Fallen Soldier...

Well, being that it's the forth of July I thought I would dig deep into the humidor and find a real gem. However; before I could get to the bottom I ran across an old friend, the CAO Soprano "Boss", I've been toting around for several years! Though I was not that impressed when they first released($15.50 for a cigar that smoked "green" and "bitter", um....no!); after a few years of age....superb! I needed a cigar to last through all the fireworks and to keep the sand gnats away so the 7 x 56 was just right. It was a great pick for the evening, enough strength to make a cigar veteran wallow in glory but mellow enough aroma to be "crowd pleasing"! It burned flawlessly and changed characteristics enough to keep my palate intrigued and wanting more. I give this smoke a solid 92; not the gem I set out for but the gem I found none the less! Once again, my hat is off to CAO for another great experience! I have to give credit where it's due to Diamond Crown for the humidor that keeps perfect humidity; of course this one is one of the old school D.C. humidors made in the USA before they started having them made over seas....like everything else! Lets not forget about the BOVEDA humidification pack that allows for idiot proof 72% humidity; because lets face it, who really has time for humidor maintenance? Tonight was a great cigar experience and I can't wait for tomorrow when I'll get to have another, and the next day...and the next....and the next....

"You had me at Padron..."

The temperature was reading upwards of a hundred degrees in east Texas where I grew up. I had just received my first truck for my 16th birthday (though I was still 15)and was anxious to get out and blow through some money that still smelled like the inside of my sweet ol' granny's purse. Eager to get out of the heat for a while I decided to visit "D's Pipes"; which could have carried the name "D's pipes, candles, figurines, fruit cakes, arts'n'crafts, and a load of other crap no one will ever buy"...but I guess that explains why there out of business now....doesn't it? Anyhow, once I made it through the hodge-podge section, I stood before the one door that I wasn't allowed to enter; "NO ONE UNDER 18 ALLOWED", "Two more years? Ahhhh!", I thought; the sign seemed to snicker and ridicule me! After pacing around for what seemed like hours, trying to send obvious hints of my desire to enter to the lady behind the counter, she leaned over the glass case full of pipes and other contraband and changed my life forever..."Go on! Pick one out, just don't tell yer momma!" Shock, fear and euphoria began to surge through me as I lunged for the door. Feeling slightly naughty I closed the door firmly behind me; then...silence, sheer and utter silence. My senses were going out of control; the smell of the spanish cedar, the colors of the cigars and their bands in the dull yellow light, the slight buzz of the humidifier and the slightly visible mist settling on my skin; it was at this moment I knew I was in love! I looked at every cigar at least a dozen times, they all looked so valiant and structured; like soldiers marching into battle. The right one, I had to pick the right one...but how, I knew nothing about cigars, only that I really wanted to smoke a lot of them! Then out of the mist she called to me from the top shelf, being only 4'10'' at the time made it impossible to get a good look at it. All I could read was "principe" and "natural", but I knew this was the one! I climbed up on the shelves, reached into the box and selected my first cigar. I looked it over carefully and smelled it, sweet and sharp; it just felt right! Reluctant to leave yet excited to smoke, I headed out to pay for the "Padron Anniversary 1964, principe natural". I sat my cigar gently on the counter; before I knew it she had it rung up to $4.00 and in a bag with matches and a cutter....for FREE!! Overcome with joy I raced home where I called my best friend to "meet me in the back yard"; it was crunch time, I only had a few hours until my mother was going to be home! Ten minutes later there we were in the back yard on a bench swing, both holding our cigars! I lit it with two matches and watched the first puff of blue smoke dance into the atmosphere! Engulfed in the task of lighting the cigar I hadn't yet tasted it; but before I could regain normal thought, there was an ever so faint taste of coffee with a hint of spice. As I puffed away it grew more and more complex and began to open up to a family of different tastes and aromas. I had forgotten about my friend (who wouldn't stop spitting after every puff), but given the circumstances....I didn't really care much! 30, 40, 50 minutes later I was still smoking away until I enjoyed every last second. With a heavy heart I realized, all good things must come to an end; I peeled off the band and shoved it into my pocket so I could look at it and remember this oh so perfect experience! Satisfied beyond anything previous in my short life I walked into the house and up to my room to wallow in my new found love affair. "Tomorrow", I though to myself, "tomorrow, I will have another".

This was my first cigar experience and to say the least "you had me at Padron"!

Take the CIGAR out of cigarette!!!!! Please!

I wanted to take a quick second to make sure you all know exactly where I stand in the tobacco industry! As you have probably already figured out, I am an avid cigar smoker. That is where I leave it....CIGARS; 100% pure and natural...no additives! Way too often, we cigar smokers get lumped together with cigarette smokers and all the other "rif-raf"! Very few true cigar smokers would even consider smoking a cigarette! As if it weren't bad enough just being tied to these sub-par tobacco users we are now being forced out side with them! Smoking bans across the country have spun out of control; now I too would rather eat in a "smoke free restaurant" ,but to outlaw cigars on golf courses, baseball stadiums, horse tracks and even (brace yourself) cigar shops is asinine not to mention un-American!!! Tobacco tax continues to climb ever so steadily to pay for "children's health care" (SCHIP)!

http://www.mgwashington.com/index.php/news/article/child-health-care-bill-relies-on-tobacco-tax-hikes/2357/

(cigar smokers, pay attention to paragraph six)

They are targeting the tobacco industry as a whole and this is wrong; if for no other reason but the fact that if a kid wants to smoke he is not going to go try to buy an $8.00-$15.00 premium cigar...he (or she) is going to go get a pack of cigarettes for the perceived "cool factor". I realize I'm ranting but it's just crazy whats going on in this industry! If you love cigars or at the very least just don't hate them; call your congressman and let them know exactly where you stand on the issue! Regardless of how we feel about these issues, we must keep on enjoying the finer things in life and not let them get to us! I will continue to submit to the authority over me but I will not give up the fight for my right to smoke a big fat maduro if I want to!!!

“IIt's ironic that Congress is ready to spend $25 billion to bail out other industries. We didn't even want a 25-cent bail-out. We just wanted to be left alone,” said Eric Newman, president of the J.C. Newman Cigar Co., president of the Cigar Manufacturers Association of Tampa and chairman of the Cigar Association of America