MrGlass

That's the one. Alegria is one of my favourite Cirque du Soleil shows (super disappointed I never got the chance to see it live), and I watched both it and Corteo that night with that cigar.

I was watching Alegria. That was specifically the fire twirling act.

1) Ramon Allones Petit Corona (1979). I was lucky enough to be on the deck when Stu Fox brought these over, and even luckier to be given the chance to try one. This was the oldest cigar I've ever smoked, and the first (and likely only) time that I've got to smoke a cigar older than me. Between the cigar and the environment, it was a truly fantastic experience. 2) Cohiba Lanceros (2016). This was the cigar that I smoked for the 46 South Review Weekend, and was my first Cohiba Lanceros (which I had been saving from the 2017 Christmas sampler). That cigar sung its heart out for three hours and I was still sad when it finally ended. The fact that that review won the weekend competition (and the extremely generous prize cigar Rob gave me) just made it even better. 3) Cohiba Esplendidos (2016). Another first time experience (and another review competition), this was a cigar I had been saving for the right occasion. In this case, it was belated celebration for taking my first flying trapeze trick out of safety lines. 4) Ramon Allones Specially Select (Blind Tasting 2018). This was the cigar from round 2 of the 2018 Blind Tasting competition and it was almost worth entering just for this stick alone. The fact that I had no idea what it was while smoking it probably made it even better. 5) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.4 (2016). While all of the other cigars mentioned here have been stand-alone shows, this little trooper has taken the stage for me more than any other cigar throughout 2018 and delivered time and time again. For this, it deserves an inclusion as the MVP of my list.

According to the Member Map, I'd say @earthson over on Easter Island. I suspect it isn't entirely accurate.

Something like the Surface is a great compromise between the portability of a tablet and the functionality of a laptop. The keyboard doubles as a cover for the device so you would typically always have it with you, but it's attached with magnets so you can just pull it off if you are using the device for something like watching videos and don't need the keyboard. But like everything, this all comes at a price and only you can decide if the extra portability is worth the cost increase. Based on the usage you outlined, you wouldn't need anything particularly powerful. Pretty much anything with 8GB RAM and a 128GB hard disk would probably work for you. The only question you haven't already answered relate to how much you intend to carry it around. If it won't be moved much, I'd be looking at the screen size and quality to find something you like. But if you intend to carry it with you regularly, portability, battery life and the general build quality of the laptop become more concerning factors and this is where the Surface starts to become a more viable option. I feel like I've raised more questions than I've answered, but I hope that helps somewhat regardless.

Well don't I feel like an idiot now for forgetting about the hole at the other end . Revised theory - gentle spritzing maybe?

I'm curious if you would have seen a similar change in cigar number 2 if you dunked it and then resumed smoking it.

For my tastes, around 5 years. But I agree with @99call - routine sampling in the meantime is the best approach.

Slightly over that actually - $1,076.35 😭

I always knew that cigars were something I was interested in from my early teenage years, but there were a couple of key points that led me to this particular destination. My first Cuban at 20ish was a standout, picked up at the casino to smoke on the drive home and starting a tradition. That was a RYJ tubos. I was around 25 when I decided that this was going to be a more regular hobby, and while buying some singles I was gifted a HDM Epicure No. 2, which I smoked at the store. It immediately blew me away and confirmed this was the right decision.

2003 - Jewels Vanilla (we all have to start somewhere and I was just out of high school, dumb and broke). 2010 - HDM Des Dieux, Epicure No. 2. 2018 - LGC MdO 4, but really these days I'm all about variety. 2028 - Whatever is left of my current (and at that point, no doubt borderline illegal) collection.

Basically it just means to casually discuss the topic as a group.

I am biased against the Petit Robusto and refuse to buy them because I think it is stupid size, so both Coronas got my votes. I can't give you any more justification than that - it's simply personal preference. While this may not be what you are looking for, if the sizes were reversed in your question it would be a valid answer.

Thanks again Rob for hosting all these competitions. I had a blast doing it, so winning something from it is just the icing on the cake.

For what it's worth, there was a special release of the Trinidad Fundadores in 1998 that came in a cajon of 75.