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I have extremely bad dry mouth from my antipsychotic(s) and brush my teeth like 8 billion times a day, but my young dentist (he’s 27; just a babby  ) says oral care is about useless and I already had a molar extracted because the internal rot and jaw damage was not reversible with care. I can maybe get some temporary relief with OTC products, but the last time I got meds switched it was 12 days with ETC every other day. We had a conference call with my dentist and psychiatrist to discuss it and basically the only message was brain over teeth so plan on implants for the rest of my life. The good thing is disability will pay for dry mouth-caused bad teeth, but only like once a year. Here’s to 31 years of dental surgery! Why explain it in the pipe thread? My oral hygienist said I can smoke again once my jaw heals. I haven’t had a cigar or pipe for a month and have to drink coffee/soda to replace the “awake” feelings so I can function at a basic level. Ive smoked a pipe every once or twice a day since 2005, and can’t really figure out what to do with my time. I’ve been learning Python and watching Netflix and Amazon Prime and playing WoW. I miss sitting on my deck puffing away with a book. Can’t focus and only hope a cigar (first one is roughly due January 1st!!!) will help.! Keep it up pipe guys. I don’t comment as much as I used to in the thread(s) , so I’m living vicariously through all of you!
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Dec 26, 2020 17:07
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Caught a nice break this evening and I fired up the Hamlet flying pig I got about 8 years ago during a cigar event in Toronto. It’s pretty drat good. Reminds me of a bolivar corona gigantes... sort of. E: found a review from the guy who gave it to me. https://www.google.com/amp/s/thedirtyashes.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/2011-hamlet-flying-pig/amp/ I should let him know I finally smoked it. Ophidian fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Dec 28, 2020 |
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Dec 28, 2020 02:56
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Ooh I'm excited to read that. Reminded me that I should order a box of those Hamlet Tabaquero Bala as my gift to me at the new house.
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Dec 28, 2020 04:17
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It’s weird I didn’t realize how many of the big cigar places are near Philadelphia. CI, Famous Smoke, Holt’s, Ashton, Atlantic Cigar, etc. I was just checking my order from Atlantic Cigar and realized they are only 45 minutes from me.
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Dec 29, 2020 02:18
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Had some BULLSHIT happen with the house today, so I'm indulging in a few cigars. Finally got my hands on one of the My Father Fonsecas, and boy howdy do I love it. It's definitely a love letter to Cubans - very woody with a white chocolate background. Fantastic My Father nicotine-white pepper punch. It's sweet and sightly vegetal, too. It reminds me of the illusione One Off, though somewhat less severe in the pepper kick. At 2/3 the price and a more mellow experience, I'm fully into it. These are probably going to live in my regular rotation. I wouldn't hesitate to throw a box in the humidor, even if I didn't reach for it every week. E: this last third is fantastic. The body builds to create a more complete work instead of impeccable individual elements. Wonderful NewFatMike fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Dec 31, 2020 |
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Dec 31, 2020 04:29
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Back in September I stopped by a cigar shop while traveling through San Diego to pick up a couple sticks. I noticed they had a few nice pipes for sale and spotted a Nording freehand. I chatted up the sales guy about it and he breaks out this Erik Nording bobble head pipe stand. Sadly he wouldn’t sell it.
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Dec 31, 2020 07:08
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NewFatMike posted:Had some BULLSHIT happen with the house today, so I'm indulging in a few cigars. I almost bought a box of the Fonsecas from Atlantic a couple months ago. This sounds so good. I had a cigar for Christmas, and I think I'm gonna have one for NYE. My buddy has some sticks he brought back from Cuba couple years ago that we're excited about. Gonna be nice to ring in the new year with something special.
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Dec 31, 2020 07:20
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Drunk Beekeeper posted:Back in September I stopped by a cigar shop while traveling through San Diego to pick up a couple sticks. I noticed they had a few nice pipes for sale and spotted a Nording freehand. I chatted up the sales guy about it and he breaks out this Erik Nording bobble head pipe stand. Sadly he wouldn’t sell it. That thing is loving capital R Rad. I might have a stick tonight, depends on the kids and how the wife is feeling.
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Dec 31, 2020 17:23
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That bobblehead is so excellent. Yeah, the MF Fonseca Cosacos are definitely going in the humidor. Having slept on it, I'm in love with them, and I do live a MF with a thin ring gauge. The cigar on tap for tonight is a La Aurora 107 Nicaragua. I didn't know they were doing a full Nicaraguan line, but holy moly am I excited. It's really nice grabbing a handful of new sticks and just going to town. Hopefully next time it'll be under better circumstances!
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Dec 31, 2020 20:31
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I'm cracking into this La Aurora 107 Nicaragua and recording my thoughts until I get bored. First, La Aurora have released a line of cigars this year which exclusively have non-Dominican tobacco. Most of them are from the country they say on the label, but I believe one is a medley. This one is the toro. It has a great earthy everything about it. A red wine vinegar/sweet vermouth companion is in the wrapper. The foot and draw are both sweeter and woody, not so much tang. Let's dive in. The light is easy. I dropped mine immediately before lighting, so there's a little ruggedness where the wrapper cracked about a quarter of an inch in. This first inch or so is very woody. There is a smoked meat pepper flavor on the retrohale, but it's juuust short of taking over the entire retrohale. When you take a shorter drag, much sweeter chocolate flavors are dominant. This is reminding me very deeply of another smoke I've had - maybe the Havana Bob's custom roll? If you're in Cozumel, check it out. I'm hitting the LCDH next time. I'm near the end of the first third and nuts are the star of the show. That cured meat flavor is coming back to support it. It's not strong, but there's a honey flavor swirling around in there. Almost like a glaze to the meat. Now that I'm in the second third, I'm noticing that this has a decidedly "old school" profile, but what does that mean? First, I think there are 3 primary flavor constituents to that profile: wood, smoke, and umami/meat. Notably, flavors like spices, cocoa, red wine, and other really rich flavors are not there. I feel like this style of cigar is a little more oriented towards complementing a meal, drink, or activity rather than being the sole recipient of one's attention. I think these cigars are very much in league with something like a Montecristo or main line Arturo Fuente. I traditionally ascribe the profile to many Dominican smokes. Historically those have been more about emulating Cuban, hence the relation in my mind. This second third has largely been static. Not a lot of evolution, but very pleasant. As this third closes, nuts give way to wood and sweeter elements return. Ah, I have discovered the secret on this one. I'm a very long and slow smoker. Long, slow drags to gently build up heat. This much prefers a more aggressive smoking style, I think. This vitola is so wide that it handles the heat with aplomb. Salty sweet heat with a white pepper nicotine sprinkle really start to pick up. There's an almost minty nicotine buzz on my lips while I'm puffing now. The flavor profile is settling back into sweet oak with that glazed meat backbone. The nicotine level seems to kind of inhibit my ability to keep up the puffing pace. This would pair better with a full stomach. This is a beast of a smoke. I'm at 90 minutes and about half of this final third to go. The flavor remains woody and sweet. I'm not anticipating much change (famous last words), so I'm gonna wrap it here. I don't usually post full reviews as I write them, so if y'all want more I'll write them! Edit: Now that I've got an hour between then and now, I think I would qualify this as a firmly OK cigar. I think with more prominent old school blends, you can get more out of it. I feel like this is presented as an opportunity for LA to stretch their legs with some new restrictions, namely Nicaraguan tobacco only. It feels like a wasted opportunity. It's not *bad* but I think you can do better around the $10 mark and get something special rather than something that's is, ultimately, rather bland. It's making me much more excited for the LA 115 I've picked up, as that's more of a baby Hors d'Ages and is around the same price point. I may have another tonight, but I think it would be a 7 year old La Flor Dominicana. I've had a few LFD double ligero which truly impressed, but this is the first standard one I've tried according to my recollection. Happy New year, friends. This thread is a treasure and y'all have made it that ♥️ NewFatMike fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Jan 1, 2021 |
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Jan 1, 2021 01:16
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Very fun review, I appreciate it! This thread has been great, I'm sorry I haven't been able to be more active. My girlfriend works tomorrow, so we're not going anything tonight, but I think tomorrow my buddies and I are gonna meet up, and I'm going to treat myself to a stick or two. Looking forward to posting about it here. Hope you all are doing well, and the new year treats you nicely.
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Jan 1, 2021 06:26
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Happy New Year, you degenerates! 
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Jan 1, 2021 08:26
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Anyone buy from Monte Fortuna before? They've got a pretty wild deal going on Partagas Shorts going and I'm sweating. E: the La Aurora 115th Anniversary is so much better than I remembered. It's a close contender to the Hors d'Ages and has a really clean profile, it's hard to describe. Really, really pleased to have this after the disappointment the other day from the 107 Nicaragua. It's regular production, too, and like $9/stick depending on your vitola. NewFatMike fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Jan 2, 2021 |
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Jan 2, 2021 18:30
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Smoking a La Gloria Cubana Serie R and it is extremely mediocre. If I hadn’t lit the pellet stove I would have just tossed it but once this baby is burning there’s no going back. After having this pellet stove for a couple of weeks I have to say that I love this thing.
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Jan 3, 2021 03:01
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Glad the stove is a winner! I had had a few of those over the summer and I felt the same. I think I get more sad over cigars that are meh over cigars that I just plain don't like.
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Jan 3, 2021 17:31
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Life is too short for cigars you don’t like. I have pitched some smokes this year that just didn’t age well and even though they were really hard to get smokes I just can’t bring myself to power through something I don’t enjoy especially with limited free time.
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Jan 3, 2021 17:40
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Lyon posted:Smoking a La Gloria Cubana Serie R and it is extremely mediocre. If I hadn’t lit the pellet stove I would have just tossed it but once this baby is burning there’s no going back. After having this pellet stove for a couple of weeks I have to say that I love this thing. I was hoping you’d give your thoughts on this. I’m really considering one just so I can have someone come by and hang out outside in the middle of winter. Now that it’s freezing out I have very little human contact, so that thing seems like it would solve my problem.
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Jan 3, 2021 18:19
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CRIP EATIN BREAD posted:I was hoping you’d give your thoughts on this. I’m really considering one just so I can have someone come by and hang out outside in the middle of winter. Now that it’s freezing out I have very little human contact, so that thing seems like it would solve my problem. You have to sit pretty close to the heater unless you put it in a semi-enclosed space but we comfortably had four people around it in 20 degree weather the other night. There are definitely some design issues that irk me a bit but it serves its purpose pretty well.
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Jan 3, 2021 18:58
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Having the last of my little burst purchase to ring in the new year today, simply called the La Flor Dominicana Mystery Cigar 2014. Hope it's good! Y'all every smoke any La Duenas? They're a MF line and have gotten some nonspecific positive reviews in my circle, but I never found any specifics. I'd love to hear some thoughts.
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Jan 3, 2021 19:52
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NewFatMike posted:Y'all every smoke any La Duenas? They're a MF line and have gotten some nonspecific positive reviews in my circle, but I never found any specifics. I'd love to hear some thoughts. Very solid medium body smoke. Everything MF makes is decent imo. Worth picking up a couple for sure.
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Jan 3, 2021 21:19
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Thanks! I know it's never a bad choice for MF, I sometimes feel like I'm getting too much of them in my humidor plans 
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Jan 3, 2021 21:25
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S.W.O.R.D. Agent posted:Very solid medium body smoke. Everything MF makes is decent imo. Worth picking up a couple for sure. Smoked one I found at the bottom of my humidor just yesterday and I concur - very solid.
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Jan 3, 2021 23:12
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I’ve spent hours on the various cigar sites and I’ve never even heard of La Duenas. I sort of agree with you NFM a lot of my lineup is DPG stuff at this point, I probably need a little more diversity in there. In my “good” box it’s basically all the different DPG blends, Oliva V, some Padron, the two Opus X I bought this year, and I think that’s it? What are the thread’s thoughts on Plasencia? One of the guys at my B&M was talking them up. I got those Curivari and Warped samplers that I’m giving a couple of weeks to settle and then I want to try more Illusione if I can find a decent sampler. What’s everyone’s lesser known brands they like?
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Jan 3, 2021 23:45
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Won another IL Fireball game. This one was supposed to be two RASS, two Boli Royal Corona, and two Vegas Robina Famousa. Seller wound up overselling his stock of RASS, so I wound up reviving four Boli Royal Corona, two of the Vegas Robina, and a Bolivar Coronas junior for my trouble. I was looking forward to the RASS, but I really like all the Bolivars, and I haven't tried the Vegas Robina line before, so I'm still stoked. Now to carve out some time and actually loving smoke something! *edit* Lyon, I had a few of the Illusione 88 candelas in like a toro size a few years back and remember really enjoying them. Much fuller bodied than I expected, if memory serves.
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Jan 3, 2021 23:55
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Hayden posted:Won another IL Fireball game. This one was supposed to be two RASS, two Boli Royal Corona, and two Vegas Robina Famousa. Seller wound up overselling his stock of RASS, so I wound up reviving four Boli Royal Corona, two of the Vegas Robina, and a Bolivar Coronas junior for my trouble. I was looking forward to the RASS, but I really like all the Bolivars, and I haven't tried the Vegas Robina line before, so I'm still stoked. Now to carve out some time and actually loving smoke something! Oh the memories of checking the Fireball, Mega Millions, or Power Ball number to see if you’ve won anything. I was super into “razzles” for craft beer for a bit. It’s definitely fun but easy to get carried away. High end beer stuff could be like $100-$200/spot though and I don’t imagine the cigar groups have as much of that going on so maybe it’s less dangerous hah. I’ve actually never smoked a candela so maybe I’ll check that out as my next B&M purchase.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:43
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Vegas Robania is a marca I’ve never bought a second time. Not that they were bad just nothing astonishing about them. IIRC they reminded me of a simple Trinidad.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:49
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More under-the-radar brands can be tough - most cigars come from the same places, even house brands and whatnot. For instance, I don't think Ashton have their own factories - I believe they work with other brands. Davidoff own Camacho and all sorts of stuff happens like that. I don't smoke much from General Cigar, but I do think the ROMEO lines, especially the 505 Nicaragua and Anejo, are rather worth checking out. I had a few good Asylum smokes, but their branding around mental illness rubs me the wrong way. CAO have a great many cigars, their Pilons I have enjoyed thoroughly. I think Casa Fernandez might be worth doing some research on. They collaborated with Warped on The Guardian of the Farm series, and the Apollo of that line I quite enjoy. Casa Fernandez are also probably the #1 cigar producer in the world, but they are contracted out to manufacture them by other firms, hence the lower-than-most name recognition. Curivari are also an underdog thread favorite - I would reach for any of their sticks blind. E.P. Carrillo have a bunch of delicious lines - the New Wave Connecticut is quite lovely and the Encore series are nice as well La Flor Dominicana are great - their Double Ligero smokes are exceptionally rich and chocolatey. Hererra Esteli are all competent smokes, but IIRC they are a Drew Estate line. Joya de Nicaragua Uno and Black lines are both great Unos are much more creamy and Cuban-styed where the Blacks are nice, spicy Nicaraguan (I believe) smokes. If you handed me a L'Atelier or Surrogates cigar I would try it no matter what - they are also Pete Johnson/Illusione/Tatuaje entangled brands. Paul Garmirian: get one. Give it a try. They're really good. Cream forward from what I can remember. Hamlet make some great cigars. They're under the Rocky Patel umbrella, but I haven't had a RP I enjoyed remotely as much as a Hamlet. The 25th Anniversary and Tabaquero lines are my favorites. If you're going for boutique brands, be warned that there are going to be more QC issues than most productions. I've had some boutiques from La Faraona (quite good, esp. their house 'Faraona Natural'). Bull City Cigars had some good sticks, but I haven't been back in Durham for some time to grab any. I hope something there sticks out!
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Jan 4, 2021 00:55
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Lyon posted:Oh the memories of checking the Fireball, Mega Millions, or Power Ball number to see if you’ve won anything. I was super into “razzles” for craft beer for a bit. It’s definitely fun but easy to get carried away. High end beer stuff could be like $100-$200/spot though and I don’t imagine the cigar groups have as much of that going on so maybe it’s less dangerous hah. The group I'm in occasionally runs games that include bourbon or Cuban rum, so some of the games can get pricey. As a personal rule, I don't play games that cost more than $15 a spot, and I only play with cash that happens to be hanging out in my venmo account. As a result, I don't play too many games, but I've gone 2 for 4, so that's cool. Ophidian posted:Vegas Robania is a marca I’ve never bought a second time. I have some Trinidad Reyes I've been enjoying, so I'm not mad about that description. And I'm always excited to try a new to me marca. RE: CAO Cigars - I've liked most of the lines I've had from them. Especially a fan of: Brasilia, Columbia, Consiglierie, MX2, and the La Aniversario Maduro. The America is also good, although a little pricey by virtue of being a barber pole stick. My only real complaints with CAO is that they have too drat many different lines to keep track of, and don't make many sticks in smaller gauges.
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Jan 4, 2021 01:52
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The VR don alejandros were my favorite of all of them. They have made some REALLY good regional cigars in the past.
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Jan 4, 2021 01:56
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Lyon posted:What are the thread’s thoughts on Plasencia? One of the guys at my B&M was talking them up. I got those Curivari and Warped samplers that I’m giving a couple of weeks to settle and then I want to try more Illusione if I can find a decent sampler. What’s everyone’s lesser known brands they like? The last cigar tasting / dinner I went to before COVID was sponsored by Plasencia and I smoked two at the dinner and took three home and I enjoyed all of them. I’m poo poo at tasting notes but I remember them having medium to strong flavors but not too hard of a nicotine hit.
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Jan 4, 2021 03:04
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Stimulus check came, got some decent news about the house (still in limbo), but it was cause enough to place a fresh order of pipe tobacco & cigars. I know I'll still be at this location by the weekend when they all arrive and I have been a good loving boy for 3 months. Heads up: Atlantic Cigar's prices for members have gotten substantially better. It's free to sign up, but the box of My Father Fonseca Cosacos listed for $155, logged in it was $102. A screaming deal! I picked up a bottle of Tatuaje Miami Noellas for $163, which is bananas.
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Jan 4, 2021 19:29
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I just found this website randomly, https://cigarwars.net/, that is basically a ranking site similar to the original Facebook. They present two cigars to you and you pick one of them. While I don't think it's particularly exact or scientific there are some cigars I've never heard of that are rated pretty highly. Whoever is using the website really seems to like Foundation Cigars a lot. Edit: Based on just perusing that site it looks like Foundation (I've only had the Charter Oak), Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, and Blanco are possibly decent names to check out? Lyon fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Jan 5, 2021 |
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Jan 4, 2021 23:58
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Well no one posted to stop me so I bought a Foundation, a Dunbarton, and a Blanco sampler along with some L'Atelier and Surrogates Animal Crackers. Then I went to both CigarBid and CigarAuctioneer. This is your fault thread, all the blame rests with you and I hope you're all happy.
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Jan 7, 2021 01:58
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It's alright, you can just blame me for the un-recommended purchases as well as the recommended ones 😹
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Jan 7, 2021 02:33
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NewFatMike posted:It's alright, you can just blame me for the un-recommended purchases as well as the recommended ones 😹 Since I went off the rails here I chose not to single out any particular posters but just to deny any personal responsibility and blame the entire thread equally. I plan to try reviewing all of these lesser known brands a bit more seriously for the thread perhaps. I've got samplers of Warped, Curivari, Foundation, Dunbarton, and Blanco which I feel like I haven't seen get talked about much. Hopefully those last three that I grabbed are at least decent.
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Jan 7, 2021 03:59
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Shipment arrived! And we are in the process of rescheduling our closing on the house, so fingers crossed! First up, my Rattray's Outlaw Rhodesian. I love nose warmers and I love Savinelli 9mm balsa filters, so this is right up my alley. Chamber isn't bad at 0.75" x 1.25":   I'm super intrigued by the Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged. There's a loving chunk of the bourbon barrel inside the tin! I kept it in the jar, so we'll see how that goes. It smells so cloyingly sweet New pipe tobacco flavors are Mac Baren Scottish Mixture and Plum Cake Navy Blend. They both smell divine! Lastly, the cigars. Tatuaje Noellas, Havana VI Verocru Corona Larga, and My Father Fonseca Cosacos. Got strong love for the corona vitola here, and hopefully with the cigar oasis they'll be smokeable this weekend! I haven't put a few boxes in the humidor with that new addition yet, so hopefully it goes well!
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Jan 7, 2021 20:00
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NewFatMike posted:I'm super intrigued by the Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged. There's a loving chunk of the bourbon barrel inside the tin! I kept it in the jar, so we'll see how that goes. It works great for Frog Morton’s Cellar tins.
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Jan 8, 2021 01:15
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Had a Leaf by Oscar corojo tonight, a lancero. It's probably my favorite cigar. loving beautiful.
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Jan 8, 2021 08:45
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I've not had the lancero, but the LBO corojos I've had have been fantastic.
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Jan 8, 2021 13:36
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I smoked the centurion in the corona size. Hard to say if I liked it better than the toro but it was really good regardless. I had plans for the Cohiba Lancero from the diplomat humidor but it was too cold to enjoy it.
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Jan 8, 2021 13:44
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