MrGlass

“The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” I voted yes.

Over the past few years, I've ended up with a few cigars that for one reason or another, I thought should be saved for a special occasion. Maybe they are rare, aged, expensive, or all of the above. The problem with this, of course, is deciding if a particular occasion warrants one of these cigars - I've already decided they are special after all. So at the start of the year, I decided to designate some of these cigars to achieving some personal goals. I was already trying to achieve these regardless, but setting a special cigar aside for when I manage these gives some further motivation. And none of these goals are particularly easy. For me, my list looks like this: Flying Trapeze: Double Tuck In Lines Catch - 15 La Gloria Cubana Revolution Double Tuck Out of Lines - 07 Cohiba Robusto Double Tuck Out of Lines Catch - 07 Cohiba Siglo VI Double Layout In Lines Catch - 17 Cohiba Talisman Double Layout Out of Lines - 14 Diplomaticos Bushido Double Layout Out of Lines Catch - 08 Hoyo De Monterrey Le Hoyo des Dieux Juggling: 100 Catches of 7 Balls - 09 Ramon Allones Celestiales Finos I don't know if I will achieve all of these. When I started flying trapeze two years ago, the double layout was my dream trick, and realistically I won't make this one which is why I have assigned the out of lines catch for this trick the most sentimental cigar from my collection - my very last des Dieux, from the very first box of Cuban cigars I ever purchased. But as for the other goals, they are definitely within the realm of possibility. I'm heading to Bryon Bay for a trapeze intensive this weekend, and I'm taking that Cohiba Robusto with me. Does anybody do anything similar to this? If so, what are your goals and the cigars allocated for these?

Somewhere around 1,200. I spent the last couple of years stocking up as much as I could, and with the last tax increase, I basically won't be buying anymore.

The box that made me realise the impact of ageing was a 10 count box of Partagas 898 from around 2009. From memory, they weren't the prettiest looking sticks, but I was still excited to try them given how much everybody raved about them. And I hated them. They smoked well, but the flavour profile did absolutely nothing for me. I would try one every year for the next five years, and every year they would disappoint. But after about five years, something magical happened to them, and in the space of a year they went from terrible to awesome, and I smoked what was left over the next 12 months and absolutely loved every one of them. So in that last year, either the cigars changed, or I did (probably a combination of both). I think like others have already said, those extra years allowed the cigar to mellow, and let some of the more subtle flavours shine through that were originally being completely overpowered.

So far I'm doing as well with these as I am the blind tasting comps. Kudos to you for your fictitious definitions.

I have a box of MSU MAR 18 sitting in the locker.

I have seen people do it, but it isn't for me. There is a place that sells pipes specifically for this purpose too:

Band stays on until the ember reaches roughly the halfway mark, or maybe slightly further if it's something bigger like a churchill/double corona. If there are two bands, both come off at the same time. And unless the band is really loose, I don't bother trying to slide it off anymore - I've torn too many wrappers trying to do this in the past, and typically the band ends up in the bin at some point anyway. As stupid as it sounds, I prefer the band removed while smoking, but I leave it on in case the wrapper starts to unravel as I can use band to help manage this.

This particular cigar was sold as a second due to a crack in the foot, so I'm not sure of the exact year (and certainly have no idea on any box code). But given how quickly these things sell, when I saw it I jumped at the chance to pick one up and try it. Overall this cigar really impressed me. I'm not a huge fan of short sticks like these, but this cigar still managed to last around 1:15. It didn't show a lot of progression - it started quite creamy, somewhere between a really milky tea and a chai latte, and basically held this all the way to the end. As it approached the end, it didn't really show any signs of harshness that I would normally expect with something as young as this. The draw was fantastic, and it only required a couple of touch ups throughout but this was typically a result of me letting it go out. The biggest criticism I have is that I just wish it was longer. I know you can just light a second, but that's not the same. I'm really interested in trying the 54 now, and will certainly be keeping my eyes out for a box of these at some stage.

The Grand Epicure was a LE release from 2013 with a 55 ring gauge. https://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/brand/hoyo-de-monterrey#edicion-limitada3

I'm definitely conscious about it. I actually prefer going for a walk with a cigar than sitting at home with one, but I do this late at night when there are few people around and I follow a route that avoids the busier areas. And in situations like where I'm waiting to cross the road and there are other people there, I'll stand off to the side and refrain from drawing.

I voted for Coke, but I must admit that I could never imagine drinking anything other than Pespi while eating KFC.

I'd really prefer flying, but the condition kills it as an option - I'd have lost all my height before the end of the year, and I guess at that point I'm dead. Invisibility it is. Besides, with flying trapeze I already have a 1 in 10 chance of losing an inch off my height every time I land.

This cigar had the tightest draw of any I've had from this box so far - still manageable (for me at least), but only just. It opened with cocoa and black coffee, although the coffee was only there shortly before disappearing. Throughout the opening third, the draw eased slightly, and while still tighter than I would prefer, it did get a lot better. Towards the end of the first third, a sweetness developed that turned into chocolate chip cookies that stayed with me all through the second third. Going into the final third, the cigar remained sweet but with a citrus twang and creaminess coming through, making me think of a lemon meringue pie. There was the occasional bitter element that popped up every now and then, but these would only last for a puff or two before fading again. The total smoke time was 1:50, achieved with burning fingers. Despite the less than favourable draw, this was by far the best cigar I've had from this box, and one of the best cigars I've had this year. I only picked this box up last year, amazed to find something this age hidden away in the Dubai airport. But I think I'm going to have a difficult time letting these age any further.