Parliamo ancora di New York, ma stavolta per l’ennesima follia di Bloomberg,  quando abbiamo pensato che una proposta di vietare il fumo all’aperto  a New York sia in fondo una follia, perché i gas di scarico ti assalgono ad angolo di strada con le  centinaia di migliaia di veicoli che transitano e un sigaro in più non farebbe differenza ecco che rriva un’altra idea:
questa settimana, il New York City Council, vuole vietare la vendita di qualsiasi prodotto di tabacco aromatizzato. Sì, vogliono andare oltre la US Food and Drug Administration nel vietare tutti i prodotti del tabacco aromatizzato, ad eccezione di pipe e narghilé.

Hanno dichiarato che questo è in uno sforzo per evitare l’uso del tabacco da parte dei giovani minorenni. Ciò che in realtà non fa altro che impedire che gli adulti di avere i loro prodotti del tabacco. Il New York City Council ha utilizzato un approccio illogico uguagliando le sigarette aromatizzate a tutti i prodotti del tabacco aromatizzato, ma se hai ragazzi vieti le sigarette al mentolo le fumeranno normali, non risolvi così il problema.

La vendita di tabacco ai minorenni deve essere attaccata. Questo è l’obiettivo, e dovrebbe essere al centro di qualsiasi misura di politica riguardo al tabacco.

Let’s cut to the chase, this is a fine looking cigar with a band to match, and that’s really where my knowledge of this cigar stops. While I’ve not had a lot of experience with Perdomo cigars, I was once privileged to attend an event where Billy Perdomo was present and was demonstrating the master techniques of cigar rolling.

As I said, the Lot 23 is an impressive looking cigar, unfortunately I cannot really speak to much else. Allow me to explain. Pre-light thing were business as usual. Lot 23 boasts a Ecuadorian Connecticut-shade wrapper, housing both Nicaraguan binder and filler. The wrapper, while smooth did show a few pronounced veins and a could of minor nicks. The aroma of this cigar reminded me of honey mixed with oak and topped off with a butter creaminess. Inviting to say the least. Upon making my initial cut of the double cap, a crack in the wrapper was produced. Apparently this particular cigar was tipping toward the dry side. Like most every smoker, I’ve found myself in this situation a time or two and usually it’s manageable. However, this time the crack protruded near an inch down the length of the cigar, almost touching the band.

It is here one is faced with any given number of possibilities. One, scrap the cigar and smoke something else. Two, smoke it as is and hope the crack does not worsen. Three, give up cigar smoking altogether. Or four, opt for an experiment. I chose the experiment.

Not sure what lead me to make my decision, but for whatever reason I thought it best to clip the cigar just below the crack. This required me to first remove the band; cutting off an inch of cigar at the head. This cut did cause the wrapper to loosen, as I expected it would. Rather than to proceed as normal from this point, I simply lit the freshly clipped head of the cigar and drew from the foot. In essence I smoked the cigar backwards. Surprisingly enough, this worked for a while, until about mid way thought the wrapper had come completely undone and thus rendered the cigar unenjoyable.

I will say however, that for the time I was able to smoke and enjoy this cigar I picked up greater flavor notes of the initial honey, oak and buttery-creaminess. Adding to this were a subtle nutty flavor and even hints of white pepper (thank you Nicaraguan tobacco). The burn was even and true, and of course the draw was fine. Large billows of smoke filled the air and I would imagine had things gone along as normal this would have been quite a fine cigar.

Never the less, my experience weighs heavily into my rating…

Personal rating: 5 (10 pt. scale)

Happy Smoking,
~R. Harrison Malone

I thought that I should begin with a bit about how I got into the hobby of collecting and smoking cigars. I say hobby because thats just what it is, it’s much different from my addiction to cigarettes.

As many cigar enthusiasts probably do, I started with a “drug store cigar”. These normally are machine-made and are produced with short filler. Short filler is similar to the tobacco in cigarettes. They burn hotter and smoke faster than handmade cigars. The hotter the cigar gets, the more bitter it will taste. Anyway, I learned to enjoy drugstore stogies from time to time then I decided to drop by a local cigar shop. The guy there was very helpful and talked me into purchasing a Padron anniversary 1964 Principe in a natural wrapper. I could not wait try one. From the time that I lite it I was very impressed with it. As a cigarette smoker, I have a difficult time noticing the nuances in a cigar. I did however on this one detected a leathery taste that really stood out to me. This leathery taste is not like chewing on a piece of leather but more like the sweet aroma of a new jacket or sitting in a new car with leather seats.

It took about thirty minute to finish this cigar in which time I could detect hints of coffee and a woody flavor. This cigar is not infused with these flavors; it’s hard for me to describe but I will get into that in a later post.

After enjoying that Padron Principe, I was sold on the premium cigars. No more drug store stogies for me. Sure the premium handmade cigars a generally much more expensive but what a difference. I began to try different brands, sizes, shapes and wrappers (outer leaf).

It wasn’t long before I purchased a small humidor to keep my stogies in and quickly out grew that and was in need of a larger one. I was pleasantly surprized when my son and his wife gave me a one. That one too filled up in no time at all. while I do smoke my them often, I tend to hear about one that I need to try or see some at the local shop or online that look too good to pass up.

Well, thats just the beginning. From that point forward I have been sliding down the slippery slope of cigar debt. I often find myself mentioning cigars to people, most could care less but every now and then I come across somebody the enjoys them as much as I do. Over the past few years I have managed to get several others to get into the hobby including my father, step son and two son-in-laws.

In future posts I will get into individual cigar reviews, smoking techniques, accessories… Please keep in mind that I am not a tobaconist, I am just a regular guy that enjoys cigars. I will probably learn as much about the topics while writing these posts as you do by reading them. I am sure that someone will correct me often and I welcome it.

The tobacconist I usually go to is an “Oliva Lounge”, this being said they have a lot of Oliva product.  It was wandering aimlessly through the humidor one day and I stumbled upon this beauty of a cigar.  It is 6 1/2 x 52 torpedo with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and a Nicaraguan binder and filler.

I cannot emphasis how great this cigar looks.  It is a beautiful light brown with minimal veins.  I clipped the cap a little more generously than I normally do, it is a torpedo after all.

Prelight draw was a little loose for my taste, but it was still within my acceptable firm bandwidth.  I couldn’t really note any distinct smells at either end of the cigar outside of the smell of quality tobacco.

The first draw was very smooth and very mild/medium.  There were notes of sweet burnt toast (buttery toast?) and caramel.  The burn was slightly off straight, but it didn’t affect the flavors.

1 inch in and in addition to the aforementioned tastes there was a slight nuttiness coming through.  There was a slight burn issue at 1 1/2 inches, but it self corrected at 2 inches.  It should be noted that I smoked this cigar on a Saturday at around noon.  Which is the perfect time to have this very mild/medium smooth cigar.

2 inches in and the cigar was still keeping its ash.  I was admiring and pondering this construction feat when the ash relieved itself…..on my lap.  Yes, I ashed myself.  After the cigar ashed I thought I would retro-hale and see what additional flavors I could pick up.  There was a slight blast of spice which hadn’t been present before.  Ok, now this cigar has my attention.

I noted after the first ash that the cigar was having burn issues and the flavor had changed to more leathery notes.  Which struck me as very strange as the flavors up to then had been very mild nutty sweetness.  I smoked it through 1/8 of an ash and the flavors of mild nutty sweetness where back.  Perfect.  While smoking it to the 1/8 ash place I noted there was some burning issues.  So, in summary, after the cigar ashed it had flavor and burn issues.  This was very frustrating and unusual given my previous Oliva experiences, which have been superb.

This trend continued through the rest of the smoke.  Moments of sublime smoothness quickly replaced by laborious smoking and then back again.

I would recommend this cigar for a relatively new cigar smoker and at $5 a stick (depending on location) it can be gotten without too much monetary committment.

I would say overall while I like this cigar for an afternoon smoke, Oliva has better cigars to fit my particular tastes, i.e. V & G.  So take the suggestion for what it is worth.  That said I would give this cigar a rating of 7.

der Baron

The 460 is a 4 inch by 60 ring cigar with a Brazilian maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan long-filler. The cigar feels firm and has a free pre-light draw. Aroma is oak and hay.

Since the Nub is designed to hit the sweet spot quick and stay there, there isn’t much change in flavor or evolution with this experience. The light brings some pepper and unsweetened chocolate with a bit if oak and moss.

The body stays medium with a nice dense mouthfeel, but not overly thick. Flavor is in the mid range of strength.

The only change in flavor came toward the end when there was about an inch and a half left and things got bitter.

The burn was mostly even and very slow. Burn time was close to an hour.

The only stick I can compare this to is the Oliva O Maduro (Oliva makes Nub) which has similar earthy notes but more spice.

I often attribute every thing out-of-the-ordinary that happens to me as some sort of psychic experience or sign.  A few days ago, for example, I was working (mental-exercising) on some psychic tests and the ice cubes in the water-glass sitting next to me shifted with a loud “clunk”. When something moves like that, I always think “earthquake” before I even think “psychic” but in this instance, the glass didn’t move, just the large ice cubes. No earthquake. Loudly. I said “hello” as is my practice when books fall off the  shelves or strange noises, like paper crinkling, are heard in my office/study.  This doesn’t happen daily, but often. It’s happened so many times, I seek no explanation, I just accept and move on.  However, I can still be surprised. Once a Star Trek drinking glass full of vintage pencils, scissors and a  cocktail stirrer or two took a flying leap off a near-by book shelf and ended upright, all by itself. That was one of those times I said “whoa…..” and then moved on.

Having said that (as Larry David would say), sometimes a noise is just a noise. Clinking ice cubes, sounding like a drum beat, are just ice cubes settling. Nothing more. A glass leaping off a shelf – well it’s just a leaping glass. That could happen.There is no need to assign a “sign” or psychic label to any movement that has no explanation.   Though Dr. Freud most likely did not say, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.…” his much-repeated mis-quote is relevant when it comes to my so-called psychic (PK) events.

I need to keep Freud in mind lest I start believing reality is other than concrete. Sometimes a cigar is just something to smoke.

After a long and arduous day of travel on Friday,  I finally made it to Reno for the 11th annual Herf At Reno Dammit!, otherwise known as H.A.R.D.  Bob Greene has been organizing this event for the last decade and does a nice job.  The schedule is fairly open.  The days spent sitting around the CalNeva sports book smoking cigars and telling stories and dinners every evening followed by more cigars in the sport book.  People attended from Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Florida and of course, Pennsylvania.  One of the best things about this event is that it’s pay-as-you-go and Reno can be a pretty reasonable place for a cheap bastard like myself.  My flight into Reno was due in at 12:30 PM, but high winds made us abort our landing attempt and make a stop in Sacramento to refuel and wait out the winds.  While I was waiting in the Sacramento airport I was in contact with my friend Steve who was driving from San Francisco to Reno and happened to be passing Sacramento at the time.  I decided to decline his offer to pick me up, I had check a bag and figured it would be easier to wait out the flight rather than having to get back to the airport to retrieve my luggage.  This turned out to be a wise move on my part, as much as I would have enjoyed spending the time with Steve, there was a snowstorm in the Donner Pass and Steve didn’t make it into Reno until 9:30 PM.  He had to get chains put on his rental car and had a pretty miserable trip.  I finally made it into Reno after the winds died down and contacted friends Mark and Anita who had very generously offered me lodging for the weekend.  I hadn’t seen Mark in 10 years and it was my first time meeting his wife.  It was great to see them.

After such a long day, it was nice to be able to relax.  Mark, Anita and I went out for a $7.77 prime rib dinner at the Gold Dust West which was surprisingly delicious.  After dinner we met up with some folks at the Brews Brothers brew pub in the Eldorado which was the first “official” event of the weekend.  More old friends were there and I met some new folks who I “knew” from the cigar newsgroup but had never met face to face.  The interesting thing I’ve found when meeting people from this group is that even though you’ve never actually met, having corresponded digitally it’s as if you know them and just haven’t seen them in a while.  In the 13 years I’ve been involved online in the cigar world, I’ve met hundreds of cigar smokers and this is usually the case, almost an instant rapport. After the live music started in the brew pub, we took over some tables and chairs in the Eldorado Sports book and continued catching up and smoking cigars.  Steve finally found us and regaled us with the story of his journey through the pass.  By about 1 AM (4 to my body clock) we called it a night.  I had two or three cigars over the course of the evening,  Camacho Candela and  National Brand robustos amung them.

Saturday morning came and we made our way to the CalNeva sports book, which was the base camp for the weekend.  We had a roped off area with chairs and little tables.  We were given coupons for a free breakfast which several of us partook of – eggs, hash browns, and toast – not bad and the price was right!  It can be quite interesting dining with a retired pathologist, it really can test ones constitution.  We settled in at the sports book and said ‘Hellos’ and made introductions.  Many old friends, and many friends I hadn’t yet met.  I started with a Trinidad Coloniales which was a great way to start the day.    I’m not a big football fan, so the dozens of screens showing various college games were of little interest to me.  There was an ever changing cast of cigar friends coming and going throughout the afternoon: Ben formerly of Japan, Ted and Vicky (aka the Miscs) and others.  I spent the day conversing with everyone.  Many cigars were consumed and many great stories were shared among the crowd.  I am quite content to park in one spot for the afternoon and, to tell the truth, I didn’t come to gamble or sight see.  I came to reconnect with old friends.  I’m very happy when the only decision I have to make is what cigar to smoke next, so this was an ideal situation for me and I really appreciate the opportunity to talk face to face with all these folks.   At 7 PM everyone met at the Prime Rib Grill in the Eldorado for dinner.  Prime rib again, which was just as good as the previous night’s, with  shrimp cocktail, broccoli, and cheesecake for desert.  After dinner Bob (Greene) passed out a ton of goodies from Drew Estate, including Liga Privada No. 9 and T52s, Chateau Reals, Joya de Nicaraguas, and Drew Estate box openers and cutters (really nice cutters too, not your normal cheesy plastic cutters).  There were also some cigars from Rocky Patel and Hatuay cigars circulated.  Many thanks to the sponsors.  I didn’t expect to come home with so many more cigars than I came with, but it’s much appreciated and they will be enjoyed!  After dinnner we returned to our area at the sports book and had more cigars and conversation.  Sometime after midnight we called it a day after much hilarity courtesy of Keith F.  I think I had 5 cigars over the course of the day including a Liga Privada T52 and a No.9.

Some more pictures from the event can be found in the Flickr widget on the right, the Flickr widget on the left side of www.cigarcraig.com or at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cigarcraig/.   Watch for the second installment in a couple of days.

until the next time,

CigarCraig

The main health risks smoking cigarettes pertain to sicknesses of the cardio system, in particular heart attack, heart disease, sicknesses of the respiration tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary illness, asthma, emphysema, and cancer, especially lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue.

An individual’s increased risk of contracting illness is directly in proportion to the length of time a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone stops smoking, then these possibilities gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired. A year since quitting, the chance of contracting heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker. The health issues of smoking are not uniform across all smokers. Risks vary according to amount of tobacco smoked, with those who smoke more at greater risk. Light smoking cigarettes is still a health issue. Similarly, it doesn’t cut back the hazards.

Another difficulty with folk is alcoholism. The term’alcoholism’ refers to a disease known as alcohol dependance syndrome, the most severe stage of a group of drinking Problems which starts with splurge drinking and booze abuse. Alcohol tribulations occur at different levels of severity, from meek and provoking to potentially terminal. Although alcohol reliance ( alcoholism ) is the most grim stage, less relentless drinking Problems can also be deadly.

The problem of alcohol and smoking of cigarettes is curable but for somebody to be treated has to have a sincere desire to fetch help. Alcoholics and those that are into smoking of cigarettes, if are pushed into treatment by social pressure or forced to quit by circumstances infrequently achieve success in the long run. Even most alcoholics who find help on their own volition have 1 relapse before they obtain long-term sobriety.

Ciggie Articles :
Types fo Cigarettes – Asbestos in Cigarettes
Types fo Cigarettes – Does Smoking Cigarettes Cause Mesothelioma?

Come join the fun and ambiance of Ybor City for a day of activities celebrating the rich cigar heritage that once made Tampa the “Cigar Capital of the World.” Join thousands of cigar enthusiasts at the this annual festival!

See master cigar makers Wallace and Margarita Reyes attempt to break the

record for

“World’s Longest Cigar.”

World’s Longest Cigar
2009 Record Attempt by:
Wallace Reyes,
Grand Master Cigar Maker

Current US Record Holder
(30.78 meters) in 2006

CENTENNIAL PARK
in YBOR CITY
on 9th Ave. between
18th and 19th Streets

Directions & Map

Saturday
NOVEMBER 21, 2009
10am – 5pm

Video of worlds longest cigar by Wally

http://cigars.about.com/library/multimedia.–0Z/Windows-Video/blcigarlongest.htm

Tampa and Ybor City is holding it’s annual Cigar Heritage Festival today, November 21. Tampa and Ybor City are known as the cigar capital of the world. The 2006 festival occurred in  November also and  a new world record for the longest cigar in the world was set by Wally Reyes of Gonzalez Habano Cigars in Tampa.  It seems Tampa Wally Reyes and Cuba’s cigar roller Jose Castelar Cairo (Cueto)  have been battling for the honor of holding that record for worlds longest cigar.  Cueto received officially his fourth Guinness Record certificate, in May of this year. This time for his 45.38 meters long Habano cigar.

Cueto, rolled his cigar during the 2008 international tourism fair and the record was certified by London’s house of world records. The Cuban roller has made other three universal habanos. The first was a 11.04 meters long cigar, the second one was 14.80 meters and the third one 20.41, all of them registered as Records.

 However, Wally brought that honor back to the United States (from Cuba) with a cigar measuring 101 feet.

 Cigar Dave Zebplowitz, will also be there, conducting a live broadcast of his nationally syndicated cigar radio program and many of the personalities who frequent his show. http://cigardave.com/ The show originates from Tampa, Florida on Saturday afternoons, and is available in about 100 local markets. The show is also carried on both Sirius and XM satellite radio

Cigar companies showcase their merchandise, while live bands and other performers will entertain the crowds. Cigar rollers will be on hand to demonstrate their craft.

The most well known would be Tampa Sweethearts Cigar Company. The cigar factory building was developed in 1895, and stands today as an outlet for some of the best hand-rolled cigars in the area.

The oldest cigar shop in Ybor City is El Sol Cigars. Back in 1929, the first Smok-A-Cuba cigar was made by Guy Saitta in his shop on 7th Avenue in the Ybor City.

http://www.elsolcigars.com/history.htm

What are you doing Monday afternoon? Stop by De La Concha to meet three of the top names in the cigar business: Pepin Garcia, Nestor Miranda and Eddie Ortega. An opportunity like this doesn’t arise every day. And, while you’re in the store, pick up a box of any of the cigars made by Pepin, Nestor or Eddie — not only will you get 15 percent off, you’ll get five chances to win a trip for two to visit the new Pepin Garcia cigar factory in Nicaragua (all expenses paid).

There will be other specials running throughout the day as well. Buy three or more cigars from each of these industry masters, and you’ll get 10 percent off and one chance to win the Nicaragua trip. Stop by De La Concha between 3 PM and 7 PM to see what other surprises are in store and meet the men behind the cigars you’ve grown to love.

Not enough for you?

Come by the shop again on November 24 between 11 AM and 3 PM to meet Rocky and Nish Patel. They’ll be featuring a new blend called “The Patel Brothers” cigar. Pick up three Patel cigars, and you’ll receive a free sungrown torpedo. You’ll also receive a free Rocky Patel dual flame ligher worth $49.99.

Non-filter cigarettes are the most ancient form of cigarettes. They can be smoked from either end. As the name implies, they don’t have a filter. They are straightforward to inhale, as there is not any resistance from a filter. Actual smoke intake is much higher than normal cigarettes. These types of cigarettes are relatively inexpensive as compared to ordinary filter cigarettes. As such, discount non-filter cigarettes are offered at even more economic rates.

Non-filter cigarettes have a robust taste and are not recommended for first time fag users. Non-filter cigarettes are about 30- forty percent more damaging re nicotine content. This startling revelation hinders a large number of folk from inhaling them. To help and attract users to this non-filters, manufacturers offer great rebates.

For regular, non-filter cigarette smokers, smoking isn’t a particularly expensive habit. Cigarette online trends have made makers maintain homogenized costs on these products. Because of this, a customer may select any brand that suits their taste. Producers offer discount non-filter cigarettes to influence shoppers to switch brands.

A number of non-filter fag smokers are regular smokers. This is because these cigarettes have a strong taste and are highly addictive. Non-filter cigarettes are shorter in length and can’t be smoked till the end, as they get really hot in comparison to filter types. For this reason, smokers simply light more non-filter cigarettes. Using discount non-filter cigarettes can financially sustain increased consumption.

The majority of non-filter Marlboro smokers choose discount non-filter cigarettes, as these are typically available in cartons. This offers a constant source of cigarettes. As such, these purchases also get rid of the likelihood of running out of cigarettes. This helps save cash because single pack purchases are comparatively more expensive. Discount non-filter cigarette offers are available at local stores and on the internet. Relying upon the source, discount rates may vary.

Realted Articles:
Export Cigarettes – The first thing to understand

Grade: B

Price: $4 – my price $1.50

So once again I felt like going on a little drive and I just needed an everyday smoke. I have had a Paso Doble before and I already knew I could finish one of these in this hour drive.

So I think this cigar is not really something that’s made the same way constantly. They seem to taste slightly different every time, but that’s okay, they are pretty good.

So the pre smoke is relatively good. The cigar is very loosely packed and it is not hard to get air flowing through it at all. I was just sitting in the parking lot and getting my stuff in the car. I really was not in a hurry at all so this really gave me time to think about the cigar. These cigars are really vainy on the outside with a light wrapper.

It was not very breezy outside so I just sat in my car, opened the door and did this the old way: matches. Had to use two because I didn’t think that one did the trick, but I could have been wrong, better to light it then do it while I’m driving. The cigar itself was a little on the dryer side because my roommate can’t figure out how to keep cigar at the right humidity. The cigar lit up nicely and I got on my way.

I think the cigar smoked a little fast, but I also think that’s because the cigar was so loosely backed. I, for some reason, will smoke these cigar perfectly well when I drive. What I mean is that the cigar will smoke evenly, the ash will be long and it will not get how at all.

So nearing the end the ash fell off in my car. The cigar was down to the last two inches. I had only one thought in my mind; the leaf is different in this part of the cigar. I think I’m right because the flavor changed an I needed to throw the cigar out because it got way too hot. I tried to cool it down, but that did not work at all, the cigar just got bitter on me and that was the end of the Paso Doble.

These cigars are an everyday smoker’s dream because they do have flavor, loads of smoke and they will please a regular smoker. Flavor is on the medium side, but at least it tastes like a cigar not a cigarette. Enjoy.

RyJ Duke is One of 3 Edicion Limitada 2009 releases from Habanos. and as we all now the EL series comprises cigar vitolas that are not in current production and they are manufactured using 2 years old wrapper from the top of the plant that usually darker in color and stronger in taste. i the past i didn’t really paid lot of attention to the EL’s how ever when i became more passionated to the Cigars i really cant wait to put my hand on the releases of every year. About this particular cigar “DUKE” it was unique in the shape to attract any cigar lover. I’ve already smoked a full box and kept another for aging so here what i found:

1st third:

2nd third:

I guess this part waked this giant up to show the power the it has. The smoke here got more deeper and complex. The flavors more spicy leathery and richer coffee and sweet cocoa. Notes of cinnamon and cedar in the back ground. A very sweet aged Cuban tobacco flavor by the half way point.

Final third:

Final thoughts:

I have enjoyed a few of these now and this is the smallest vitola I’ve tried thus far at 4×44. The cigar has a deep red-brown wrapper and is firm to the touch. Cold aroma is of hay and wood with some soil.

The light brings some spice and deep dark flavors like leather and oak. The body is in the middle range while flavor is full. The body does build throughout the experience coming into a thick, dense mouthfeel toward the middle of the cigar.

As I reach the middle I find more espresso notes and a slight sweetness with a bittersweet chocolate note. These mix well with the oak and earthy flavor and aroma. The complexity is nice while flavor is not overpowering.

One thing that struck me was how slow and even the burn progressed. Overall the smoke time was a little over an hour.

Overall I found this very similar to the CG:4 vitola. This cigar is one at the top of my list.

It is a chilly night, but that did not stop me from enjoying a fine Illusion M12. This is a damn fine cigar, and the foil wrap is kinda cool. Especially good for a night out on the town, and the foil will protect the cigar well, but as I have shown it is also good when you have other work to do out on the balcony.

I had a few sips of a good locally-brewed beer to go along with the cigar, although the cold temp did make the brew a little less appealing.

Off to the dentist office at 7:00 am tomorrow, where I am sure my cigar smoking will be a topic of discussion…

This is my latest attempt at blogging, and my attempt to keep up with one of my favorite topics…cigars.

I will probably be just posting random cigar stuff, like cigars I have been smoking lately, cigar-related news, and other random stuff.

I will attempt to keep it interesting…

Well, Friday I’m off to Reno for a cigar event.  A bunch of great folks I met through the alt.smokers.cigars usenet group years ago get together every November in Reno to smoke cigars, hang out in the CalNeva sportsbook, smoke cigars, have a few meals, hang out, smoke cigars, etc.  This is the 11th year that Bob Greene has been holding this event, called H.A.R.D, or Herf At Reno Dammit!   I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends I haven’t seen in 9 or 10 years or so.  When we go on these cigar adventures, I think most of us are more concerened with what cigars to pack than what clothes to pack, right?  We have to think of what cigars we want to smoke under what circumstance, and what cigars we want to gift.  So I spent some time packing cigars, as well as a couple articles of clothing and some toiletries.   I know, it’s an illness…

I hope to be able to post a blog entry during the event, so watch this space for an update.   I also hope to get some photos uploaded to Flickr.  Until then, check out this weeks Dogwatch Cigar Radio podcast.  There’s a great interview with our friends Gregg and Tim of the 25 Smokin’ Figurados, a great band with cigar and libation pairings for their songs on their website.   As always, please feel free to leave your comments, I look forward to reading them.

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

Hans Gurlecht Schlectmier was once a thoughtless ape hiding in the Amazon. During an exploratory mission, Nazi scientists caprtured him and took him back to Berlin for experimentaion. Fearing for his life, Hitler had his brain placed in the ape body.
The rest, as you know, is history.

These cigars are getting harder to find, so I thought I should get a review up in case anyone wanted to search one out. The Oliveros LTD line was produced in the Dominican Republic as a limited edition cigar. It was a one-time production run of only 2000 boxes each of two sizes, and each box contains 50 cigars. Either size will run about $10 in your local B&M. The Gran Robusto is 5.5 inches long with a 52 ring gauge. The wrapper is Brazilian and surrounds a Corojo binder and fillers from Nicaragua, Peru, and the Dominican Republic.

Oliveros LTD Gran Robusto

The cigar has spent over two years in my humidor. I noticed a few medium-sized veins on the wrapper but otherwise its color and appearance were very good. The cap was perfect and was easily cut using a Xikar cutter. I lit the cigar with my butane torch lighter. The aroma included nuts, hickory wood, and leather. No issues with the draw. When I began puffing, these same components came through in the flavors even more intensely with the addition of red pepper and coffee. I also detected a nice black pepper on the dry finish.  The cigar is full-bodied and full-strength from the start- definitely not one I would pick for a breakfast-time cigar, but it is still one I can enjoy after a light lunch. The ash was a light-grey and was pretty firm. The burn was impressively straight thoughout the smoke. My main concern with the cigar is balance. The red pepper can be a little strong at first. As I smoked the coffee seemed to become more dominant as the leatherflavor started to diminish. Neither of these two issues is enough for me to to actually dislike the cigar, but it is worth noting. I think this may be related to the dryness of the smoke. I started sipping water near the end to cleanse my palette and the flavors began to take shape again. The strength seemed to also diminish slightly near the end.

Highlights:

+ Nice mix of flavors

+Very good construction

+Excellent burn

- Very dry finish

- Some flavors would dominate at times

I took off four points for the wrapper veins against the overall presentation, and eight for the balance issues. Overall I found the cigar to be very enjoyable and gave it a score of 88.

I’ve always wanted to create my own instrument, you know; build my own guitar, design my own bass, re- build a piano to my specs but I lacked the time, tools and talent for woodworking so I put the idea in the back of my mind in the “one of these days…” department of my brain.

I came across an interesting link last week on how to build your own cigar box guitar. The website is here: http://cigarboxguitars.com/workshops/How_To_Build_A_CBG.php.

I decided to take my cigar box guitar a level higher. I thought to myself why not a cigar box resonator? (i.e. also known as a dobro) and went out and for a few bucks bought a few things:

1.) cigar box $4.00 (I actually bought 5 of them at $4.00 each but I’m only adding up the cost for THIS resonator)

2.) Stick of Poplar wood 3 feet by 2″ X 1.5″. Cost= $2.16

3.) 3 Gibson guitar tuning heads: $15.00

4.) 3 metal plates $5.23 ( which are actually commercial shower drains, the type you find in a gym. Any Home Depot carries them.)

Total cost: $26.39 (under $30.00)
Total project time: About 4 hours (not including 24 hour dry time)

Below are the steps that I took in creating the cigar box resonator, some of the pictures didn’t come out very good, but you get the idea of what went into building it:

Get a box for the body and a stick for the neck

Sand down the neck, drill 3 holes for the guitar headstock tuners

Cut a hole in the box for the neck to be placed in.

Place the neck in the body.

Use clamps to grip down, I used some Gorilla glue to seat the neck to the body and let it dry overnight.

Make sure to let it dry overnight to seat the neck in the body

Since this is a RESONATOR, I decided to cut three holes in my cigar box for the resonator plates. The holes aren’t pretty, but that’s okay, because they’ll be covered up by the plates. I also sanded down the cigar box.

I whittled the neck down and re-sanded it so the tuners would fit snugly.

I stained the whole project

I created a bridge and nut out of scrap wood, sanded and stained it.

I put the tuners on, the bridge and nut in place and….

then I put the resonators in and strung it up………Finished!!!! Project complete!

I’m sure that I MIGHT be playing this out every once in a while once I get the structure and progressions and tunings right, it might take me a lil’ while, so don’t expect to see me out slinging this thing at every show until I get it down pat.

Okay, now the BIG question is….how does it sound? Well to find out, I created a sample that you can listen to by clicking below. BUT be forewarned, before clicking on the track…..REMEMBER that this is a very basic THREE (3) STRINGED homemade instrument and my first one at that and that I still don’t really know how to play it and need to fiddle around with it before I learn all the tunings and keys. In other words, listen to it with a very open mind. It’s a very rough test run and recording of my cigar box resonator.

Click or copy & paste in your browser to listen:
http://www.thebottlebabies.com/billy/cigarboxresonator_test.mp3

Jenn and I had the afternoon free so we decided to take a drive to the Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 release party at Wooden Indian Tobacco in Havertown, PA on Saturday. Representing Drew Estate was: Drew Rep Chris McDermott, Regional Manager Mike Staiber and Co-Owner Marvin Samel. I had met Chris a couple years ago at an event at JM Cigars in Exton, PA and saw him again in Vegas at the IPCPR show in July 2008. It’s always a pleasure to see Chris.

Wooden Indian Tobacco is a very well appointed tobacconist located in the Manoa Shopping Center in Havertown, PA. Dave, the owner, and his staff are a real nice bunch of folks. The turn out was outstanding.  The shop was pretty much packed for the several hours we were there.  I don’t think we’ve ever been to a store event that was so well attended.  There was a line at the register and people outside.   The store has a very good relationship with Drew Estate and do a lot to promote their events.

Drew Estate is well known for the Acid line of cigars, which are the fourth best selling cigars in the U.S.  I can’t say I care for the Acid line, they are too much like smoking potpourri to me but they are producing some exceptional traditional cigars. I really enjoy the Chateau Real line and the La Vieja Habana is a great value priced cigar. The Liga Privada range was developed for the President of the company, Steve Saka. I smoked a Liga Privada No.9 Parejo (6” x 52) which was an incredibly good, full flavored cigar. I picked up a couple of the No. 9s in a robusto size, as well as the T52 in the same size. These cigars both have beautiful, dark Connecticut broadleaf wrappers.

We enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Marvin Samel quite a bit.  He had some great stories about various celebrity cigar smokers, Jeremy Piven wearing a Drew Estate hat courtside at a Lakers game, a call from a retailer telling him Johnny Depp just bought 4 boxes of cigars for the crew of a movie he was working on and that he had sent Steven Tyler some cigars after finding out he was a  fan.  He also told us about the Drew Estate factory in Nicaragua and the said it was a must visit.

At one point, while I was enjoying my Liga Privada, we noticed that there were quite a few fire trucks in the parking lot.  It seems that one of the shops on the other end of the shopping center had a situation. Marvin sent someone down to tell the fire department personnel to come to the shop when they were done and he’d treat them all to cigars…a very classy act. It seemed like more trucks showed up after the offer was made!  I don’t know that anyone accepted the offer but it was a great gesture anyway.

We hung around to see the raffling off of a cabinet of 48 of the original Liga Privada No. 9 and headed home.  Although I didn’t win any of the door prizes we had a great time.  We were quite satisfied with our visit and I’m looking forward to smoking one of the Liga Privada T52s that I purchased.  If one of these events comes to your local cigar shop, try to attend.

I’ll be packing up for a little trip to Reno nest weekend to smoke cigars!

Until the next time,

CigarCraig

P.S.  Every time I go to Havertown I see this road sign and chuckle…

We chose to not do Cigar Sunday tonight which gives me the opportunity to write about this classic tradition. Started last fall when I was a freshman by my roomate and I in Broward, Cigar Sunday consists of going to Modern Age, buying and smoking a nice cigar, followed by watching a gangster movie.

This tradition has continued on to my current roomate and I and it is still triumphant. We grab two stools from our apartment then go outside to light up. While smoking our delicious cigars we usually sip on whiskey or beer as we relate to each other stories from the weekend. Since we buy big cigars we usually have about an hour to relate all the awesome things that happened to us. And just think about it; whiskey, cigars, bar stools and storytelling? All of these components combined are great American traditions. We try to sample a wide variety of cigars by buying a different kind each week. In doing this we will expand our palate and maybe even one day become cigar afficionados. We have been debating about making it Cigar & Scotch Sunday, but don’t know any good types of Scotch to buy. All in good time.

After this we go back inside and select a bad ass gangster movie to watch. Good choices include The Godfather, Scarface, Blow, Goodfellas, American Gangster and The Departed. This then turns into a drinking game where we drink whenever someone has a cigar and whenever someone is killed. Because of this, Sunday can be called one of my favorite nights of the week due to its classic, sophisticated and relaxing nature.

- Jack