizards pair H. Upmann No. 2 with Cascahuín Tahona Tequila Blanco. The guys answer a listener email on what flavor notes to expect from the core Cuban marcas, they put together a five-pack for the "New Cuban Smoker" and Bam details his trip to Turks and Caicos. PLUS: J.J. Fox Launches the Punch Nectarés, Was This Cigar Worth COTY?, Cuban Tobacco Yield Drops, American Airlines Reduces Cuban Flights, Tahona vs. Steel for Tequila & Freezer Protocol for Tobacco Beetles.

[DennyPaul]

Great episode!! Appreciate all you guys!!

[SonicStag]

Great episode & this will no doubt feature in best of 25, with Bams accountability hour.The feature on the brands & their typical flavour notes was good as was the 5 pack. We really do need the lizards' top cigars & their desert island cigars.

[barrygoodvibes]

Great episode. Good to know I can crack my box in another year to try. @LizardGizmo, one question. Why are we freezer protocoling official Habanos? I thought they freeze them before retail?

[LizardGizmo]

1 hour ago, barrygoodvibes said:

Great episode. Good to know I can crack my box in another year to try. @LizardGizmo, one question. Why are we freezer protocoling official Habanos? I thought they freeze them before retail?

Great question. Bam decided to freeze his cigars from Turks when he got home. If he had asked me, I would’ve told him it was unnecessary. With that being said, his protocol is a disaster and I didn’t want any listeners thinking that it was good enough for anything that actually needs to be frozen.

The only stuff I freeze is I what I’ve gotten in Cuba - both banded and unbanded - and boxes as well (can be identified by the MINSAP health warning sticker). I have seen beetles twice in stuff acquired in Cuba prior to getting home (cargo bay must’ve been very hot). I also, when transacting peer to peer in the past, freeze anything that has the MINSAP sticker as an extra precaution or anything without bands.

Anything acquired outside of Cuba should be fine, as Rob’s recent thread on beetles makes clear. If you are unsure of its origin, vacuum seal and freeze.