Altadis event at Tobacco Merchant/weekend reviews

We started off the weekend with the Altadis event at the Tobacco Merchant on Bower Parkway in Harbison. There were already lots of people at the shop by the time we got there around 6 pm. Dickson Wier, Altadis rep, was there with some nice deals on tins of 10 cigars. I chose the Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve's. There were 10 torpedos in the decorative tin.
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Here's yours truly with the shop friend:

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Dickson Wier, Altadis rep:

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The bar shots:

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Brent Downing

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Casey and Bill

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Mr. Bob, Connie, and Jim

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Darryl Dickey and Thomas

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Teresa and David

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Greer

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Mark on the way in...

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...and firing up.

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The outside sitting area

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Thomas

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Twig and Darryl Smalls

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THE Twig

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We had a fun time. Great bunch of people.

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Now to the weekend reviews.

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This weekend I'm reviewing:

• Don Pepin Garcia JJ Series JJ maduro
• Perdomo ESV 1991 Imperio

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

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The weather this weekend was fantastic! Quite a contrast to last weekend when there was 5 1/2 inches of snow on the ground! This weekend the temps were in the mid to upper 60's and sunny! Very nice!!!

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Don Pepin Garcia JJ Series maduro belicoso (5 3/4x52)

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This is a re-review of the DPG JJ maduro belicoso as I have previously reviewed it on 11/9/2008. On that date I gave the cigar a pitiful 72 score! I decided it may have been a fluke, or my palate was off, or whatever, but it deserved another shot. Well, I'm glad I did give it another shot. Here are my thoughts:

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The cigar is very dark and well made. It had a dense feel to it. The cigar started off VERY peppery with sweet cinnamon spice. The finish was long with sweet vanilla notes. There were citrus notes in the spice. Medium bodied. The cigar dropped off a tad at the end but remained very tasty. As if anyone needed to be reminded, I don't know anything! My initial review stands on it's own and I don't know why that cigar didn't "do it for me" but this one was a winner! I really enjoyed it! I have now put the JJ Maddie on my list!

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Score: 92

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

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Perdomo ESV 1991 Imperio (5x44)

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This cigar had a Connecticut wrapper which was deceiving. Normally a Connecticut wrapper means you're in for a mild cigar. It started off very peppery and the spice had notes of almond, citrus, and vanilla. The finish was long with vanilla and raw almond notes. The cigar was very consistent. Medium bodied. I am finding that Perdomo is making some very good cigars lately. They have all the qualities that I love; spice, citrus notes, and pepper, along with other notes of vanilla and sweetness. They have really stepped up their game and it shows! This is a very good cigar. A must try!

Score: 93