gcman68

I found this story an interesting read. Beef Prices Are Soaring, But Cattle Ranchers Aren't Cashing In - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I missed this so I hope it isn't too late but the Usual Suspects bar on the marina is very cigar friendly (the owner Tomas is one of us in that regard) and a decent place to watch a football game or the boats coming in the afternoon.

Both if possible. A lot CG's out there though.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/26/italian-man-violated-lockdown-rules-to-meet-call-girls-blames-vax/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=pasteboard_app Another possible side effect!

I just got back from my annual physical that was covid delayed but my doctor was almost relentless about the negative effects of cigars for no specific reason as it related to my specific instance. I politely reminded him of the famous George Burns quote where he said; "If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral." George Burns

This makes sense to me and since since they take into account consistency and quality control Cubans in the end get hurt the most in the Top 25 rankings. I always pay attention to the CC reviews and find quite often there are subtle comments on the draw or the wrapper/construction more frequently than others. We have a perfect example in the picture of this thread that shows how lucky we are to have a vendor help us avoid those issues.

I have 50 ct from 2015 with really oily wrappers I recently opened and I find them considerably different from my just finished 13 RASS box with very light wrappers. For my tastes the boxes I have with oily wrappers just need a lot more time than expected.

Not sure how true this is but I did find it interesting. https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/cuba-leads-race-for-latin-american-coronavirus-vaccine/ar-BB1aWCAM

Seems like back then at least we just really liked Australians! My cousin from Adelaide came in around 1982:and while I was way too young to go out I remember my older brother being amazed on how once people found out he was visiting from Australia he never had to buy a drink. Times have changed a little as now he would have to be a different gender and much better looking for that to happen.

My EVH story. As a student in 92 VH was coming to college campus for a concert which I was asked to work security for the event. I was two weeks from graduating so I told my boss I would rather have gone out to a bar. In essence I preferred to trade a night out for a check I wasn't going to get for weeks. However, my boss said he needed me and I agreed on one condition I got to work the VH dressing room with a friend. To make a long story short I told a friend to bring a camera (a big no no I was willing to get all the blame for) so we could get a picture with him. So hours before the show he comes down towards the dressing room and we ask him for the photo and he completely blows us off in not a great way. So after the warm up, the show, the encore and an additional 30-40 minutes later EVH comes out of the dressing room and asks us if we wanted that picture. We were shocked and couldn't even reply and he said "you were the guys right?". We then eagerly said yes and he apologized and said he wasn't feeling well earlier and graciously got together with us for the picture. I was shocked he remembered two college kid security guards 4-5 hours earlier asked for a picture. I had a VH poster on my bedroom wall in high school and really liked the band so when I heard he passed it brought that memory back and I felt sad for his family and for all of us losing his talent so I lit up one of my favorite smokes in his honor earlier. In the few minutes we spoke he seemed like a genuine down to earth great guy.

I haven't sold any of my aged cigars other than to friends at replacement cost but I would say that BR has caused me to really hesitate opening up a few right now. In particular 2014 Sig VI and a CoRo I think might be ready at or about now.

I am sure others more well versed will chime in but I heard and read that the exit won't really happen until they develop a test to say you are immune for those that develop it and then have some type of treatment (not cure) for the virus while we wait for the eventual vaccine.

I found this article interesting in the event you haven't seen it. https://medium.com/six-four-six-nine/evidence-over-hysteria-covid-19-1b767def5894

Thanks for the review I have a 25ct box with a February 14 date (need to check the code) I haven't smoked one yes and this may be the impetus to finally smoke one as it looks like it might be time.

Based on the story below it would appear any perceived bias against Cuban cigars might be more related to a lack consistency being a huge part of the ratings the Top 25 and the fact that Cubans make up such a small amount of the cigars rated. https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/special-report-2019-year-in-review If you’re looking for a 90 pointer, you’re more likely to find it from Cuba than any other country. Out of the 19 Cuban cigars we rated this year, 12 of them (63.2 percent) scored 90 points or higher, a larger percentage of 90s than any other cigar-producing country.