Friday, February 2, 2007

El Rey Del Mundo Robusto Suprema

(7 1/4 X 54) Oscuro

Individually wrapped in white tissue paper, these big beauties unwrap to a beautiful dark oily wrapper that had a noticable sheen. It lit easily and while the draw was a tad tighter than I usually prefer it neither effected the razor straight burn, nor the imparting of flavors in any way. This stogie is a pretty straightforward smoke, with pleasant maduro flavors such as cocoa and caramel, sweetish and pleasant all the way through. The flavor didnt really develop or evolve all that much but that was okay because I liked it. Its a one note cigar, but that one note is good. As you can probably tell I enjoy these stogies quite a bit. It is one of my favorites at this price point, and I can say that this particular stick did not dissapoint.

TomC

La Vieja Habana (By Drew Estates) Rothschild Luxo Brazilian Maduro

5 X 52 (Maduro)

I had never really had a major compulsion to try one of these in the past, but I was gifted one for Christmas, so I thought what the hell, lets try it. It was a pretty looking shiny little stogie that unfortunately did not follow through on that nice looking promise. It Burned a little hot and fast and really didnt taste like a whole lot of anything until two thirds of the way through, when I little cocoa crept in, and not long after that, the fact that it was burning hot caused the cigar to get harsh. Alas overall a disappointment.

TomC

5 Vegas Series 'A' Archetype




PsychoPuffin79: I see where you get the charred, like a really aged whiskey

miked889: yeah

PsychoPuffin79: aesthetically this stogie is a gem

PsychoPuffin79: dark, firm, nicely rolled, draws like a dream, burns perfect

miked889: like it?

PsychoPuffin79: yep, enjoyable

PsychoPuffin79: maybe not the MOST complex stogie ever, but thats the only knock so far

miked889: glad you approve

(later)

PsychoPuffin79: so back to the 5 vegas for a second

PsychoPuffin79: it seems to me this is very much like a good $25 bourbon

PsychoPuffin79: it has a nice rich profile

PsychoPuffin79: but it doesnt necessarily develop on it

PsychoPuffin79: kinda wraps you comfortably in its simplicity

miked889: kinda my take on it as well

PsychoPuffin79: so compare it to say Jim beam black or hmmmm Wild Turkey 101



A Piece of an Instatnt Message convo I had with Mike while smoking this cigar, which he so kindly sent to me a while back. Generally a nice stogie, if not tremendously complex Construction and draw were great, and I was awash with thick fragrant smoke. Ash held nicely too. Overall I nice middle of the road smoke, and when I checked around, for a decent middle of the road price. Overall a thumbs up.

Tom

Fuente Fuente Opus X Perfecxion X

6.25 X 48 Rosado

Dont think just because I have had the joy of reviewing all these superlative sticks as of late, that it is at all going to my head. There will be a review of a Consuegra #9 Maduro next week, I assure you! That said, another fabulous gem to review tonight. I have had a few different sizes of the Opus X before (the Power Ranger, Lancero, Fuente Fuente, DBL Corona) but I am not sure I have had THIS specific size before. One of the things I was so amazed byt the Opus line is that the different sizes can present such varying flavor profiles.

I am not going to bore you with the obvious details (fabulous wrapper, draw burns etc) and get into the nitty gritty. The longer lenght and wider guage on this cigar brought forth a different palate. A fabulous contrast of sweet and tangy, coupled with yummy balck pepper sage, and clove smells and tastes. This bad boy while producing copius smoke burned slow and languidly, and I got a full 1 3/4s hours of pleasure out of it, every last bit of it a joy. I am not even going to insult you with a recommendations, sufice it to say, the kind BOTL who sent it to me, it was thoroughly enjoyed.

TomC

Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Wizard


6 X 56

This is a short review. I have another VSG I will do a long review on soon. My comment on this stogie is, that though it was still a good cigar. The guage was too big. Because of the extremem guage of the cigar, the sheer power of the stogie overwhelmed the nuance that can be so enjoyable of a VSG. It was almost a shame.

TomC

Another article I think needs read

The Article can Also Be Found HERE.

In Defense of Partisan Bickering,

by Michael Kinsley, Time:




So we did liberalism for about a half-century, and then we tried conservatism for a while, about three decades in fact ..., but now we're tired of that too. So what's next? ... Americans want something new. But what?

Actually, it's pretty clear what Americans want. They want an end to partisan bickering. They want pragmatic solutions, not ideological posturing. They want leaders who reject politics as usual and put the country's interests ahead of the party's. They want a government that will do the right thing, regardless of whether it is "liberal" or "conservative." They don't like labels. And, oh yes, they are tired of spin. ...

This postpartisan era everybody wants is not going to happen, and the great longing for it is childish. What Americans say they want--or even what they think they want--needs to be taken with a grain of salt. ... Do they want our health-care system fixed? Yes. Do they want Social Security and Medicare on a more solid footing? Absolutely. Will they pay for these things? Not a chance. There are no pragmatic, nonideological solutions to the big question of what the government should do and what it shouldn't. You can have your government programs and pay for them, like a good liberal, or you can have your tax cuts and forgo the programs, like a good conservative. Asking for both is the opposite of pragmatic.

Another name for the much derided "politics as usual" is democracy. Things get disagreeable because people disagree. Ideology is a good thing, not a bad one--and partisanship is at its worst when it is not about ideology. That's when it descends into trivia and slime. Ideology doesn't have to mean mindless intransigence or a refusal to accommodate new evidence or changing circumstances. It is just a framework of basic principles. A framework is more than just a list: all the pieces should fit together.

A politician ought to have an ideology. For that matter, so should a voter. Although ideology is sometimes dismissed as a substitute for thinking, it more likely is evidence that you've thought things through. Why is there a huge farm bill and no bill for struggling autoworkers? Why did we invade Iraq in search of nuclear weapons, but not North Korea? ...

Many or most of the decisions that an elected official must make on your behalf aren't even known when you must decide whether to vote for him or her. An ideology functions like a pledge or a promise, and it allows you, the voter, to judge the politicians seeking your vote in two different ways: their politics and their character. Do you share his or her political principles? And does he or she stick to them as new issues arise? Without some kind of ideology, the politician is asking voters to buy a pig in a poke.


A slightly trimmed version, but the point is there,

TomC

Gurkha Centurion XX




Wrapper: Connecticut - dark natural
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Cuban-seed Dominican Ligero
Size: Perfecto (6"x60)

Another in the laundry list of fine cigars that I have been given recently, its the Gurkha Centurian XX on the block to review today. I have been hot and cold on Gurkha's in the past, and I wonder if that will continue to hold true today. The XX was a perfecto shaped cigar, with a beautiful, rich mocha color, smooth, with a tad bit of crystallization on it. In an odd note, this was the first perfecto I have had that was not capped and was open on both ends. It really didnt have any noticable effect on the situation, I just noted it, found it odd, and moved on.

I did clip it a tad more to open (though not much) and found that just minimal yielded a nice prelight draw that I knew would be perfect and a nice sweet tobacco taste. Lightning was a cinch, and draw was forgiving, a tad of resistance and lots of smoke (the way I like it), initially white pepper and sage, but the spice gave way quite quickly, to a rich solid coffee and leather taste that lasted pretty much the length of the cigar. the burn was razor straight and even the entire wqay down and did not need a single touch up. Overall a generally good cigar.

Now left to my own devices that way I would have said this is a pretty good stogie and recommended it. But I decided to do a little research on it after the fact. What I found out (after going to this site) is that this is at least a $12.50 cigar! Alas my friends, while a good stogie, this is not a $12 cigar and cannot compare to the good cigars I have had in this price range. Unfortunately this seems to be a running theme for me with Gurkha fare: good cigars that are grossly overpriced. If only they could come back to earth price wise I may be able to heartily recommend them, though as it now stands today, I cannot.

TomC

This Article Needs To be Read By As Many as Possible!

Whose side is God on, anyway?

by O. Ricardo Pimentel

I'm confused about how God wants me to vote.

Consider two e-mails that recently arrived on the same day. The first, from the Rev. Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition, decried the "far-left" Democrats now in control of the U.S. House and Senate.

"We can expect them to introduce pro-homosexual bills, propose tax increases, attempt to gut national intelligence, create more federal bureaucracies and block judicial conservatives nominated to the federal courts. The president's veto pen will be our last line of defense," he wrote.

On the same day, a second e-mail told me of a press "teleconference" to "hold Congress accountable to the faith agenda."

I didn't phone in, but surely those scheduled to participate offered clues as to what the sponsoring organization, Faith in Public Life, defines as its faith agenda.

Speaking were representatives of "Sojourners' anti-poverty campaign; Let Justice Roll's living wage campaign; Christ Peace Witness for Iraq; and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture."

The difference in emphasis couldn't be more stark.

So does God want me to be more concerned about homosexuality, tax increases (and, in another part of the press release, abortion), national intelligence, bloated government and conservative judges or about poverty, living wages, peace and torture?

Though the Traditional Values Coalition doesn't sound patently religious, we can glean that leaning from the fact that its leader has a Rev. in front of his name.

Its Web site also spells it: "Empowering people of faith through knowledge."

Faith in Public Life is no less upfront, describing itself as "founded by America's diverse faith leaders to strengthen faith movements sharing a call to pursue justice and the common good."

Understand, I'm not suggesting that folks ignore those principles that happened to be spawned by faith.

I am suggesting, however, that people recognize that right and wrong can be quite independent of religious teachings (or what religious leaders say).

They should have their basis in reason and in pragmatic and broad understanding of outcomes should belief become policy. In other words, you should be able to say this is right and this is wrong quite independent of anything written in Scripture or holy word.

Also, I'm not saying that people of faith operate without this independent reason, only that when God and faith are invoked, two suspicions are immediately sparked: 1) that God says so, rather than reason says so or that God says so plus reason and 2) it's entirely likely that you don't have an open mind on the topic.

But the bigger problem with political activism spawned by religion is that it is just so divisive from the get-go.

Let's see. When God is on your side, who precisely is on the other side? See what I mean?

Implicit in these circumstances is that the other side is anti-God, though there are thankfully those in the faith movements who have far more ecumenical views about this.

Of the two movements, I'm more in sympathy with those who would contend that a supreme being is worried about people living in poverty and without justice at least equally, if not more, than she is concerned about bloated government, national intelligence and federal judges.

But I'd prefer if those who argue their points kept the Almighty out of it (particularly when these pronouncements are accompanied by fund-raising pitches at the end, as was the Traditional Values e-mail).

Where do you go from "God says so"? Or "My church says so"?

Let me suggest that, Pat Robertson's claims notwithstanding, no one - and I mean no one - has that refined a communications pipeline.

I understand why the so-called progressive faith movement formed. There was a tendency on the religious right to make it seem as if their followers alone had that pipeline, that they had the patent on "truth."

And listening to them through the years, it did indeed seem as if God had a pretty narrow agenda.

My own view is that the Bible is a handy tool if it is viewed in the context of what in it is contingent and what is coherent.

In other words, stoning adulterers and a host of other practices and beliefs were contingent on a set of circumstances in a distinct culture and historical period.

No one is advocating we do these things today.

But virtues like kindness, charity, peace and justice are coherent throughout the Bible, not limited to any particular culture or era.

In any case, secular governance really can't be about what Jesus - or Mohammed - would do. The centuries have proved that we're too flawed to make this work because our differing interpretations tend to be filtered through superheated passions when it comes to religion.

I was being facetious with my opening statement about being confused about how God wants me to vote. I figure it's why he gave me an inquiring mind and free will.

So I'm not really concerned about how God wants me to vote. Or how he wants me to feel about gays, abortion, big government, federal judges, peace, social justice and torture, either.

I'm certain that my Catholic upbringing can't help but influence how I've come to view some of these things, though I'm equally certain that the pope would raise an eyebrow or two if he knew just how that influence plays out as a practical matter.

It's called independent research and an open mind. It's a dandy combination.







Uh huh, its TRUE.



TomC

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work Of Art Maduro


4 7/8 X 60 (Figurado) Maduro


I know I just reviewed a Hemingway Maduro last week, but this little gent deserves its own piece of space. This little firecracker had a life all its own, along with all the superlative construction, burn, and draw you would expect from a hemingway ciagr this little boy burned slow and smooth and cool for suck a little wide girthed cigar and was, as usaul a dream to smoke. Rich with notes of coffee, Cinnamon and, Allspice, along with the cocoa that comes along eith most maduros, this cigar also seemed to smell, and just barely taste of nutmeg (seriously, I am not making this stuff up!). Small at less than 5 inches, it still burned for over an hour. This cigar is something I have wanted to try since the very first day I bought hand rolleds for myself, and happily it did not for a second dissapoint!

TomC

whatever your political leanings, this rumor needs stopped now.

(copied from the Faithfull Progressive)

January 23, 2007
An Open Letter to the Religious Community:

Many of you have seen hateful emails, blog postings and reports circulating on the Internet and in the media about Senator Barack Obama and his religious upbringing. These outrageous charges began as reports of his potential candidacy for President emerged and, as has become a shameful custom of modern politics, it has swirled through cyberspace with a vengeance and now has been picked up as fact by Fox News and some partisan commentators.

We are writing to deplore this despicable tactic and set the record straight. We have had enough of the slash and burn politics calculated to divide us as children of God.

We must come together as one nation, and see our stake in each other as Americans. The bitter,
destructive politics that have so riven our country in recent years cannot stand. As American leaders of different faiths who have worked cooperatively and greatly respect all of the 2008 candidates in both parties, we do not offer this statement as an endorsement of any individual candidate. However, certain moral standards should infuse our national dialogue, and the recent attacks on Sen. Obama violate values at the heart of this dialogue. The false and malicious attacks levied at him are anathema to all of our faith traditions, and we condemn them outright.

The facts below are no mystery. Senator Obama wrote openly about his life in his autobiography, Dreams from my Father. We take Senator Obama’s long-cited and uncontested description of his educational and faith journey at face value.

Senator Obama never attended a radical Madrassa nor was he ever educated in a wahabi school. In the years he lived in Indonesia as a child, from ages 6 to 10, he attended a neighboring Catholic school for two years and then a public school.

Senator Obama was not raised in a religious household.

Senator Obama became a Christian long before he entered politics. While working as a young
community organizer in the mid-1980s, working with a consortium of churches in a depressed
neighborhood of Chicago, he became a Christian and became active in Trinity United Church of Christ.

He, his wife and family are still active members of Trinity today.

It is important that we take a stand today against this willful, malicious attempt to mislead and
inflame - and against any further attempts to use political attacks to divide the religious community. We ask that you share this letter widely, and help us beat back these hideous tactics, whatever their source. As people of faith, we cannot allow divisive attacks like these to stand.

Dr. Robert W. Edgar
General Secretary
National Council of Churches USA

Rabbi JonahDov Pesner

Salam Al-Marayati
Executive Director
Muslim Public Affairs Council

Rev. Stephen J. Thurston
President
National Baptist Convention of
America

The Rt. Rev. Preston W. Williams
President, Global Council of Bishops
African Methodist Episcopal Church

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, A National Catholic
Social Justice Lobby

The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy
President
Interfaith Alliance

Rabbi Jill Jacobs
Director of Education
Jewish Funds for Justice

Alexia Kelley
Executive Director
Catholics in Alliance for the Common
Good

Imam Mahdi Gray
Executive Director
Muslim American Society
Freedom Foundation

Dr. T. DeWitt Smith, Jr.
President
Progressive National Baptist
Convention

http://faithfulprogressive.blogspot.com/index.html


TomC

Punch Gran Puro Santa Rita

4.5 X 52

Ah, an old favorite that I have never got around to reviewing. The first day I bought my own cigars, along with my very first little dinky ass 25 count humidors, included a Punch Gran Puro. And ever since that very first day (though I did get a little sick, with my untrained palate and empty stomach) I have enjoyed these stogie, quite a bit.

This one was no different. Smooth and dark and almost glistening this bad boy begged to be lit. I am not gonna go on forever about the nuances of this stogie, it is a pretty straightforward smoke. Rich and creamy with leather and cedar notes in the beginning, and spicier towards the end. It also has this nice tangy note than runs the whole way through that I really enjoy. Like I said, its simple, its satisfying and relatively inexpensive. I like em!

TomC

CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon Churchill

6.8" x 48 (Cameroon)

I suppose the run had to end finally. The headline fo this stogie would probably be "All Style, No Substance", and it would not be too far off. While this cigar was very pretty, another box pressed beauty draped in a lovely mocha wrapper, the flavor wound up a bit of a dissapointment. All the aesthetics were fabulous, draw, burn, amount of smoke. That said the flavor was a let down. A little pepper and cedar at the beginning, and a tiny bit of the tang I usually get from cameroon wrappers, at the end, but overall, a letdown. A Pity, there was so much potential.

TomC

Chat Review of a Great Stogie (H.Upmann Magnum 46) with my cohort MikeD


In an attempt to spice up Cigar Reviews on StogieChat , a friend of mine and I attempted to pull a review from a messenger chat I had with him while smoking the cigar. Here is that review:


5 5/8" x 46, Corona Gorda

PsychoPuffin79: there is definately a specific note unique to cigars from that region

miked889: yeah

miked889: youve had enuff of them to know that

miked889: youre no Habanos rookie

PsychoPuffin79: well I know that but its been months since I have had one, so I was suprised, I was like, yep there is the difference

miked889: it'll all comes back to you in one puff

PsychoPuffin79: exactly

PsychoPuffin79: mmmmmm

miked889: just wait til it turns up

PsychoPuffin79: I have been reading the reviews and they all say about a third way through

miked889: id say so

miked889: but you will see for yourself if it does or not

PsychoPuffin79: k

(bout a 1/2 inch in)

PsychoPuffin79: the draw on this is amazing, and early on its almost tangy (in a good way)

miked889: yes

miked889: someone noted a citrusy note

miked889: some wood tones to it

miked889: but not cedary

PsychoPuffin79: thats the kinda tang I thought, fresh wood

PsychoPuffin79: cuban cigars remind me that in the grand scheme of things how unimportant pretty looking ash is

miked889: exactly

PsychoPuffin79: "ONCE LIT IT TOOK A FEW PUFFS BEFORE THE TRADEMARK UPMANN MUSTY AND WET AROMAS AND FLAVORS CAME THRU." (quote from Cigar-Reviews.org)

PsychoPuffin79: I totally had that

PsychoPuffin79: but not bad

miked889: no not bad at all

miked889: but not as straight forward as the H upman No2 torp

(later)(about a third In)

PsychoPuffin79: (whoa)

miked889: what?

PsychoPuffin79: whomp

PsychoPuffin79: pepper nutmeg

miked889: hit the third way mark?

PsychoPuffin79: stronger

PsychoPuffin79: yep

miked889: yup

miked889: nice

PsychoPuffin79: nice

PsychoPuffin79: completely different stogie

miked889: very complex

PsychoPuffin79: impressive

(halfway)

PsychoPuffin79: now about halfway through, it would stand up to a bourbon

miked889: id say so

miked889: you can pour one, but would have to wait til it turn up those few notches to drink it

PsychoPuffin79: VERY WOODY now, like a fire in late autumn

(Last third)

PsychoPuffin79: dude second half is a bit of a powerhouse

PsychoPuffin79: these are good

miked889: really?

miked889: never thought as them as a powerhouse

PsychoPuffin79: well okay

PsychoPuffin79: relative to the beginning

PsychoPuffin79: never get thrown out of balance though

miked889: just my take

miked889: well yeah they do build very nicely

PsychoPuffin79: i was a tad superlative

PsychoPuffin79: hard to hold now, but worth fighting the burn

miked889: get a clip

miked889: lol

miked889: you nubbed the sucker... cant be that bad of a smoke...lol

miked889: did you get a 3rd evolution of the cigar?

PsychoPuffin79: it kinda balanced out and sweetened a bit, a dunno if thats another evolution per se

miked889: well the 1st and second is clearly a distinct change

PsychoPuffin79: more vanilla and less wood

miked889: I would say not really

miked889: variation on the 2nd theme

miked889: but not a change

(nubbed stogie!)




Mike an I are trying an experiment to see if you can get the feel of a cigar as it develops. Plus I am almost always talking to him when I have my daily stogie, so it just seemed reasonable. Input into the effectiveness of this method would be greatly appreciated. That said this stogie was a gem.On top of all the superlatives above, this also burned well. Drew fabulously, and bathed the whole house in tone of fragrant smoke. Total smoke time was about an hour ant ten minutes, which is long for me for a cigar of this size. I was disappointed it didnt last longer. all and all a fabulous smoke that I would heartily recommend to anyone with that palate to appreciate its intricacies!


TomC

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select




Here Another one of the crowd favorites, put to the Thomas Test:

Name (full): Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Batch: 37

Bottle Number: 09297

Proof: 90.4

Price: $29.85 @ Marion County State Store, Marion OH

Bottle: This bottle is a gem. It is flask shaped which is really cool and helps it stick out on the shelf (they stock it next to Knob Creek here, and the make a dashing pair), and although it really is a pain in the ass trying to actually POUR anything from it, it can make quite the showpiece. It has minimalist labeling which is good for showing off the tone of the whiskey. Front label says "The barrels that are used for this exceptional hand-crafted whiskey are specially selected by our Master Taster.". It goes on to say that the bottle is "Approved by Lincoln Henderson".

Mashbill: The same as Old Forester. After Distilling at the Early Times plant they ship the whiskey to the aging houses at Labrot & Graham, where the whiskey picks up its distinctions.

Color: Almost Copper, Very burnished Amber.

Nose: Complex. Warm Butter, Caramel Cookies, Vanilla Almond, Praline Pecan. There is also a little understated wood tone and a hint of Lemon. { When Diluted: Maple Sugar, berries. and a touch of spiced plum}.

Taste: BALANCED Burnt Sugar, Caramel, the Citrus note carries over a bit as well as the nuts (almonds, walnuts, Butter Pecan), mostly sweet but with a nice burst of rye at the end to even things out. { When Diluted: Even Sweeter & Nuttier. . . . .White Chocolate, Burnt Oak, Almonds}.

Finish: Long & Warming, Lingers in the mouth as well and coats well on the way down, with more rye and some vanilla.

Mouth feel: Medium and Buttery Creamy, very VERY smooth. Not quite as big as I had remembered.

Conclusions: The nose knows with this bourbon. While the mouth feel and balance of this bourbon are great, to me it is the nose (and to a lesser extent, the great finish) that make me want to go back to it over & over. Every time I have some I can pull some different note from the bouquet. I was commenting to my wife while tasting , and she agreed, that with our noses plugged the balance of the taste and the extreme smoothness almost seem to equal out any character there is, So that is why this bourbon is not only one that I enjoy neat in a snifter, but one that I almost exclusively drink that way, where you can immerse yourself in those aromas. (It seems to develop more spiciness over ice, but that aspect doesn't seem as interesting to me.)


Do Your Honker a Favor, Sniff Some Woodford Reserve Today!



Enjoy!

TomC

Padron 1964 Annivesary Maduro Exclusivo



5.50 X 50 MADURO

Ah the Padron Anniversay series. . . what to say. Well I have to say more than anything I keep wishing that these were one of those overhyped, overprised boutique blends that never follow through on the hype they promise (mostly because I cannot seem to get my hands on them as often as I would like). But alas this is just not the case. Over the years that I have been smoking (almost 5 now, wow), and through the sadly only dozen or so cigars I have enjoyed, the PAM line has been one of the most consistantly exemplary lines out there.

And this particular stick did not dissapoint. Beautifullly box pressed it just begs at you to light it up. With a pristine draw that produced billows of fragrant smoke that you could just bathe in, I got lost in just watching the spirals float up toward the ceiling. Smoking a PAM is a Zen experience. Flavors of mild caramel and spice early, deveoping more flavor and intensity as it builds to mocha, cocoa, and evben a tad pepper cinnamon and ginger, sitting and just trying to pick out the flavors wafting by is a meditative experience in itself. Needless to say this cigar was an utter delight to smoke and a highlight of my day. To say it is reccomended is an understatement.

TomC