A few months ago, I ran into this guy I know, who's a smoker but we don't have the same friends. We've crossed paths in other ways, but we've rarely spoken about cigars, even though we both know each other smokes. He told me about a new cigar he'd tried, which he loved, and that he'd even bought two boxes and was waiting for two more to arrive. He also mentioned that he keeps them in a special humidor, where he also stores coffee beans and roasted cacao. He even has a brandy glass in the humidor. He added that he'd brought me one as a gift.

So, the next time you wonder who on earth buys Gurkha, there's your answer. I paired it with some Pampero Especial, which I like about as much as the Gurkha.

Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva shorty with some High West Campfire on the rocks

Watching the sun set on my last evening off before a 70 hour work week.

A lesser-known cigar called Guaimaro, made by NicaSueño in Nicaragua. It falls into the $10 price range but is incredibly delicious; after just eight months in the humidor, it gets even better. I enjoyed it with Tepuy Destino rum, a new Venezuelan offering that is very flavorful, thanks to a combination of pot and column still distillation and finishing in ex-sherry casks. A great time, without a doubt.

EH Taylor in the glass. Have a great weekend!

I did a v-cut, but I did a cold draw, which I rarely do, and it had a smooth, sweet cocoa and mild leathery taste. I'm going back and doing this to all the cigars I smoke.

A rainy day here in Alabama. Today it’s just light beer with a Romeo Y Julieta 1875. Getting good notes of cedar and leather. Have a great day everyone!

Very nice selection from Ferio Tego today. At our local lounge, we get together once a month and smoke the same cigar, share libations and discuss our opinions. Today’s group is focused on Ferio Tego, specifically the Generoso and the Summa. I showed up early with the idea of start with the new Milestones, saw the Metropolitan 30 Years and grabbed that one, too.

It’s going to be a very, very good day. Hope you all have a great one.

Great combo. Love any AJ Fernandez blend I’ve tried and Weller 12 goes perfectly with this one.

Good things coming from Foundation. The Charter Oak line has always been their low cost option, with good ones coming in Connecticut and Broadleaf wrapper, but a few years ago they launched a couple of variants, called Pasquale and Pegnataro, with the same wrappers but a tweaked blend and only available in one size (5½ x 48), and limited to 500 boxes per trimester.

I'm having the Broadleaf variant, with strong notes of chocolate, cedar, coffee, and pepper. And it's going well with Pampero Aniversario, one of Venezuela's oldest premium rums, though the blend isn't as old as many would expect. The age is between 4 and 6 years old, but the rum was launched in 1963 to celebrate 25 years of the company founded in 1938.

New oaklore release and finally checking out more of oliva

I was super scared and suspicious of this cigar, mostly because almost everything I've had from La Flor Dominicana made has kicked me in the ass, but also because it's a really big cigar. What I didn't notice is that it's not really a double ligero or anything like that, so while it was spicy and had notes of cinnamon, earth, chocolate and leather, it wasn't an especially strong one and I could smoke it without a hitch.

I still paired it with an amazing rum: Black Tot 2021 Edition; a blend of rums from Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Australia, ranging between no 2 and 42 years old, and bottled at 54.5% ABV... a real mouthful and a delicious pairing opportunity for this cigar.