I know some of you enjoy cigars - share!

[drewkaree]

Here's one I haven't enjoyed in quite some time. This has easily had at least a year in my humidor, and being a Connecticut, it wasn't going to be a flavor bomb in the first place. It smokes almost too loose, which I attribute to the time, but this turned into one of the nicer smoking experiences I've had in a while.

Didn't require a single relight or touch up, still flavorful, nice and smooth, and the size turned out to be the perfect thing for me. I'm in the middle of calibrating some things with my 3D printer, and this allowed me plenty of leeway to tinker with that, come back, and pick this up again without any issues. I was digging through some smokes, and until I stumbled upon this one, I was going to be choosing between a Flor de Oliva or a Diesel that I'll try to show later on.

All in all, while Nubs tend to look like "short smokes", I promise that they're anything but - UNLESS - you hot-box it like you're smoking a cigarette. These really do relate closely to larger sized smokes around the same ring gauge. I think this one is a 4x54, which should be similar to a Robusto. The time on this was right around an hour+ and was a worthy smoke for the evening. For those who wish to try it, I'd wholeheartedly recommend this for a morning coffee smoke as well. Most Connecticuts do quite well in that setting, and this is no exception.

 

[sunbyrned]

I’ve enjoyed keeping up with your thread, Drewkaree. Thanks for getting this ball rolling. I’m getting ready for my daughter’s wedding in TN. where I’m in charge of the cigar bar. Thought I would try out these KY Fired Cured by Drew Estates as a nice gesture to her KY upbringing. I ordered the Fat Molly and when I took it out of the wrapper, I knew I made a mistake. It smelled like a campfire does the next morning. But, I lit it up anyway. Wow, was I surprised. It turned out to be a great cigar. Absolutely no maintenance, nice flavors, a very easy draw. Probably the best draw I’ve experienced. It is smokey but not ashy. My son thinks it’s best the cigar he’s had. I bought a five pack for $37. They’re still available. Read the reviews. They’re all basically saying what I’m saying. Worth a try.

https://www.cigarsinternational.com/p/drew-estate-muwat-kentucky-fire-cured-cigars/1479532/

 

[drewkaree]

I’ve enjoyed keeping up with your thread, Drewkaree. Thanks for getting this ball rolling. I’m getting ready for my daughter’s wedding in TN. where I’m in charge of the cigar bar. Thought I would try out these KY Fired Cured by Drew Estates as a nice gesture to her KY upbringing. I ordered the Fat Molly and when I took it out of the wrapper, I knew I made a mistake. It smelled like a campfire does the next morning. But, I lit it up anyway. Wow, was I surprised. It turned out to be a great cigar. Absolutely no maintenance, nice flavors, a very easy draw. Probably the best draw I’ve experienced. It is smokey but not ashy. My son thinks it’s best the cigar he’s had. I bought a five pack for $37. They’re still available. Read the reviews. They’re all basically saying what I’m saying. Worth a try.

https://www.cigarsinternational.com/p/drew-estate-muwat-kentucky-fire-cured-cigars/1479532/

I've had those when they first came out, and I could never overcome the "extra" smokiness, for some reason. That cigar is a perfect example of - different tastes for every palate". If YOU enjoy whatever it is, beer, cigar, food etc then that's really all that matters, and why it's worth at least a try. Kinda hard to know what you like without having something that you don't, and you develop a baseline and flavor profile to help guide you for future purchases.

Drew Estate is also an example of starting with a respected manufacturer, as even if you don't like everything they make, you get a feel for what the construction should be like, as well as some characteristics of how a cigar should burn, and the differences that can be found in different sizes and shapes as well.

The person I gave the rest of my KFC's to, had the same reaction as you did, which was a good feeling for me to know they would be enjoyed, and that, to me, is why I love seeing you guys and what you're finding out there.

I'd bet those KFC's would pair well with some Johnny Walker Double Black - something I very much enjoy. Go figure

 

[drewkaree]

Picked up a Liga Privada No. 9 and an Opus X Oro Oscuro. They were a little out of my usual price range, but the wife gave the go ahead. I’ll let you know what I think whenever I get to light them up.

See if your experience is similar to this guy. He's one of the OG's of cigar stuff, and does an excellent job with all of his reviews. Usually tons of pertinent information, easygoing conversational style, and pretty much to the point without dragging things on. From what I remember, seems to track, although I don't recall the spice/pepper. The billowing clouds of smoke is something I never really assigned to Drew Estate, but after hearing him say it, I can't say I disagree with that point.

 

[F.M.]

See if your experience is similar to this guy. He's one of the OG's of cigar stuff, and does an excellent job with all of his reviews. Usually tons of pertinent information, easygoing conversational style, and pretty much to the point without dragging things on. From what I remember, seems to track, although I don't recall the spice/pepper. The billowing clouds of smoke is something I never really assigned to Drew Estate, but after hearing him say it, I can't say I disagree with that point.

As soon as I make it thru the weekend, I’ll check out the video. Thanks.

 

[F.M.]

Propped my feet up by the fire pit last night and enjoyed an Aston ESG 5.25x52. Was a great smoke. Could definitely taste the flavors they claim to have. The cocoa came through nicely and just a hint of pepper that balanced pretty well with the Yellowstone Toasted I was drinking. Toward the end I did have a little trouble keeping it going, lot of re-lights. But overall a good experience.

 

[drewkaree]

Not sure if you had a plug in the end to cause you those relight issues. I find they're typically near the band area, for some reason. A PerfecDraw is the tool I'd recommend, but really, any poker will do. Another thing you can try is to lightly squeeze it while rolling it, if you find an area that feels hard as a rock, and break that area up somewhat, or at least get it to decompress. Lastly, if you've got a V-cutter, you can try doing 2 cuts, and make it a "cross" off sorts. That usually results in clouds of smoke for me if I do that from the start, but it's a bit weird to feel, and can go sideways in a hurry. Ashton's are well-made, so I'd think they could handle the double-V, but lesser quality construction would be something to take note of.

 

[F.M.]

I know cigarbid.com has been mentioned here before but I never really gave it much thought until a day or two ago. Now I think my wife hates you guys. Now that I’ve kind of figured out what I like I think this will be my go to way to purchase. I’ll still have to visit my local brick and mortar shop for the stuff cigarbid doesn’t have, but the savings on everything else will be pretty substantial.

Just bought:
5 Nub Nuance Single Roast
5 Nub Habanos
10 Buffalo Trace Toros
10 H Upmann AJ Fernandez Toros

All for just under $120 including shipping.

 

[drewkaree]

Those Upmann's are one of my neighbor's faves, so I keep some on hand for him. I've only had one of those Buffalo Trace smokes, but it was a Robusto, I think. I'm more partial to Toro's, looking forward to what you have to report on them. I found it to be quite flavorful, although I think it was almost a flavored type of smoke to me. And in your honor for the evening, I like the 460 size for all Nubs....

 

[F.M.]

Those Upmann's are one of my neighbor's faves, so I keep some on hand for him. I've only had one of those Buffalo Trace smokes, but it was a Robusto, I think. I'm more partial to Toro's, looking forward to what you have to report on them. I found it to be quite flavorful, although I think it was almost a flavored type of smoke to me. And in your honor for the evening, I like the 460 size for all Nubs....

View attachment 233001

I had a Buffalo Trace cigar in the past, but done remember much about it, I was pretty deep into a bottle of whiskey of the same name.

I bought a sampler of Nub cigars and really liked them. So I decided to grab them since they were cheap. And they’re the perfect size for what I like to call a soak & smoke in the hot tub.

 

[drewkaree]

If anyone saw @F.M.'s buys a few posts up, here's a chance to try all the different "roasts" of the Nub Nuance line for a great price.

https://www.cigarbid.com/a/nub-nuance-sampler/5339710/

Minimum bid as of my bid was $39.99, and I set my max bid to $44.99. I should have 2 of those 12-packs headed my way next week. I've had all of them. I find the following about that line to be true thus far - the triple roast is my fave, and if the flavors described fit your palate, I think it'll be yours as well. EVERYBODY seems to be a fan of the double roast, both scent-wise, and flavor-wise for those who are smoking them. The single roast is just a great all-around smoke, as well as a great morning coffee smoke for me. That sampler gives you a chance to try each, and decide which one fits your flavor profile or preferred smoke for certain times, like the single roast for me. A triple roast first thing in the morning would be fine for me, but it's not as enjoyable as the single or double - almost overpowers my coffee, so not the right time for that.

I also already won a 5-pack of Cohiba grey bands (Nicaraguan's), and am hoping to win a 10-pack of Nub Dubs (double maduro's) and a fiver of Perdomo 20th anniversary Sun Grown's.

Earlier today, I had to head out and do some errands around town, and I picked up these 3 packs at Total Wine. The Perdomo 4-pack is underpriced, IMO, with the inclusion of the 20th & 10th anniversary sticks, and they are priced better than I've been seeing on Cigar Bid, so it's nice to see a value buy at a brick & mortar near me. The My Father 5-pack has 2 that I've had before, and the other 3 will be new to me. The Cohiba's are just a great marketing gem, as they got me to buy that 3-pack. No, they're not actual Cubans (at $10 for that 3 pack, there's no way that's possible). What I can say is that they've done a great job with these, and they're closer than I expected them to be, in comparison to the Cuban Cohiba's I've had previously.

It was a bit eye-opening to see some of the pricing at Total Wine for some of their sticks. The Perdomo 20th was available all by itself, but at $18, that wasn't leaving with me! The 20th and the 10th, by themselves, were the same as what I paid for that 4-pack, so I did some "wife math" and celebrated my "saving money" with that purchase.

Thus far tonight, I've had 2 of the 3 Cohiba's, one V-cut, one straight cut (guillotine), and will shortly be finishing off the 3-pack tonight with a punch cut on the final one. Thus far, the V-cut is the winner with those. I'll share some of my recent pickups as well in another post that I'd recommend. Some accessories that I think are great values, if the price remains the same.

 

[drewkaree]

Some of the smokes I've had that I haven't reported on:

Alec Bradley Maxx - the band has changed, but this is a solid smoke


The Nub Dub, and also a Nub Roast that was a limited time offer for winter, it's much like the Java Mint, and quite enjoyable



An Oliva, great "anytime" smoke. I believe hands-down, Oliva has the finest construction of any manufacturer out there on a consistent basis. Everything they produce seems to be flawless, so if you like their stuff, and want to save some money, their "seconds" are a great pickup



A Consuegra - this was my father-in-law's favorite find for himself, and while it's not a great stick, it's something I will make every effort to keep at least a few around in remembrance of him. Also in this shot is the red Colibri V-cutter, and the best throwaway lighter money can buy, the single torch Ronson. The Consuegra is on my favorite Palio cutter, which is shaped as well, to make a nice rest for your smoke. The Semkont case is an Amazon pickup, and is identical to the Casa Fuente case my son picked up in Vegas for me. The Semkont is actually a little nicer, with metal latches, and included a few things I'll show in another post.




The Drew Estate MUWAT Bait Fish pack that was given back to me, and I'm thankful for them. If you stumble across some of these, they're discontinued, so unless they've been kept in good condition, I'd recommend that you pass on them. These were kept in smokeable condition since they were purchased a few years ago, and while they've mellowed tremendously, they're still great.





Here's one for @Jimmers, an Arturo Fuente Short Story. I have no idea where I got the JR faux nub from, but that went down like a fat kid on a birthday cake! Fuente is another brand to look at for an understanding of construction, and if you like their wrappers, they make any number of sticks for you to enjoy. The Short Story is a great quick smoke, usually 30-45 minutes for me, and never a problem with them falling apart unless they've been kept in less than optimal conditions. As for the JR, that could be a nice stick for the golf course, I haven't looked into them other than to see if I had bought it myself, or if it was gifted to me. It's not on my ordered list, but consider a 10-pack, or some other wrappers to try.



I have yet to walk into a cigar shop that doesn't sell Flor de Oliva's, in multiple wrapper flavors and sizes. Always a good deal, and a decent all-around smoke. The value of these, to me, is for someone looking to dip a toe into the cigar world without knowing much, and not wanting to spend a fortune and wind up disappointed. It's a great "practice" cigar that can easily transition into a favorite if someone found them to be their jam.



Lastly, a Diesel. This was part of a size sampler of Diesels. The sampler was all the same blend, but in a Churchill size, the Perfecto you see here, and a Robusto (or Toro, can't recall). This is a great type of sampler to experience the difference that size and shape can make. With this one, it was somewhat annoying that the draw couldn't be tested before it was lit, but Drew Estate tends to make great stuff. This one didn't draw well, but I have a PerfecDraw that I used to fix that up. The "cap" needed to be clipped carefully, so this would be a chance to test your skill at getting a good cut. I'd say the Diesel's are all good smokes, but I enjoyed the Churchill the most. The perfecto's were often plugged, so after the 2nd one that I got like that, I started clipping the foot to test the draw. I wouldn't recommend the perfecto of this one, unless you're intrigued about the shape.

 

[drewkaree]

Last post for the night, with some links to recommendations.

The Semkont case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1SLWTZ...&amp=&crid=26G26D2BZGYMH&sprefix=semkont&th=1

The lighter with this case has turned out to be a great add-in, to the point that I looked to see if they sold JUST the lighter. They do, but these are all chinese copies, I'm guessing, so they just flood Amazon with their products under various names. The lighters I came across that looked to be the same, happened to come in other colors. I ended up picking up a 2-pack of these Zoocura lighters, and again, winners! The 2-packs come in either Black/Brown, or Blue/Yellow. At the time, the Black/Brown wasn't an option for me.

Here's the Zoocura lighters: Amazon.com

In this lineup shot, there's the Semkont throw-in, the 2 Zoocura lighters, my Xikar blue lighter, and the Ronson single torch lighter.



The Xikar cost more than all 4 other lighters combined, and simply isn't worth the money in my eyes. Yes, there's a lifetime warranty. At this point, I don't believe Xikar makes this particular lighter anymore, so what good does the warranty do me, if they're going to replace it with something else? Regardless, at $6-7/each, I'm really not concerned about a "favorite" plastic lighter with a lifetime warranty.

At the time I bought the Xikar, it was a birthday present to myself in 2013, for $38.40, according to Amazon. There really wasn't the absolute glut of cheap GOOD lighters on the market. Now? I can get 5 lighters for that same price, and would expect them to last at least as long. If a lighter fails, it usually tends to fail quickly, within the first few weeks or months. If it lasts a year, it'll last as long as you take reasonable care of it.

The common reasons people think a lighter is shot is that they use shite butane, haven't bled it properly, or they've got all sorts of debris in the flame area - or a combination of these things. A blow gun fitting for a compressor can be used to clear out the flame area. Bleeding is just a matter of reading how to do it properly, and making sure you don't hear the air hissing out any more, and the cost of refined butane is ridiculously cheap, compared to the problems crap butane causes. If you're at elevation, such as living in Colorado, they even make high-altitude butane that will work for you. If you're closer to sea level, that high-altitude stuff is even better

High altitude butane: Amazon.com

That stuff is cheap enough to me because I NEVER have issues with it. I run it in my Thermocell cartridges that I refill, and the candle/grill lighters that we have around the house. CigarBid has the stuff as well, if you want to try to get it cheaper. I've found that cheap butane costs more in frustration than it's worth, and the 8oz cans I linked to above will last seemingly forever if you're an occasional smoker.

Hope someone finds the recommendations helpful, and as always, if you come across something you like, it's great to hear the experience of others and what they think.

 

[F.M.]

If anyone saw @F.M.'s buys a few posts up, here's a chance to try all the different "roasts" of the Nub Nuance line for a great price.

https://www.cigarbid.com/a/nub-nuance-sampler/5339710/

Minimum bid as of my bid was $39.99, and I set my max bid to $44.99. I should have 2 of those 12-packs headed my way next week. I've had all of them. I find the following about that line to be true thus far - the triple roast is my fave, and if the flavors described fit your palate, I think it'll be yours as well. EVERYBODY seems to be a fan of the double roast, both scent-wise, and flavor-wise for those who are smoking them. The single roast is just a great all-around smoke, as well as a great morning coffee smoke for me. That sampler gives you a chance to try each, and decide which one fits your flavor profile or preferred smoke for certain times, like the single roast for me. A triple roast first thing in the morning would be fine for me, but it's not as enjoyable as the single or double - almost overpowers my coffee, so not the right time for that.

I also already won a 5-pack of Cohiba grey bands (Nicaraguan's), and am hoping to win a 10-pack of Nub Dubs (double maduro's) and a fiver of Perdomo 20th anniversary Sun Grown's.

Earlier today, I had to head out and do some errands around town, and I picked up these 3 packs at Total Wine. The Perdomo 4-pack is underpriced, IMO, with the inclusion of the 20th & 10th anniversary sticks, and they are priced better than I've been seeing on Cigar Bid, so it's nice to see a value buy at a brick & mortar near me. The My Father 5-pack has 2 that I've had before, and the other 3 will be new to me. The Cohiba's are just a great marketing gem, as they got me to buy that 3-pack. No, they're not actual Cubans (at $10 for that 3 pack, there's no way that's possible). What I can say is that they've done a great job with these, and they're closer than I expected them to be, in comparison to the Cuban Cohiba's I've had previously.

It was a bit eye-opening to see some of the pricing at Total Wine for some of their sticks. The Perdomo 20th was available all by itself, but at $18, that wasn't leaving with me! The 20th and the 10th, by themselves, were the same as what I paid for that 4-pack, so I did some "wife math" and celebrated my "saving money" with that purchase.

Thus far tonight, I've had 2 of the 3 Cohiba's, one V-cut, one straight cut (guillotine), and will shortly be finishing off the 3-pack tonight with a punch cut on the final one. Thus far, the V-cut is the winner with those. I'll share some of my recent pickups as well in another post that I'd recommend. Some accessories that I think are great values, if the price remains the same.

View attachment 233924

I’ve enjoyed the Nub Nuance single roast so much that I just bid on and won a 20pk. I also bid on and one a 5pk each of the double and the triple roast to try. And you’re right the flavor profile descriptions from Nub are dead on.

 

[drewkaree]

I'll post a few more recommendations, and follow up with making cigar glue.

I'm an Amazon Vine member, and requested a lighter for review, and this has turned out to be an absolute gem for the golf course, or if you're looking to have more tools in one space. I tend to prefer purpose-use items, as they tend to be higher quality and better in performance, so for home use, I'll still stick with my PerfecDraw and PerfecPunch, and my Colibri V-cutter. I would consider this lighter to still be a purpose-use item, as I don't have to take multiple items with me to smoke on the course. I'd also use this for taking to the fire pit, or if I'm gonna be away from home and may have a smoke.

This is a link to the lighter I got, but there's another one I'll be buying that I think is better

When that lighter arrived, I wasn't sure about the size, but after putting it to use, I've determined that it's great for portable use especially. The size is right between a tabletop lighter and your usual pocket lighter. It holds about twice the butane of any of my regular lighters, but about 2/3 of any of my tabletop lighters. This should get me through 3-4 rounds of golf with many relights.

There's a small punch, which can be used multiple times to open up a larger stick, and when folding it back into place, it self-cleans. There's a pick/poker to address any draw issues you may find with a cigar, and there's a V-cutter built in as well. It does none of those things perfectly, but it does all of them with a fair amount of success, and the cutter and punch SHOULD be able to be sharpened with some success. The poker is a spike that looks like twisted wrough iron, and is okay. I came across another version of this lighter today that I think I'll like better, and I've got one on the way to the house in a few days. The poker is a better design, and I like the wood look to it. The cutters will be something to assess when I finally get it, but I suspect they're like this one, and they'll be sufficient. The size is identical to the linked one above, so I also believe it'll hold a fair amount of butane as well. The only thing I'm unsure of, is that it needs to be charged via USB-C, as the igniter is an electric start - dunno if it's a piezo or just a heat coil design, or something altogether new.

Here's a link to the lighter I'll be trying out, and a pic below



There's some design differences that I wish these two lighters could meld together to create a more ideal design. The poker of the wood version is definitely a better design, but the cigar holder is designed to be used with the lighter standing on its base, and therefore not as stable as the other one, that is used as a cigar rest while lying flat on the table. The igniter button on the wood version is smaller, although I expect it will suffice. I wish it didn't require charging, and that may prove to be the reason it goes back to Amazon, if I find it to be a PITA. I'm not a fan of the inline flame design, so I prefer the double torch of the wood version, but I know that's not as preferable to me as a triple torch for many of the larger smokes I have. We shall see on this one.

Regarding how to sharpen a punch cutter. I may have posted this before, but I'm gonna post it again. This tool is NOT going to be listed as anything related to cigars. It's a reamer for reloading. It struck me that I might be able to use this for my punch cutters one day, so I cleaned mine off and tried it. Worked so well, I went and bought a new one to be dedicated to my cigar cutters, and I wouldn't have to worry about any chemicals/materials/shavings making their way from my reloads to my cigars. It's the orange thing shown below, with my old and well-worn Xikar punch cutter. The blue of the thread area is the color the entire thing used to be, so you can see it's seen some miles! Just search Amazon for reloading case prep tool, and you should find one of these.



Next up, making cigar glue.

 

[drewkaree]

If you've ever had a wrapper split on you, you know the frustration of trying to keep it together, or having it unravel, and it often causes enough problems that it might affect your enjoyment of a cigar. They sell "cigar glue" in these tiny doll-sized bottles that look like barbie nail polish toys, for an absolute fortune - anywhere between $40-100 PER OUNCE!

These will tend to dry out in the bottle, just like they ALL do eventually, but it really does save the day when a smoke starts to go sideways on you. Licking the leaf, water, whatever you try OTHER than this stuff, never really lasts, or you end up burning your finger, or tearing the wrapper eventually. There's several ways to make a suitable version for yourself, and with a few bucks investment, you'll have a seeming lifetime supply, and you can make as much or as little as needed, and just make a new batch whenever needed.

So the only REAL ingredient you need is gum arabic. If you've got a health food place near you, you may be able to pick this up locally, otherwise, Amazon is your friend for doorstep delivery.

Amazon.com

I smoke enough that I make small batches. You'll need something to mix this stuff in, and I have tons of these OXO measuring cups, and the pour spout lets me fill the bottles since the small funnel is in witness protection with the missing socks from the dryer LOL

This OXO measuring cup holds 60ml, or 2oz. The cheapest cigar glue I found on Amazon has 4 bottles, totaling 60ml, for $20. That's still a ridiculous price, and it's still just as likely to dry in the bottle on you, meaning you'll waste 2-3 bottles before you ever get to use it. Making it is a much better proposition.

Put a small amount of the gum arabic into whatever container you're going to use. A fingernail's worth is sufficient for 5-10 applications, depending on the severity of your wrapper unraveling, but you won't feel like you have to skimp with your DIY version. Add enough water to get it to at least a paste consistency, and then add a bit more to make it liquid enough to flow. That's it. That's the extent of the job. Apply it as needed with something, and realize that you now have an absolute ton of that gum arabic left over, once you know how much you'll need to use!

To make mine easy to apply, I bought these bottles from Amazon, with a brush built into the cap, and the OXO cups let me fill the bottle. Seal it up, use it when necessary, and rinse it out when it starts to dry out, and start the process over again.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XCWQ9DK?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4

The ONLY necessary item is the gum arabic. All the rest is simply making it easier to mix, pour and store, and if you've got something you can use, save the money for another cigar.

In this pic, you can see the first lighter I linked to in the post above, with the punch and poker extended, and how the lighter functions as a cigar rest, and the nail polish looking brown bottle is my cigar glue. Hope you guys find this helpful

 

[drewkaree]

Above, when I listed several of the smokes I had, I was mistaken when I pointed out the cutter beneath the Consuegra. I used it today, and it turned out to be my Xikar M8 cutter. While it's a nice cutter, if you don't stumble across a good buy on CigarBid, I would search for the best price. Amazon lists it today at $55, while I can find it multiple other places for $38, and I know I didn't pay more than $30 for it. The Xikar high altitude butane I mentioned above seems pricey, but I'll show you guys why I like CigarBid - this is my order, along with the Acid Candela's and a Southern Draw 10-pack they run specials on




I started in on the My Father 5-pack I picked up the other day. I've had the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial, and the La Gran Oferta, but the other 3 were new to me. They felt overhumidified, but I didn't feel like they weren't going to be smokeable. Yesterday, while writing the above posts, I had the La Antiguedad. At some point, I may be willing to give that one another shot, but the one from that pack was an absolute dog rocket, and I smoked it about halfway before giving up, and letting it go out, never to be finished. The draw was terrible, even with several runs with the PerfecDraw, and it was bitter. Adding to the fact that it continually required a relight, I wasn't expecting to have such a poor experience with it.




Today, I wanted to see if the humidification was the issue, and I had the El Centurion shown resting on the lighter in the pic above. This one required a poke or two, but this one has been behaving quite well on the draw, and no relights needed as of yet. That said, this is not my type of stick. About 2-3 dashes too much of black pepper throughout, and I'm getting very little of the flavor this is reported to have. Said to be "spicy-sweet with notes of black pepper and leather", I'm getting very little "sweet" or "leather", and it's just really not for me. The pepper is definitely omnipresent for me, so use that as you may.

While I haven't smoked the rest yet, the Jaime Garcia and La Gran Oferta are supposedly "pepper" sticks, but that hasn't been my experience in the past. I'm looking forward to trying the Cuban Classic in that pack, as it seems to be similar to the JG & LGO, but we shall see. I noticed a stick that they've had with the My Father samplers in the past, the Fonseca, and I suppose it's my fault for not looking closer for that one. The Fonseca is one that I can wholeheartedly recommend. I've had several of those, and I don't recall a bad experience with any of them. I only hope my memory is correct, and I pushed aside a few bad examples of the Fonseca's over the years, but the Garcia family makes some excellent sticks. If you don't find any of these to be your jam, they'll have SOMETHING you'll like, so check out some more in-depth reviews online.

Hope you gentlemen find a moment to sneak in a nice smoke, and the weatherman shines his favor on you!

 

[drewkaree]

Several treats dropped at my doorstep this week. I received the faux wood lighter I showed above, and I can categorically say to stay away from that thing. I try to look for something good to say about almost everything, so in regards to that lighter, it's a dynamite V-cutter. The blade is awesome on that thing, and I wouldn't expect to have to sharpen it for quite some time, if at all, considering the number of cutters I have, and use. I prefer my PerfecDraw poker tool, but if I were out and about and didn't have it with me, the poker on that lighter is a nice little piece of kit that works well for the task at hand. It has fired up each and every time I've pressed the button as well. Beyond that, there's no other reason, to me, to buy the thing.

The lighter instantly starts to expel butane when the top is opened. I find this to be highly annoying, given that EVERY other lighter I have, with one exception, does not do this. The lone exception is my tabletop lighter that requires a knob to be turned in order to allow the butane to flow, and looks like a mini bunsen burner. To me, this is an inexcusable flaw. The punch cutter is ridiculously small. It's good for corona sizes, MAYBE a robusto, but nothing larger. The igniter button is miniscule in comparison to the other similarly-styled lighter I have. While sufficient, it'd be nice to have a larger button for it. The fuel level window is hidden inside the chamber where the V-blade is located, and can't easily be viewed like the other one. Lastly, the fact that it MUST be charged with a USB cable in order to light is yet one more inexcusable flaw. It's bad enough to not be able to light if you run out of butane, but to run out of "charge"? C'mon, really?

Here's what the punch cut looks like on a 60 ring cigar - a bit larger than a Toro, but not by much:




I am aware that I have more than a few cigar-related "trinkets", so I have a punch cutter that can handle multiple sizes. Regardless, that cut above is the smallest size on the PerfecPunch that I have. There's another more reasonable size in the middle, which is also the same size as my Xikar and the other lighter listed above. This smoke is a Bueso Genesis 60 ring, and the largest punch is perfect for me, and it makes the built-in punch on the faux wood lighter look comical in comparison:



To wrap up this review of the lighter, skip it, and look elsewhere. The pretty faux wood and the V-blade are the two things I can say that are standouts. All the other shortcomings drag it down and turn it into a terrible experience to use.

 

[drewkaree]

As for how my day went...w00t! Got this dropped at my doorstep this morning! I've been shut out recently on box purchases, and the Perdomo 20th just don't come up for boxes. 5-packs aplenty, but they seem to be getting priced up beyond retail for some reason, or there's limited lots, which aren't of much interest for me to get into a bidding war for those. These Lot 23 Sun Grown's were up for 5 days of progressive auction, where they started out at $150 and dropped down over a few minutes. Either you bid, or eventually the price "resets", and the auction starts over again. I ended up snagging this box for $114, which is a great deal for these. I'll be unwrapping them and throwing a Boveda in there and letting them age for a little bit




The Nubs are the "Nuance Roast" series, single, double & triple roast. These used to be known as "Cappucino, Machiatto & Espresso" (I think it was Espresso?) - same stick, different name. Anyone who's had them can tell you more, but I don't know anyone who won't find one of those that they like.

The Cohiba's are Nicaraguan's that I've been wanting to try, but they always seem to slip away from my memory. While bidding on multiple things, those popped up, and I decided to make it happen finally, and snagged that fiver. Cohiba's seem to be ready to smoke for me, but some humidor time won't hurt them. I'll need to buy some more if I want to test the humidor theory, as I broke that pack open and have already tried one today. I figured I'd show you guys what I mean by a cross cut - using a SHARP V-cutter, do 2 cuts as shown. I never fail to get clouds of smoke and a decent draw if the cigar can handle a cut like this



Something that was noticeable to me are what seems to be intended to make these hard to counterfeit. I know, fake cigars, wtf?!? The cross-hatching on the band along with the hologram looking strips seem like there's gonna take enough effort that making fakes won't be worth the trouble. These are nice gems at a reasonable price, although if you're a fan of Cohiba's, these are definitely not what you're typically used to! A bit more oomph and a flavor profile that I like.




There's a good chance I'll smoke my way through this fiver over the weekend, but I definitely won't be waiting as long as before to grab more! These had a straight barn smell to them, as many sticks do, but after they were lit, there was enough to remind that Cohiba is often thought of as a "Cuban" brand. Slightly grassy, and even with the strength, nothing but smoothness to the stick. No punch in the face, no nicotine hit (to me), just a steady, strong and smooth experience. My son stopped by and wanted to try it - he found it to be strong (for him), but he's a cigarette smoker that'll dabble a bit with trying a puff or two, and he knows to ask me if it's strong. He learned his lesson after trying an LFD I was smoking, and other than the nicotine, he was definitely educated in how strong cigars can be compared to cigs. His review: "I gotta work my way up to a man's cigar like that!" LOL

We were hoping to get up to the lake house, and at least SEE the lake, but the wife character has some health issues preventing the trip, so hopefully next weekend. In the meantime, I'll just have to make do with some smoking enjoyment, and working my way through some of the humidor holdouts. Hope you guys all get a chance to get out on the boat, or have a virtual smoke with me while you bide your time until boating season starts!

 

[drewkaree]

Hello darkness, my old friend!