Memorial Day Weekend review

May 23rd - 25th, 2009


Nice, long weekend! I salute all who currently serve and those who have previously served in our Armed Forces. I especially salute those who gave their lives for the freedom of this great country.


I hope everyone had some great cigars over the weekend. I had quite a few but today I am reviewing these:

• Onyx Churchill
• J.R. Cuban Alternative to Bolivar Corona Gigante
• Camacho Triple Maduro robusto
• Romeo y Julieta Exhibicion no. 3 (Mar. '07)

Quite a varied selection this weekend, wouldn't you say?





Saturday, May 23rd, 2009


Onyx Churchill (7x50)



Almost a jet black cigar. Is it dyed or naturally that way? I don't know. It is obviously a maduro, however. There was an average amount of spice with some pepper notes. The draw was VERY tight. I tried sticking a toothpick in the cigar to open it up but that did not help much. The plug was too far down. Oh well, I managed. There was some maduro sweetness. The cigar actually got better after the halfway point. This is a "beginner type maduro" as it will not overwealm anyone. It's a decent cigar but lacks enough pop for me.


Score: 85








J.R. Cuban Alternative to the Bolivar Corona Gigante (7.25x54)




First of all, this is far from an authentic Cuban cigar. In fact, the BCG's are one of my favorites. The thing this cigar has that is "sorta" like a Cuban is the spice from the Nicaraguan tobacco it contains. This cigar was quote spicy with nice pepper notes initially. There were some citrus notes. Vanilla notes were also noticed on the finish, which was fairly long. The cigar did not change much from start to finish. It is a decent cigar but could use more of the key points like pepper and spice.


Score: 86








Sunday, May 24th, 2009


Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto (4.5x50)

I was fortunate enough to try the pre-production run of these cigars but this is my first one of the regular production! This cigar is made with all maduro tobacco. The filler, binder, and wrapper are all maduro!

Right from the beginning this is an intense cigar. Quite powerful. Lots of spice and strong black coffee are the primary tastes initially. There are citrus tones noted after 1/2 inch. The finish is long with peppery sweetness and dark chocolate. Smoke this one slowly or run the risk of passing out! It's strong! Probably too powerful to be an everyday cigar but it's a very nice occasional cigar.


Score: 91








Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2009


Romeo y Julieta Exhibicion No. 3 (Cuban)
[Box code March, 2007] (5.6x46)




Nice, reddish color to this cigar. Leathery spice with pepper notes initially. Finish is rather long. There were almond notes. At the midpoint the flavor is more of an almond/spice nature. There is black pepper on the spice. Quite a spicy cigar. Nice aroma to this cigar also. Could be a bit more balanced.


Score: 89

Private Altadis event!

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Last month was the South Carolina Sit Down no. 10. Altadis was asked to contribute but had a conflict with the Big Smoke at Foxwoods Casino, which was held on the same day. They asked if they could do something for us about a month later and they would supply the cigars. I said yes, of course. Last night we had the event. John Conroy, an Altadis Consultant, flew down from New York City to be with us. I thought that was very big! John was a great guy who loved cigars and talking about them. The event ran from 6pm until 9pm. I picked Tuesday to have the event because it's wing night at the Wild Hare!

Altadis supplied us with 2 great cigars; Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve and Montecristo White. We started off with the RyJ Habana. Everyone really enjoyed it. Most people had something to eat after the RyJ, then we took a quick group shot and headed back in for the Monte! In all we had around 30 people in attendance. These were all local guys. Since it was a weeknight I didn't want people driving too far for a 3 hour event.

From what John said we should be doing more of these in the future. Altadis likes the idea of small groups sampling their cigars. This way they are putting their product directly in the hands of the consumer rather than spending tons of money on magazine advertising. I like the idea too!

Below are some pics of the night:

John Conroy of Altadis with Greer, Manager of Tobacco Merchant

Me with John:

The "Babe" table; Connie, Mr. Bob (not really a babe), and Ginger:

Group shot:

Altadis puts out a newsletter each month or so and in it John likes to have a few pics from the events he attends. He also puts a "funny pic" in the newsletter. Our "funny pic" is below, which features John's and I going head to head with an arm pose while holding a box of Montecristo's:

Thanks to John for attending and to Altadis for contributing the night's cigars. Thanks to everyone who attended too. I'll let everyone know about the next event.

Weekend review; May 16th, 2009

A mix of sun and rain this weekend. But, the rain is free water for the lawn, so I'm ok with it.


Only reviewed one cigar this weekend. It is:

• Arganese CL3 Robusto

Saturday, May 16th, 2009


Arganese CL3 Robusto (5x50)



The first draw was pure roasted almonds. It quickly added a very peppery spice. The finish is long with vanilla tones. Really nice amount of pepper in this cigar. The ligero comes out after 1/3. It has a little kick to it. This is, by far, the strongest Arganese cigar to date. I think you'll be surprised with this cigar. I am suggesting you try it.


Score: 90

Weekend review; May 9th, 2009

Very nice weekend. Lots of sun. Not too hot either.


I reviewed 2 cigars this weekend, both on Saturday. They were:

• Cusano '59 Rare Cameroon Toro
• Fonseca Cuabano Viso Fuerte Robusto

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Cusano '59 Rare Cameroon Toro Gordo (6x54)



Very spicy with lots of peppery cinnamon. Sweet notes in the spice. The finish is long. The pepper is quite noticable on the back of the palate. Very nice cigar. Great Cameroon.

Score: 92








Fonseca Cubano Viso Fuerte Robusto (5x52)



Very nice looking cigar. Well made. Leathery spice with citrus notes. Finish is very long and sweet. Touch of pepper on the finish. The citrus notes take center stage after an inch of so. You can really feel the spice if you blow the smoke through your nose. To be honest, this cigar surprised me! I did not expect it to be this good. It's VERY good!

Score: 92




I still have several items on ebay. You can view them here:

10k gold crucifix:
http://cgi.ebay.com/10k-Gold-Crucifix-cross_W0QQitemZ190306910767QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c4f2d022f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50


Brass cigar case:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brass-cigar-case-holds-2-cigars_W0QQitemZ190306493134QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c4f26a2ce&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50


Montecristo 70th anniversary ashtray: (2 available)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Montecristo-70th-Anniversary-Ashtray_W0QQitemZ190306493241QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c4f26a339&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50


Russian tank watch:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-tank-watch-with-rotating-bezel_W0QQitemZ190306493669QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPocket_Watches?hash=item2c4f26a4e5&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50


The Craftsman Bench cigar case was sold!


Let me know if you have any questions on any of these items.

See ya next week!

Weekend review; May 2nd and 3rd, 2009

Finally! The pine pollen is gone! I can breathe again!



Well, the first of May signals the time to fertilize the centepede grass and I did so Saturday afternoon. Almost on cue the rains came in later that afternoon and helped work it into the soil.



2 cigars are being reviewed this weekend, and they are:

• Lianos Dos Palmas Torfecto
• Cusano Habano LXI Sun Grown churchill

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Lianos Dos Palmas Torfecto (5 3/4x50)

This is a new cigar from the "little cigar shop in Charleston, SC". Great little cigar shop where they roll their own cigars. You can watch them being rolled on any given day. Visit them when you're in Charleston. They're downtown in the historic district. Get more info on their cigars at http://havacigar.com/ . The cigar started out with a very good spicy-vanilla flavor. Pepper notes were felt on the palate. There were hints of cinnamon. The cigar had some soft spots in it which are an indication of underfilling. The spice and vanilla intensified after 1/3. The cigar stayed quite consistent. Very enjoyable. Hopefully the soft spots were just a "fluke". Very good cigar otherwise.

Score: 88

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

Cusano Habano LXI Sun Grown churchill (7x50)

Extreme spice with sweet cinnamon tones initially! There were touches of pepper in light amounts. The finish is long and cinnamony sweet! (is that a word?) The burn is very even. Flavors are spot-on at midpoint. Stayed very consistent until the end. If you like spice and cinnamon give this cigar a try! You won't be disappointed!

Score: 93

Now for a shameless plug! I have several items up for sale on Ebay. Among them are a brass cigar case, Craftsman Bench 3 cigar case, and 2 Montecristo 70th anniversary ashtrays! See the ashtrays here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Montecristo-70th-Anniversary-Ashtray_W0QQitemZ190305307145QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c4f148a09&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Take a look at my other items and snag something! Let me know if you have any questions.