The Kids Take On a Padron 80th

More Padron 80th goodness, this time from the boys at Churros y Puros!









Wheeeeeeee!


TomC

Padrón 1926 Serie 80th Anniversary Perfecto

Vitola: 6 ¾" x 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sungrown Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Sungrown
Filler: Padrón 1926 Serie Blend

Notes: This cigar is the first ever perfecto shape from Padrón, created to commemorate the 80th birthday of the patriarch and founder in 1964 of Padrón cigars, José Orlando Padrón. 500 of these cigars were handed out to attendees of the Saturday morning seminars at The Big Smoke 2006 in Las Vegas.

This perfecto has the trademark 1926 Serie box press, and a lush Nicaraguan sun grown maduro wrapper. The blend is most similar to the Padrón 1926 Serie 40th Anniversary cigar blend, which is a tweaked version of the 1926 blend, dubbed "The Family Blend".

These cigars will be sold in boxes of 8 cigars per box, with limited distribution of only 1-2 boxes per vendor for each shipment.

Appearance: As one would expect, this cigar is made with the finest construction. It is firm and evenly packed, and just in general quite the specimen to behold. The wrapper was a beautiful deep chocolate, and was practically glistening with oils.

Pre-Light: The clip was easy and can be, and the prelight draw was smooth and easy. There were notes of sweet chocolate and coffee in the prelight.

Burn/Draw: This cigars aesthetics were fantastic. It burned like a dream! The burn line was straight from the very beginning and never wavered one iota the whole time I was smoking it. The draw was just short of free and easy, and allowed the cigar to burn just cool enough to allow for tons of fragrant, rich smoke. Overall, I could not have been happier with these aspects of this cigar, it was a benchmark for how a cigar should smoke. The ask was mottled grey and held for almost two inches.

Flavors: I am not going to beat around the bush, this was on tasty cigar! To me it combined the best aspects of both of the "Anniversary" lines produced by Padrón. It combined the some of the spice, and oomph of the 1964 maduro cigars, along with the rich and creaminess of the 1926 Serie. . . It began with coca and chocolate, and built to a cinnamon hotness and a slightly peppery ending. Every moment of it was an exercise in decadence that one get only once in a very long while.

The only drawback to this cigar is it is a tad cost prohibitive. I do feel this needs mentioned, as it is a cigar one can only have on special occasions, if ever. Despite how much I enjoyed this cigar, I wonder if it was really that much better than the 1964, or 1926 lines, and it is significantly more expensive. That said I was quite happy to get the opportunity to smoke and review this cigar, and it might be worth your while to try one as well.


TomC

In Honor Of The 2008 Summer Olympics:

Alicia Marie Sacramone (born December 3, 1987) is an American artistic gymnast. A member of the U.S. National Team, she is the 2005 World Champion on floor exercise, the 2008 U.S. National Champion on vault, and a seven-time medalist at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She is also a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Natalie Anne Coughlin (born August 23, 1982 in Vallejo, California) is a American swimmer who has represented the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. She won multiple medals at both of these Games and became the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics.
Amanda Ray Beard (born October 29, 1981 in Newport Beach, California), is an Olympic-level swimmer and model from the United States of America. Beard participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics, and 2008 Summer Olympics, capturing a total of seven medals.

Hope Amelia Solo (born July 30, 1981 in Richland, Washington) is a goalkeeper for the United States Women's National Soccer Team (US WNT).
Suzanne Brigit Bird (born October 16, 1980) is a professional women's basketball player. A high school star from Christ The King RHS, she went on to become a key part of two national champion University of Connecticut teams, the first player to be picked in the 2002 WNBA Draft and an Olympic gold medalist. She currently plays for the WNBA's Seattle Storm, with whom she won a championship in 2004.


TomC

"The Kids" Take On An Oliva Serie V Lancero!

Good Times,

TomC

More Humidor pRon!

My Friend MikeD made me promise I would post more pics of my Antietam Cabinet once I got it stocked with cigars, well who am I to refuse a request.

(From The Front)
(Look at all the Goodies!)
(Top Drawer.)
(Bottom (Drawer.)

Well there you have it, a meaningless, self aggrandizing post! But stay tuned, because tonight there will be a review of the much talked about Padron 1926 Serie, 80 years! I bet you cannot wait!

TomC

Building Lather/ "SOTD"

Well I must say, I am really enjoying this foray into traditional shaving techniques. I have been at it almost two weeks now, and while I have not achieved "Baby's Behind Smooth" shaves yet I can tell you that three things are true:

1) I enjoy shaving a lot more now than I ever did in the past, in fact I look forward to it on occasion now.

2) I can get about as good a shave now as I usually got with a Mach 3 Razor, and with less irritation in the end.

3) I am sure I will only improve with time.

I think one of my biggest problems to date is figuring out how much water to put in the shaving cream while lathering (I think I may be putting too much), and so for my benefit and your interest, I put another of our pal "mantic59" videos at the top of this post, this time the one that focuses entirely on lathering.

One of the common things discussed on forums for wetshavers is a persons "SOTD". That is their "Shave Of The Day". Many of these folks have been at it a lot longer than me, and can produce many variations of razors, blades, soaps, creams, and aftershaves. I cannot do this yet, so I will give you essentially the setup I have been using to practice technique with:

Pre Shave:
Warm Shower
Hot towel
Musgo Real Pre Shave Oil (Didn't Use Today)

Razor:
Gillette Knack (kindly gifted by a friend)
Derby Extra Super Stainless Blades

Cream:
Musgo Real (surprise, surprise)

Post Shave:
Musgo Real Classic Aftershave (I must say that I really prefer their Balsam for its skin protection, though the smell of the aftershave is amazing!).

Yeah I know its not very creative (yet), but I bet the collection of things to try will grow in time. I hear its good to stay consistent when learning shaving form, so we shall stick with this stuff for a while, and its a lovely combination, if you ask me. Now on to the Action Shots!

Soaking the brush in warm water while I take a shower.
It really does not take much of the cream to do the job at hand!
See, a little bit goes a long way! Though I think I may have put too much water in it this time. Some experimentation may be in order here.
Goes on the face nice and slick, providing a relatively close and comfortable shave! (I added a bit more after this shot was taken ;) ).

Needless to say I am hooked, so you may be stuck hearing about this more often. That said I have bored you all enough for tonight.

Hope all is well,

TomC

La Flor Dominicana "El Jocko" Maduro

Country: Dominican Republic
Length/Ring: 4 1/2" x 32/54
Shape: Perfecto
Wrapper: Maduro

Construction: I have never really had a construction issue with any LA Flor Dominicana cigars, and this one is no different. The construction on this perfecto was spot on. Both firmly and evenly packed, there were no soft spots to be found. The rich dark chocolate wrapper was smoot and without flaws, and glistened with essential oils.

Pre-Light: The clip was simple and clean. The pre light draw was just right. This draw yielded notes of sweet tobacco, earthiness, and dark roasted coffee.

Burn/Draw: The burn on this cigar was great. On occasion, perfecto shaped cigars will burn a bit funky at the beginning, but that was not the case with this cigar. The burn line generally stayed straight, and self corrected the few times it wandered at all. The draw was just as it should be, it offered a tiny bit of resistance, so that the burn stayed long and slow, producing volumes of smooth cool blue grey smoke. The ash was very light grey/white and firm. It held as long as I wanted it to.

Flavors: This cigar strikes me as the LFD Chiselito, Lite! The chiselito is one of my all time favorite smokes, but it is VERY STRONG, and not for all occasions. This cigar is a mellower version of that. More of a medium strength smoke, it still displays a lot of the great flavors I love in La Flor Dominicana Maduros. It starts with a light burst of pepper, and then settles in to a lovely earthiness, sweet maduro tobacco flavor that lasts most of the first half of the cigar. At the halfway point, the flavor ramps up a bit, adding a nice french roast coffee note. Over the last third or so of the cigar the flavors are more dry, with some cedar woodiness and the earthiness pushing more to the forefront. Overall, a pretty damn good cigar, and I think a great entry point into La Flor Dominicana's more robust blends. I recommend it, and might just have to buy a box myself!

TomC

Beginnig Wetshaving. . .

(The beginning of what I hope is not ANOTHER obsession!)

It seems to me, in my time as a cigar smoker, that people who enjoy cigars, also enjoy (to whatever degree they can afford) several of the other finer things in life. Whether that be the good company of a herf, an exciting or relaxing lifestyle, the best sports teams, a lovely spirit to accompany a lovely smoke, or anything else that strikes their fancy. Well something I have been made aware of lately that falls into this category is something I have been searching for recently, a decent shave. I have to say for most of my relatively short life I have either sported a (bad, lazily trimmed) beard, or an equally bad, hastily shaven face, covered in bumps and razor burn, and honestly more like stubble than a clean shave. There was a brief time where I tried using a cheap brush from a christmas set I got and Bath & Body Works Shave Cream, but I gave up on that almost as quick as I started. I think they discontinued the line I used anyway. In general, I was young and lazy, and because I really didn't need to shave, I pretty much didn't.

Well recently, realizing I am not as young as I used to be (it is my Birthday today, after all!), along with having a job that requires a clean shave, I have come around to the idea that if I am going to have to shave just about every day, then I might as well finally try to learn how to do it right. Couple that with an affinity for retro lifestyle things in general, and it was inevitably going to lead to one thing, wetshaving. The old school method of shaving with a brush and mug, real shaving soap or cream and a Single Blade Safety Razor. Now, I am slowly easing my way into this pursuit, making sure I do everything right, and while I was searching for information to help me on my path I came aacross agreat set of YouTube Tutorials by a guy who goes by the screen name "mantic59", that I have found to be the absolute best resource so far. He even has a BLOG where he tries his best to answer any questions a n00b like me would have. Well through the joy of the internet, I figure I would share some of the videos that he has posted with you, my readers, to show that, like me, anybody can attempt this and maybe we can even get good enough to enjoy what, for me, has usually been an annoying daily chore.

Today I thought I would post the stuff that coincides with where I am along this journey, the VERY BEGINNING.

(note: I had nothing to do with the creation of any of these videos, and if you like the content they hold, I strongly suggest commenting on either his BLOG or YouTube profile page to that extent!)







I find this all to be terribly interesting, and hope that you do too.

TomC

Bombed By Black Patch Cigars!

Last fall while on a trip to KY I picked up a cigar by the Black Patch Cigar Company, and reviewed it.

Well ever since posting it, I have been in contact from they guy in charge there. Well out of the blue, on Friday, I got a package from Black Patch with samples of thier new stuff, whic i thought was pretty cool, so I thought I would share that generosity with you all. More Black Patch Reviews forthcoming, it seems. . .

TomC

"The Kids" Take On A Nub Habano

I just love these guys, who are at it again:












TomC

My New Humidor And its First Friend

Not much too this post really, just a little cigar pRon! After a long time trying to save for one, I finally purchased an Antietam Cabinet Humidor! And since I didn't want the humidor to feel lonely, here is its first friend, a box of Carlos Torano Signature Churchill. Fun Times!

The Kids Take On A Sosa Super Selection

They are at it again. . .

ENJOY!

TomC

CELTIC CLINCH THREE IN A ROW!

Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tannadice, Dundee

CELTIC…1
(Vennegoor of Hesselink 71)

DUNDEE UNITED…0

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor (Wilson 76); Nakamura (Brown 62), Hartley, Robson, McGeady; McDonald, Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 81)
Subs not used: M.Brown, Wilson, Samaras, O’Dea, Donati, Sheridan

DUNDEE UNITED (4-4-2) Zaluska; Dillon, Kenneth, Dods, Grainger; Flood, Kerr (Robertson 80), Gomis, Swanson (Daly 80); Hunt, De Vries (Robb 80)
Subs not used: Camara, Wilkie, O’Brien, Smith

Celtic FC made history tonight by clinching a third successive SPL title after a dramatic final day of the season.

Gordon Strachan’s champions beat Dundee United 1-0 at Tannadice with a Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink goal to finish top on 89 points. Second-placed Rangers finished on 86 points after losing 2-0 to Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

There were incredible scenes inside Tannadice at the end of the match, as Celtic players, management and supporters began the celebrations.

During the 90 minutes, the Hoops fans had constantly paid tribute to Tommy Burns on an emotional occasion for Celtic Football Club.

After winning the title in his first two seasons, Gordon Strachan becomes the first Celtic manager since the late Jock Stein to lead the club to three consecutive championships.

In early April, Celtic trailed Rangers by seven points but stormed back into contention with seven successive wins to clinch one of the sweetest title triumphs in the club’s history.

Over half of Tannadice was awash with green and white as thousands of Celtic fans converged on the City of Discovery with hope in their hearts. They weren’t to be disappointed.

(Article.)


The Dandy Dons of Aberdeen put aside all questions aside by defeating Rangers at Pittodrie, 2-0. Here's to a great comeback (down 7 points as late as April), and here's to THREE IN A ROW!

HAIL HAIL!!

TomC

Eliza Dushku 2

Eliza Patricia Dushku (born December 30, 1980) is an American television and film actress, who has appeared in several Hollywood movies such as True Lies, The New Guy, Bring It On, and Wrong Turn. She is also well known for her acting on television, such as her recurring appearances on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as Faith, as well as the main character in the series Tru Calling.

Dushku came to the attention of casting agents when she was 10. She was chosen at the end of a five month search throughout the United States for the lead role of Alice, opposite Juliette Lewis in the film That Night. In 1993, Dushku landed a role as Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in This Boy's Life, a role that she said opened a lot of doors. The following year, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies. She also had parts as Paul Reiser's daughter in Bye Bye, Love, as Cindy Johnson with Halle Berry and Jim Belushi in Race the Sun, as well as roles in a television movie and a short film.

Dushku took some time off from acting to finish her junior and senior years of high school. She was accepted to the George Washington University in Washington, DC and Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother serves as professor of government and previously served as dean of the campus in Dakar, Senegal.

After completing high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith Lehane on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy Summers. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the entirety of the third season and returned for a two-part appearance in season four, after which the remainder of her original story arc was played out as part of the first season of the Buffy spinoff series Angel. Repentant and rededicated, Faith returned as a heroine in a number of further episodes of Angel and in the last five episodes of Buffy. Dushku was inundated with piles of fan mail from legions of prisoners. She said that:

I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to Death Row inmates? They write everything — disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures — 'Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!' — and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a moustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than Buffy.

In 2000, Dushku starred in Soul Survivors, reuniting her with Race The Sun co-star Casey Affleck. She followed that up with the cheerleader comedy Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst, which was a surprising success at the box office that spawned straight-to-DVD sequels. In 2001, she appeared in The New Guy opposite DJ Qualls and City by the Sea opposite Robert De Niro and James Franco. The latter film garnered attention from a wider adult audience and several good reviews.

The same year, Kevin Smith invited Dushku to be a part of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, where she co-starred with Shannon Elizabeth, Ali Larter, and Ben Affleck.

In 2003, Dushku appeared in Wrong Turn, a horror film in which she had the starring role, and The Kiss, an independent comedy-drama. Starting that same year, she also starred in a new Fox TV series, Tru Calling, where she played the main character, medical student Tru Davies. After having a grant pulled out from under her, Tru is forced to take a job at a local morgue where she discovers her power to "re-live" the previous day over again and uses it to bring murderers to justice. Dushku turned down a role for which she would have been in a spin-off of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (that would have been about Faith).

She has had many roles as a "bad girl" in movies and relishes the opportunities. In an interview with Maxim in May 2001, Dushku says of her roles, "It’s easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you’ve been told not to do, and you don’t have to deal with the consequences, because it’s only acting."

Dushku starred in an off-Broadway production entitled Dog Sees God from December 2005, playing "Van's sister", a character paralleled with Lucy from the original Peanuts comic strip on which the play production is based. She quit in February 2006 along with several other members of the cast among rumours of alleged abuse from the producer, which were later dismissed.

She played the lead character on Nurses, a hospital comedy/drama for Fox. This was the second Fox pilot in which she has been cast, but will not be broadcast. Dushku voiced the role of Yumi Sawamura in the English language version of the PlayStation 2 video game Yakuza, published and developed by SEGA, and released in September 2006. She appeared in the Simple Plan music video, "I'm Just a Kid", as the band's love interest, as well as Nickelback's video for "Rockstar".

Jon Lester Pitches A No Hitter!

I know I haven't talked much about baseball yet this season, but that does not mean I have not been paying attention. I will probably post more about it after soccer season ends. But how bout this tid bit to tide us over. The first no hitter since Red Sox Right Hander Clay Buchholz's last September was thrown earlier tonight. By Red Sox Left Hander Jon Lester! In his first career complete game, he silenced the Kansas City Royals in style. On top of that, the game's Catcher. Red Sox captain Jason Varitek, became the first major league catcher to catch four no hitters (Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Buchholz, and Lester). It was the teams 18th , which is second only to the Dodgers.


TomC