Last week I had the opportunity to participate in an interview call with Scott from over at the Sticks2Ash blog and Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars. Kyle had just returned from the IPCPR in Las Vegas a day or so prior and it was moderately early on a Saturday morning, but between some strong coffee and me smoking an El Oso Cub, we had a great conversation and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Tell Me Again Why the Cigar Rights of America Exists?

Labels:
18th Amendment,
21st Amendment,
cigar rights,
Cigar Rights of America,
cigars,
CRA,
FDA,
Freedom,
join or die,
La Aurora,
legislation,
liberty,
Oliva,
Perdomo,
Rocky Patel,
Thomas Jefferson,
Tobacco
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Back to Blogging!
Suffice it to say I’ve been very negligent in blogging, but
I’m back on track and look for far more regular posts. One of my prior posts, way back in January,
was about the plethora of end of year Top-10 cigar lists. I know I made a personal challenge and
commitment to bringing you quarterly updates of my Top-12 list (1 cigar per
month) for 2014. Rest assured that I
have not forgotten about this. I know my
first quarter Top Cigars off the top of my head and will write that up
soon. The second quarter cigars may
require a little more thought and checking through my notes. I know one of them for sure, but the other
two are as yet a surprise to me.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Sometimes When it Rains, it Pours
Smoke enough cigars of different blends and you’ll surely
experience both ends of the spectrum. In
fact, it’s possible that you have encountered both scenarios and possibly been perplexed
by what was going on. It might seem like
an indiscreet topic, but let’s just come out and talk about it: saliva. Have you smoked a cigar and been dumbfounded
that it seemed like you were salivating like Pavlov’s dog for no good
reason? Perhaps you encountered the
opposite extreme, and found your palate as parched as a desert. What’s going on?
Monday, January 27, 2014
Cigar Basics: General Shapes – Parejo y Figurado
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Parejos y Figurados |
Cigars are an incredibly basic pursuit, which makes them so
easy to get interested in. They’re also
one of the most complex animals out there, which is why they fascinate me and
are a ton of fun to learn about and enjoy.
But, at their core, there are just a few basics characteristics that are
inherent to all cigars across the gamut of price and strength.
All cigars fit into two basic shape classifications: parejo
or figurado. Parejos y figurados. Parejos have parallel sides, which seems like
a similar word in English, although parejo really means equal. So, parejos have equal, or parallel, sides.
Figurados are not shaped like parejos in that their sides
taper or have a shape to them. Figurado
means shape or figure. So, a straight
sided cigar is a parejo. A non-parallel
sided cigar is a figurado. Parejos have
a fairly blunt, rounded cap. There can
become gray areas based on non-standard shaped caps, like a twisted head, such
as on the Nica Rustica. For a reasonable
interpretation though, unless the cap has a significantly shaped taper, such as
a belicoso or torpedo, it is safe to assume that the shape of the cigar would
still be considered a parejo, like a Churchill.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Shot Heard Round The World
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Lexington Green - The Shot Heard Round The World |
Two-hundred thirty-nine years ago, roughly a dozen miles
northwest from the city of Boston, musket fire rang out at dawn in Lexington,
Massachusetts. Dubbed “the shot heard
round the world”, it was an event that we all learned about in our American
history class or social studies, as they began calling it when I was a
kid. While not the first skirmish
against the British Empire, it is recognized as the first armed conflict under
orders by the thirteen colonies against the mother country.
Our patriot forefathers, who stood shoulder to shoulder
and ushered in the American Revolution, did so because they had a shared belief
that there was a better way and that an oppressive government that tyrannically
stood in the way of freedom and liberty must not stand. That dream was realized and this nation was
born. We are the stewards of that dream,
and this great monument is tarnishing on our watch.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
New Arrivals - From Nicaragua
We got some new arrivals into the humidor. Not surprisingly with our love affair with all things Nicaragua, these three new cigars are all from that outstanding tobacco nation. The new additions are the La Reloba Habano, the Rocky Patel The Edge Habano, and the Nica Rustica from the tobacco witch doctors at Drew Estate.
I can't wait to smoke these and get them posted on the site so you can get some too.
I'm also working on some "what we are smoking" deals that will let you grab a 5-pack of whatever cigar we're currently obsessed with this week. Stay tuned for reviews and deals!
I can't wait to smoke these and get them posted on the site so you can get some too.
I'm also working on some "what we are smoking" deals that will let you grab a 5-pack of whatever cigar we're currently obsessed with this week. Stay tuned for reviews and deals!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Shake it Off – Cigar Relighting Tip
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Leftover Ash - Remove this before relighting |
Well made cigars are generally blended with the right
combination of tobacco leaves to provide for a good, even burn. Sometimes a cigar will smolder endlessly
while neglected on the ashtray. Other
times you may find that if you don’t continue to draw on it every couple of
minutes that it will quietly extinguish.
This happens, and it’s not immediately an indication of a poor quality
cigar.
Possible causes for a cigar that goes out are that it is a
particularly oily ligero blend and the tobacco is so moist that continual combustion
requires some additional attention from you.
It’s possible that the cigar is a bit over-humidified. Or, you could be wholly to blame by
dominating the conversation and forgetting to draw on your cigar now and then.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
What’s in a name? Nicotine
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Jean Nicot |
The two principal strains of tobacco are named Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica. Nicotiana
tabacum, which is air-cured, is the primary variety of tobacco used in the
production of premium cigars. Both varieties
of tobacco bear the taxonomic prefix of Nicotiana. What is the origin of that name?
Carl Linnaeus, the “Father of Modern Taxonomy”, sorted and
grouped species, both plant and animal, into logical arrangements that gave
clarity to their relationship, origin, and combinations. Linnaeus had a significant task before him of
naming and categorizing tens of thousands of species. So, clearly, being a logical and efficient
scientist, he often relied on naming species after the individual who first
discovered and described it, or whomever was prominently known to be associated
with the species.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Making Lists

Having generally resisted quantifying cigars, since I firmly
believe that my personal 93 may not be your interpretation of what a 93 should
smoke like and that we can share more about a cigar’s good points through a
conversation rather than distilling it down to a single statistical point, I
have similarly resisted the notion of making a Top Cigars of the Year
list. Curiously enough I relish reading
every published top-cigars list that I come across, both old and new. It’s a unique chance to see how someone tries
to concisely paint a picture of what their smoking preferences happen to
be.
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