What cigar (or pipe) did you smoke today?

[Gaige]

Smoked a Bjarne freehand churchwarden with Dunhill's Nightcap last evening... was very relaxing.

 

[jamespowers]

Smoked a Bjarne freehand churchwarden with Dunhill's Nightcap last evening... was very relaxing.

I like a churchwarden style pipe as they keep the smoke further away from you. Good choice.

 

[indycop]

Ok, I'll be the first to ask: what the heck is a hint of barnyard?!

I hope its more like daisy duke in the barnyard and not where the pigs sleep!lol lol
I like Oliva Series G and V.

 

[jamespowers]

Anyone going to be interested in my proposal here:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?p=572796&posted=1#post572796
for the next QM event? What do you think? It might take a while to judge with all the drinking and smoking I suppose.

 

[jamespowers]

I hope its more like daisy duke in the barnyard and not where the pigs sleep!lol lol
I like Oliva Series G and V.

Daisy Duke?! Get em a box of them!
Let me guess: the Olivas are mild.
Would they happen to be made by CAO too?

 

[BobC]

I'm interested in that barnyard thing too. I've smoked a good many cigars, some quite good and some not so good, but I don't think I ever noticed a hint of barnyard?

 

[indycop]

Daisy Duke?! Get em a box of them!
Let me guess: the Olivas are mild.
Would they happen to be made by CAO too?

No CAO is not the only brand out there ya know!:whistling
I am still waiting to hear you tried one....
I don't think of them as mild especially not the series V.

 

[Slim Portly]

I started my day with a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990, a Honduran maduro with a true vintage broadleaf wrapper and aged filler and binder. The 6-inch, 60 ring size is called a Sixty due the ring, the largest of the Vintage line. Even the Churchill has only a 48, and both the Toro and the Torpedo come closer with their 52. It's a well-crafted and attractive cigar, and as you can see from the pictures it is substantial, quite the handful. The cap cut cleanly, the filler was well packed, and it had a nice draw with an average amount of smoke and good ash. The flavor was medium to full-bodied and stayed consistent until close to the end, at which point it became bitter enough for me to stop. That's what I get for being greedy and smoking past the first band.

The next time I stop by the shop I want to try the Vintage '92, which has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper.

 

[rikrdo]

big 3-day Invitational Golf outing.....

Good times


Smoked a bunch of cigars:
Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte box pressed corona
Cruz Real robusto
Gispert Maduro Toro
Camacho Corojo Torpedo
Punch Gran Puro Churchill
and my latest, greatest find - from the house of Torino = Casa Torino robusto.

This cigar was flawless.
Beautiful Connecticut Shade wrapper, broadleaf binder (I believe) and a medium bodied blend of baccy that was so smooth and complex; I could smoke this cigar every day and never tire of it.
Highly recommended to everyone who likes a good gar. !!

 

[jamespowers]

No CAO is not the only brand out there ya know!:whistling
I am still waiting to hear you tried one....
I don't think of them as mild especially not the series V.

Yes indeed, CAO is not the only brand out there.
The Olivas aren't mild and you still like them?!

I had a Montecristo Platinum yesterday. Robusto size. Not particularly strong. In fact mild to me. This was the last of the three pack sampler I received. The flavor was pretty strong thouogh. It was very leathery and woody in taste. The draw was very good and it produced enough smoke to drive away flies and gnats. These were all well constructed and had an extra Vintage 1999 band below the regular Montecristo band. I have not seen these on the platinums that are available now. I take solace in the fact that I still have another three pack left to enjoy if it is different in the production models. :cool2:

 

[rbbrock]

1.25 to 1.5 inches?! Just let it go dude. There is only so far you can smoke any cigar. They all burn hot at that particular distance from the end. That's why we invented the toothpick trick. The smoke is still pretty hot at that point though.
Ok, I'll be the first to ask: what the heck is a hint of barnyard?!

1.25-1.5 inches: I usually smoke cigars down to about an inch, as they generally seem to turn hot/bitter at that point. Some cigars turn sooner (that Oliva O) and some later (last fall I smoked a VSG tres mystique until it was so small I couldn't hold on to it any longer and it honestly never smoked hot or bitter). So it just depends. But if a cigar is still smoking fine from 1.5 inches down to 1 inch, that's another 15 minutes or so of enjoyment.

Barnyard: more of an aroma than a flavor, it's hay, musk and yes, a little manure. Not the "dear God my nose is melting" hog-confinement manure aroma, more the mild, slightly sweet aroma of an open pasture that has recently been vacated by a herd of cattle. (I am from rural Iowa, so I know what this smells like. It does not stink. Some of you who are city slickers may not believe me, but it's the truth. )

This weekend I smoked a couple Pepin cigars I'd not tried before: a Vegas Cubanas Churchill and an El Rey de los Habanos toro. Both were fairly good, but not outstanding. Light, almost airy flavors of grass, earth and wood, with a little of the typical Pepin spiciness (more in the ERdlH). The VC was on the mild side of medium, while the ERdlH was medium to medium-full. They are about the same price if not on sale, and I would not buy either one at regular price. I'd buy Holt's Connisseurs for less or Old Henrys for the same price, as both are stronger, more flavorful Pepin-made cigars that are a great bargain.

 

[jamespowers]

1.25-1.5 inches: I usually smoke cigars down to about an inch, as they generally seem to turn hot/bitter at that point. Some cigars turn sooner (that Oliva O) and some later (last fall I smoked a VSG tres mystique until it was so small I couldn't hold on to it any longer and it honestly never smoked hot or bitter). So it just depends. But if a cigar is still smoking fine from 1.5 inches down to 1 inch, that's another 15 minutes or so of enjoyment.

Barnyard: more of an aroma than a flavor, it's hay, musk and yes, a little manure. Not the "dear God my nose is melting" hog-confinement manure aroma, more the mild, slightly sweet aroma of an open pasture that has recently been vacated by a herd of cattle. (I am from rural Iowa, so I know what this smells like. It does not stink. Some of you who are city slickers may not believe me, but it's the truth. )

This weekend I smoked a couple Pepin cigars I'd not tried before: a Vegas Cubanas Churchill and an El Rey de los Habanos toro. Both were fairly good, but not outstanding. Light, almost airy flavors of grass, earth and wood, with a little of the typical Pepin spiciness (more in the ERdlH). The VC was on the mild side of medium, while the ERdlH was medium to medium-full. They are about the same price if not on sale, and I would not buy either one at regular price. I'd buy Holt's Connisseurs for less or Old Henrys for the same price, as both are stronger, more flavorful Pepin-made cigars that are a great bargain.

I have smoked some down to almost nothing as well. I understand what you mean. Its just that we can expect them all to get it right all the way to the end. The VSGs are a good example of the good to the last drop thing.
Barnyard!? Last I remember, a barnyard stunk but when you move it to an open pasture then that is something else completely. Lots more air gets in there. Then again, hogs and pigs are another thing altogether. :eusa_doh: Talk about stink!
Pepin appears to be getting it right as well. I will have to try the ones you mentioned.

 

[kpreed]

I really like all cigars, but my daily smoke is a Don Diego.

 

[rbbrock]

Wow, that is one fat cigar! I'm not a fan of large ring-gauge cigars; I find them awkward and, as a general rule based on my very limited experience with them, not as flavorful as narrower sticks. 52 or so seems to be my max, and if I have my druthers I'll take a 38-46. That's not to say I won't smoke a bigger cigar, but it has to be noticeably better than a narrower vitola of the same marca for me to purposely choose one. And now that I think about it, I can't think of a single cigar over 52 rg that I would pick over a narrower cigar of the same line.

Belicosos are, of course, excepted from this rule, as the narrowing head alleviates the aforementioned awkwardness.

But hey, enough about me. It sounds like you really enjoyed that cigar! I have not tried RP's vintage lines, but the RP Sungrown PC I had was excellent, while the Edge maddie I tried was just OK.

I had a Montecristo Platinum yesterday. Robusto size. Not particularly strong. In fact mild to me. This was the last of the three pack sampler I received. The flavor was pretty strong thouogh. It was very leathery and woody in taste. The draw was very good and it produced enough smoke to drive away flies and gnats. These were all well constructed and had an extra Vintage 1999 band below the regular Montecristo band. I have not seen these on the platinums that are available now. I take solace in the fact that I still have another three pack left to enjoy if it is different in the production models.

I have actually liked most of the Dominican Montecristos I've tried, but they're just so absurdly expensive.

 

[rbbrock]

I have smoked some down to almost nothing as well. I understand what you mean. Its just that we can expect them all to get it right all the way to the end. The VSGs are a good example of the good to the last drop thing.
Barnyard!? Last I remember, a barnyard stunk but when you move it to an open pasture then that is something else completely. Lots more air gets in there. Then again, hogs and pigs are another thing altogether. :eusa_doh: Talk about stink!
Pepin appears to be getting it right as well. I will have to try the ones you mentioned.

Well, I guess whether a barnyard stinks or not depends on the type and density of the occupants. I was thinking along the lines of a little family farm like those that are (or perhaps were, these days) so common around here, where the acreage adjoined an 80 of pasture with a small herd of cattle and a couple horses. Definitely not the small of a pigsty, or a chicken coop, or a feedlot.

Holt's sells sampler packs of their Connoisseurs and Old Henrys for something like $25 for 5 cigars, so they're a great way to try some. If you like Pepin blues or blacks, they're pretty similar (more to the blues).

I'm turning into something of a "Pepin whore," as it's called on the cigar board I frequent. There are some of his blends I'm not a fan of, but there are far more of them that I like or love (Tatuaje red, e.g.).

 

[jamespowers]

I have actually liked most of the Dominican Montecristos I've tried, but they're just so absurdly expensive.

They are expensive but not any more so that the other Montecristos. The No. 2 is not very expensive and neither is the Petite Edmundo for a small fat cigar. I suppose it depends where you get them too. Prices vary greatly among retailers. :eusa_doh:[huh]

 

[jamespowers]

Well, I guess whether a barnyard stinks or not depends on the type and density of the occupants. I was thinking along the lines of a little family farm like those that are (or perhaps were, these days) so common around here, where the acreage adjoined an 80 of pasture with a small herd of cattle and a couple horses. Definitely not the small of a pigsty, or a chicken coop, or a feedlot.

Holt's sells sampler packs of their Connoisseurs and Old Henrys for something like $25 for 5 cigars, so they're a great way to try some. If you like Pepin blues or blacks, they're pretty similar (more to the blues).

I'm turning into something of a "Pepin whore," as it's called on the cigar board I frequent. There are some of his blends I'm not a fan of, but there are far more of them that I like or love (Tatuaje red, e.g.).

Oh geez! I forgot about chicken lots. PU! Stinky.
I'll Have to try those out. I am sort of drawn to the Tatuaje by its reputation.

 

[rbbrock]

They are expensive but not any more so that the other Montecristos. The No. 2 is not very expensive and neither is the Petite Edmundo for a small fat cigar. I suppose it depends where you get them too. Prices vary greatly among retailers. :eusa_doh:[huh]

Your point is valid. I've only ever tried one Monte No. 2, and while it was certainly good, it wasn't great, and I don't see paying $12-$15 per stick as worth it, at least for my taste. I have been hearing a lot about the PEs, though, so I may have to give those a try. They can be had in 10-packs, I believe? I'll just add another box to the list, I guess.

Now that you mention it, the word on the street on all of the new short, fat cigars (Monte PE, Hoyo Petite Robusto, RyJ Short Churchill) is that they're excellent, and I believe more marcas are adding similar sizes in the coming year.

 

[rbbrock]

Rats, now that I checked, there are no regular production short, fat cigars along the lines of those examples being added. There is a PSD5 (50 rg x 110 mm) being added as an '08 Edicion Limitada, a Short Bolivar (52 x 110) as an Asia-Pacific Regional, a La Gloria Cubana Marshall (50 x 124) as a Caribbean Regional, a Bolivar Petite Libertador (50 x 102) as a France Regional, and a Vegas Robaina Petite Robusto (50 x 102) as a Portugal Regional.

It will be interesting to see if these cigars are received as well as the ones mentioned above, because most of these brands already have robustos in their lines.

 

[RudyN]

I had a bowl of Squadron leader in my Peterson Mark Twain. Last of my Squadron Leader and I will have to go get some more.