OleOle

TL;DR The Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas worked, thanks very much to all for your invaluable advice, it is gratefully appreciated. Right then, here we are. Just to follow up on the conversation, Diana was her usual excellent self and expertly whisked down a fistful of RASCC for me to try which arrived this morning, thanks very much! Against my better judgement (well, not really) I decided that at least one of them was loose enough to smoke this evening forgoing my usual dry-boxing for a day or four. I normally like my cigars to burn well, maybe even burn hot, difficult to say but I don't really want to keep touching the cigar up with my Colibri Astoria lighter I use for these occasions. I would much rather dampen off and correct the rate of burn and be assured of a deep, full draw and, as time was not my friend, I used a more modern drying technique, that is, letting it sit for around thirty minutes or more near the fan exhaust port of my laptop which usually will take a not-quite-ready smoke and turn it into an almost-ready or definitely-ready smoke. There is no substitute for time in the dry box though and, if I don't rotate the cigar in front of the port, I get the sensation that the wrapper might be drying on one side too much. The trick is to keep picking it up, rolling it around a little, squeezing it to massage the tobacco into a similar consistency all the way through, then returning it to the flow of hot air with a different side facing the fan. I'm guessing that some purists are shaking their heads at this, but needs must, and after the glowing reviews that so many of the FOH tribe had posted above, I felt that it was my duty to sample the merchandise, if only for the sake of curiosity and to increase my knowledge of cigars and of course, it is Friday night and my good lady returns on an early flight from Hong Kong tomorrow morning, so you do what you can to make things right. I read somewhere once that the reason that cigars are capped is that without a cap, too much air circulates around the tobacco and reduces the longevity of the cigars while in storage. That might not be correct, but it does sound plausible so it is worth pointing out that I always cut the cigar with my trusty Aikar cutter (the cutter on the Colibri just isn't sharp enough however it has performed admirably in emergencies), so with both ends open this way, I tend to think that the cigar breathes while it is getting slightly heated and although it's not the same as 'toasting' it with a lighter (does anyone do that with their cigars?), I am always pleased with the time spent warming and somewhat force-drying the cigar in this way. So to use that 60's descriptor 'set and setting', I'll say that the set (my frame of mind) was really good, I was up for the smoke and had gone out earlier to choose a red wine with which to enjoy it with. I was toying with an Audrey Wilkinson 2014 Hunter Shiraz which I knew would be good but opted for a Petaluma Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Coonawarra which I thought might have been a bit young, but I usually love all Coonawarra wines and as I hadn't tried this particular vintage, thought that it was worth a lash and I assumed that letting it breathe would be the right thing to open the wine up a little, plus, as I hadn't tried the RASCC before, it seemed appropriate to pair it with something else new. It was dusk in Sydney, my balcony looks out north-east over the harbour and I was really in the mood to enjoy the new smoke and new wine. In retrospect I was perhaps rushing things a little, there was no real reason for the hurry, perhaps just anticipation based on the good reviews and that I really don't smoke many cigars, so each time I do is an absolute pleasure. My balcony isn't that large but I call it an oasis as it has more than 100 plants of varying types (cactus, orchids, herbs, fruit trees, natives, exotics, hot chillies, lotus, too many to mention) so when I sit at the little table there, I am secluded and in quite a private spot where I can see the whole neighbourhood and see the extended cityscape, harbour, bridge and the reflection of the sunset twinkling on the water and on the high rise buildings in the distance as I grin to myself and get ready for what I anticipate will be a fantastic sensory experience. So I get everything ready, the cigar seems almost perfect, of course it hasn't had time and hasn't been dry boxed, it is a bit of a makeshift drying arrangement but I think it will pass. The wine has been open for about three quarters of an hour, not ideal, perhaps two hours would be more suitable, but the dusk is on and the sky is changing colours, darkness is settling in and I want to enjoy the changing sky before it gets too dark to see any colours on the clouds so I drink a litre of water as I am thirsty as hell and don't want to guzzle the wine... rushing, rushing, too much rushing. Anyway, here we go, the wine smells fantastic, it's a deep red colour and I smile again. Then the cat wants to join me on the balcony, up I get, open the door to let him out. I roll the Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas in my hands, it feels open and the tobacco well-spaced. I look around, checking that I have everything I need, bottle, glass, ashtray, lighter, cat, phone, yep, that's everything, timing is good, sunset on the clouds, it's just bloody brilliant and I thank the gods and everyone who has made this possible, I know it will be a little slice of heaven. I light the cigar...mmm RASCC, hi there, how you doing? I don't let it burn enough on ignition, the first draw confirms that I have not lit it well enough... rushing, rushing, dang! I apply the lighter a bit more, drink some more wine, grinning again, I inhale a deep draw... ahh, very nice, can't really tell what I am experiencing, the smoke seems very young, perhaps it isn't burning enough? I look at it, blow on it, seems fine, draw again, yes, that's better, stop rushing! Chill out, let the cigar burn, let it breathe, give it some respect! Urgh... I stand up, walk over to the edge of the balcony, there's a happy couple laughing arm-in-arm as they walk down the street. See? - I say to myself - all is well. And it is, the third draw brings that typical Ramon Allones taste, the draw is hot, I can hear myself say, "Aaaaahhhh..." as I reach for the wine. I still haven't fully relaxed into the smoke, I know I am rushing, why the hell am I rushing? There is no reason to rush, all is well... for Christ sake, sit down, or stand up, whatever, just chill out and appreciate what is happening. I must have know subconsciously somehow... the phone rings... No Caller ID, "Who the f... is this?". I normally don't answer people who don't have the common decency to display their phone number but I am a little off-centre anyway, so think what the hell, if this guy isn't for real, I am gonna rip them. Anyway, thank goodness I answered, it's a business call from Europe I have been waiting on, so down into the ashtray goes the Ramon Allones, the cat and I head inside and I deal with the call. Excellent, it's a good outcome and it draws a nice line under the week. Right... here we go again, back outside. Set and setting.. set, pretty good, setting, not so much. I relight the RASCC and it's another world. The cigar seems to have responded to the events as they have unfolded, it's smooth, it's oh-so tasty and I really settle back leaning against the wall as I watch the last of the sunset and I say to myself, "This is what the guys were talking about," as the flavour and nicotine wash over me and I drink another half glass of wine and the wine has also made a great leap forward and matches the excellence of the cigar....... thank you! It took a while, but thank goodness, we have arrived! So as I've been writing this, reflecting on the RASCC, I would certainly say that this smoke is up there with the RASS. I really need to smoke far more of them to be in any position to consider a comparison, but I am very happy that I took the FOH members advice and purchased a few to try, thanks very much everyone. Regrettably the other RASCC cigars I have are just too tight to be able to try the fast drying technique using the laptop fan so I'm going to have default back to a Montecristo Media Corona which interestingly (box code PMS 2015) I still think are a bit tight and could do with longer laying down, so... you guessed it... I have one sitting near the laptop drying as I type this. I have also been following up the few glasses of red with a Sapporo Premium Beer and, to be honest in disclosure, this time against my better judgement, I tried the Australia brewed (brewed under license by Coopers in South Australia) rather than get the imported Sapporo from Japan and... much as I regret saying this given how much I love South Australian wine, the locally made Sapporo just does not cut it. It doesn't have the crispness, the sharpness, the bitter aftertaste that makes you long for a Japanese-brewed Sopporo on a hot day... but, it still is a delicious beer and if anyone knows Coopers, you know they do a fantastic job with every bottle, so it's a real pleasure to drink, but it doesn't feel like a proper Sopporo to me. Anyway, it's time for me to head back out on the balcony, it's pushing 11.30pm and after phone calls from Europe, Hong Kong and other places, hopefully this last cigar (the last I will have for a couple of months I imagine) will be undisturbed and thoroughly enjoyable. I'd like to thank Diana for express posting the RASCC to me and also sincerely thank all the FOH members above who took the time to share their thoughts and experience on the RASCC which has opened up a new cigar for me to enjoy and call a favourite - thanks guys, it means a great deal to get your advice, so thanks very much for taking the time and sharing your experience. I'm going to wake the cat up, grab another local Sapporo, drain the rest of the Petaluma Cab Sav into the glass and spark up this Monty. It's a beautiful night out there and I hope that wherever you are it is beautiful for you too. Remember as Emerson said, "The mind can make a Heaven out of Hell or a Hell out of Heaven," or the other way round, I dunno, and at this time of night, I really don't care. Thanks very much once again. Cheers! OleOle

Excellent. Thanks very much to everyone for their detailed comments and considered opinion, it is very much appreciated. I felt sure that I would learn a great deal from your experiences and that is certainly true, so thanks very much once again. Reading through your remarks there is a great deal of uniformity which suggests that (with the exception of a some rogue boxes in 2013) the RASCC is a consistently well-made and reliable, enjoyable, full-flavoured smoke with enough edge to make it interesting. I'm also curious about the few remarks regarding spice, coffee and toasted tobacco and it really has got my mouth watering so I am going to take your collective advice and purchase some RASCC over the RASS, thank you. I have the feeling that I am really going to enjoy them as many of the comments above suggest that if I like the RASS, I will love the RASCC even more. What I always find interesting about this forum is that while smoking is such a subjective experience, there's a great deal of congruity of opinion while discussing some cigars. I notice this more when the cigars in question are more consistently made, rather than those that, how shall we say it? - have more variability in their manufacture over time. Anyway, I have just emailed Diana and with luck she can magic up a few RASCC for me to try shortly. Thanks very much again for all your comments and information, it has been very helpful and I really appreciate your experience and advice. Cheers! Take it easy!

TL;DR Please provide your opinion on Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas verses Ramon Allones Specially Selected It's been a while since I penned a post on this forum and that is because, perhaps like many other members, the more they view this forum, the more inclined they are to muse over and desire to purchase delectable Cuban cigars. Now that might seem rather obvious and somewhat of a prosaic statement for the daily or weekly smoker of Havana's finest, but for me, as what I prefer to call an 'occasional smoker' or maybe even a 'mostly non-smoker', it's a dangerous undertaking logging on to FOH and perusing the 24:24, worst still viewing the 48:48, worse as you've more time to think about it and, as usual, there's myriad reasons why one should buy and very few reasons not to buy. And really, is that such a bad thing? No. All the above in context, I have smoked most of my adult life, smoked cigarettes, cigars ... and there's not a thing I smoked that I didn't like, far from it. Indeed, smoking was an all-consuming passion for over twenty years of my life and sometimes I wonder why I don't have anything in my hand right now, but times change and at 39 years of age I decided to quit while I was ahead, give up the cigarettes, I gave up smoking entirely, but kept the door ajar for Cuban cigars - one must not be absolutist in one's thinking, or so I heard somewhere. So after the mind blowing withdrawal process known as 'cold turkey' I quit tobacco and probably hated myself for about three years or more for doing so. The wheel of time moves on and now, six years after that calamitous decision, I look back and appreciate the punctuation that smoking a fine cigar provides even more, much more... so very much more. Only the oracle, Diana, knows how many boxes I have bought over the last few years and, like all god-fearing and well-adjusted folk, sometimes it is better not to know, that way I can hang labels such as 'mostly non-smoker' on myself and it might somehow, kinda, be true, and who's counting? After all, it's not the quantity, it's the quality, and that's why we're here, right? So over the years of my... ahem, non-smoking... I have come to favour the perhaps fuller-strength cigars as when I am smoking, well, I sure as hell want to know about it. My last purchase about four months ago was a box of Montecristo Media Coronas and I just enjoyed one a few minutes ago and I'll be enjoying another in a few minutes from now but I have to say they are not quite fully hitting the spot and, as per my recollection, it seems that the old habits of having 'a brand' is dying hard and, my brand seems to be Ramon Allones as I am gasping for a RASS right now. However, rather than just default to a known true champion that floats my boat, I am inclined to seek your opinion on the Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas as I am inquisitive by nature and at just after 11pm Sydney time, I am figuring that there's plenty of true aficionados online here who may be kind enough to offer guidance and, as there's a strong American presence here too, I am figuring that I have about ten hours before I phone the aforementioned oracle and see if she can express post a box of the good stuff down to me, so that I can *big grin* enjoy them even more as my wife is overseas on business and well, someone has to smoke the cigars in my humidor and refill it, don't they? - no point in giving Boveda a free ride with the lid never being opened. So ladies and gentlemen, the question at hand is, assuming that we can ignore the subtle and not-so-subtle changes in cigar manufacture over time (I know, we can't really ignore that, can we?) given that I am really wanting to smoke a Ramon Allones Specially Selected as all the boxes I have received from FOH have been first class, should I go with what I know or should I extend my horizons and go with the Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas? Thanks very much indeed, your considered opinion is gratefully appreciated and particularly respected. OleOle

In all honesty it doesn't look that bad, sure it not great that its cracked and although it might not smoke like an unblemished stick it reminds me of the first time I tried a Bolivar Petit Cornonas. I had just brewed a strong pot of coffee and had carefully cut the cap off the cigar, I was very pleased with the cut, it looked and smelt like a delicious cigar, my mouth began to water so I hurried through to the kitchen to pour a large mug of coffee. The plan was to get comfortable, get a good book and kick back on the balcony with the Bolivar and the coffee. I then went through to the room where I had cut the cigar and was puzzled that it wasn't sitting on the table near my computer where I had left it, so I assumed that it had rolled off the table onto the floor. Sure enough, I found the cigar on the floor but to my horror it had six or seven bite marks, holes puncturing the wrapper right through to the filler where my cat had obviously had a great time chewing it. I didn't know what to do, there were no bite marks near the foot, nay, it had to be near the head, but undeterred, I smoked that cigar holding it like a flute with eight fingers and a couple of thumbs and I have to say, it blew my head off and was a helluva nice smoke. So there you have it, hold it like a flute

If you are considering a fountain pen then this pen springs to mind, it is unique, flawless, rugged and writes superbly: http://www.goldspot.com/products/visconti-homo-sapiens-volcanic-lava-black-with-bronze-trim-broad-point-fountain-pen Here's a review of it by, ahem, pen aficionados: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/234529-visconti-homo-sapiens-bronze/ Or check out some quality leather gear. This website even has some cigar-related items which might appeal but if you are travelling or Rob just needs a hard-wearing but stylish bag to haul things around, then maybe this maduro, I mean walnut, coloured bag might work: http://www.ghurka.com/cavalier-ii-leather-duffel-bag-walnut http://www.ghurka.com/connoisseur-series Visconti and Ghurka are high quality brands that don't scream "look at me!" or "I'm a brand slave!" so there's a certain amount of understated elegance associated with them while still being very well made, fit for purpose and they should last a lifetime. Just a thought or two. Good luck with it all.

Might be a little easier to acquire some fine sticks when on that ISOM: "(Reuters) - MasterCard Inc (MA.N) said it would allow its cards issued in the United States to be used in Cuba, effective March 1. The United States announced sweeping new rules this month that will significantly ease sanctions on Cuba, opening up the communist-ruled island to expanded U.S. travel, trade and financial activities." http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/23/us-mastercard-cuba-idUSKBN0KW28D20150123?feedType=nl&feedName=usdai

Fuzz and perhaps others have already suggested the Jenolan Caves which is not to be missed. Caves House Hotel really could do with a refurbishment (or maybe it has, I haven't been in a few years) but on the plus side it's safe to say that it retains its 'Victorian charm' and it's right at the entrance to the caves. http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/the-caves/cave-image-gallery/ http://www.jenolancaves.org.au/accommodation/caves-house/ Whatever you end up doing, enjoy your time Down Under

Australia. The cool change that comes through in the evening of a hot day that can drop the temperature from 35C to 25C making everyone feel human again. Love the heat, love the cool, add lightening and rain... sheer magic.

That's a nice watch brand for a nice price, looks quite robust too. It's a pity they don't do one with a leather strap as I cannot stand metal straps constantly snagging hairs on my wrist. They do a rubber strap which I assume would be more durable than a leather one (no idea, haven't tried a rubber strap before) and if you looked after the watch, there's an outside chance that the watch might appreciate in value. http://www.longines.com/watches/longines-hydroconquest Thanks for the suggestion

This is a very good discussion. Thanks to everyone for all your comments, very informative.

Yeah, terrible news, hard to believe really.

It will be interesting to try in the next few years I'd say.

Merry Christmas everyone! All the very best for 2015, have a great New Year!

Thanks for posting this. Although I'm in Australia, I'll still take the advice in the last paragraph, "for now smokers may want to follow the lead of John F. Kennedy and keep their own stash of Cubans intact." Amen to that

I'm only fifty or so pages into "The Death of Money: The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System" by James Rickards (Penguin, 2014) and although I normally find this guy somewhat pessimistic, I have seen him present superbly in interviews on Australian ABC TV's 'The Business' programme (especially in relation to his previous book 'Currency Wars') and I thought this book might be worth getting from the library. Well, it is, and although it might not qualify as the best book I have read in 2014 (that's a tough question), this book gets an honourable mention here due to the unprecedented access and collaboration that the author has had with the US Administration, CIA, Wall Street and the insight it gives into ongoing global development of financial cyber attacks on the international monetary system, which actors are instrumental, who is leading the race, how this effects investors large and small and how this has the potential to play out in the next decade with it's implications for US dollar denominated assets, our well-being and standard of living in Western countries and too many other areas to mention. Indeed, the sphere and scope of this book is so far-reaching and the author so straightforward, yet insightful and relying on the best intelligence and financial modelling available that even for an optimist like me, it makes for superb reading and I've still got 300 pages to go. If you're investment minded as many on this forum seem to be, give this book a look and if you're unsure about this one, maybe read his previous book 'Currency Wars' as his printed observations have had time to play out so you can get a handle on his world view and how his perspectives might be helpful to your sense of international relations and politics, or, more importantly, the growth of your investment portfolio. *flips two cents and walks away*