SticksWithMe

La Flor Dominicana -  La Nox, toro I'm a fan of La Flor Dominicana (LFD) overall. Their quality is indisputable. What is sometimes at dispute is my budget and their price point. I'm a firm believer they are priced well, and, that they often fall just out of range for me. I seek out samplers and clearance, even the make-me-an-offer options; every once in awhile I get lucky. This is the second in the La Nox release that I've enjoyed. The first was a lonsdale or lancero, along those lines. That  one was veery bold in the first half, quite enjoyably so, and it experienced an insane run. My phone was dead during that, I'm still scarred, but I milked that first half like a calf with their mama. The second-half, after the burn got "fixed" was bland and meh like a mouthful of cardboard and I blame the wind. It was crazy out that day. This toro came over as a gift from Nick in a gargantuan "bomb" (gift box) that included a thoughtful bottle of red wine for m...

 Viaje - Hamaki, box-pressed torpedo The initial nose on this gave me apple sauce and strong fertilizer. From the scent and the soft box-press I'm guessing there's a fair amount of aging on this. My initial cut was too shallow to get a proper draw so I went in another 1/4 inch and it opened right up. Early flavor in the first third exhibits leather, cedar, pepper which opens up to light ginger. This was a gift from a friend who has an adventurous palate who had been aging this stick since 2019. I met Nick on a virtual-herf and immediately thought of what Seth McFarlane might look like if he survived a camping trip in the woods.  It's a real gift to share a cigar with someone and have it hit their palate perfectly. The wrapper on this is thin, possibly cameroon or claro and I'm concerned the cracking will effect the burn. My neighbor decided to stretch for his run and complain about crypto right next to me and the wind is starting to push out a little bitterness. Time t...

  La Moneda - Cameroon Cabinet (25 Year). Churchill I am absolutely a fan of these. I found a 25 count bundle on clearance and took a chance on them. The band isn't fancy. The packaging is just cellophane in plastic. Some of the wrappers are cracked, Cameroon's are thin, this can happen. I've disappointed myself taking these types of chances before and on initial inspection thought these might just be keeping my humidor balanced. I took five with me to Palm Springs for a three day trip. I got to two over the stay and enjoyed both. Tremendously. The first thing I noticed is how aged the cellophane was. Deep yellow, a good sign. I don't know if it's my fascination with a bargain or discovering unsung gems, or both, but I find myself coming back to this over and over. I bought enough to share a handful with friends. I've sent those out and will learn soon how similar our palates are. It's a risk sending an unknown to a daily smoker with a honed palate. Hopefull...

 Illusione Ultra #8 - video review Battled the wind a bit on this bad boy but enjoyed it nonetheless. Plenty of wine in here, cocoa and leather made up most of the flavor's base with cedar sneaking in under tart-fruity notes, like a hint of mango.  On the video you can see I really had to hack at the burn to get the center and exterior to realign but by the final third the whole thing came together magically and made for a really nice smoke. In fact, it's making me want a cigar right now. Time to grab another stick and head out.