Let’s discuss some of the great venues for smoking a fine cigar.[/quote]
Every spring, the first day it gets warm enough to sit outside with shorts on. Grilled beef and cold beverages are usually in close proximity.
Every vacation, the first day, around sunset with a chair on the beach. Grilled beef and beverages are usually in close proximity.
Gotta agree with the cold autumn day. But farm work and cigars has to be the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Especially dried grain around harvest time. Nothing like coming in from the fields and enjoying a nice… hot cigar?
My favourite would be at a ski resort or somewhere cozy with lots of snow. I would have a glass of Laphroaig or another smokey whiskey to match the smoke of my roaring fire and my cigar.
Man, I feel like such a dork. I bought some in Cancun last year and didn’t get a chance to smoke them. I wanted to bring them home but was affraid to get caught in customs. I left them in the room for the maids.
Didn’t even come close to being searched (like the time when I accidentally brought 4 samuari sword letter openers back from Japan in my carry-on bag. Through the x-ray and everything…didn’t get caught. Didn’t realize I had them there until I got home).
[quote]PGJ wrote:
Can a casual cigar smoker really tell the difference? I mean, is it like going from Buckhorn beer to Guiness? [/quote]
yes but more like going from guinness to rochefort 10. i will also say that i don’t think the cubans today are at the level they once were.
the best dominican imo is the davidoff special r. that is one sweeeet smoke. and i would compare it to a bmw m3.
the best cubans i’ve had are montecristo #2 and #4 from the early 90’s( i know a guy who has several boxes of these from that time) and those things are like an f1 ferrari. i mean literally you light one up and it’s like “holy fucking shit” ! the #4’s especially which is ironic because they’re a small cigar that will absolutely kick your ass.
that said the monte 2’s and 4’s i’ve had recently were only comparable to a bmw m5. people tell me i must be getting fakes, albeit good fakes. if those super cubans like the ones my friend has are still around i haven’t had any.
Say, I just remembered that I’ve got a few on my dead grandad’s cigars in the cupboard: ‘cabanas’ from cuba and some jamaican ones which might be a bit dodgy, ‘la tropical deluxe’ Are they decent?
Ahem… I also forgot to mention that they they’re 47 years old. I had a cabana at Christmans, and it seemed to taste pretty good
Gents as far as bringing in Cubans to the states. I brought in a box of cigars to SFO airport and there was no issue. Been a while since I have been in the states though so that might have changed ( left in 2003) .
If any of you are traveling abroad and have Dubai as your connection browse they have a great selection of cubans.
And my friend who was talking about the Malaysian Cigars ? Dont do it.
Ragoo for a novice I would suggest going through some Dominican Republic cigars. Try a different one every week. It will help you figure out what kind of flavor you enjoy.
For a great experience enjoy it with a good sized shot of Black Label with Ice. Sip and relax
You missed my point. I said “swathing hay”. Hay is harvested when green.
Operating a swather without a cab in a mosquito infested hay meadow implies a battle with the pests. Smoking cigars in that situation is a mechanism of defense.
[/quote]
Judging by the seasonal overlap and vocabulary, I’m guessing the discrepancy must be my/your locale (in more than one sense).
Sorghum, alfalfa, clover, whatever… cutting was never a battle with mosquitoes unless you started at dawn and even then, if it was wet enough for mosquitoes, wet hay was a bigger issue (not to mention 100# bales and heat/humidity).
Being an employee rather than owner, I usually spent more time on the wagon than in the cab though…
But I can see the repellant effect could be worth a cigar in-and-of itself.
[quote]azsdaha wrote:
Ragoo for a novice I would suggest going through some Dominican Republic cigars. Try a different one every week. It will help you figure out what kind of flavor you enjoy.
For a great experience enjoy it with a good sized shot of Black Label with Ice. Sip and relax
the whole cuban embargo thing is just silly. we all know there is no domino effect threat of communism. i don’t see why we can’t just import and export whatever we want, unless the gov’t is looking to squeeze favors out of cuba in exchange for the open market.
[quote]texasguy wrote:
the whole cuban embargo thing is just silly. we all know there is no domino effect threat of communism. i don’t see why we can’t just import and export whatever we want, unless the gov’t is looking to squeeze favors out of cuba in exchange for the open market. [/quote]
It has absolutely nothing to do with communism. Hasn’t for 20 years or so. It’s about stubbornness, politics and money and a whole lot of ill-will on both sides. There’s also the issue of civil liberties and government corruption.
the best dominican imo is the davidoff special r. that is one sweeeet smoke. and i would compare it to a bmw m3. "
i can vouge for that davidoff- very good cigars. speaking of cubans though, i received a couple cohibas the other day. they werent one of my normals, dont remember the name on the sleeves, something with a P.
they were 3/4" x ~6.5", with a “torpedo” end. smoked one yesterday- lasted about 40min, which was odd, theyre usually longer. my mind was running all over the place, so perhaps my draw was off–either way i got that buzz.
the other is sitting in my humidor, but seems to be drying out. i think i may have a defective humidor. oh well, ill throw that other cohiba in a plastic bag with a slice of orange for a day and itll be good to go.
I have no trouble bringing them back from Tijuana. I leave 'em in the bag, custom looks through the bag, and off I go. Anyone with access to Tijuana and wants the real deal (not fakes), go to Via Del Tobacco on the Revolucion.
Rudy, the owner, is (was, he passed away last year) a cuban expatriate, with many contacts in Cuba. Usually, you can tell a real cuban by the smell and feel of the wrapper. I have been a cigar smoker for many years, and can tell the difference rather quickly.
Real cubans have a wrapper that is more oily, and the smell of cuban grown wrappers is distinct with regards to Dominicans, Nicaraguans or Conneticut Shade. I am not a big Cohiba fan, I think they are just strong without a much of a flavor. The best cuban imo is the Diplomatico #4, followed by the Monte Cristo #2. The cuban Punch is good, but, at least for the last few years, has been poorly rolled. Lots of plugged cigars, nothing more frustrating.
As for non-cubans, I think the Padron Anniversario is the best, followed closely by Arturo Fuente Hemingway series. For a cheaper daily smoke, I love the Punch Rothschild robusto, double maduro. Runs about $5/stick, and smokes like a cigar worth twice that. Anyway, my $.02.
[quote]JesusReagan wrote:
As for non-cubans, I think the Padron Anniversario is the best, followed closely by Arturo Fuente Hemingway series. For a cheaper daily smoke, I love the Punch Rothschild robusto, double maduro. Runs about $5/stick, and smokes like a cigar worth twice that. Anyway, my $.02.[/quote]
yeah those fuentes are really good. very consistent.
do you have a read on the current quality of cuban r & j’s ? i had some great ones a few years ago and was thinking of getting some more.
