A great Afternoon and a 1987 Punch Churchill.

[El Presidente]

I didn't get a lot of work done yesterday ;-)

Good friend and client Lak Tho dropped in from Malaysia to pay a visit to CZAR House and we retired to the deck at 11am to enjoy a few cigars. At 3:30pm we rose from the rocking chairs after having enjoyed a Partagas Corona (2001) a Punch Churchill (1987) and finally a custom rolled Half corona which Hamlet arranged for me on one of his past visits. Some great Spanish Pedro Ximinez sherry and a magnificent cheese and fruit platter completed the setting.

While all the cigars were enjoyable they were certainly very very different. The Partagas Corona was full and complex and satisfied me to the core. The Custom Half Corona reminded me very much of a Por Laranaga blend with a sweet finish in a full bodied package.

The Punch Churchill was perhaps the only cigar which did not live up to expectation. They burned perfectly andwere silky smooth but lacked flavour definition and certainly lacked any great deal of complexity. Don't get me wrong it was enjoyable, but I would much prefer a Punch Churchill from post 1998 of which I have had many over the past couple of months. Lacking in the older Churchill was the sweet wood profile which I so much look forward to in this cigar.

Lak Tho made comment that older did not always necessarilly mean better and in this cigar I would have to agree.

What a great afternoon of Reseach and Development :-P

[Jimmy2]

Thanks PreZ..

[habanohal]

DO you really need to rub it in??? FOr 3 days now I have this head cold with the killer sore throat.

The thing is , I dont even want a cigar right now, but it will change. I think in 2 years , 2 days is the 3 days is the most I went without a cigar.

[El Presidente]

» DO you really need to rub it in??? FOr 3 days now I have this head cold

» with the killer sore throat.

»

» The thing is , I dont even want a cigar right now, but it will change.

» I think in 2 years , 2 days is the 3 days is the most I went without a

» cigar.

Just telling it like it is.

My favourite part of yesterday was Smithy serving the cheese platter and the drinks !LOL! If looks could kill.

Get well mate ;-)

[SmokinLightning]

Certainly sounds better than my work day...

Need a partner?

:-P

[JMH]

That cigar was as old as I am.

[shrink]

Lak Tho made comment that older did not always necessarilly mean better and in this cigar I would have to agree.

And you thought he was talking about the cigar, eh mate?

[El Presidente]

» Lak Tho made comment that older did not always necessarilly mean better

» and in this cigar I would have to agree.

»

» And you thought he was talking about the cigar, eh mate?

....yes, I am proof positive.

[Ginseng]

Thanks for sharing the smoking experience with us.

Rob, how much do you think storage conditions affects how long a cigar can remain "good?"

Wilkey

[El Presidente]

» Thanks for sharing the smoking experience with us.

»

» Rob, how much do you think storage conditions affects how long a cigar can

» remain "good?"

»

» Wilkey

Storage conditions are everything. The reason I say that is that 3 weeks of poor storage in a 30 year life of a cigar can destroy a cigar in terms of oil dissipation.

This is the reason why purchasing seriously aged cigars sight unseen without knowing it's storage history is tantamount to insanity.

While storage is the No 1 issue to consider, No 2 is the individual cigar and it's blend. You need to select a cigar with serious grunt in order for it to go the long term aging process successfully. By successfully, I mean that it retains flavour complexity. Often, an aged cigar is described whistfully as being "smooth and suave". Certainly not a bad thing...but I am a craver of flavour and complexity.