Ashton ESG

Not often I get to smoke a true $25.00 cigar.  There are smoke shops in small towns that inflate their prices because they can get away with it, such as the cigar store near me that charges $4. more for any cigar I can get in the Cities.  But this is a true $25.00 cigar in the City cigar stores.  If my smoke shop here were to caryy it they would be asking $35.00 for sure.
Ashton makes some of the best cigars in the world, and that includes the Cuban sought after ones.  Ashton's premium lines: VSG, Cabinet Selection and this ESG series leave most Cuban cigars in the dust.
I am a big fan of the VSG series and have smoked many of them in the last year.  This is my first of the ESG series.
It is a hansom cigar and it carries a rare Dominican sun grown wrapper that grows solely on the Fuente estate.
I'm half tempted to put this back in the humidor as it is the only one of these i have and should actually save it for my son's 50th birthday, or something really wonderful.
But heck....   I deserve it now.
What they said:  Every review of this cigar gave it five stars, so to speak.  Not a dislike in the lot and nothing but praise.  Notes of leather, spices, nuts, earth and wood are perfectly balanced and delivered in remarkably smooth fashion.
What I say:  Construction is among the best I have seen, as I would expect for a $25.00 cigar.  No flaws in the wrapper leaf and a good solid feel throughout.

Kate

This cigar is made in one shape and size only each year.  This is the torpedo from two years ago.  It probably is not quite aged to perfection but my taste buds won't know the difference.  When someone tells me the cigar needed another two months of aging I will walk away from them because they either have such an acute knowledge and superior taste that I should not be talking with them about cigars, or, they are full of shit, which I find to be the case more often.
Toasting the foot left a cigar smell in the room.  Not the usual barnyard, burning pile of newspapers, cardboard, old socks smells one associates with toasting.  Just a cigar smell.
First puff was a delight.  No harshness at all.  Smooth and creamy throughout the hold and release.  My nose filled with smoke and I enjoyed the sensation.
What they said above is what I was experiencing.  Leather, wood, earth, nuts and spice were all there and I could pick out each individual flavor, a rarity for me.
If I had five thumbs, they would all be pointing up.  This is the finest cigar I have had to date.  And yes, I am sorry I did not save it for my son's 50th birthday.  I probably would have given it to him to smoke and not gotten to enjoy it myself so I don't feel too guilty.
What would I pay?  $25.00 in a cigar store.  Spot on.

Once again I am getting Golden Hooves ready for our annual trip to the Kinsey Institute Show and following work with the model I bring along in the canyons that border Indiana and Illinois.
Golden Hooves is feeling her age but she has demanded she be allowed to go and transport us in her usual charming way.  Currently she sports 354,231 miles on her.  She has a relatively new set of shoes and I managed to finally cut the left front axle out of her that had been rattling so bad.  She recovered nicely from that surgery and seems fit for another trip.  I do not know what the long term affects will be with one three axles, but she handles well as always with just the three.  The front ones have not been useful for a couple of years since the 4 wheel drive went out, so they are mostly cosmetic anyway.  Sort of like having the second to the little toe removed on your foot when you turn 85 years old.  Nobody but you will notice.

Gurkha Beast

Of course, another limited production cigar from them.  This is a very limited production with only 1000 boxes.
This is another thing that pisses me off about Gurkha Cigars.  Not only do they have a terrible marketing program, the worst possible cigar bands ever produced, but then they make almost everything in these tiny, limited productions so if you find one you really like....to bad Charley.
The only good thing about Gurkhas are, they are very good cigars.  The rest of it they can shove up their idiotic asses as far as I am concerned.

Sarah Jean

Anywho, on to the Beast.  It is not called the Beast because it is a nasty smoke, only because it is large.  They could have called it something cigar oriented and something that had some flair, but no, they went with their usual dumb, stupid approach and named it in keeping with the rest of the Gurkha line.
This fat cigar has an aged Costa Rican maduro wrapper over a tri-country blend of fillers.
It is a pretty cigar and seems to be made with the utmost care.
What they said:  Cocoa, leather and coffee fill your senses.
What I say:  Well made cigar with a thick cap.  I could not find any flaws in this and that bothers me just a tad.  But then for the cost it probably should be the Cadillac of the cigar world.
Burn was a tad uneven but not bothersome.  The leather seems to be the main flavor I was getting with coffee thrown in there from time to time.
A most pleasant two hour smoke and I would dearly love to have a humidor full of these but at 700 dollars a box.....I don't think so.  Plus you probably can't find a box.
All in all one damn good cigar.
What would I pay?  Not the half a tank of gas price they are asking, but I might go $12.00 in a cigar store.
I'm not reviewing any more Gurkhas for awhile.  I hate their logo, label and marketing practices.  Time will be spent with more reasonable cigar brands.

There are two factions out there on Right To Work being adopted by states.
I'm all for it.  Unions are the main cause of companies going out of country.  Unions are the main cause for piss poor craftsmanship of American made products (if you can find an American made product anymore).
Unions are the reason high wages and little work plague companies.  Unions are the reason poor workers can't be fired.
Union people will tell you in a Right To Work state, workers can be fired by the employer without justification.  Why would an employer fire a worker that was doing a good job and making the company money?  Get real.
Union people will tell you wages will be lower.  Probably, but then they won't have to pay union dues for things they don't need, or don't want.  Products made by the company will be cheaper so you don't have to earn as much to buy the same item, made better I might add.
No, union people can talk till they are blue in the face and they are only talking UNION.  They don't want to work anymore than they have to and they want to be assured of keeping their job that they do so poorly.
The days of unions was over in the 50s.  Beyond that all they did was drive companies to fold or move to other countries.  Anything Union Made in America is a piece of expensive crap.
Give me, Made in Mexico any day.

Gran Habano Vintage 2002

Now if there was ever a cigar that was a pain in the ass to get the wrapper off of, this is it.  I almost threw it in the trash in frustration.  First you have the cellophane wrapper that most cigars come in.  And the band.  But this one also has a veneer wrapper on it held on by another band; a red ribbon that has been glued on; and scotch tape.  My gawd!  I don't think they want you to smoke this one.
I don't care how damn good it might be, I will not buy another one of these damn things.  When I want a cigar, I want to smoke a cigar, not spend fifteen minutes peeling it.  This has turned me off completely.
I will take a short break to calm down and give this another go.  In the mean time I will go have a cigar.

After the initial frustration of getting down to the actual cigar it turns out to be quite hansom.  A rich brown color that is well built with a good, solid cap.  No soft spots and a flawless leaf wrapper of Nicaraguan Corojo.
What they said:  A deep series of rich, creamy flavors smacking of coffee, nuts, and earth.
What I say:  I'm calmed down now from this stupid, silly wrapper thing.  Still will never buy another one of these.  I will not live that many more years and I will be damned if I am going to spend that much time trying to get into a cigar wrapper when I know of many really great cigars that I can pick up and just light.
1,2,3,4,5......
I'm okay.
Not a whole lot of smell to this before lighting, although the cigar itself is worth holding and fondling a bit because it is so well constructed and beautiful.
Toasting the foot gave a bit of a cardboard smell to the room.  Not bad/not good.
Cap was very thick and firm.  I liked that.
This is another cigar that takes a bit of doing to get it going, so if you are like my friend, Gary who is driving a big rig around the country while attempting to light their cigar, please wait until a truck stop before attempting this one.

Erin ~ "Morning Mist"

First puff was nice and flavorful, although I could not put my finger on what the flavor was.  Something to do with cooking in the kitchen.  I couldn't regain that flavor from then on out and I will be wasting much time in an attempt to put my finger on exactly what it was.
There was a lot of leather and earthy flavors in this and from time to time I picked up a little licorice tone that was nice but fleeting.
The cigar burned well and even and I was most pleased with the smoke.
This is what I would call a full bodied cigar although not harsh.  This would be a dandy for after a large meal and sitting with a glass of Melbec or Merlot in hand.  Probably go good with Port if you are a Port dinker, but I dislike Port.  Yuck!  Might just as well be drinking molasses.
This is a serious cigar and not for newbies.  Although one might hire them to remove the silly and idiotic wrapper that has been placed on them.  What were they thinking?
Bottom line:  Great full bodied cigar.  Piss poor wrapper.
What would I pay?  $12.00 in a cigar store if it came pre-peeled.  $4.00 as is because there is at least $8.00 in frustration ahead of you just to get to the damn thing.


It occurred to me while driving to the dump today that Ford Motor Company will finally have its day.
If you are unaware of how and why Ford Motor Company came by the name "Motor Company", let me explain.  First off, a motor is an electrical device.  The gas engine in your car is an engine, not a motor.
So why is it called Ford Motor Company, you might ask.  Well I am about to tell you.
When Henry Ford began producing automobiles in mass quantity he needed to ship his gasoline engines.  The cost for shipping a gasoline engine was very high, however, shipping a motor of the same weight was quite a bit less expensive so he labeled all his engines as motors.  The name took and the company became, Ford Motor Company.
So all these years the name of the company was wrong.  But with automobile manufacturers moving toward electric cars Henry will finally get his justice.  The Ford Motor Company will become properly named.
I bet Henry is laughing.

Gurkha Regent

This has been given a 90+ rating by the cigar industry.  We shall see.
A member of the Torano family, this cigar is box pressed and carries a Hondurain wrapper that is smooth and silky to the feel.
What they said:  This rich brown cigar burns evenly, with a fine draw.  It's elegant and balanced, with black cherry flavors, notes of sweet spice and a long, leathery finish.

Emma

What I say:  That friggin ginormous Gurkha band just drives me nuts.  I hate it.  Then it tore the wrapper leaf because they glued it to the cigar.
The cigar itself is not overly noteworthy to look at.  A typical box pressed brown leaf wrapper with no significant detail.  It does feel silky in your fingers however.
Cap was somewhat thin, maybe two layers.
Upon lighting it I did smile with excitement at the taste.  Leather and toast.  No spices that make your cigar taste like a grapefruit.  Good home style, in front of a fireplace tastes.
Burn was even and long and I enjoyed every moment of this cigar.
I don't know where the cigar review people got the black cherry or spice part, but I sure didn't find it, and I was very happy it did not show up to disturb my manly flavors I was enjoying so much.
The Torano Family did good with this smoke.
What would I pay?  $7.50 in a cigar store.

Holy Smokes people!  I got my package that was put in the U.S. mail system in Pennsylvania only 16 days ago!!!  Man, I am impressed.  I think we should give each person who works for the U.S. Postal Service a big raise, and the Postmaster should get promoted to a position with the White House staff.
Now I have issues with UPS as to why four identical packages shipped off from the same pace on the same day came on staggered days, and one was put into the U.S. Postal Service by them while three were not.
I doubt I will get a satisfactory answer.  

Padilla Limitado 2006

This is an obsidian.  A very dark brown Nicaraguan wrapper with black veins.  A very pretty cigar.
This was a short run that didn't last, however Cigar International commissioned it for them to be continued.  They should not have,
What they said:  A full bodied cigar ram packed with black pepper, cedar and earth.
What I say:  The cigar was beautiful to look at.  The black veins running through the very dark brown wrapper were like an ancient map.
The cap was strong and thick.  I punched it.
It took a bit of doing to get the thing lit, but once underway it produced a super strong black pepper flavor.  Wow! A bit much and bitter.  Not a good smoke if you are suffering a sore throat.  Made me feel like I had one the first puff.

Sarah after her morning shower, waving hello.

If you are a person who sets their cigar down for a couple of minutes then goes back for a puff, you won't like this stick because it will be dead out.  It goes out if you blink slowly.
But the flavor is strong and harsh.  Exiting my nose I really got the full blast of this black pepper.  You have got to be a big fan of black pepper to enjoy this,  I am, but this was too much for me, and what is with the bitter taste?
The second half of this cigar shifted so I was picking up cashews, dark coffee (I think you yuppie call it espresso) and caramel.
Even burning was a big problem on this stick and that with the fact you almost have to keep puffing to keep it lit were the down side.  Big down side.  Never did I have the cigar burning all the way around.  Always a wrapper sticking out an inch or so unburnt on one side or another.
What would I pay?  If it burned okay I would spend $2.00 in a cigar store.  If they all burned this way I would opt out.

Note:  Nobody gives me free cigars to review.  I have no cigar company or cigar distributor ads.  No Google ads.  I make no money from this.  I buy my own cigars.
Nobody would give me free stuff because I am not about to write a good review in exchange.
This cigar was crap.  Not the norm from Padilla.  But then they knew that and dropped making it for themselves.  But they should not have continued making it for someone else and putting their name on it.  Bad salesmanship.  Shame on you, Padilla.  You should know better.

This was damn funny.  Doesn't he have enough crimes in his own house to worry about?  I think the Catholics need to get a new Pope.  This one has proven to be worthless.
He reminds me of a politician running for office.  "I will do THIS to fight crime and evil", all the while being as corrupt as the crime he is talking about doing away with.
But it fits.  It fits with the Catholic's perception of the world.  It's always somebody else's fault.

Partagas 1845

This is the plain old Partagas cigar.
In 1961 when Fidel took over the Government of Cuba, Ramo'n Cifuentes fled Cuba and began over again building what was a premium cigar plantation in Cuba to his now new digs in the Dominican Republic.  17 years later he turned out a good cigar once again and the Partagas Cigars have been doing very well since.
This plain old Partagas has a African Cameroon wrapper that imparts one of the best flavors ever to a cigar.  My trouble is they are so delicate I can't keep one on the cigar.  I'm just to damn rough with them, even when I am sitting still and trying to be careful
What they said:  Pure smoking pleasure with hints of cedar and coffee.  A consistent smoke throughout the cigar.

Mayla

What I say:  I will almost mirror those words.  This is a consistent cigar from start to finish.  If you are one of those who likes the cigar to change as it burns and you experience different flavors as it goes, this is not the cigar for you.  What you get at the beginning is what you will still be getting at the end.
That said, what you get is wonderful.
The cap was strong and thick.  A good sign.  I noted a bit of shrinkage on the wrapper at the foot.  A not unusual thing for a Cameroon leaf.
The color was medium brown and had a few spots that are also normal for this type of leaf.
Lighting it I was flooded with a toast, flowed by a subtle cinnamon flavor.  Strong toast was the major thing going on here and I failed to pick up any cedar taste.  I like the toast however and this one was going to give me that.  A medium bodied cigar so it was not killing the back of my throat, and that was a good thing because I smoked too many cigars yesterday and was a bit raw.  No, this was a pleasant cigar that I really enjoyed.
What would I pay?  $8.00 in a cigar store.

Package that is in the U.S. postal service update:  It is in Hodgkins, Illinois.

I see the guy who must never have gotten any respect in his lifetime has surfaced once again to tell us all over again why we should act like assholes to police officers.  I think he is trying to get even with the world for having had a crappy life.

CAO MX2

I think I have explained before that in cigar talk, Double Maduro does not mean a wrapper and a binder that is maduro.  A misconception that keeps getting spread about.  Double maduro means longer fermenting than normal.
Now to prove me just a little wrong, CAO has come out in their X2 series an MX2 to join their LX2, of which I will be reviewing at a later date when it settles down a bit in the humidor.  But for now this MX2 is up.  This cigar has two maduro layers, but they are not a maduro wrapper and a maduro binder.  I think you would be hard pressed to find a maduro binder out there in cigar world.  This one has two maduro wrappers.  The outter one being a very dark chocolate brown and oh so oily.  This one even leaves an oil sheen on your fingers (I'm squealing with excitement).   This also has some Peruvian fillers that get my taste buds flowing.
What they said:  Spicy sweet layers of flavor.
What I say:  I was a little disappointed in the thickness of the cap.  Pretty damn thin.  But I do like the feel of this stick in my hands.  Makes you want to just hold it all day.
Not much of a smell, which also was a bit disappointing.

Mayla

First draw was uneventful and could have been any old cigar with little flavor, but then ...BAM, the thing kicked in and I was sent to a dark, old forest in the Pacific northwest.  Deep into the woods where people do not go and everything is covered with a thick layer of moss.  Giant trees covered with moss hanging down in curtains.  This was the taste that was being conveyed to me, not spicy, and I loved it oh so much.  I didn't want to open my eyes and find I was sitting at the kitchen table.  The flavors were mostly coming from that wrapper.  I don't know if it was from the oily maduro Connecticut on the outside or the Brazilian maduro on the inside, or a combination of both.  But it was heaven.
Draw was a little tight until about mid point and then it loosened up.  Must have been a tight spot right there and it finally burned through.
Good cigar.
The LX2 is going to be potent and I will get to that when it ages a bit.
For now I am very pleased with the smoke from this one but think they could have put a few extra layers on the cap.
What would I pay?  $12.00 in a cigar store.

Got a large shipment in of cigars so it looks like there will be plenty of data ahead in that area.

This image just came down from a gallery show in VT.  It was the first time this image was shown.  Didn't sell, as usual.

Gurkha Symphony Silver Edition

Another, yes another limited edition cigar from the people with one of the worst labels ever placed on a cigar.  Their labels are huge and ugly.  Seems Gurkha is into making limited run cigars which make for some good smokes but bad if you want more of one you find enjoyable.
What they said:  Mellow, creamy smoothness with a smidgen of spiciness.
Short and sweet.
What I say:  Hanson cigar with one of the thickest caps I have run across.  I counted five layers for sure, maybe six.  I had a little damage to this wrapper near the foot from shipping, but nothing to get excited about as it is going to come unraveled on me anyway.  These Connecticut leaves always do.  I am just too damn rough handling to be able to smoke one all the way through with ending up with a forest fire from burning wrapper shreds dangling about my beard.

Mayla

There were a few soft spots in this cigar and it did not feel as nice as some of the other Gurkhas I have been handling  lately.  But the view down that deep hole in the cap made my mouth water.  It was a sight to behold.
First puffs seem to be fairly tasteless.  Then a flavor was there that reminded be of the farm.  That farm smell as you walk toward the hay barn.  Not strong, just ever so slight.
I spent a lot of time on a farm when I was younger and I love that smell.  Maybe if you are a City person you crinkle your nose at farm smells, but then if you are a City person no one gives a rat's ass what you think.
The burn was a bit uneven at first but settled down within an inch or so.
I left the band on this cigar when I smoked it, something I rarely do, but no one was here to see it.  I left it on because I knew I was going to tear the wrapper if I tried to remove it.  As I got close with the ash I took it off, tearing the wrapper anyway.  I was hoping the warmth would ease the removal, but no.
Toward the end of the smoke I was picking up burnt wood flavors which I did not care for.  Probably an accumulation of the nicotine.
What would I pay?  $6.00 in a cigar store.

Played with Photoshop CS6 beta.  Got some cute toys that are fun but things I would never use on a serious image.  All in all I find it pretty much useless over my old CS3.  Give it to me and I will take it.  Want $5.00 and you can keep it.
I'm sure the people who can't take a good photograph will love it however.  For them it will correct all the mistakes they made before the shutter went off.

Gurkha Beauty

What a monster of a cigar.  What an expensive cigar.
This is a $30.00, 56 ring gauge stick with a 7 year old Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper that encases a 5 year old binder.  This is a very limited production cigar and if you find one, grab it up.
The very fragile wrapper is pale yellow but does not have that plant taste that I do not like in a pale wrapper.  It smells and taste great.
What they said:  The dynamic compilation of vintage tobaccos used to make Beauty produces a creamy medium bodied cigar with toasty aromas.

Hanna ~ "Sleepy Hollow"

What I say:  The cap is solid and thick and I punched it.  This is one big cigar.
On my first puff I was  classifying it as a mild bodied cigar and not a medium.  The flavor was creamy and smooth, and I was very much enjoying this stick.  It did not change.  From start to finish the same creaminess and toast aroma/flavor was the same.  No harshness toward the end what-so-ever.
I am not normally a fan of these very light wrappers but this one is an exception.
For the cost I expected a good cigar but this was a great cigar for a morning smoke or a light smoke when the time calls for it.  My throat was a little rough from having indulged yesterday in a few too many cigars so that was the reason for picking this one today.
If anyone want to give me an early Christmas present, this would be a nice one.
What would I pay?  $25.00 in a cigar store.
Fortunately I have a couple more of these Beautys hidden away for some special times to come.

A good friend of mine asked on his blog the other day, which side we were on with gay marriage rights.
That was a very broad question that could take hours to digest.  There is so much that goes along with it that we only begin to understand.

While many states are rushing to be with the "in crowd" and adopting gay marriage stuff, having not really thought the matter through, Minnesota is moving to adopt an amendment to the State Constitution  not allowing gay marriage.
I am riding the fence on this one.  I have nothing against gay couples.  I'm not sure they should call it a marriage however.  That term is taken.  Call it something else, like a union.
I'm not against obtaining the same rights as married couples.  I am dead set against gay couples thinking we owe them more however.  Such as them wanting college tuition because they are a minority.
I think we should do away with minority benefits all together.  Just because you are a minority should not give you benefits that others don't have.
Whether Minnesota passes this amendment is neither here nor there as far as I am concerned.  If you want to have sex with someone the same gender as yourself....fine.  Don't shove it down my throat however and tell me what I must like about it, because I don't care.  But if you force it upon me, I will care and it won't be to your liking.
One has to remember what we think it correct and just today was not what we thought a few years ago.  Our thinking adjusts itself to the current moral values.
He mentioned that Thomas Jefferson stated, "All men are created equal".  But he did not mention that Thomas Jefferson owned slaves when he wrote that.
He stated something about the Civil War being fought because of slavery.  That was wrong.  The Civil War had nothing to do with slavery.  Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation during the war.  And if you read it you will see that it only freed the slaves in the southern states.  It was a tool against the south so they would loose their workers.  Lincoln was perfectly happy with having slaves where he lived.
There are a lot of mistruths that get kicked around because it is what we want to believed happened.
I wrote in response to his blog about how moral values change, and what we believe to be right and wrong change with them.  I wrote about incest and whether that will become the next movement for rights.
Oh my God!  And yet I am reading a book at the moment that was written in the 1700s by a member of the royal family in one of Europe's larger countries.  And she talks about bearing several children fathered by her brothers and uncle, and it was accepted as normal.
It all goes around in time.  There is no point in getting bent out of shape over any of it.
I don't care if you are gay.  I don't object to your rallies.  I don't have any feelings about whether you should be recognized as being able to receive benefits as a couple.  That is your fight, not mine.  I have enough of my own things to fight about.
You should do your thing and leave me alone to do mine.  Don't disrupt my world to fit your wants and I won't disrupt your world to fit mine.
Have sex with a donkey and ask for couple benefits.  I don't care.
I have mentioned how much I really hate the parents of gay children however?
They push and push and push, and for what?  Nothing that has to do with them.  They do it because they don't want to have children that are oddballs.
Go gay movement.  Go as long as you don't ask for more than the every day Joe gets.  Ask for what you want, but don't ask it to be something that already has guidelines set down as to what it is.
And pleeeeeeeeease, keep your parents quiet.  They are embarrassing you.

Playing with Photoshop CS6 beta at the moment.  I will report on whether I think it is worth more than ten dollars after I use it a bit.  The fact that it is a Photoshop product makes me want to vomit, but we shall see.  They have treated their customers like shit the last few year and I swore I would not own another Adobe product.  As this beta is free to try, I will.

Perdomo 2 Limited Edition 2008

Read this, then tell me how they come up with terroristic threats.  This country has gone overboard when they start charging someone with terroristic threats when a bunch of idiots are fighting over a ex-girlfriend.  Where does the terroristic part come in.  We are loosing a grip on things and it is getting worse.  Lock the moron up for the rest of his life if you must but let's not use charges that were meant for terrorists.  Someone needs their head examined.  One must take into account that this is Hibbing, MN where Barney Fife carries the badge, but still...

Hanna

I liked that Gurkha Centurian so much yesterday that I found a box of them and bought it.  Ouch!

Hanna was a great model and a fun model.  She is from Alaska and was down in my neck of the woods doing some kind of internship with an ambulance crew.  We worked the north shore of Lake Superior and managed to get into quite a bit of mischief over two days.  I would like to see her come back again but I doubt that will happen.  She was to be getting married upon her return to Alaska, but some how I don't think she was all that keen on the idea by the time she was ready to depart Minnesota.  I don't know what happened after she left.  We lost contact with each other.

Let's be honest.  You do not go to a bar to find a long term mate in life.  The reason is the people who hang out at bars are alcoholic losers...."bar flies".  You might go there to find someone for the night, but when you wake up you have just that in your bed.
I have a problem with bars in general when it comes to their female bar tenders.  They will flirt with the male customers so that that the customer will hang around and buy more booze.  They do a good job for the bar owner, but it is at the expense of some poor smuck who thinks he is going to go home with the barmaid.  They prey on these loser people.  Marcell Minnesota is full of these bar fly losers who hop bar to bar and in the back of their mind they will end up with one of these bar maids.  They spend tens of thousands of dollars each year doing this.  And maybe they do end up with one of the bar maids for the evening.  Probably too damn drunk to do anything they had envisioned, but hey, they did it.  Wow!  A really good looking hooker when you were sober would have been a thousand times nicer and cost you a lot less.  But then it wouldn't have been that special bar maid that was so damn important to bed.  But for most of them they never even get that far.  But they keep spending money with the hopes.
I talk with the local bar flies from time to time and their conversations always lead to who is working when at which bar.

On to the cigar of the day....
This cigar comes in two flavors....Cameroon and maduro.  I have the Cameroon one here.
A box pressed torpedo that is a sight to behold in terms of beauty.  I wish it were a maduro just so I knew it would hold up throughout the smoke.  I have serious trouble keeping a Cameroon wrapped cigar intact until the end.  As a matter of fact I can;t remember ever keeping one intact.  But here goes.
What they said:  A blend of five year old Cuban seed tobaccos that create full nutty flavors.
Pretty much all the writers of this cigar say the same thing.  I often heard that it should be aged in a humidor for another six months before smoking.
What I say:  I have not had this one for six months, however it has been resting in a humidor for four months.
It is constructed well with one giant Cameroon leaf for the wrapper.  The seam between banding rolls is almost non detectable.
Little aroma is given off from the wrapper or foot during pre-light.
I noticed the wrapper already coming apart near the foot.  I don't know if that is from me and the handling or the shipping to get it here.  Cameroon wrappers need to be handled very carefully or they self destruct before your very eyes.
When I toasted the foot I did not care for the order one bit.  Reminded me of an electrical fire.
first draw left me wondering if my taste buds had woken up.  Nothing!  Then a bit of spice showed up.
Then a bit more spice showed up.  I felt like I should be sitting at some Haiti sea side villa with an umbrella in my drink.  Very fruity and spicy as it went on.
Not my cup of tea in terms of a cigar.
You cafe' latte people will no doubt like it.  But then, you like skim milk in your coffee too.
Me...I feel like I am sucking on a Rosemary stem.  Way to much of that taste for my liking.
What would I pay?  $3.00 in a cigar store if there was nothing else to buy that I liked.

Package update:
I have received three of the four.
The one that was placed in the U.S. postal service I do not expect to see for several more days, but I will try and remember to let you know when it does finally arrive.

Gurkha Centurian

Here is a little fun for those who find little things like this amusing.  I do.

Hanna

The Centurian.  This cigar was commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei, one of the richest men in the world, as his personal cigar.  it has since gone public and Gurkha has spared no expense in the creation of this one.  A perfect Connecticut wrapper over eight year old Dominican fillers, then rolled so it tapers at both ends.   This is a twenty dollar cigar if bought in a cigar store.  This is considered a collector cigar because of its limited release and is referred to as the Rolls Royce of cigars.
What they said:  Rich Cuban like earthiness.  A potpourri of wood, leather, spice and toast flood you a creaminess not found in any other cigar.
That is a bold statement to make.  We shall see.
What I say:  Construction is good on this one I have, and it is the only one I have.  A beautiful chocolate brown color that is uniform from end to end.  A tad of blooming has occurred on one side which I welcomed. That is not like a mold but a release of chemical compounds from the wrapper leaf that happens when a cigar ages.  Something to be welcomed.  The cigar smelled wonderful and I took several minutes enjoying the aroma before I began, and once again I got my shinny nose prints all over it.
First thing you notice with this cigar is it makes lots of thick smoke.  Not one you want to smoke in your Aunt Clara's living room, unless she is a cigar smoker too.  I am fortunate enough to have a wife who doesn't mind me smoking cigars in the living room unless it get so thick that she gets a head ache.  This one borders on that.
Flavor:  Hmmmm.  Non nondescript but excellent. Not much in the way of spice from the wrapper, which I find good because I don't want to feel like I am smoking a grapefruit or a jar of oregano.  A mild to medium cigar that pleases me to no end.
It did kick up a notch when it got to the fatter portion of the stick but still most satisfying.  I did pick up on that toast flavor, and looked forward to it popping up every few puffs.  It was not a constant thing and it became somewhat of a treat when it did show up.
Bottom line is I wish I had a bunch more of these tucked away but I don't.  I will make an attempt to procure some if the opportunity presents itself.
What would I pay?  $14.00 in a cigar store.
Still hate the band of these and the name, Gurkha and all they stand for in their cheap ass marketing, but it is hard to argue with such a great smoke.

Package update:
One package is enroute Grand Rapids, MN from Minneapolis
Two seem to still be in Minneapolis.
The one in the U.S. Postal Service custody is reported as being in.....   Yes....  Atlanta.  It is now further away from me than it was when I ordered it.  Got to love the U.S.P.S.

350,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 calculated planets known to date

Hanna

Got an idea how many that is?  Neither do I.  350 sextillion.  And that is the only ones we know about.  They assume there are many more times that out there in space.
And you think we are the most intelligent beings?  The odds of that are greater than if......you won the lottery....everyday of your life...your children won it everyday of their lives...your grand children won it everyday of their lives....and on for the next fifteen generations.
Get the idea?  Now think we are the most intelligent ones out there?  Probably don't even rate in the intelligent life form category.
But you religious people have your God (big daddy in the sky) thing to fall back on as an excuse.  He must have been a busy bastard.

Package update:
Two of the four packages seem to have arrived in Minneapolis.
One is in transit to Minneapolis.
One is still off the grid in the U.S. Postal service.

Perdomo Grand Cru

Hanna

I was making room for a new shipment of cigars and had this oddball in a humidor.  It needed to get out of the way so here we go.
In cigar talk the term, "puros" means 100%.  So a cigar that is Nicaraguan puros means the filler, binder and wrapper are all from Nicaragua.  That is exactly what this cigar is, Nicaraguan puros.
The Grand Cru comes in three different wrappers:  A Connecticut; a Corojo; and a maduro.  This one is a Corojo, which gives that spicy flavor.  It is a 6X54 ring torpedo style, which I don't give a hoot about one way or another, although some people like that shape.  It saves the company the work of putting a cap on as they just roll the wrapper to the point.  I find it a pain in the ass when using a cutter with a back plate because you need to chop it about three times to get it so it is not pocking you in the tongue and is big enough around to get your lips on without it falling out of your mouth.  But I can live with them if need be.
This is from a 2004 tobacco crop.
What they said:  The bold long fillers within exemplify the rich, hearty qualities of Nicaragua's soil, producing a robust, earthy profile layered by dark tobacco flavors, roasted espresso bean, and a slight touch of sweet black pepper.
What I say:  The Corojo wrapper leaf looks nice and is a bit rough in my fingers.  Veins are there but pressed well into the cigar so as not to be a source of irritant to my fingers.  Solid with no soft spots and the draw is medium when opened.
Toasting the foot I was impressed on how well packed the tobacco was yet still remained fairly esy to draw through.
First puff gave me that spicy taste from the wrapper followed by that all familiar taste from the old Dutch Master cigars of years gone by.  Not the crap they make these days.  I'm talking back in the 50s.  Remember that first cigar you stole from the gas station glass counter when the owner was in the shop working on a car (they did that back then at gas stations)?  You took it out into a little patch of woods near your home with the neighbor kid and you lit it up.  It was heaven.  That is what this reminds me of.
A medium bodied cigar that taste damn good.
I had a bit of an issue with the unevenness of the burn, but not enough for me to cut it and start anew.  A little rotating during the burn and you could keep it under control.
What would I pay?  $6.50 in a cigar store.

This is pretty accurate on how people exist today.  Spoiled little brats. Goes for adults that think this way also.  Reason I don't want to be a part of the so called, human race.

Package update:
Nothing has changed from the post two days ago.

Religions

People who believe in religions have got to be the dumbest idiots on earth.
Mary obviously got pregnant from a toilet seat.  Can't they figure that one out.

Camille

Joseph has got the be the original nerd.  Got a beautiful wife and doesn't have sex with her.  Guess she was only there to do dishes and sweep out the manger from time to time.  He was probably too busy programming his rock Kindle to get the sports pages.  No wonder she went into town often and hung out at the bar.   The fact that Jesus looks a lot like the tavern owner probably has little to do with it.
I have a nut case brother who thinks all these fossils we dig up of ancient people were all planted and are not more than a couple of hundred years old.  After all, there was nothing here before Adam and eve showed up a few thousand years ago.  All this dinosaur stuff is all made up too.
But then he is a nut case and into some religious cult like the rest of these people who just can't get a grasp on reality.
Gods come and go and have done so for many years.  Each religion has their own, or sometimes many.  And each religion thinks theirs is the one true god.
People seem to want to exist in some way after they die because they just can't get their mind to accept they won't be around when it is time for them to leave us alone.
I wonder if humans will finally grow up and accept reality for what it is before they become extinct.  Somehow I doubt it.  I don't think they have the mental capacity to accept what they are and have to believe there is more.  The down side to being able to think ahead.  It scares the hell out of them.
Then there is the whole clothing thing and can't let people see their bodies.  If that ain't pagan I don't know what is.
The world would be a better place if we herded them into pens and did away with them.  But there are laws against that so we must live among these weak minded fools.
I would like to see someone run for president who said, "I am not religious.  I think that is something for fools".  They would get my vote because I would know that this person has come to grasp with reality and is not off in never never land.  Of course they would not get elected because there are too many weak minded fools out there who would vote for someone else.  Sad.

Gurkha Black Dragon Fury

I have to start out by telling you I didn't want to smoke this cigar.  First off it was that stupid Gurkha brand that pisses me off with their marketing ploys aimed at special opts wannabes, and second it sounded like it was going to be horrible.
It is a very short and stubby cigar and that is ultimately why I choose it today.  It was reeking havoc with the order of things in my humidor because of its shape.

Sarah ~ "Your Majesty"

What they said:  Dressed in a dark and oily Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper, the Black Dragon Fury utilizes two flavorful binders- a spicy Nicaraguan Habano and a rich, sweet Cameroon.  On the inside is a bold blend of Nicaraguan and Peruvian long fillers.  The result is a powerful, full flavored smoke that's layered with notes of es[resso, cedar, pepper, earth and cocoa.  Bold.  Please be sitting down when you decide to take on the Fury!"
What I say:  The cigar is beautiful, even if it is a silly shape and size for a cigar.  The dark wrapper is one piece and appears flawless.  It even smells great.
The cap was not thick and that put a frown on my face and I ended up clipping it.
The first puff was a shock.  I had expected the top of my head to come flying off because of these reviews.  It was a medium smoke at best.  None of this bold, super potent stuff they were claiming.  Maybe it had mellowed sitting in my humidor, but I doubt that it mellowed that much.
This was a great tasting cigar.  Earthy tasting and nothing harsh or stab you in the eyeball upfront.  A very nice coffee flavor.
Another thing about this is although this cigar is but four inches long it lasts a very long time.  I lit it up and when I discovered I liked it very much I decided to go for a walk to the post office to get my mail  The round trip is a bit over two miles.  When I walked back into the house I had burnt less than one inch.  And it was an even burn.
I am sitting here with less than one and one half inches into this fine cigar.  If something changes I will let you know, but for now I am most pleased.  Another one that I will quickly remove the silly banding from and try and forget who made it when it goes into the humidor from now on.  Although I probably won't buy one because they really do screw up the organization of the humidor box with their shape.
What would I pay?  $8.00 in a cigar store.

I'm sure there is a reciprocal to this story and I will no doubt hear it from Abigail, but this is my blog and I will tell it like I want.
Things that women do that just drive men insane:
They take a shower and leave the water flow to the top shower head instead of turning it down to the tub spout when they are finished.  When we get in and turn on the water to warm it up before our shower it comes out cold from the top onto our not quite awake bodies.
They use a long, serrated meat carving knife to spread peanut butter on their sandwich, which wouldn't be bad if it was their turn to do dishes that day.  If it is they will of course use a plastic throw away knife for said purpose.
Why screw on a lid to a jar of apple sauce when you are going to have to open it again tomorrow.  Just set it on top.  We of course pick jars up by the lids and thus dump the remaining quart of apple sauce all over the inside of the refrigerator and floor.  (Holds true for any messy food substance)
Clean clothes in their closet must be neat and orderly, with equal spacing between hangers so as not to mash things together.  Dirty clothes however can be found under the bed, behind doors, or wedged between the cushions of the couch.
Garbage cans are a total mystery.  Banana peels, orange peels and plastic drinking straws can be located on any surface at any time.  Many in some sort of decaying process.
Piles of STUFF are created by them in an attempt to clean house.  These pile will never move further along in the cleaning process and will become a permanent part of the decor.  We fear touching them in an attempt to make the house presentable because we would no doubt hear about how it had all been sorted and is now lost.
That was my morning.  Now I am going to go peek into my cigar humidor and think about what I am going to smoke next.  All will be right with the world in a few minutes.

Package update:
One has left New Stanton, PA and is enroute Minneapolis.
Two have arrived at New Stanton, PA
The one that got transferred to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery (reason unknown) back in Bethlehem, PA is still missing in action.

CAO Italia

I have to admit I am reviewing this cigar at the wrong time of day, but what is....is.
This is a medium to full bodied cigar and was meant to be smoked later in the day.  I just woke up about an hour ago and it is going to be a bit potent for me.  But the reason I am smoking this one is that I am lazy.  It is in my cigar tube sitting here on the table and I just don't have the energy at the moment to go to a humidor and swap it for a breakfast cigar.  Besides, it is a good one.
I am a fan of the entire CAO line.  They are some of the best out there and I constantly have a good stock on hand and in the aging humidor.  These age well and if you are in the market to age cigars for a year or two before smoking them these would be one of the best to do just that.

Erin

This has a beautiful, and beautifully wrapped medium brown Honduras wrapper over a Honduras binder surrounding a wonderful mixture of tobaccos from Italy, Peru and Nicaragua.  There is an exceptionally large cap on this cigar and you can trim it with a cutter and still have a goodly portion of cap remaining.  A nice feature.  I punched mine because I know that the cap will be solid and one of the thickest on any cigar out there.  Something akin to five layers of cap.  Beautiful!!!!  Not even your most expensive Cubans get that kind of treatment.  The wrapper itself is a seamless one leaf.  Another neat feature.  Holding this cigar you get the feeling of greatness before you get near a flame.
What they said:  Peppery sweat with an undeniable sugar taste that is herbal and quite complex and a hint of black cherry.
Wow!  That was a lot crammed all into one sentence.  
What I say:  I get a sweet coffee flavor right off the bat when i light this up and take the first puff, and this time was no surprise for me.  Then comes that thyme.  It is always there.  I do believe that thyme flavor comes from the ground that the Italian tobaccos grow in.  I have noticed it in other cigars with tobacco mixes from Italy.  I also pick up fleeting hints of caramel and cocoa in the first half of this stick.  it is probably there in the second half but my taste buds have been put on hold by the time I am half finished with this cigar.
As always, a solid white ash that won't let go and an even burn.
This is one of the better created cigar and should cost much more than it does.
What would I pay?  $9.00 in a cigar store.

I have said it before and I can't say it enough, any juried art show or competition that extends the deadline for the closing of submissions dates is down in the bottom of the barrel of any outfit I would ever do business with.  I have seen it happen with many galleries.  The Agora Gallery in New York is one of them that constantly does that.  I wouldn't have my work in that arm pit of a gallery if you were to buy everyone of my images.
Low life galleries and competitions do that .  They clearly state in the submission rules that you must follow the guidelines, then they don't.  Holding a submission ending date open clearly gives one to think as to why.  Probably because one of their favorite people didn't get their work in on time, or their juror is not doing their job.  Both reasons put the gallery in a very shady light in terms of honesty.
I have pulled many of my works from juried art show for this reason and have cancelled large, solo shows I worked years to obtain, from galleries who have done that.

Package update:
One of the four has arrived in New Stanton, PA.
Two are enroute New Stanton from Harrisburg, PA
One is in the U.S. mail service, somewhere.
Now mind you these were all delivered to UPS at the same time, going to the same place, all the same size and weight.

"...all those cigars". YES!

It is a documented fact that wives can not count higher than three.
I should rephrase that just a tad.  They can count higher than three, but their brains do not recognized more than three of something.
This, it turns out is a good thing for cigar smoking husbands, assuming you have a decent size humidor that holds twenty to thirty boxes of cigars (as you should).
If you are new to the game the first thing you want to do is buy a large humidor.  Not these desk top things that hold 50 to 200 cigars.  You smoke them all up before they have properly aged using that type of humidor.  Those are for moving your aged cigars from your aging humidor to an area where they are more convenient to get at.  Most aging humidors have glass doors so you can see your little beauties in there as they age.  The down side of this is your wife can see them too.  Most new cigar smokers will get a box of cigars and place them in this aging humidor.  Lonely they sit there in this big cabinet.  They need company so you buy another box to make it look a little more reasonable.  The wife will spy this immediately and ask you why you need two boxes.  You explain that they are a different kind of cigar and you need more than just one kind of cigar.  You go on to explain after dinner cigars, brandy cigars, every day cigars, breakfast cigars for before noon, company cigars, etc.  She shakes her head and throws up her hands because she is not a cigar smoker and does not understand.

Beth

Soon you find a great deal on a box of cigar you have been wanting.  This is going to reek havoc with the wife when she sees them sitting in your humidor, and she will.  You could put some electrical tape on the box and tear off some of the label and just tell her it is not cigars but some lawn  mower engine parts you needed to adjust the humidity level of before you put them back in the engine.  That will sometimes work if your wife is not all that sharp.  But if you have a reasonably intelligent wife you will be run through the grinding mill for having bought a third box of cigars.
Now comes the good part:  From here on out you can add boxes of cigars anytime your wife is not around because wives can not comprehend more than three.  At this point the quantity of cigar boxes you have in your humidor becomes, "ALL THOSE CIGARS".  You can sneak in a box every month and although the volume of cigar boxes grows they are still only viewed as, all those cigars.
Of course when the cabinet is full (40 boxes of cigar or so) you will begin to think about getting a second aging humidor.  If you were smart when you bought the first one you would have picked a modular unit that can be added onto.  The wife will not notice a new section, however they will notice a new cabinet on the other side of the room.  But with any luck you have managed to convert this room into your smoking lounge by now and she will avoid entering unless she absolutely has to.  This then becomes your opportunity to add a second aging cabinet.  When she does wander in a year or so later and spots it you can quietly remind her that she agreed to its purchase back in (pick a good month at least eight months back) April, right after you gave her that______(fill in the blank with something very nice) for her birthday.  But make sure you do give her something really nice for her birthday or she will get mad and accuse you of making the story about her agreeing to the purchase of the second aging humidor.  If that happens you are in trouble not only for lying but buying the second humidor and hiding the fact from her.  A situation like that takes at least two weeks of serious groveling to be forgiven for.
If you did get her something nice for her birthday she will give a quick smile and then revert to telling you she does not remember agreeing to to the purchase.  At this point you will either come out a grand winner or fall flat on your face.  It takes practice but this is how it goes.  You quietly and gently remind her that we are getting older and these memory lapses are probably going to occur more often, but......(and here is the KEY portion of this talk)......she gets more beautiful every day.  If she gives you a big hug and a kiss you can think about all those cigars you can now buy to fill up this second aging humidor.

Package update:  One package is in the U.S. Postal Service and is off the grid, for now.  Two of the remaining three have been scanned as leaving Harrisburg PA.  Apparently one is still there.

Gurkha Legend

It is time I guess.  I have to admit that I shy away from this brand of cigar even though they make some of the best cigars the world has to offer.  The reason I shy away from them is I hate, with a passion, their marketing.  They create some of the worst cigar bands and probably the worst names for cigars that anyone has ever come up with.  Their package offers are silly and appeal maybe to 20 something year old wannabe special forces guys.
They piss me off with this non traditional and non classic cigar approach.  For that reason I don't smoke them.  I don't care how good they are.  I don't want to participate in this foolishness.
But I guess for the sake of this home grown cigar review I probably should include a few of them as I plod along.
Just so you understand how much I dislike their marketing program I will not be happy when I smoke this even though I know it will be good because I have smoked them before.
What they said: The rarest of the Gurkha cigars, this is a very limited production of only 800 boxes per year for the world consumption.  A 7 year old Connecticut Broad Leaf fermented to the highest peak of maturity covers an 8 year old Dominican filler held together with a Cameroon binder.  Earth and grain flavors with a baked French bread aroma lingering in the background.

Sarah Jean

What I say:  You already know my feelings about everything to do with this cigar other than the cigar itself so I won't tell you how irritated I feel while I am holding what is going to be a nice cigar.  I may just pull all the bands off my Gurkha cigars and put them back in the humidor unwrapped so I can pretend they were made by La Gloria or Padron.
But onto this one.  First thing I will do is take off that stupid band and throw that away.  Ugly piece of crap.
The cigar itself is a masterpiece of construction.  Fairly smooth with slight raised veins.  Nice and tightly packed throughout with no soft spots.  A good solid cap that punched nicely although it took some doing to get through it.  A very thick cap on these.  The smell is nice and flavorful.  I have taken a few minutes to enjoy the smell.
Draw is a little tight before lighting but loosens up when lit so it become smooth and mediumish (new word).
The fact that they used a Cameroon binder tells you something about the quality of this cigar.  A Cameroon leaf is very delicate and they must ruin quite a few in this process.  It is tough to use a Cameroon leaf as a wrapper let alone a binder.
The draw eased up nicely when lit and a leather taste filled my mouth immediately.
As I expected this was one of the better cigars ever produced and is a real treat to smoke.  I have a goodly supply of them in a humidor and will keep them for special occasions.
A little spice mingled in after about ten minutes.  I didn't find that baked French bread thing but did enjoy a taste I could not put my finger on.  Maybe I just have not been around enough baked French bread and that is what they are describing.  It is nice whatever it is.
My only complaint on this smoke was an uneven burn.  Not enough for me to give up on it, but it was not in keeping with the otherwise quality of this cigar.  Once I re-cut it and started over (about mid point) it burned evenly the rest of the way.
A truly fantastic cigar.  Do not smoke this if you have less than two hours to kill.
What would I pay?  $12.00 in a cigar store.   More if it came without the band and name.

Worth a read.

Package update:  As of this morning three of the four packages are in Harrisburg  PA.  One package has been placed into the United States Postal Service back in Bethlehem PA.
This is getting better and better and it is only day 2.  The package that was transferred to the Postal Service I do not expect to see for better than a week.

5 Vegas Gold Maduro

This is a boxed pressed cigar that is quite pressed, I must say.  Rather sharp corners.  The dark maduro wrapper smells wonderful and a bit patchy with oil.  Although those my just be from my nose touching it when I sniffed.  On closer inspection I suspect that to be the case.  An experiment where I touched the cigar to my nose left similar oily patches.  It does smell good.
The dark maduro wrapper is that of a Pennsylvania Broadleaf and the veins have been flattened and pressed into it so the outside is smooth.
It is packed tightly throughout with no soft spots, but looking at this pressed cigar I would have problems if there were soft spots.
What they said:  Dried berries and mild cocoa combined with a creaminess create a pleasant smoke.

Sarah

What I say:  I was expecting a rather harsh taste when I lit it up but there was that creaminess to the smoke.  And I was just about to make fun of creaminess that seams to show up in every cigar writer's review.  But this was creamy.  I did not pick up the dried berries and me thinks this was some fabrication of a writer with a vivid imagination.  The flavor to me was that of sitting on a park lawn the evening of the 4th of July when the first loud bang of the fireworks display goes off to get everyone's attention that the show is about to start.  Not that heavy smell of fireworks you get once the show is underway, but that slight smell from the very first one going off.  A most pleasant smell.
I had read several review of this and thought that this was going to be a rather quick burning cigar, but I found it otherwise.  It is a good hour plus smoke.
As I got down to about the middle of this cigar I was picking up the berry flavor, although I am not sure how you determine moist berries from dried berries like the writer did.  Berries, that is good enough.  Not strong, just a hint.
There was my pepper taste lingering with each puff and I like that.  It is in most cigars, but this one allowed the flavor to linger a bit longer than most.  Very nice.  I could easily enjoy the lingering flavor to the point the cigar would go out between needed puffs, but I didn't.
This was a most enjoyable cigar for the price.  Very similar to Indian Tobac's Maduro, only cheaper yet.
What would I pay?  $6.00 in a cigar store, although they are more like 4 dollars.
A very good buy for a very good cigar.  A tad uneven on the burn but not enough to make me look somewhere else for a good smoke.

Anybody with a an ounce of mental ability think racial profiling for law enforcement is not a good thing?
In the pansy ass attempt to make everybody in the world equal (LOL) the liberal morons have taken things so far off in left field they are attempting to remove one of the most important law enforcement tools out there, racial profiling.  When a bomb goes off in a Federal building and two people are seen running from the area, one a white business man in a suit and one an Arabic dude, they don't want the police to make any assumptions on which one to chase.  I guess they want the police to do an, eenie meenie miney mo type of thing.
I'm for racial profiling the hell out of everybody.

I needed this stuff, but for fun I have placed four separate orders for the exact same thing, from the same company, on the same day.  They agreed to ship the four orders separately in like boxes.  They will be coming via UPS.
Yesterday they were scanned as leaving Bethlehem, PA at 4:42 pm.
As of this update 10:34 am, one has shown up as arriving at Harrisburg, PA (91 miles down the road) at 11:16 pm last night.  The other three are not o the grid.
This should be good!

Diesel Unlimited

This cigar is another very limited production cigar and if you are lucky enough to find one, grab it up.
The wrapper is a heavy, Cuban-seen ligero from Brazil that has been fermented and is a wonderful dark chocolate brown.  Heavy veining throughout and it feels as good in your fingers as it looks.  This is a full bodied cigar and not for the weak of heart.
What they said:  Spicy tobacco note of earth, leather and oak.  Slow burning creaminess throughout.

Brooke

What I say:   The wrapper seems to be oozing with oils and leaves your fingers feeling wonderful.  The wrapper also has a slight salty taste that I was enjoying long before I lit it up.  It is a very solid and well packed cigar with a medium to medium-heavy draw on pre-light.  Looking at the foot before toasting you can see where the wrapper oils have soaked into the binder and some of the filler leaves.  I was excited to get under way.
The foot toasted nicely and evenly.  My initial draw caught me a little off guard as I was holding it funky and the smoke went up my nose.  Once I recovered from that I discovered that this full bodied cigar was more of a med-full and I knew I was going to enjoy it much more at this time of morning  (11:30 am).
It had the pepper thing going and was what I would call creamy.  Not over powering like I was afraid it would be.  Visions of Christmas time from the 50s kept entering my head with me helping my grandmother make Christmas cookies.  Could have been the spices I was picking up with the smoke.
The flavors remained pretty constant throughout the cigar and I liked that.  I don't get excited about flavor changes within one cigar like some people do.  Staying the same is fine with me.  I know what I'm in for that way.  This was pleasant all the way through.
Most enjoyable and a definite restock in my humidor if I can locate some more of them.
What would I pay?  $10.50 in a cigar store.  I think they are cheaper than that however.
One word of caution with this cigar:  Do not wipe your lips on a light colored, cloth dinner napkin after you are done puffing.  That oily maduro wrapper will leave a brown stain like you would not believe.  My wife will forgive me in time.

Let me tell you just how bad the U.S. Postal Service is at knowing where mail is.
When I order cigars through the mail I sign up to get email from the Post Office as the package arrives and departs different facilities until it gets to me in Marcell, MN.
As I was writing this review I got an email from them telling me my package had just left their sorting facility in some town in Pennsylvania.  I am familiar with the route and the times it takes the U.S. Postal Service to run it..  Next stop in four days will be Minneapolis (Anyone else could make it in one, or two days tops).  The following day it will go to Grand Rapids.  The day after it will make it to Marcell, six days from now.
Odd as I had just finished smoking one of the cigars that was in that shipment for this review.

Padilla Dominus

This is going to be a half ass review because I was interrupted mid way through the smoke.
The Padilla Dominus is another great looking cigar.  Dark and solidly built.  A super limited edition cigar, only 50 dealers were allowed to carry this cigar.
What they said:  Complex spice, earth and black pepper keeps your interest from start to finish.

Brooke

What I say:  I will never know about the finish part.
I picked up this cigar last night and decided to give it a whorl.  It is a gorgeous looking thing and almost too pretty to light, but I did.  The pepper is right there up front but the cigar settles down in to a pleasant after dinner type of smoke.  The earthiness showed up rather quickly and I was enjoying this oh so much.  Then things came to an abrupt halt and I had to set it down.  I never got back to the cigar that evening and made a good attempt to rekindle it this morning after it sat all night in my ash tray.  It had become bitter and did not burn well.  After several attempt to straighten out what had been a fantastic cigar the evening before I gave in.
This cigar is in keeping with the rest of the Padilla line and is a true winner in terms of flavor and build.  I would like to have several of these in my humidor at all time, and I am fortunate enough to have several at the moment and may try this review again at some later date with one of them.  Then again I may just enjoy them without having to keep notes.
What would I pay?  $9.00 in a cigar store.

Term:  You are very photogenic.
Meaning:  I can't wait to get this pretend photo shoot over so we can get in bed.
Frequently misinterpreted by young girls to think they have any chance in hell of becoming a  real model.  They will immediately open up a portfolio on an internet modeling site and quote some photographer as having told her she was, "Very Photogenic".  Of course everyone will immediately look to see what clown she worked with that told her that.

5 Vegas "A" Apostle

This is a limited release, full bodied , beautifully dark, Costa Rican maduro wrapped cigar.  The dark color of this stick is gorgeous, however, little smell that I want to enjoy before lighting it.    The "A" series is supposed to be a ramped up version of the Classic 5 Vegas (pronounced: Cinco Vegas).

Brooke

What they said:  Aromatic flavor of leather and spice cloves. A light touch of molasses even out the flavor profile.  At mid-point a saltiness kicks in to enhance the spice.
What I say:  The cigar is a beautiful thing to look at.  Looks like a 20 dollar smoke.
I was a little skeptical because I did read a review from a well known cigar review person who said it tasted like charcoal and a mouth full of grill ashes.  He claims to have tried them on several occasions just in case he had gotten a bad one, but they all were horrible.  On the other hand many cigar review praised this stick.  So here is my take:  The maduro wrapper had shrunk up a bit and no longer went all the way down to the foot.  Not bad, but noticeable.  I punched the cap and what looked like a hard solid cap was thin.  I frowned a bit at that.
My very first puff was a heavy spice thing that hit the back of my throat.  Not terrible, just strong.  This is not the cigar to smoke in the house when your wife is not around if she doesn't like you smoking in there.  You won't hide the results from this one.  Very pungent.
I like to blow the smoke out through my nose so I can get the full extent of the flavors.  This one made me sneeze.  A wee bit sharp for me to be doing that.
After a few minutes my body settled down and grew accustom to the smoke.  I was beginning to enjoy this cigar, as strong as it was.  I did not get the slightest taste of charcoal or grill ashes so I decided to pay no attention to that person who writes cigar reviews.  i don't know what he was tasting but it certainly was not that.  And I doubt this cigar would have gotten the good reputation it has if it did taste like charcoal.
I was picking up a bit of an oak flavor by mid point.  That and the heavy clove taste was about it, but I did enjoy it once I got use to it.
I wouldn't run out and buy a box of these, nor would I buy one if there were some of my favorite I could get instead.  As a matter of fact I will probably never buy another one, but that does not make it a bad cigar.  Just that I like others better.  Much better.
This cigar last a long, long, long time.  This is a two hour +  smoke.
What would I pay?  $3.00 in a cigar store.

Something that turns me off when looking at a model's portfolio is two girls going at it.  That is crummy porn at best.  Nothing against girl / girl sex mind you.  I just don't think it is in any way, shape or form, artful.  Makes me look elsewhere for a model to use.

CAO Brazilia Box Pressed

It is time.  Time to grab one of my all time favorite cigars and have at it with a review.
CAO has been setting the world afire in the last few years with a host of truly grand cigars.  From their Black to their Gold, from their Italia to the Brazilia, From the x2 series to the latest OSA Sol.
All great and all within a reasonable budget.
This is a dark Brazilian maduro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler.  It comes in various sizes and box pressed or round.
What they said:  The smoke is complex with a rich earthy, floral flavor and a toasty, nutty quality.
What I say:  First thing you notice is this wonderful dark wrapper.  A few veins, but I like that.  No noticeable soft spots in the construction and it feels good in your hand.  This Brazilian fermented wrapper has a great smell to it and one should take the time to enjoy that before lighting this thing up.
The cap is solid and thick and makes for a good punch hole.  If you favor a cutter don't fret as this wrapper will hold up well and not fragment on you, even with a dull cutter.
Toasting the foot was not all that exciting.  But once lit the chocolate flavor of the maduro wrapper stand out nicely.  The Brazilia is a medium bodied cigar, unlike its cousin the Italia.  Draw is a bit tight and I have found that to be true on all of CAO box pressed cigars.  Not to the point of being unacceptable, just a little tight.  I don't find the spice they are always talking about but there is a distinct coffee thing going on.

Brooke

For those of you who are not cigar smokers out there, when we talk of coffee, leather, wood, spice, chocolate, etc in out cigars, these are not flavors that have been added.  These originate from the dirt and work their way into the plant leaves to show up when the tobacco is smoked.  Much like wine picks up hints of flavor from the ground the grapes were grown in.  I hate FLAVORED cigars.  Yuck!!!
After the first third is gone the cigar ramps up a bit and becomes more of a full bodied smoke.  The chocolaty fermented wrapper still gives that sweetness that I like and on occasion I thought I was picking up a tinge of licorice here and there, but it may have been from my hands or the kitchen where I had been working the two hours before.  It was oh so slight that I suspect it did not originate from the cigar but was a welcome addition anyway.  The second half was a definite leather thing.  Reminded me of an old leather belt and how wonderful they smell as they dry out and crack, releasing those penned up leather smells.
One of the better smokes out there.
What would I pay?  $9.00 in a cigar store.

We have 23 months left to prosecute George Bush for, Crimes against peace, Crimes against humanity, and War crimes.   Time to get our butts in gear and get it done.

Cohiba (General Cigar)

There are a few things that need to be straightened out before we get into this cigar.
First, there are two Cohiba cigars, and they are not related in the least bit except by name.
After the Cuban Revolution and the nationalization of the tobacco companies, Castro found a very good cigar made there.  This was a Cohiba.  It became so special because of the regions in which the tobacco was grown (still a closely guarded secret) it was and is given as gifts to high ranking diplomats and such.
In 1978 General Cigar Company began selling a brand of cigar named Cohiba, or Red Dot Cohiba (because of the red dot in the "O" in Cohiba.  This cigar has nothing to do with Cohiba cigars or the company in Cuba, but they play on that name and ask a pretty penny for their cigar because people are willing to pay it, mostly because they don't know any better.  General Cigar's Cohiba is good, but not $20.00 good.  It would make a dandy $8.00 cigar.
Cuba sued General cigar over the name and lost round one but there still is some things in the works.
I am reviewing the General Cigar Cohiba here today.  I wish it were the Cuban one, but alas....
General Cigar (Subsidiary of Swedish Match) makes this cigar in the Dominican Republic using Dominican tobacco.  It comes in a variety of wrappers and I will be reviewing the maduro one today.
What they said:  Strong, rich and incredibly smooth character.  Nutty flavor of French peanuts and a touch of caramel finish the smoke.
What I say:  The wrapper looks nice and the construction looks good.  There are a few soft spots here and there that do not lend well to this pricey a cigar.

Brooke

On lighting it you need to take a step back and hold it out at arms length to make sure you can see that it is what you thought you were getting.  One needs to be a seasoned cigar smoker with no feeling or taste buds left in your mouth or throat to be able to enjoy this.  I like full bodied cigars but this was pushing my limit.
I did pick up on a cedar taste along with a nutty flavor  in there.  How anyone could narrow it down to French peanuts is beyond me and me thinks these review people sit with a book of cute sayings in front of them and pick out some to jot down and actually never smoke the damn cigar.
I have had the Cuabn Cohiba cigars and this is nothing like them.
I still enjoyed this name sake Dominican.   It was a good smoke and one suitable for sitting around a campfire.
In my local cigar store they ask $22.00 for it, which is way over priced.
What would I pay?  $7.50 in a cigar store..

Well if this don't beat all!
We going to forget about the laws if a murder or rapist is doing good in school?  Let's adapt each and every law to each and every person.  No wonder this country is in the toilet.
We have a U.S. Border Patrol, but if you sneak around them.....you can stay.

We should shoot anyone who who is found in this country illegally.  Send that message loud and clear.  We wouldn't need fences, border patrols, and waste billions of dollars.  A case of ammo would get the ball rolling.

Arturo Fuente' Gran Reserva

I rarely buy a Fuente cigar, and I'm not sure why because I like them.  This one I got from someone and it has sat for some time without me giving it much thought so I figured it was time to pull it out and give it the review it deserves.
This is solid Dominican Republic cigar.  The wrapper is nicely spotted (that is a good thing in my book) but a bit loosely packed for my taste. Not a pretty cigar to look at but they do smoke divinely.
The Gran Reserva is a limited cigar available only to certain cigar accounts, so feel lucky if you spot one in a cigar store.  Then grab it.
What they said:    Earth and leather tickle your senses, mixed with delicate notes of sweetness.  Then caramel and black pepper join in to excite your palate.  Finishes with a coffee and vanilla mix.
What I say:  I was soaking in a hot bath tub after spending four hours helping someone move a fish house to a new location on the lake.  It was back breaking and I was due for a scotch and a good smoke.  It was time for this Fuente cigar to come out and play.

Katy_T

This is a very mild cigar and I chose it because I was going to be cooped up in a bathroom for an hour and I didn't want the wife coming in later and complaining about the cigar smell in there.  This was the perfect one for this occasion.  A mild cigar that won't leave the place reeking of cigar smoke.
As I lay in the tub I was reviewing the latest Cigar International magazine that came in the mail today.  A good deal on a sampler pack of 40 cigars caught my attention and I forgot about paying attention to this cigar.  It is one of those where you can do that.  A really good cigar that does not need your full attention.
Earth and leather, pepper and vanilla are there.  They come and go like a fish jumping and then disappearing back down into the depths.  Most enjoyable.  No heavy spice thing, which is fine with me.  This is a truly grand cigar for times when you can't sit there savoring each and every puff.  After all, there is more to life than cigars and being a cigar snob.  This is a good cigar for those times when you want a good cigar but don't have the time to critique it like it was a work of art and you were pretending to be an art snob.
What would I pay?  $8.00 in a cigar store.

How about this for a typical Government screw up?
Not only do they loose 48 laptop computers but one with unencrypted codes for for the control of the International Space Station.
If a private business ran things the way this Government does it would be out of business the same day.
Make you wonder what major things they have lost they do not tell us about.  Makes you wonder how badly they have screwed things up they do not tell us about.
Makes you wonder if the U.S. will even be around in ten years, or will we be owned and part of China.

Snowed yesterday :(

It should also be noted that Katy was working with a freshly (within hours) broken leg when the shot was taken above.  Pre-cast even.  How we broke her leg is for another story.