The Macanudo 1968

My Uncle Tom's memorial service was last weekend.

He was a great man and I miss him every time I smoke.

I have him to thank for my love of cigars and specifically my first brand love: Macanudo.

I specifically began that love with the Macanudo Portifino. It is a great starter cigar for any of you thinking about venturing into the world of cigars.

From there I sampled pretty much every Mac I could get my hands on. A favorite of mine is the Hampton Court. mmm...

A while back Macanudo announced the release of a new cigar the 1968 (you guys need to click on these links. The 1968 website is awesome and they have a video that tells you all about it. You wont regret it I promise.). Needless to say I've been excited about it for a while now.

The 1968 is a cigar made to commemorate when General Cigar bought the Temple Hall factory in Jamaica. Its a limited edition cigar with only four sizes: Churchill, Gigante, Toro and Robusto.

When my friends and I went to the Cigar and Hookah Cafe a few weeks back they had the robustos in stock and once I mopped up the drool I hastily bought one.

Inexpensive for such a delicious cigar guys. It was $6.99. You really can't beat that with a stick.

I hadn't planned on saving the cigar for anything in particular, but it just so happened that before I could smoke it, Uncle Tom's memorial service came around. It was a t-shirt and jeans affair with a motorcycle procession. Beautiful. It was amazing to see all the love everyone had for him.

Anyway, after the service and reception was the long trip back home (did I mention we were in Stewartstown, PA for the service? No?). What better time to enjoy this delicious cigar? I can't think of one either.

"But the wind! The burn!" I thought I heard you say.

I know, I know.

The burn was uneven as a result of the wind and so it looked bad. But the taste was great and Uncle Tom approved.

You all should go buy a Macanudo, pick any cigar they make, and light it up.



Think of my Uncle Tom when you do.




Keep em Lit!

Sorry in advance

This has nothing to do with cigars, and I'm sorry.

It's just true.

Sometimes I wonder if I want my PhD specifically so I can find a group of doctors to shake hands with. "Dr." "Dr." "Dr." "Dr." "Dr."

Keep em Lit!

So much has happened. -Part II

Friday night was awesome! (Told you I'd get to it.)

I did not think of bringing the old lady's new camera which I came to regret about halfway through the night.

Flash called me around eight and invited us out to the Cigar and Hookah Cafe in Parkville, Maryland on Joppa Rd. (I haven't found a link to them yet, but I'll keep looking... Found it!) where we would spend a few hours smoking and WATCHING A BELLY DANCER!

What? Are you serious? A belly dancer? I am so there. Now let me go ask my old lady...

So here is who came with us: My old lady (Yay! You know whats sad? Pretty sure she doesn't read this blog.), Kal-El, Flash, Charlie, James Howlett, Zaphod (henceforth known as ZBTN), and me. Apparently the Gimp and Co. couldn't make it and BJD was away for the weekend (We missed you guys. BJD not as much since you beard divorced me... ok. ok. That was a lie. We still missed the hell out of you divorce notwithstanding.)

I never knew this place existed. It's right down the street from where Perring Parkway meets Joppa Road.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in (besides noticing that Flash knew the owner. Not surprised seeing as she is a hookah enthusiast.) was the atmosphere. It is a nice, quiet place to relax and smoke.

I brought along two cigars for the occasion: an El Artista Bambina, and a Victor Sinclair (frantic search for the wrapper) Legacy Box Press.

We had a table reserved and we went in and ordered some hookah's and some drinks (the non-alcoholic kind). Then we chilled out for a while. At this point it was around 9:45pm.

10:00pm.

Charlie and James Howlett order the ...err... pretty sure they ordered a blend of banana/mango/mint tobacco (I could be wrong here, I wasn't paying the strictest attention). Charlie also asks them to add milk $2.00. This turns out to be surprisingly good.

Flash orders a grape hookah which was very tasty and instead of getting the one hose hookah she ordered they brought out a two hose. Waste not want not. Kal-El officially had a hose hooked to delicious grape flavored tobacco.

I light up my Victor Sinclair. It's one of the free cigars I got in my fuerte 6 pack. It is delicious. The more I smoke it, the better it tastes. I get through half of it before I take a puff off of the hookah my old lady and ZBTN were sharing. The blend they chose was the Alex Mix for particular reasons that if you were there you would know. I give the Alex Mix a go.

It's pretty darn good.

I immediately feel high.

I don't know how the rest of you are, and I'm genuinely curious: There are some cigars that just get me feeling high (or what I suppose high feels like. I've never actually done any drugs), that is, sort of dizzy and light headed -but in a good way. Have you ever come across this in your smoking? Let me know in the comment section below.

Anyway, that sort of high feeling colors my mood for the rest of the evening.

I mention it to Kal-El who takes a puff of my cigar after smoking hookah for a while.

She immediately feels high.

We're on to something here.

11:00 (-ish. In fact, all of these times should have the letters ish at the end of them. Just imagine them there so I don't have to type them.)

The girl we think is the belly dancer comes in and sits at the table right next to us. Flash confirms that this is her. We are, as a table, excited.

12:00

The suspense has built to a chris-hendo (see what I did there?) and she comes out of the back room (when did she go back there?) and begins to dance to the awesome music that has begun playing.

She is beautiful and dances well and is not the stick of a body type that so many Bulimic's seem to want to achieve thanks to the media stereotypes. Understand, this is not me saying she was heavy in any way. She was amazingly beautiful and filled out the way athletic people who dance for a living might be.

In short, she did not need a cheeseburger.

Beautiful body. Her outfit was very provocative yet concealed the bits that are usually concealed. We couldn't, as a table, stop staring.

We find out that it is considered nice to go stick money in her clothes but are explicitly warned by Flash, "Not the breasts!"

Fine.

My old lady puts a dollar by her waist tucked into her dress-thing and I wait for it to fall out the entire rest of the dance.

She's great and we immediately make plans to steal her but aren't sure if the trunk is going to be big enough.

1:00

Somewhere before now I've finished my Victor Sinclair, chilled for a few minutes, and started in on the El Artista Bambina. The Bambina is not as delicious as the Victor Sinclair but I am not surprised at this. Anyway, we've had a great time; Charlie ordered hummas which I had a bite of, delicious!

After I finish the Bambina I decide to go check out their humidor. Yes! They have a pretty extensive cigar selection including a wall of Ashton, factory reject bundles (not from Ashton sadly) for a dollar a cigar (these cigars are rejected by the factory for slight discolorations in the wrapper which don't change the taste. this is a great deal), Nub (Which I almost got), the new 1968 by Macanudo (which I did get), Culebras -3 cigars braided together (which I really wanted to get. These things are impossible to find nowadays. I think only one company still makes them? Maybe two)

The humidor was great and everything was pretty decently priced. (I haven't smoked the 1968 yet, but assume you'll hear about it soon)

Before we left, the belly dancer came out yet again! We give her more money and James Howlett finds out that if you don't dance with her before you give her money she runs away from you. Ha!

It is time to go. I must have accidently touched my eye with a bit of tobacco or something because I feel like I'm crying.

This place was great. 23 Dollars for almost 5 hours of good times for 3 people is amazing thats about $1.50 per person per hour. Pretty sweet! (Also, if you don't purchase a cigar or hookah there is a 5 dollar cover charge, but I'm comfortable with that).

Here is where we get to what I didn't like:

What I didn't see until we left were the big signs that said something like, "Outside cigars can not be brought into the store."

Whoops.

This is the only problem I have with this place and maybe they'll decide to change the rule.

Look. I understand the worry about not making money if people bring their own cigars in but that just isn't so. More than likely they will buy drinks/food from you while they are there.

Maybe it's just me, but the idea that I can go there and smoke a cigar I've had seasoning in my humidor is a huge draw. I spent money there, hell, I did buy a cigar, but if I had been stopped at the door by someone, "I'm sorry sir, but you cannot bring outside cigars into the cafe." I would have had a horrible night and probably would be writing an entirely different post right now.

So guys, think about changing that policy, or at least allow the Cigar Freak a little leeway.

I'm just saying.

Ok guys, that is going to be my new hangout for the foreseeable future and I think you should all come with me. I'll be going back during the day (some day) sometime (some time) to speak to the owner (some owner... ok ok sorry.) and I'll probably do a really nice piece for the Examiner that will also get posted here.

Thanks to everyone who came but especially Flash for the invite and the awesome idea. I envy your connections girl.

Everyone go hang out there. Right now... Wait! -After you click on my Examiner page. Yes, click the page first, then go hang out there. Or take your computer and click it while you are there. I'm not sure but I think they might have WiFi.


Keep em Lit! (Even if you bring them into the cafe accidentally against cafe policy.)

Adventure, Excitement and really wild things

I know you were all expecting part two of "So much has happened".

(He he he)

It shouldn't surprise you that this is not that post.

Instead, I have some exciting news! I recently sent out an e-mail to the creator of


that looked something like this:

I am interested in possibly doing an interview with you to publish on my two cigar websites (I'll provide links at the bottom of this e-mail).

I have a page on blogspot where I blog about cigars and how they relate to my life in general. I have also recently taken the position of Baltimore Cigar Examiner.

It is one of my goals to spread the joy of cigar smoking to different cultures and levels of society. The stereotypical upper middle class/wealthy men are not the only ones who enjoy cigars. CAO has recently launched a new ad campaign showing "real" cigar smokers, but they have so far only focused on men.

I love what your organization stands for and I love raising awareness of not-as-mainstream smoking cultures.

If doing an interview is not possible, perhaps I could get a written statement from your organization that I can share with my readers? I'd also be happy to publish any pictures you wanted to include.

Here are the links to my pages.

http://www.examiner.com/x-47695-Baltimore-Cigar-Examiner

http://cigarfreak.blogspot.com

Feel free to peruse them and ask any questions you might have. I'll be glad to answer them.

Thank you again for your time,

Etcetera, etcetera (not sure if I spelled that right), and so on (by which I mean I signed it and gave her my contact info).

Well, she responded today and her response e-mail was favorable (she said yes!). If she gives permission perhaps I'll post said response e-mail when I post the interview.

I think its great what Cigars4Women is doing for cigar smoking and any way I can help I will.

You all should go check out her site. Float around it for a while. Sign up to become a member and click on stuff. You'll learn a lot.

O.k. I'll try to get part two of "So much has happened" up in a few hours but no promises. Finals week + moving into a new apartment = not a lot of leisure time.



Keep em Lit!

So much has happened.

This will be part one of two posts. I had a cigar thursday and want to talk about that first before I get to friday night. Friday night WAS AWESOME! (If you couldn't tell by the capital letters, IT WAS AWESOME) But first things first:

Thursday.

I've had a La Gloria Cubana in my humidor for a while now and today (thursday) its time was up.

This is what their website had to say about it:

Once Little Havana’s best kept secret, La Gloria Cubana has become the cigar of choice for cigar smokers all over the world, who appreciate a richer, fuller-bodied smoke. Its Cuban-seed filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, and its binder from Nicaragua, perfectly complement the beautifully aged Ecuadoran wrapper to deliver the full, rich flavor that has won the brand international acclaim.

La Gloria Cubana Torpedo received a stunning 98 rating in Cigar Aficionado magazine. Marvin Shanken, Publisher, hailed the cigar as “one the most delicious aged non-Cuban cigars I have ever smoked.”

I've had a few of these in the past and they've always been good.

Today was the exception.

This smoke was the strangest smoke I've had from them and I'm pretty sure it was all about the wrapper and how it wasn't wrapped correctly. It burned weird. It burned strange. It burned slanted. It burned slanted the way the... you know what? Just look at this picture for an example of how it burned:

So yeah. Terrible. Also, the taste wasn't that great. I've been smoking dollar and two dollar cigars for a few weeks now and they were better than this cigar which leads me to believe that either:

A. The wrapper being wrapped incorrectly caused some weird sort of taste malfunction.

B. The cigar actually tastes that bad and all of the people before me who smoked it and said it was great (Including me) were all part of some conspiracy to get people to buy more of this type of cigar.

C. Some bastard wrapped the wrapper around the wrong cigar because of some conspiracy to get people to buy more of this type of cigar.

D. All of the above.

So yeah, I didn't enjoy it and I should have. Damn.

Next post is about AWESOME FRIDAY!


Keep em Lit! <----Click it!

Where are the posts and why is my daughter so cute?

I know I know. I haven't been posting...

But, I've been really bu...

Now wait just a minute...

Now just calm down!

I have four days left of classes/finals and then I have to move our entire apartment three blocks down and three stories up, after which I'll be more than happy to post as much as possible (until summer classes start)

My daughter Inara wants to type her name, hold on:

inara

"Awwwwwww." I thought I heard you say.

I know, adorable right?

Anyway, I'll probably be smoking this weekend at least so you'll be able to get at least one post out of me.



Keep em Lit! <---Don't forget to click on this link!

Oh Man Oh Man Oh Man

IWantThisSoBad.

Keep em Lit!

Hmm..

O.k.

So there are obviously some kinks to be worked out with the pictures in the blog.

Still!


You know you like them.




Keep em Lit!

I never watched the show but now I think I should have

Go to CAO's website (It's very cool).

Once the page loads, mouse over the left side of the picture until you find the menu.

Click cigars.

Click Sopranos Edition.

(Holy shit! That freak figured out how to put pictures in his blog!)

Read all about the delicious cigar Flash brought me last night.






"Flash? Thats a person's name?" I thought I heard you say.

Remember before when I mentioned the whole "friends getting nicknames" thing?

Ta Da!

So yeah, she rocks. She brought me this delicious full bodied cigar and it was a great smoke. In fact, I'll have to agree with CAO when they say that the cigar is:

"Dark, compelling and rich with character, this smokin' hot escape is riddled with decadence and forcefully pleases the palate with notes of straight coffee beans, cocoa and a smattering of black cherry."

I also agree that when smoking this cigar you should, "Tread lightly and enjoy the badness. Capiche?"

This was my first time trying a CAO and man, great job guys.

Also, last night was smoking party part deux.

(This is not a picture of the hookah we used)

It was just as fun as the last time only instead of being at gimpy's house (there's that nickname thing again. hahaha... gimpy.) we were at my house. And I made delicious food. mmm...

(Why does it start all of the pictures out up at the top of the page?

Don't they know how difficult it is to get them into the right place? WTF?)

There were seven other people there as well, but I haven't thought of any clever names for them yet so they shall, as yet, go unnamed. (Besides my old lady and BJD)

Today is mothers day. Happy Mothers Day all you Mommies! Mommys? Mommies? Either way.

So, what would be a great mothers day present is showing your mom my examiner page. She'll love it... Unless she's my mom and wants me to quit smoking. (Hi Mom!)

Even if you don't show her my page (and she'll be disappointed if you don't) you should go there yourself and check it out. I get paid for it. Yay!



Have a great Mother's day guys and as always:




Keep em Lit!

Baltimore Cigar Examiner Contd.

I've had a few questions, Let me be clear about this:

I get paid for every visit I get to the website.

If you want to subscribe to it, I get paid every time I do an article and it is sent to you. (THIS MEANS LESS WORK FOR YOU!)

More of this content will be Baltimore specific, but a lot of the same information I'm using for the Examiner and the Blog will be interchangeable.

Any other questions/comments? Leave em in the comments section below.

I'll be smoking tonight so I'll post later.




Keep em Lit!

Baltimore Cigar Examiner

I am now the official Baltimore Cigar Examiner. (Like how the title of this blog is my title as well?)

I get paid for every visit to my Examiner site.

Since you all love me and want me to succeed, you should go there frequently. It only takes a minute and I'm pretty sure you can subscribe to it as well. (So you don't have to visit all of the time. The articles will be e-mailed to you instead.)

So, yeah. Go check it out. Repeatedly. Tell your friends. Link the site on your facebook page and anywhere else you might want to put it.


Pimp my site out guys!


Yay!




Keep em Lit! (<--Watch what I do with the link here. Keep em Lit! will now always be the link to my Baltimore Cigar Examiner page. So click it on every post that you read and the world will be a better place!)

Let me tell you...

Breaking Bad is not about smoking cigars.

It is, however, awesome.

I'm watching it right now. I'm thinking about having a cigar after I finish this disc but that depends on what time it is when this disc is done.

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. There are 15 days until school is over and I've got a lot of work to do between then and now. You'll just have to make do with what sporadic posting I can get in.

Oh, my friends and I are planning on having our hookah/cigar party again on Saturday so be ready for a post either Saturday night or Sunday.

Other than that, enjoy your weekend coming up, go out and buy a nice Ashton cigar and have a schmoke.













...and a pancake.







Keep em Lit!

About Sunday:

Welcome to my Sunday post!
.
.
.
Now lets talk about Saturday.

Yesterday was great! I spent the day with friends dorking out and we basically beat each other with sticks for a few hours. It was great! (I already said that. Hmm.)

When I got home my old lady's cousin came over and we proceeded to become gently inebriated the way that the United States becomes gently involved with other countries business.

It is at this point that I decide to have a smoke. I make a quick decision after looking into the humidor and pull out my Xicar to nip the tip. It is at this point that I realize my lighter (remind me to post about lighters soon) has been purloined (stop moving stuff!). Luckily there were other smokers around. After lighting my cigar I snuggled up to my old lady on the porch and relaxed into the smoke.

Don Lugo, you're still delicious.

Don Lugos have a nice dark wrapper and are usually wrapped well. The ash went for about an inch and a quarter before wanting off.

The cigar was tasty and having friends hang out made it worth while. (So come over more often woman!)

As usual I recommend this cigar to anyone who wants a nice smoke.

So yeah, Welcome to the Sunday post which is, in fact, about Saturday. (You like how I ninja mind controlled you with that sweet ruse? Kiaaaaaaa Hiyaaaaaaaaah!)

I bet until that last line you forgot this was supposed to be about Sunday.

I'm going to go smoke now.



Keep em Lit!