Weekend review; June 28th and 29th, 2008

Busy weekend! My niece, Candace, got married Saturday afternoon in Liberty Hill, SC, which is a little more than an hour from home. It was a nice wedding. There was some rain at the outdoor reception (which was covered) but that didn't dampen their day!



After the wedding I decided to stop off at a new cigar shop/lounge that just opened in Columbia. It's in the northeast part of town on Hardscrabble Road. It's called Lite Um Up Cigars. They are the only cigar shop around here that sells cigars and had a full bar! Right now they're serving 6 micro brews on tap as well as bottled beer and a large wine selection. Liquor is coming soon.



The humidor is well stocked with some familiar names as well as some the other shops in town do not carry.

I didn't have my camera with me this time but you can bet I'll be back and snap a bunch of pics for you to see.

They have some nice events lined up already. Check out their Events tab on their website.

http://liteumupcigars.com/default.aspx



Both the owners are military men. Tom is retired out of the military and Tony is still active duty. Thank you both for your service to our country, gentlemen!



Nice place. Check it out! I'll be back again! Since they're on the other side of town from me, Friday nights will be a good time for us to stop by. It's not too far from my office.



Now, on to the reviews...



Saturday, June 28, 2008



While at Smoke Um Up Cigars Tom suggested a new cameroon cigar for me to try. As a lover of good cameroon I said sure! So, let's review it...



Cusano 59 Cameroon Preferido (5.7x58)


The cigar starts off with lots of spice. There are caramel undertones with hints of cinnamon. This cigar has the classic cameroon taste! The cigar stayed consistent throughout. Firm draw but not overly so. The burn was good. Construction was good. This is a very good cameroon cigar. I'll have to try them more.


Score: 89





Sunday, June 29, 2008


La Herencia De Cuba torpedo (6x52)



This was another cigar I got from the new shop. I'd never heard of these cigars and Tom said he was the exclusive S.C. distributor for them. There was spice with hints of pepper upon initial lightup. There were leather notes. Quite spicy after the first inch. Leather overtones remained. Nice, tight ash. (I notice stuff like that) A very enjoyable cigar that stayed consistent. The flavors were quite nice together. I must get more of these!


Score: 92





Gran Habano Habano #3 churchill (7x50)



I believe I've reviewd this cigar before but here's another one; slightly updated.

Very nice spice with leather undertones. The ash is very dard; almost black with spots of gray. A rather dense feeling cigar. Very slow burning, but even. The finish is short which is about the only negative I have on this cigar. All in all a very good cigar.


Score: 91

Pontillo 1776 Event/Weekend review for 6/28 & 29, 2008

First off, it was very nice seeing A. J. again. He was in town promoting his newest cigar, the 1776. It's made of 100% US grown tobacco. Here's what they look like:

I actually haven't tried one yet. I bought 3 to sample and I always let them sit in the humidor for a little while. I'll have one soon and give a report.


He told me some very interesting news. He's in the process of making a cameroon cigar! I'm VERY interested in trying these! These should hit the market later this year.


He is also reblending his original cigars. He has moved his factories from Nicaragua to the Dominican Republic.


It's always good to see A. J.

(l-r) Connie, Me, A. J., Jim

Weekend reviews:


Saturday, June 21, 2008


Don Lino Africa Kiboko (6.5x58)

Lots of spice. Cinnamon overtones. Effortless draw for a large ring cigar. The finish is rather short. Smoke this cigar slow for the best burn. Cinnamon notes fade but spice remains. Very consistent cigar.


Score: 89




Padilla Hybrid Churchill (7x50)


The "original" Padilla and anymore, the forgotten Padilla cigar. Great construction. Quite affordable these days on cigarbid. Expect to pay around $2 to $2.75 each on cigarbid.com. I still enjoy these very much. Initially nothing overpowering but there are nice spice notes and hints of caramel. Caramel notes increase at the 3/4" point. Around midpoint the caramel overtones increase nicely again! Very nice, medium bodied cigar.


Score: 89




Sunday, June 22, 2008

Pontillo Paragon churchill (7.5x52)

Black band = Paragon

Nice looking, heavy cigar. Feels good in the hand. Quite a bold cigar, too. Spicey, peppery, and a heavy ligero presence. Caramel undertones along with some almond hints. Great draw; one thing Pontillo cigars are known for. This is a full bodied powerhouse! Be careful with this one, you might hurt yourself!

Score: 91



601 Black Torpedo (6.5x52)

Connecticut shade wrapper but that doesn't mean mild in this case! Initial draws are peppery. Almond overtones with plenty of spice. This cigar has potential to sneak up on you if you're not careful. It starts off medium bodied and transforms into a full bodied cigar. Produces a lot of smoke. Effortless draw. After an inch the spice and pepper are at full strength! The almond undertones continue throughout.

Score: 91


Fonseca Vintage Torpedo (6.5x52)

Spice comes through nicely initially. Very small hints of caramel. Some bitterness noted. Quite mild. Might be a good morning cigar. Consistent, just too mild for me. Cigar was at it's bes from midpoint until the end. Spice was decent. Bottom line, this is a mild cigar.

Score: 84

Weekend review; June 15th, 2008

Happy Father's Day!



This was a very busy weekend! First, my son Ty closed on his new house on Friday! Quite an accomplishment for a 24 year old. It's a brand new house, too! He was able to upgrade several things since it was not a spec house. It turned out very nice! Well, since he closed on a Friday that meant that I'd be helping move in the heavy stuff on Saturday, so I had to cram my yardwork into Friday evening! On Saturday we got his stuff moved in. He had his bedroom furniture stored at a friend's house. Once we got everything moved in and set up he and Connie began hanging pictures, curtains, and that sort of thing. I bugged out and went back to do more yard work at our house! Had a nice 601 Habana churchill on the ride home and while working in the yard.



Since Sunday was Father's Day, I decided to have something special. So, I chose the Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro. This is a long cigar; 7.6" x 49. Nice spice and flavor. I've reviewd this cigar before so I won't bore anyone with it again. To paraphrase; it's great! These are a treat, so I don't have them that often!



I followed it up with another cigar I've reviewd before; the Don Pepin Garcia Blue churchill.
Very tasty cigar! This made a great follow-up to the VRDA.



The only cigar I had that I have not reviewed previously (as far as I can remember) is the Armando Ramos Graffiti Liga 2 (5.5 x 50)



Quite a spicy cigar with nice pepper notes. Ligero really comes through. This cigar delivers some pop! It's not a mild cigar; I'd put it at medium to full. Nice caramel undertones. One of the best cigars I've had from Armando Ramos. Plus, they're quite affordable. You can check them out on their website: http://www.thecigarfo.com/store/index.php


Score: 92

Las Vegas, June 8-12

Connie and I, along with Henry and his wife, were chosen to attend the TCM dealer's meeting in Las Vegas this year. Since I've never been to Vegas this was a good opportunity to check it out. The flight out went smoothly. Arriving in the Vegas airport was interesting. Lots of people hustling about. We took a limo to our hotel; Treasure Island.

The meetings did not occupy all our time. We visited Casa Fuente twice. Great selection of Fuente cigars, but you'll pay dearly for them! I bought 2 cigars while there; a Casa Fuente toro and an Ashton ESG robusto. Together they were $52!!!!! But, when in Rome...

They have a nice bar, also.

Entrance to the humidor:

Connie and I enjoying a drink and cigar:

The pool at Tresure Island was nice. Lots of chairs and people filling them! Of course, I had my cigars. Here I enjoy an Oliva V!

View from pool:

In the evening we walked to other casino's.

Jim and Ginger's wedding

June 7th, 2008

Jim and Ginger finally got married! I was the best man! The wedding was held at Ginger's sister's house. It is a beautiful, large house above Winnsboro, SC.

The ceremony was held in front of the fountain. Chairs for the guests circled around the fountain. The setting was perfect for a wedding.

I was in my black tuxedo and the outdoor temperatures at 6pm were around 100 degrees! Yes, it was hot! But, everything went very well. Ginger was beautiful! Congrat's you two!

Weekend review; May 31st, 2008

Wow! Summer is here! Temp's in the 90's and humidity to match! It made for tough going in the yard on Saturday, but after I came in and cooled off I had a couple of very nice cigars. Sunday was a "travel to the inlaws house" day where I took my cigars but don't really have any reviews to post. Anyway, here are Saturday's reviewed cigars:

• Padilla Series '68 Torpedo


• Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 churchill

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Padilla Series '68 Torpedo (6.1x52)

Leather and spice with hints of pepper! There were hints of almonds also. Almost a cinnamon aftertaste. Finish was fairly long. As the cigar moves into the halfway point the spice intensifies. Pepper increases too. Spice is "wide open" in last 1/3.

Score: 93

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 churchill (7.0x48)

Square pressed, dark cigar. Nice, sweet maduro flavor with good spice. Finish is long. Slight hint of leather. Spice increases at midpoint. Very good cigar.

Score: 92