Cigar Guys - Any Here?

Had an Oliva Master Blend after lunch today. Great smoke.

 

I have yet to find a better pairing than a montecristo no 2 and a dragon's milk reserve 2022 #2. Unfortunately the latter is no longer made and I'm running out. Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Post wedding celebration stick.

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Enjoying a Macanudo from years gone by on the upper deck at the lake house.
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La Gloria Cubana torpedo from the late 1990s……

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Fernandez Viva la Vida Toro

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Chateau Fuente robusto maduro
Sitting on Sunset Key.

 

Graycliff torpedo from about 2000. These cigars were commissioned by the owner of the Graycliff hotel and restaurant in the Bahamas in about 1996. He hired Avelino Lara, known as “the father of Cohiba” to oversee operations. I’m not sure but I believe the tobacco is Jamaican.

I haven’t smoked one of these in a long time and I’d forgotten how great they are. After about 20 years in the box, the wrapper is still perfect. The ash is long and white. The smoke is mouth-filling, cool and creamy. There is no harshness, even when smoked right up to the ring.

Lara died in 2009 and the cigars are still being made but I don’t know if they’re still of such high quality.

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Not half bad here either.

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Omg is this good. Fuente “God of Fire “. I never smoked one before and I’m extremely impressed. I did score 2 boxes.

 

Flor de Cano paired with a local Hong Kong craft beer. First time to try both and would try again.
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Perhaps a dumb question...it's been some years since I traveled outside the US; headed to France soon for the Le Mans Classic. Figured I may pick up a few Cuban cigars while there. Looking around online, I find conflicting info regarding bringing back any Cuban cigars purchased overseas; some sources say absolutely not, some sources say up to $800 value is ok, some sources say it's vague. Anybody have any experience with this? Not looking to bring back boxes, just a couple sticks. Feel free to PM if that's better, thanks for any help.

 

My understanding is that bringing in any products from Cuba is still illegal. I brought a few boxes back from London a few years ago but haven’t done it in a long time. To me there’s less incentive to do so because some brands like Fuente and others are comparable to Cuban cigars now. I’ve read that the Cubans have not been able to get high quality fertilizers in recent years and that manufacturing quality has gone down as well. To me the rewards just aren’t worth the risk of having hundreds of dollars of cigars seized by Customs, and forever being tagged as someone who may be carrying contraband, thus receiving special attention every time I renter the country.

Have a great time in France!

 

Sounds good, thanks for your thoughts on that. I’m just getting back into cigars; I worked at a tobacconist back in college through the mid-90s cigar boom, crazy times they were, and am still very much re-learning the landscape. Some things are still the same or similar, but lots has changed!

Writing this from a lovely cigar lounge I found in Paris, enjoying a nice San Cristobal and a 16-yo Lagavulin…off to Circuit de la Sarthe in the morning

 

I was under the impression you can bring them back to the states as long as it's under a certain value worth.

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Been increasingly frustrated with the limited availability and (even before that) variable quality of Cubans here in HK. So today I am enjoying on a rainy Hong Kong Sunday a JC Newman Brick House paired with a few glasses of the good stuff. A+ smoke, must see about getting a box.


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I rarely smoke any more, maybe two or three a year if that. But it was too nice tonight so out on the deck with a very mild Varina Farms breakfast blend. Just a good mild unassuming smoke. Pretty good paired with just iced tea.

Thinking about starting a fire too. Well see.

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Yup lit the fire...
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Fire in Slo-mo...

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/EZL__V2Rb-c

 

Cleaned the humidor this weekend. Thought I was going to have to replace the humidifier. It was saturated with brown water, when I tried to recharge.

Ran under hot water in the sink for a bit, then let dry out in the hot sun. Was able to recharge last night.

 

Two in just a few days, this may get to be a habit. Didn't want much tonight, grabbed one of my last Fuente Short Story's. Such good little smokes.

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Dug down to the almost never used middle shelf of my ice-box-ador and found it was loaded with mostly some more short stories, thought I was almost out of those, and a handful of Fuente Torpedos. Fired up a torpedo tonight.

Was a beautiful day here, 80ish and I didn't do much work. Had dinner with some buddies then home to relax with a smoke and my smoking buddy Leon... he's not much of a talker but he's a great listener.



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Leon and I are back on the deck enjoying another fire and yet another cigar. Tonight I found an old Rocky Patel Decade 10th anniversary. Good smoke.

Looking up info it looks like these came out about 15 years ago so it's been sitting in there for a while.

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Had a great early morning (5 to 9:30) 100 mile drive (iin my 1932 PB Roadster) up to local mountains and back, followed by early lunch (around 10 am), finished with CAO Zocalo, a 12 y.o. Glendronach and couple of “Shock Top” Belgian Whites.
Ready for a midday now.

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