Cigars, Football and Whisky

[ChanceSchmerr]

After my Packers demolished the Falcons on Saturday night , it was time on Sunday to head over to the house of my old ship's XO for a day of Playoff Football , Cigars and Whisky!

Being the responsible one, I used public transportation to make my way over to my XO's place. It took 3 bus transfers to get there, but there was no way on God's Green Earth that I was getting behind the wheel at the end of THIS day! I arrive just before 10 am PST, just in time for the start of the first game - The Bears vs. the hilarious Seahawks. The Game started predictably, with the Seahawks getting totally outplayed and Seattle was quickly down 7-0 as the remainder of our friends showed up in their Seattle jerseys . They were in for some disappointment! Given that it was just 10 am, it was rather early for the Whisky i'd brought, so I began the day with a couple of Bud Lights provided by the host, followed by some eggs benedict one of the guests randomly started cooking (It was really odd - he brought a ham and just started cooking!) With some food in me, and 2 beers down range, and the Seahawks well on their way towards embarrassment, it was time for Cigars!

I headed down to the heated Garage/Lounge to continue watching the game with the added companions of Cigars and Whisky. Today's Whisky was Aberlour 10 - an inexpensive Single Malt that scored a 94 in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible .....so I figured it was worth a try. Spot on!!! an excellent Scotch, well balanced with notes of sherry and a wonderful spicy finish. Well worth picking up!

As for Cigars - the first one of the Day.....

LA GLORIA CUBANA MEDAILLE D'OR #3

Source - Czar sampler from 2010. When these were discontinued I requested an HQ box each of the MdO 1s and 3s from the Prez, so that I wouldn't miss out on some long skinnies being cut from production, even though I'd never tried them! After picking up 2 boxes of the 1's and a box of the 3's, I realized I should probably taste them, so I requested a sampler with 2 of each to try. I smoked 1 of each last year, and was very impressed with the MdO #1 (fantastic sweet gingerbread) but wasn't sure about the #3 - it was skinnier than anything I'd ever had, and I smoked it outside with moderate winds, so it wasn't a great expereince. Today was about setting the record straight on that #3, either way!

Appearance - Light Colorado wrapper, EXTREMELY thin cigar, makes me wonder how the heck they can roll these by hand - there must be only a single leaf in there! The Band especially is incredibly tiny! No tight spots to be felt, cap looks good

Box Code - OSU JUL 02......just like all the other MdO's out there!

Prelight Draw - A little tight - hope this won't be the story! Sweet tobacco taste.

First puffs - Lots of smoke, surprising! Very tasty notes of gingerbread and nutmeg....exactly like a MdO #1! I am very pleased!

First 1/3 - I smoke this very slowly so that I don't overheat the poor thing, and I've rewarded by an excellent Christmas Baking experience. Gingerbread predominates, but all of the sweet spices are there - Cinammon, nutmeg, a hint of cloves, brown sugar - this really is a great smoke. The Burn started out very angled, but corrected itself after a couple of deep draws. To look at it, you'd wonder if it's a decision between smoking it and using a pair of them as Chopsticks, but this really hits the spot - and Look, Seattle is not giving up! Maybe Cutler will throw a few picks now!

Middle 1/3 - More of the same. I don't expect much evolution with such a thin smoke, but I'm happy with it - the gingerbread satisfies me with this smoke. Certain spices soon depart, I don't really notice the brown sugar much, and the overall sweetness slowly fades away - but this remains a savory treat! The burn is still pretty even after the rough start, and the draw has been reasonably tight, but very workable.

Final 1/3 - It has become a one trick pony, as the strength does not increase from the mild-medium it started at, but the Gingerbread is the only discernable flavour remaining. Still enjoyable though! As I near the final inch, I start getting more blasts of aged tobacco with my draws, and the draw really starts to tighten up - I guess it was bound to happen at some point! I lay it down with just under an inch left, throughly satisfied.

Overall - A very underrated Cigar. I won't lament the loss of these as I do my beloved Lonsdales and Coronas, because let's face it - they didn't sell! If the newest ones you can find are 2002s - maybe there is a good reason for discontinuing them! That said - With patience and smoking indoors (wind WILL play havoc with this delicate cigar), you will be rewarded with this plucky smoke, just as I was. I'm happy I have a box salted away in my Czar Locker!

Final Score - 91

So Now the Seahawks are fighting back - we have a game in the 4th quarter! Time for Cigar #2!

HOYO DE MONTERREY DOUBLE CORONA

Source - I think I got this from either the LCDH in Toronto or an online supplier from Europe, long long ago.

Appearance - Classic HDM DC - Colorado Claro wrapper, excellent construction - either a new cab or DB cigar, as it has the band on it. I love these when they are on.....

Pre Light - Nothing going on here - good draw but no taste.

First Third - Ahhhhh crap. A total dud - Nothing but semi-sweet awfulness. I can't even describe the taste because of censorship laws. Suffice to say - this is garbage . Bleaaaauuggghhh! Tossed it in the forest after half an inch - life's too short!

Score - 20 (it looked good)

Needing something to get that crap taste out of my mouth - I reach for a favorite....

EL REY DEL MUNDO GRANDES DE ESPANA

Source - this is the last one from a box purchased in Hong Kong. It was an '05 box, plagued by underfilling - most were almost unsmokable, but what flavours I did get from them, I enjoyed. I much prefer my '01 box now.

Appearance - Long skinny cigar, Almost a maduro deep brown wrapper. What's interesting about this cigar is the band - it is quite a bit larger than the bands on my '01 box - I wonder if these were leftover bands from larger cigars like the Tainos. It is twice the size of the bands found on my 01 GDEs....interesting, anyway.

Pre-light Draw - Perfect, but not too easy - Doesn't appear to be underfilled!

First Couple of puffs - Hits the spot! Woodsy sweetness with a hint of citrus - Thank you ERDM!

First Third - Just a great smoke overall. The flavours are characteristic of what I like in ERDM - Sweetness, a mild Woody overtone, and hints of cream and citrus back and forth. I enjoy this immensely as the Seahawks finish their season in front of me. Too Bad - I really don't like Jay Cutler as a QB. At least this way, the Packers will expose him for the Pick-Prone gunslinger he is. The draw remains good without being too quick, and the burn is about average, not razor sharp but not all over the place.

Middle Third - More Wood arrives on the palate now, and the sweetness complements it nicely - the citrus remains but all hints of cream have vanished, replaced by a smooth tobacco aftertaste. I like it!

Final Third - The Sweetness evaporates, and we're talking a woody smoke with tobacco flavour predominating - but this isn't a bad thing, a good finish for this cigar. With the game over, and the next one a few minutes from starting, I focus more on the cigar and the Scotch, and I find they are a really nice match with the sweetness gone from the cigar - the smooth caramel I find in the whiskey now isn't competing with the cigar, and they go hand in hand a lot better.

Final Impressions - Good, Solid GDE. Can't touch the 01's, but it got pretty close, all the elements were there. I guess you just can't top an extra 4 years of age sometimes!

Score - 89

Now the 2nd game begins. I, like most football fans outside of New England, can't stand the Tom Brady mania, and really wish the national media would stop focusing on the "genius" of Bill Belichick and the invincibility of Tom Brady. Good team, good coach, stop with worship. On the flip side - The Jets are terrible - just lowbrow jerks and nutcases - I couldn't have been happier when GB shut these clowns out in their home stadium earlier this year - So it's tough to pick a team to cheer for this game! In the end - it's "Go Jets"......because I've had enough of the Pats. Back to cigars!

PUNCH BLACK PRINCE

Source - A local B&M in Victoria has these for sale, from 2000. I Pick up a single when I can, I love 'em! Just can't justify buying a box from him at $25 a stick...

Appearance - Standard Colorado wrapper hue. No Construction complaints.

Pre-light - That great Punch flavour hits before the cigar is lit. I'm in for a treat!

First Couple of Puffs - Spicy and Sour like a Punch should be , but with a nice tobacco-y roundness that helps prop it up. Pleasant, to say the least

First third - This cigar is like a cake loaded with little nuggets of punch flavours. Each puff yields some stewed fruit, or a hint of spice, or even some strong cocoa, but it is always enveloped by a tobacco overtone that rules all. Without the flavour bits, It would be very monochromatic, but in this case, there is just enough flavour to keep it interesting. I press on with it, and the Whisky (over half the bottle gone now, but I am sharing - don't worry!) certainly mixes well with it!

Middle Third - More of the same, with less Stewed fruit and maybe some notes of Cedar creeping in. Can't say it's the best I've ever had.

Final Third - Very consistent with the first third. I end up kind of disappointed - I guess I expected more. At least the draw and burn were great- no touch up needed here

Final Impression - I've been spoiled with great PBPs, and this one just didn't make that cut. A good, steady cigar, but nothing I'd write home about. I should note that about halfway through this one - I started to notice how much Whisky i'd had. Nothing was spinning or anything - but wow, I've had a lot. Great Training for the Victoria Whisky Festival coming up this weekend! Probably shouldn't have had beer before I cracked the scotch though....

Final Score 86

It's half time, and the Jets are on top - and I start to realize that they could actually win this game! Everyone else believes that King Tom will lead his team back in the 2nd half, but I don't know, the Jets are all over him and the Pats really don't have a rhythm going....

Once halftime arrives, A knock at the Door and pizza is here! The food is a welcome sight, as I begin to notice a lack of precious absorbant material in my stomach as the whisky flows on. If I had been smoking some Bolivars, I'd be in a world of hurt!

With the 2nd half of the Jets game starting, it's time for the final cigar of the afternoon -

THE "CZAR" CUSTOM CIGAR

Source - Duh. I acquired this from the good folks at FOH after my triumph in the last International Poker Tournament along with my RyJ Ashtray. Having already tried and loved the Tampa, it's time to give the Czar a go!

Appearance - Dark, Oily and Tapered - could it be any more heavenly? Smells like a dream!

Prelight Draw - Just a hint of resistance -perfect!

First Couple of puffs - Bang! Lots of flavours competing here - overall a spicy chocolate wave dominates, but there is a lot going on here, I am impressed!

First Third - A cornucopia of flavours that start to settle out once we get into the smoke - Cocoa and a not-unlike-partagas Spice are the main notes, but there is a deep richness about the flavours that really captivates. I'm inspired by the workmanship in this cigar, It's burning like a dream and smoking even better than that!

Middle Third - An evolution is occuring in front of me - the cigar is now Sweet-Spicy, with no more Cocoa/Chocolate to be seen. Half of the spice drawer is being dusted onto my tongue as I take a draw from the cigar, and I'm enjoying it throughly. The Richness about this cigar really puts it up there - I have to think it is the oils that are almost dripping from the cigar - Love it!

Final Third - A confession - by this time, with the Scotch now all in my glass as the bottle is empty - I wasn't able to really qualify or quantify anything. It's kind of a blur of Pizza-Whisky-Cigars-JETS WIN- Beer-JETS WIN.......yeah. I can tell you that I really enjoyed the heck out of this cigar, and I hope to get some more of these when they are offered again! But yeah.....it's that time!

Final Thoughts - see above. This is a legendary cigar, from what I can remember. I just wish I remembered more!

Final Score - 94

And that was about it! After the Jets finished their destruction of Brady and the Pats, and with the whisky gone, I thanked my host, accepted graciously his offer of a CAO La Traviata and a CAO Brazil Box Press (he loves those CAO's!) and stumbled to the bus stop to begin my trip home. Primary goal - don't get sick on the bus . Mission Accomplished!

Sorry for the lack of pictures - I hope I was descriptive enough to make up for it!

Thanks for reading about my Sunday Exploits!

[ckearns]

Great post! That sounded like a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I hope you have a blast at the VWF. I've been hearing about the festival for a couple of years now and I'd like to attend it one day myself.

[CanuckSARTech]

Well done, Chris. A great write-up of what sounds like a great bunch of cigars (save for your dud experience).

[Wicky]

Now thats a man after my own heart.

[cubanmule7]

BEARS WIN!! 28 Packers 21......I'm clairevoyant. By the way pay no attention to the avatar! Can't wait for game time!!

P.S. I will concede that Rodgers is a great QB, but Urlacher and briggs will take him DOWN!!

Sorry Chance.

[BatFastard]

Great read and awesome reviews. Sounds like you had a great day!! Mine was somewhat the same, minus the football results... being a Seahawks fan and all...

Victoria eh? I grew up in beautiful Sooke, BC. Man I miss the island!