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Lyon posted:One of us! One of us! One of us! I'll have to check again since I just sorta clicked a few, but right now I know for sure I won a box of of those my father la promesa that was linked earlier and last I checked I was still in for those aging room quattros.
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Aug 14, 2020 17:57
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CONGRATS NFM! We closed on our house today and while I’d love to celebrate that probably won’t happen until next week. The plan is some dry aged ribeyes and finished with the Cohiba lancero from the diplomatic humidor I’ve been sitting on since 2013 or so.
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Aug 14, 2020 18:09
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Hell yeah! Big week all around. Thanks for all the well wishes, friends ♥️
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Aug 14, 2020 18:39
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Ophidian posted:CONGRATS NFM! Congrats to you as well! Hope you love never ending projects  . Everyone making big moves. Me, I’m ordering a pizza. I just smoked a DPG Cuban Classic and it was okay. A lot of leather and nuts? maybe but once the pepper dropped out it got kind of boring. I have four more that I’ll let sit for a while and see what comes of them. This has probably been the least memorable DPG I have smoked, not good or bad really. I have a CigarAuctioneer order arriving tonight that I’ll have to take a picture of and post because I have zero self control and it’s a bit of a monster. Edit: drat the tracking updated and now it's supposed to be delivered on Monday. God drat you UPS. Not that I'm short on cigars in the mean time and I'm still getting a pizza. Anyone else have an opinion on the DPG Cuban Classic? Am I a terrible person? Also has no one smoked that Ave Maria Divina that is MSRP $180 for 10? That’s obviously ridiculous and also maybe why no one has tried it. Lyon fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Aug 15, 2020 |
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Aug 14, 2020 23:13
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Lyon posted:Congrats to you as well! Hope you love never ending projects I'm suspicious that Ave Maria is pulling a Gurkha to be honest. Full disclosure, I haven't smoked any Ave Maria yet, but I do have a 5 pack of Reconquista's chilling in my humidor right now, which I got for around 24 dollars, while it lists for around 105 dollars ($21 each) and is 94 on CI right now. Throw a high list price on it, let it sit there for a while, and then throw it on bidding sites and watch people see 75% off a $20 stick and throw money at it. Hopefully I'm wrong and these Reconquista's own since I have 5 of them, but $21 a stick is solidly Padron 1926 terriory, and well above AF Anejo's, Ashton VSGs/Symmetrys, Padron 1964s, and a bunch of other sticks that are special occasion sticks, so if I'm going of list price, that's a hard standard to meet.
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Aug 15, 2020 04:38
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I 100% agree that the MSRP is bullshit but the rest of the line is reasonably priced and I’ve never heard bad things about AJ Fernandez. There are 250 lots with only around 150 winners so I might scoop them for $40 and report back. I think I’ve only had the Ave Maria Lionheart which I enjoyed but I’ve tried a bunch of his other lines. AJF is a bit hit or miss for me but at the very least these should be decent and $4/cigar isn’t terrible. Screw it I’m going for it. Definitely going to need another Sistema box now. I’ll report back or if anyone wants to try one hit me up, assuming I win anyway.
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Aug 15, 2020 05:00
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Dramatika posted:I'm suspicious that Ave Maria is pulling a Gurkha to be honest. Full disclosure, I haven't smoked any Ave Maria yet, but I do have a 5 pack of Reconquista's chilling in my humidor right now, which I got for around 24 dollars, while it lists for around 105 dollars ($21 each) and is 94 on CI right now. Throw a high list price on it, let it sit there for a while, and then throw it on bidding sites and watch people see 75% off a $20 stick and throw money at it. That may well be the case. I'll say, I quite enjoyed the Reconquista, and certainly think it's worth $4-$8 per cigar. I absolutely wouldn't pay the $21 msrp, that's absurd. I think the thing with Gurkhas isn't just that they're overpriced, they're not even very good to smoke. I've got a bunch of Gurkhas in my humidor from when my buddies and I were just getting started and I literally have no idea what to do with them. They're just not pleasurable enough to offset the fact that smoking cigars is in fact bad for you, and I don't have any friends that I'm sufficiently ambivalent about to gift them away to.
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Aug 15, 2020 05:01
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It turns out I’m a complete idiot. First, it’s Divinia not Divina and second I actually have one already from a sampler pack I got a while ago. Oh well, I bid on the 10 pack so hopefully they’re worth it for $4/cigar or by some miracle I get outbid on them. In my shame I smoked a Vudu something and it was okay. A lot of red pepper with some sweetness. It went out with around 1/3 left and I let it go. A shameful end to a shameful day. The pizza was good at least.
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Aug 15, 2020 08:33
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I'm really pleased I put today's smokes in the travel humidor with some 69% Boveda packs. It's really letting me get the most out of it. La Aurora Hors D'Age is up first. It really feels like I'm getting more of the Dominican terroir out of it (god what an insufferable sentence). Smooth, creamy flavor, almost like an Upmann, with slight spice building up. I'm not sure that coffee is the best pair with this one, but life is long and I'll be getting more! I'm being left to my own devices while my partner runs around for whatever production is coming this evening, so I'm definitely gonna be enjoying myself to an unusual extreme hehehe
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Aug 15, 2020 15:38
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Any goon-recommended sites for ordering to a Canadian address in particular?
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Aug 15, 2020 16:17
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Smoking an Alec Bradley Tempus Nicaragua, tasty cigar, not sure I’d go out of my way to acquire more but I’d smoke it again. What are some lesser known brands that you old timers enjoy? For instance I had never heard of Warped until I looked up Guardian of the Farm and saw it was a collaboration with them. Same for Curivari, never heard of them or seen them on any of the main sites. I’ve tried most of the “big name”/common brands moderately priced stuff like RP, Oliva, Perdomo, Gran Habano, Alec Bradley, La Aurora, Montecristo, the non flavored Drew Estate, etc. and I’ve dabbled on the edges of some other brands like Illusione, EPC, Arturo Fuente, DPG/My Father (although I have almost all of their main stuff coming in now because I have no self control). So I’m wondering what else is out there. One day I will step up into the big leagues of things like Ashton ESG, Padron 1964/1926, high end stuff from the normal brands, and Cubans but I’m trying to build a cigar base to work from. NewFatMike posted:I'm really pleased I put today's smokes in the travel humidor with some 69% Boveda packs. It's really letting me get the most out of it. Man that is super exciting. Let us know how it goes. I’m wishing you all the best! Enjoy the cigars, whisky, and of course getting engaged .night danger posted:Any goon-recommended sites for ordering to a Canadian address in particular? I have zero input on ordering cigars online from Canada but hopefully there are still posters from the great white north who can assist. You do have legal access to Cuban cigars and I believe NFM, Ophidian, and ThatOneGuy have made some recommendations from that angle if you’re looking for some suggestions. Edit: My lack of self control order just came in.    Those boxes are pretty much 100% full except the actual humidor which I’m trying to re-season as it didn’t seem to be holding humidity well. My only major regret, other than the fact that I am a complete idiot, was that I impulse bid on some gigantic El Centurions instead of being patient for a vitola that I enjoy more. Lyon fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Aug 15, 2020 |
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Aug 15, 2020 19:55
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I just got done smoking a Casa Cuba Flor Fina Doble Tres by Arturo Fuente that Fox Cigar threw in as a freebie on one of my orders, and it was fantastic. Hit a lot of the same notes that the Opus X and AF Anejo did - I guess there's almost a tangy/sour note they have in common that's really got a hold of me. I think my next few smokes around going to be more Arturo Fuentes - if they all have this note I may be able to find a go-to stick that has a everyday price. I have terrible judgment and saw a LFD Andalusian Bull three pack with an ashtray today and got that on the way. I have so much stuff in my humidor I'm excited to smoke now but it's hard to find time when I'm limiting myself to two sticks a week. Hopefully next weekend I can sit down at a buddy's place and try one of the Flor De Las Antilles I just got in.
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Aug 16, 2020 00:19
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My dudes, I am blessed with the best partner, now fiance, in the world. They really went all out on this proposal, and the fairy tale elements aside, they purchased a way the gently caress out of our price range box of my absolute #1 favorite cigar of all time: the 2017 La Aurora Hors D'Age. They are magnificent, and so is the box:  A black velvet bag is within the cardboard box:     I failed to get a picture of all of them in there because I couldn't stop myself. They're gorgeous!
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Aug 16, 2020 02:32
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Holy poo poo, congrats dude! That's loving incredible. I'm very happy for you, both that you have such a nice box of cigars to look forward to, and that your partner is so thoughtful and good at making your day special. That rules.
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Aug 16, 2020 08:00
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night danger posted:Any goon-recommended sites for ordering to a Canadian address in particular? https://www.smokingpipes.com/
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Aug 16, 2020 16:56
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Ooh nice! I broke out my pipe the other night for the first time in a long time. Had a Boveda pack in the jar with my tobacco, but it was pretty flavorless. I guess chilling sealed for 2 years will eat up those aromatics. That Ashton Artisan's Blend looks like it might be up my alley. Can't hurt to branch out every once in a while. I haven't had very many complex pipe tobaccos, so hopefully that'll fit the bill! The Arturo Fuente Añejo Shark is even better than I remember it. Keeping it chill today, so a mellow, rich smoke is the perfect fit. I'm excited to check out those Casa Cubana mentioned upthread, although the corona Arturo Fuente Añejo is around the same price by the box. It'll be a minute before I can afford that, though! Curivari sticks are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. That'll be nice to really sink my teeth into for the cheap and cheerful times
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Aug 16, 2020 19:56
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Congrats again NFM! The something awful celebration where we all swing by and smoke your La Aurora Hors D’Age box is next weekend right? I’m smoking a Diesel Heart of Darkness and it’s definitely an intense cigar. The first half had a hefty meaty flavor to it. There is some nice espresso coming off the last third now. It’s not bad but not something I’d want to smoke regularly I don’t think. I split a box of Oliva Serie V Coronas so I smoked one of those last night and I think it’s my favorite cigar. I could smoke that for days without getting bored. I also smoked another Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua and I think that cigar is still a bit beyond my palate. I asked this before but I think it got lost, what are some brands you old timers like that are less well known or don’t show up frequently on the major online retail sites?
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Aug 16, 2020 21:08
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I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Hamlet the more I smoke from them. I know it's well established, but I feel like it doesn't get the air time that a lot of bigger stuff gets. I had some Toraño Vault sticks a little while back that were great, too. The baby blue one struck me as particularly nice. Distributed by General, but I haven't seen them get very much shelf time or space. One of my favorites is the Jose Sejias Signature Series 2000 figurado. I don't believe they're in production anymore, but I still see them from time to time. Paul Garmirian, PG Cigars, are really goddamn good. More delicate in their complexity. They're very selective about their retailers, so if you see someone carrying it, they might have some other neat stuff on the shelves. Having the Hamlet Tabaquero Salamon today, and this is a great way to kill a morning post engagement. It's a hell of a smoke:  Curivari order from Fox came, so that's exciting! No samples, which is a bit of a bummer, but whatever. The handwritten notes are always a plus, though! Can't wait to give these boys a shot this week.
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Aug 17, 2020 17:53
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Now that's a hefty smoke! Looks great. I've definitely been enjoying smaller vitolas lately. When we first got started almost everything in the humidor at Total Wine is a robusto, toro, or Churchill, so it's been fun to try out coronas and belicosos. My buddies both really like the little Perdomo Champagne puritos, so we'll prolly re-up on those quite soon. The CAO Flathead is a really loving intense smoke though. I don't know how people go through something that size and that intensity. I'll have to try it in a much smaller size. It's super tasty and well constructed, but the nicotine is insane.
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Aug 17, 2020 22:42
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Kenning posted:Now that's a hefty smoke! Looks great. I love the puritos as well. The strongest cigar I think I've smoked to date or at least the one that knocked me on my rear end the hardest was probably 601 La Bomba. I smoked the Ave Maria Divinia that I had gotten in a sampler pack and I'd say it is a close run at smokes like the Oliva Serie V. It was really good, maybe a little more subtle or less intense than some other similar smokes. Mostly coffee and nuts with a subtle sweetness. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The MSRP on it is obviously insane but in the $3-5 range I was impressed with it. I don't know that I need 10 of them but maybe my buddy will split them with me. Edit: What lines are good entry points (knowing this is fully subjective) for Joya de Nicaragua, La Flor Dominica, Nat Sherman, La Gloria Cubana, AVO, Graycliff, etc? It's rare to see samplers of these guys and I haven't really tried much from these brands. Also, what off the beaten track should I try from here, https://order.shopkeep.com/cigarmojo ? Lyon fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Aug 18, 2020 |
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Aug 18, 2020 00:54
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Kenning posted:The CAO Flathead is a really loving intense smoke though. I don't know how people go through something that size and that intensity. I'll have to try it in a much smaller size. It's super tasty and well constructed, but the nicotine is insane. Having a full tummy before lighting it up is great!
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Aug 18, 2020 05:22
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On Saturday I'd eaten a good meal maybe 2 hours before smoking. I've got a few of them, so I'll try it again specifically as dessert to see if it works out better that way. Smoked another Diesel Unlimited robusto today. As my buddy who was also smoking one said, that cigar is a journey. The development as you smoke it down is wild. Plenty of dark caramel, at one point I tasted ginger snaps, and then some cinnamon a bit later. Really a fun smoke. Glad I have a pile of them.
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Aug 18, 2020 07:37
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I'm a terrible monster and have already cracked into one of the fresh Curivaris from the travel humidor. The Cafe Noir 54 is extremely good. Huge fuckin' stick - 54 x 6-1/4". It's really only going to get better with time, but I'll be hard pressed to get these to last more than a week or two! My full review will be forthcoming, but for now I am absolutely buying more of these. Smoke well and drink deep friendos!
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Aug 18, 2020 22:59
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Shared a Diesel with my buddy tonight. It was a little dry, unlike my earlier stick, but still quite enjoyable. Afterword I had a Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 (Sumatra wrapper). Haven't had one in a while. Not super distinctive, but nice and sweet, and smoked beautifully. I particularly enjoyed doing very long, slow pulls. It really highlighted the honey flavors of the cigar. Quite a good time!
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Aug 19, 2020 06:34
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Curivari have earned my love and a permanent spot in my humidor. I usually go for spiced or spicy kinda heavy hitting smokes. These are more umami with deep flavor and varying complexity. In a very similar lane with Padron. I'm having another Cafe Noir 54, had a Buenaventura over breakfast, and a Don Leon last night, so these comments are kinda spread over the marca at large. I think there's a temptation to describe these as "uninteresting" or bland only because I'm not getting anything jumping out and grabbing you by the nose to notice it. These are very deep, well rounded smokes that wan you to be interested in it. Yeah, Cafe Noir specifically is a great line, loved all 3 that I ordered, mentioned earlier. This is accessible, complex, and inexpensive. A super rare combination, and I think it's really going to help me extra appreciate my usual spicier smokes. But the complexity goes as far as you're willing to investigate. On a finishing note, the draw is fantastic. Marcas that focus on the draw in particular always pull me in. Padron and Hamlet are two marcas that stand out in that regard (if you know any others holler!). If you have a perfect draw every single time, I'll not have negative things to say about your brand. It shows that you respect the customer's time and expectations.
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Aug 19, 2020 22:41
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NewFatMike posted:Curivari have earned my love and a permanent spot in my humidor. You are a terrible influence and I've got a box of Café Noir 54's on the way. Thank you
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Aug 20, 2020 02:54
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Those Cafe Noir's sound delicious but holy poo poo, is 54 seriously the smallest ring gauge they make? I was doing churchills and toro's for a while, but until I get a house I need to confine myself to something more like a corona, petit corona, or robusto... Maybe I'll just throw in a single or two on my next order. In complete contradiction to my above complaint, I just got an order of Andalusian Bull's in, can't wait to try them once I can secure a buddy's backyard for an afternoon.
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Aug 20, 2020 03:21
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Lancero is my favorite vitola and that's like 38-42 so  The Curivari I've had have had a pretty good taper to them, and the Cafe Noir have a good box isi, so it's a manageable smoke geometry. Happy to be of service
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Aug 20, 2020 04:59
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I'm starting to come around to small ring gauges. I've got a 20 pack of Leaf by Oscar corojo lanceros showing up sometime next week, I'm very excited for it.Maksimus54 posted:You are a terrible influence and I've got a box of Café Noir 54's on the way. Thank you NFM is an extremely bad influence. They made me buy a box of E.P. Carrillo New Wave Stellas! I smoked one tonight and it was excellent. Draw was flawless, and the flavor was brown sugar, leather, and a touch of cinnamon. I've started trying out the slow draw – just pulling extremely lightly for like 10-15 seconds to get a really slow, cool burn on the tobacco. It brings out a lot of the sweet flavors of a cigar, and the New Waves took to it beautifully. This is an excellent smoke.
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Aug 20, 2020 07:38
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He’s the cigar devil for a reason . Kenning I ordered that AJF box pressed perfecto sampler to split with a buddy of mine. I’ll have to compare notes with you after I’ve tried them. I smoked a La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial which was good but I think I liked the original more, a La Imperiosa Magicos which was good, and a Padron 5000 which I liked much more this time than the first one I smoked. I’d like to try a smaller version of the Padron, either the 2000 or 3000. I’m going to have to revisit the LAdC EE because it got a lot of hype and maybe I was expecting too much.
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Aug 20, 2020 09:18
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I forgot bloom was a thing today and got myself into a panic thinking some 2017 Montecristo Petit Tubos I got were mouldy. I haven’t smoked cigars in years but lately decided ‘why not?’ with all that’s going on. Seems some knowledge slips your mind... As background I’m in Aus so cigars are a vastly different experience here. No problem getting any Cuban you want but the kicker is they’re ~$25 a stick minimum for a decent one. The excise tax on tobacco is insane. I’ll be keeping a very small collection, if any. I’ll also be keeping an eye on your recommendations so I don’t buy very expensive duds.
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Aug 20, 2020 09:24
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Most “bloom” is white mold that can simply be brushed off unless it’s invading the foot.
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Aug 20, 2020 11:59
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Yeah, cigars are live cultures and a bunch of stuff has an ideal condition range around the same as cigars'. Honestly it's probably a sign that you're keeping your humidor in good shape. Tubos are especially susceptible to this kind of thing, so a lot of folks store them with the caps off or check them regularly. That reminds me to check on a few 10+ year old sticks. WHOOPS.
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Aug 20, 2020 14:13
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Ophidian posted:Most “bloom” is white mold that can simply be brushed off unless it’s invading the foot. This is correct. For anyone who's interested check this link out: https://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/topic/131757-foh-mould-study/
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Aug 20, 2020 19:13
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Excellent thread, thanks for posting that. In the spirit of sharing deals, Cigar Auctioneer has a box of My Father Centurion H-2K-CT up right now. I got one for $110 the other day, so there are definitely deals to be had.
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Aug 20, 2020 20:41
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 I don't need itI'll probably have to treat myself to a box on my birthday or something because I'll have been fiscally responsible for a full month haha. I checked on the Reserva del Nuevo Gordo Miguel, and the Siglo II I bought in Sicily in 2009 and La Aurora Preferido Gold I got for high school graduation are still good! Side note: I've been using torches for about a year - I regularly swap back and forth between hard and soft flames. After going back to my IM Corona Old Boy, I have a distinct preference for soft flames. Feels like the delicate flavors stick around better. Overall, a very productive day today - I might celebrate with a finer than usual stick tonight. Some big stuff I've been working on at the intersection of my work and volunteer efforts has finally started to coalesce, so I'm super happy!
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Aug 20, 2020 22:10
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Kenning posted:Excellent thread, thanks for posting that. drat those were not up on CigarAuctioneer when I bought my box. Curse you MSRP. The nice thing about CigarAuctioneer vs CigarBid is when you add an auction to your watch list it will show you the future auctions with the scheduled date/time or just listed as unscheduled. Unless I’m just blind but I haven’t found that on CigarBid. I have created a library of cigars I really liked and cigars I want to try on CigarAuctioneer that I check up on periodically.
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Aug 20, 2020 22:30
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Didn't think I would find another box of these but I lucked out. Flor de las Antillas in lancero, so good.
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Aug 21, 2020 05:44
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Oh man, FdlA in lancero sounds awesome. That's so cool! Where did you find it? Smoked a Montecristo White Rothschild (5 x 52) today. Goddamn was that a tasty cigar. Honey and cream on a yeasty muffin. Burn and draw were also both flawless. A perfect hour smoke or so. Someone recommended this one either earlier in this thread or towards the end of the last one, and it was an excellent buy, especially for like $3.50 per. I've been really enjoying Connecticut wrappers lately. Kenning fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Aug 21, 2020 |
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Aug 21, 2020 05:56
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That sounds delightful! Those lanceros are a TAA discuss and come from TAA certified retailers. Check with your local shops to see if they carry them? Tatuaje also do a bunch of TAA specials, and My Father has a The Judge TAA this year that's supposed to be great. I should snag some soon. Those lanceros are loving great. E: having a San Cristobal Revelation Prophet (Robusto) this morning. Most recently bought a box of the Mystics (Corona), and the Prophet is the stronger smoke for this blend. A lot more citrus and spice. The Mystic is just a less unique smoke. Still good, but less unique. NewFatMike fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Aug 21, 2020 |
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Aug 21, 2020 13:10
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