The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your Mind and Spirit - The Oliva Serie V

Today's cigar is the Oliva Serie V. I should say right from the start that this is one of my favorite cigars. I picked two up while in Topeka at Churchill's.

According to the Oliva website the Serie V is a complex blend of Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos. Blended with specially fermented Jalapa Valley ligero, and finished with a high priming Habano Sun Grown Wrapper. This cigar is blended to deliver full body taste while maintaining an unparalleled smoothness.

As I said I really love these cigars my only problem with them is that because they are generally so well thought of I have never seen them on sale so I always have to pay retail for them. These run anywhere from $7 to $11 per stick. Thus, I do not smoke them very often. Today we are smoking the Double Robosto size which comes in at 5 X 54.

The cigar is dark brown in color with a large and ornate label. It is very elegant and attractive. The wrapper is somewhat dull and does not have an oily sheen to it. The cigar is firm to the touch and obviously firmly packed. Both Randy and I found the initial draw to be very good with just the right amount of resistance.

We are pairing this cigar tonight with another one of my favorites. Randy has brought a bottle of Johhnie Walker Black out to the Man Shed and that just makes me smile. I think that this is going to be a great pairing.

After clipping and lighting the cigar Randy reports that he is picking up a slightly bitter aftertaste that he describes as being bark like. His initial thoughts are that the cigar is in the medium category and possibly on the light side of that. I on the other hand find the cigar to be medium to full. I too find it to have bite at the end of the draw albeit not unpleasant like the bitterness of strong tea or coffee.

My cigar burns perfectly although Randy experiences both a runner with his cigar and eventually must relight and touch up his burn line. The cigar produces a wonderful amount of smoke that has a pleasant secondary aroma. The ash is compact and white and gray in color. It holds its ash for well over an inch before I roll it off. I'm trying to avoid wearing the ash or having any of it fall into my scotch. But don't kid your self I'd fish it out and still drink it.

At the midway point Randy reports that the bitterness has mellowed and now perceives the cigar to be a medium with a complex set of flavors that have evolved during the smoke. I continue to experience the cigar as being more medium to full in its flavor profile. The bitterness has mellowed for both of us which is often the case as our palettes adjust. I'm really enjoying this cigar. I find it to be rich in taste and yet also quite smooth. For me it exactly parallels the scotch. The Johhnie Walker Black is also flavorful and rich but very smooth.

In the end we both enjoyed this cigar. Randy said he thought it was a very good cigar although he was disappointed with the burning problems that he had. He found it to be not as strong as a Man-O-War or Diesel but probably closer to a Rocky Patel Decade. Randy gave this cigar a score of 4.

I'm a bigger fan of this cigar, in fact it is one of my all time favorites. This particular cigar lived up to my memories of having smoked these in the past. It was dark, rich, flavorful and yet smooth and consistent. I love these cigars, although I'm not a fan of having to get them retail. The price is much higher than I normally pay for cigars but frankly they are worth it. I gave this cigar a 5.

This is the first review where Randy and I have scored the cigar differently. I would chock that up to the burn issues Randy had with his cigar and the fact that I have smoked a number of these and I am very fond of them. That being said we would both happily smoke these again and would definitely recommend them to our friends.

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your Mind and Spirit - The CAO Soprano

Today's review is of the CAO Soprano. This cigar was created by CAO at the request of the folks at HBO in honor of their hit show "The Sopranos". I was a huge fan of the show and was a little worried that this might simply be a marketing gimmick. When I did some research into the cigar I found that it had been hailed as one of Cigar Aficionado's best cigars of the year in 2005. According to the CAO website the Sopranos are made with a Brazilian wrapper, Honduran binder and filler from Nicaraguan, Columbia and the Dominican Republic. This is the first Soprano either of us have ever tried. Once again we got these in an online special. They normally retail for somewhere north of $10.

The cigar is a very dark brown color with very small and not at all prominent veins. It is a solid cigar that is very firmly packed. This is consistent with my experience with the CAO Brazilla (one of my favorites). Randy found the draw to be a little tight as did I but not problematic.

We are pairing the smoke tonight with a Special limited Release Imperial Stout from Boulevard Brewery. this is a great example of an Imperial Stout, very rich with a chocolaty finish.

This cigar burned extremely well, with a tight burn line. It held a very compact and firm ash. the ash was grey/white in color and had no blooming. It burned extremely well from start to end. Many good cigars that we have smoked have had burn problem and required touch ups and/or re-lighting. That is always disappointing. Thus, we really appreciated the exceptional burning characteristics of this cigar.

Although this is a full-bodied smoke it was very smooth. It was strong but not at all overpowering. The taste stayed very consistent over the course of our smoke. Sometimes full-bodied cigars start out strong and their intensity grows. Others become increasingly acrid or bitter, this one did not. We thought it was a great smoke.

It is clear that the blenders at CAO took the creation of this cigar as seriously as the folks at HBO took the Sopranos. This cigar lived up to the hype. We have not always agreed with the good folks at Cigar Aficionado, but this one they got right.

We both gave this cigar a score of 4 (out of 5). Its score was hurt by its price. We would be hard pressed to pay $10 or $12 for this cigar, but would happily pay the $5 that we got them for. It is an excellent full-bodied cigar that we really enjoyed smoking. We would not offer one of these to a novice, but anyone who likes their smokes on the full side would really enjoy one of these. It paired very well with the Imperial Stout which is also a very strongly flavored beer. We will definitely be keeping our eye open for another special on these. I'd love to have a couple more in my humidor.

As with all great smokes the band went up on the wall where it will remind us of a great evening where friends enjoyed a lovely smoke, good drink, and stimulating conversation in the friendly confines of the Man Shed - Bully!

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your Mind and Spirit - The Monte Cristo White

This evening we are joined in the Man Shed by Randy's son-in-law Brett Hille. I wonder if we will ever see Brett's Uncle Richard again in the Man Shed. Tonight we are smoking the Monte Cristo White. Randy is smoking the Robusto size while Brett and I are enjoying the Toro size. These cigars range in price from around $8 to $10. But, as usual, we got ours as part of an online deal and paid $4 a stick for them. We paired the cigars this evening with the Odell Cutthroat Porter. I'm a big fan of the Fort Collins, Colorado based brewery but have not had this particular beer before.

The Monte Cristo White is an elegant looking cigar. It has a flawless light brown Connecticut Wrapper and an understated but elegant small label complete with a Fleur-de-lis. We all perceived the draw to be very good, open with just the right amount of resistance. Both Randy and Brett find the cigar to be mild. I find it to have a slight bite on the finish, but still very much in the mild category.

The cigar burns extremely well, with an almost perfect burn line. It creates a compact white and grey ash that has to be tapped off. The burn remains consistently good through out the smoke with a straight burn line and no tunneling or blooming. It produces abundant smoke that is light in color and has a pleasing secondary aroma.

The cigar maintains a very consistent mild, mellow, creamy flavor. I'm sure some would find this cigar to be relatively one-dimensional in terms of its flavor profile. It would be the kind of cigar that you might offer to a new cigar smoker (except for the price) as it is mild enough to be enjoyed by anyone who is new cigar smoking.

We found this to be an excellent smoke and rated it a 4 (out of 5). It's label earned a spot on our Wall-of-fame. This is a really good cigar. It is on the mild side of the taste profile. It burned exceptionally well and had a wonderful draw. We appreciated its consistent flavor. You could enjoy this cigar early in the morning with a cup of coffee or later in the evening with an adult beverage. The only thing that hurt its score was the price. If you could normally get them for what we paid for them we just might give this cigar a 5, but for the normal price we find it to be fairly expensive. After all, one of our all time favorite cigars the Rocky Patel Connecticut is very similar to this cigar in many ways but retails for half the cost.

It paired well with the Odell Porter, which is a London style Porter. It is a fairly rich and strong beer and may have almost been a little to much for the milder cigar. As it turned out though we liked them both so they went together pretty well.

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your Mind and Spirit - Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve - Corojo

Tonight Randy and I are smoking one of his son Ben's favorite cigars, The Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve - Corojo. The RP website lists the tobaccos that make up the Olde World Reserve as follows: Wrapper: Corojo, Binder: Nicaraguan, Filler: Nicaraguan. This cigar retails between $9 and $11 but we got these in a sampler. We paired these cigars tonight with a 2008 McManis Cabernet Sauvignon.

As you can see from the picture this cigar is box pressed and has two labels. It is an attractive dark brown color and is well constructed. Randy found it to not be particularly firm but nor was it soft and spongy. The pre-lite draw was very nice.

The cigar burned well. It had a fairly consistent burn line early and produced a compact ash. There was no blooming or tunneling. I did experience a bit of a runner in the second half that required a touch up, but nothing major.

I found the taste profile of this cigar to be a smooth medium. We both found it to be very consistent from start to finish. It had a spiciness to it that reminded me of allspice or cinnamon. The smoke was relatively thin and airy producing a pleasant secondary aroma. Randy indicated that he would characterize this as a Full but not strong cigar. The cigar never got harsh or bitter.

Scores: We both gave the cigar a 4 (out of 5). We thought it was a very good smoke and we would not hesitate to smoke it again or recommend it to a friend. We probably would not, however, pay the retail price for this cigar. If we were going to pay that kind of money we would probably just buy the Rocky Patel Decade instead. This cigar also comes in a Maduro wrapper and we hope we get the opportunity to try that one as well.

In terms of the pairing, I did not think this wine and cigar combination was very good. The wine turned out to be very mellow for a Cab Sav, with little tannins and a relatively sweet finish. It did not seem to match with the spiciness of the cigar successfully.

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your Mind and Spirit - Rocky Patel Decade

It is a crisp Autumn afternoon when Randy and I decide to venture to the Man Shed and smoke one of our favorite cigars - the Rocky Patel decade. Randy and I have both smoked these in the past - several times. Although this is one of our favorite cigars we decided to go ahead and do a review of it.

As you may remember Randy and I split an order of cigars in which we received two each of five different cigars all of which had been rated 90+ by Cigar Aficionado. We did not like most of them as much as the folks at Cigar Aficionado, but we do think they got it right with the Decade.

On the Rocky Patel website they list the tobacco that makes this cigar up as follows: Wrapper: Sumatra; Binder: Secret; Filler: Secret. It is the first time I can remember that a manufacturer did not list the types of tobacco used to make a particular cigar. We smoked the Torpedo size 6 1/2 x 52. Today we are pairing the cigar with one of our favorite single malt scotches - Macallam 12.

This is a lovely cigar, covered in a dark brown Sumatran wrapper and complimented by a simple, yet elegant double band. The construction is flawless and the cigar is firmly packed but not overly tight, leading to an Excellent draw. Although the manufacturer describes this as a meduim to full body cigar we tend to think that it is much closer to meduim than full. This cigar produces a lot of smoke and has a nice secondary aroma. It is the kind of cigar that if you smoked around people they would probably not be put off by it.

The cigar maintains a very consistent meduim body, that is smooth and mellow. It has a dry quality to its finish - like that of dry cocoa or strong coffee. Our cigars did experience some slight burn issues - slight runners and the need for a touch up. We both also experienced the need to re-lite our cigars. This was surprising, because the Decade is a cigar you enjoy smoking and do not want to put down, so it wasn't our neglect that caused the cigars to go out. Also, historically neither of us remember that burn issues were ever an issue with these cigars.

One way you know how much you are enjoying a cigar is determined by when you give up on it. Some cigars get increasingly bitter as you smoke them. You may enjoy the first half but find the longer you smoke it the harsher the taste becomes. These cigars tend to be abandon fairly early. A really good smoke, that is consistent in its taste, tends to be smoked for as long as it can be without burning your fingers or lips. The Decade fits into the latter category, you do not want to put it down. Your last draw is as good as your first.

This cigar was almost as good as we had remembered. We graded it slightly lower because of the burn issues we had. However, since we have smoked a number of these and this is the first time we have had this problem we are not going to allow it to impact the overall score.

Scores:
Randy - 4 this cigar - historically 5
Dave - 4 this cigar - historically 5

This is a great cigar. It is attractive, smokes well, and has a consistent medium bodied flavor. It is an elegant and refined smoke that we would both have as one of our favorite smokes of all time. Our experience of this cigar was enhanced by the MaCallan 12 Single Malt Scotch. They were an excellent pairing.

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar Reviews for your mind and spirit - The Padilla Miami

It is a lovely fall evening in the Man Shed. Randy and I have decided to smoke the Padilla Miami. We have been joined this evening by our friend Richard Jensen (who is smoking a Nub Connecticut).

The following is information gleaned from the internet about this cigar. Each leaf of tobacco hails from the dark, fertile soils of Nicaragua and is grown from 1st generation Cuban seeds. The wrapper is a dark, reddish-hued Corojo. The filler, a robust mixture of Criollo and Corojo tobaccos. Three caps are applied to the head of this cigar in true Cuban fashion. This cigar was apparently previously made By Don Pepin in one of his factories, but the relationship between Pepin and Padilla cigars is now over. Thus, there are some people who seem to prefer the Don Pepin made Miami's and others who prefer the new one.

This is a medium brown colored cigar, the color is like milk chocolate. It is not particularly attractive, but only has a few minor veins showing. The cigar feels fairly tightly packed and the construction appears very good. After clipping the cigar both Randy and I find the draw to be very good.

Randy finds the cigar initially to be medium in body leaning to the milder side. I find it much more of a medium flavor with, some spiciness and a little bit of a Nicaraguan-zing. We have paired our smoke this evening with some Glendronach 12 year old Single Malt Scotch that Richard brought over.

For the most part these cigars burned well. Randy thought his burned extremely well, with an even burn line and needing very little tending to. Mine was a little more temperamental and it developed a slightly uneven burn line and needed a slight touch up, but nothing I would consider problematic. It produced a fairly compact ash with only a little blooming and no tunneling.

Scores:
Dave - 3 - I enjoyed this cigar. It was a nice medium cigar with some spicy flavors that were not overpowering. It smoked well without needing a lot of attention and it stayed fairly consistent from beginning to end.

Randy - 3 Randy also enjoyed this cigar. He found it a little milder than I did. He characterized it as mild and smooth with pleasant woodsy overtones.

We both thought the cigar paired well with the scotch. Their taste profiles played off of each other very well. The Padilla Miami Band made it to the Board and we would definitely smoke it again.

It should be noted that Cigar Aficionado gave this cigar a 94. The brothers-of-leaf who reside in the Man Shed liked this cigar but we did not love it.

A Cigar Review from the Shrink - Rocky Patel Vinatge 1990

For tonight's review I am on my own. I'm in Topeka for a Committee meeting and thus I'm without my friend and fellow cigar enthusiast Randy. But I did bring a cigar with me, a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. I have smoked these many times in the past, but it has been quite awhile since the last time I lit one up.

Here is what the Manufacturer says about this cigar - This cigar is highlighted by a 12-year-old Honduran broad-leaf wrapper that has softened in strength over the years yet gained in complexity and flavor. The Vintage 1990 is made with the following tobaccos -
Wrapper: Honduran Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan

I smoked the Churchill size coming in at 7 X 48. The price point on these are $6 - $8. You can frequently find them for much less in online specials, as I did.

Although it has a lovely dark maduro wrapper this is a medium body smoke that is closer to the mild than full side. It is an attractive cigar with two small bands. This cigar is flawless in its construction. It is box pressed and is essentially square in shape. After clipping the end I find that this cigar has an effortless draw.

After lighting the cigar I sit back and take a couple of long pulls. This cigar is a delight, flavorful but not harsh. It produces voluminous amounts of effortless smoke. The secondary smoke has a nice odor that is not overly strong. I'm pairing this cigar with a glass of a Red Table wine from Spain (Este De Bodegas Alto Almanzora).

The cigar is burning well with only a slight waviness to the burn line. It is producing a tight compact ash. It has a nice flavor like a cup of really good coffee, smooth but with just enough bitterness at the finish. I'm really enjoying this cigar and I am able to set it down while I read without it going out.

The cigar remained very consistent from the beginning to the end. It was a good reminder of how much I liked this cigar and how I should not wait so long between now and when I smoke it again. It reminds me of the Rocky Patel Decade but not as refined.

I did have a few minor burn problems but nothing I would be overly concerned about and for the most part they were self-correcting. The medium body held through out the smoke but it was not boring or bland. This cigar had nice flavors with a dry, slightly bitter finish - like the tannins of a nice dry red wine. I had to abandon the cigar prematurely to deal with a work related issue. When I got back to the cigar, after about an hour, I ran into some burn issues and bitterness. As these may be related to the fact that the cigar sat for an hour I do not want to be overly critical.

Score: 3 - I was very close to giving this cigar a 4 and reserve the right to do so after I smoke another one. The most concerning issues that I had with the cigar came after a re-lite and thus, may not be directly related to the cigar but rather how I smoked it. I would certainly recommend this cigar and would never pass up the opportunity to smoke another.

Tomorrow I'll be back at home and hopefully enjoying a cigar with Randy. As good as a cigar is, it is always better when smoked with a good friend.

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your mind and spirit - The Alec Bradley Tempus

Randy and and I smoked the Alec Bradley Tempus - Terra Nova 5 X 50 today (9-28-09). we were both excited to smoke this cigar as we have heard good things about it. The Alec Bradley Tempus is a combination of Honduran Criollo’98 wrapper blended with Corojo and Criollo filler from the Trojes region of Honduras.

It is an attractive cigar with a medium brown color. It has two ornate bands including one on the foot. It is firm to the touch and beautifully constructed. After clipping the cigar Randy indicates that the draw is great. I find the draw to be very good as well offering just the right amount of resistance. After lighting the cigars we have two very different first responses. Randy reports that he experiences the cigar as fairly mild with a little spice on the finish. I, on the other hand, perceive the cigar as quite spicy and medium to full in taste. We are both impressed that the cigar burns well and does not need to be tended to.

After less than an inch we both loose our ash. This is surprising, because generally we have found tightly packed cigars to hold their ashes. After an inch Randy's cigar is burning well, I have a slight wavy and uneven burn, but I do not touch it up as I want to see if it will self-correct. The smoke has a brownish tint to it, not the more normal light gray color and for some reason I find this off-putting. Randy notices that the smell of the cigars he is picking up when he is not smoking is quite strong and much different than how he is experiencing the cigar as he smokes it.

Both cigars went out in the same place about 1 inch above the label. Mine went out even though I was holding it and had not laid it down for several minutes. At the half-way point Randy reports that although he perceived the cigar had started fairly mild it had built to a more medium flavor. I thought the cigar was a medium to full and it had stayed consistent while I had smoked it. It continued to have a bite to it that I was not impressed with. I also found the secondary smoke to be very strong and sharp - almost acrid.

After smoking 3/4 of the cigar I abandon it. I was having some real burn issues (having to re-lite it it again) and I was simply not enjoying this cigar. I smoked a couple of medium to full body cigars over the weekend (Elo Gio & 5 Vegas Series A) and really enjoyed them, but not this cigar.

Randy finished his and felt that it had stayed in the medium category for him with only minor burn issues. He said he could think of a number of medium body cigars that he would prefer and "that this one was nothing to write home about". Nor, did he think it was worthy of going on the wall, me either!

Scores:
Dave - 2 I was very disappointed. After all I had read I expected to love this cigar, but instead I could not even bring myself to finish it.

Randy - 2 Randy was more positive about this cigar than I was, he believed it was better than a lot of twos and pretty close to a 3 - just not quite.

To be fair we will probably need to smoke this again. After all, this cigar received a 94 rating from Cigar Aficionado and was in their Top 25 cigars of 2008. A lot of people really liked this cigar, but they don't smoke in the Man Shed. So the label goes in to the trash.

Next up for us is the Padilla Miami - until next time, Smoke em if you got them!

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar reviews for your mind and spirit - The Oliva Master Blend 3

Randy and I are in the Man Shed enjoying a lovely cool evening (9-25-09). Tonight we are joined by Randy's son-in-law Brett and our pal Justin Sherfick. Randy and I are both smoking the Oliva Master Blend 3. Neither of us have smoked this cigar before, but we both enjoy many of the cigars produced by Oliva.

Here is what the Oliva website says about this cigar - Master Blends 3 is the third offering in a series of limited artisanal blends. Liga Maestra is specifically blended to deliver the richest characteristics of Nicaraguan ligero fillers and Broadleaf sun-grown wrappers. It is a complex cigar crafted for the most developed palette. Wrapper: Broadleaf Sun-Grown; Binder: Nicaraguan Habano; Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero. It sells for between $8 and $12/cigar. But, we got ours as part of a sampler and paid much less than that.

Tonight we are pairing these cigars with the award winning Oatmeal Stout from Liquid Bread brewery in Hays. We are still waiting for the Porter to come back in season.

We both felt that the cigar was well constructed but not particularly firmly packed. It was mostly solid to the touch but there were a couple of spongy sections. After clipping the cigars we both felt that it had a good draw and the initial taste was a strong spicy flavor but not bitter or harsh. The cigar burned well in the beginning and produced voluminous smoke. The flavor mellowed considerably but continued to be moderately strong and enjoyable. We decided it had a spicyness with an earthy quality to it. It had a bitterness reminiscent of a strong cup of coffee so it was very enjoyable.

For the first half of the cigar it burned perfectly, creating a solid ash that when it fell off I was able to pick up without it falling part. There was also no tunneling or blooming evident in the ash. The ash was mostly white and very compact. All of these are signs of how well constructed the cigars is.

We both experienced burn problems in almost exactly the same place. Just above the band the cigar seemed to have a soft spot and both of us experienced our cigars going out. I had a burn problem after relighting that required a touch up. After that the cigar again burned perfectly.

Overall we liked this cigar but did not love it. We thought this cigar was reminiscent of a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 or 1992. Both of these are also strong and flavorful cigars but not at all harsh or acrid. We could both think of a number of cigars we enjoyed more that cost much less than this one, but we would not turn it down if it were offered to us.

Our scores:

Randy - 3
Dave - 3

With that the band was ceremoniously placed on the Wall-of-Fame.

Next up for us the Alec Bradley Tempus.

The Pastor and the Shrink - Cigar Reviews for your Mind and Spirit

As Randy Gibbs and I spend many evenings in his Man Shed enjoying cigars we decided to also start doing reviews of the cigars so we could remember which ones we liked. We developed the following rating scale:

4 - Great Cigar - one we will definitely smoke again, would not hesitate to recommend to a friend and that we would keep in our humidor.

3 - Good Smoke - Cigars we enjoyed and would definitely smoke again but have some area of weakness.

2 - Okay Smoke - a Cigar that was not terrible but had a number of areas of weakness - we probably wouldn't go out of our way to smoke, but might lite it up when we were golfing or doing yard work.

1- Never Again - a bad smoke that we probably did not finish and would not smoke again.

We have vowed to force ourselves to put the cigars we rate in one of the above categories so as to avoid the 2.25, 3.5 or 1.75 scores.

In making our judgments we will look at these areas: Construction, Burn, Draw, Flavor and Cost.

In future postings Randy and I will smoke the same Cigar, but tonight (9-19-09) we are going to be reviewing two different Padilla cigars. Randy and I both enjoy some of the Padilla brand cigars - especially the Padilla 1968. Which has made the Cigar Wall of Fame in the Man Shed.


Randy is smoking the Padilla Achilles Corojo Edicion Especial 2006 - Toro size. He has paired his smoke with a bottle of Guinness Extra Stout. Randy indicates that the cigar is a light Coco brown color and is spongy to the touch. After clipping and lighting this cigar Randy reports that it has a mellow flavor and that it has a good draw. Although early on it burned fairly evenly it did develop some problems later and required relighting. Randy believes this was probably due to the loose construction of the cigar. He found that the cigar needed a lot of tending or it would tend to go out.

Randy smoked the entire cigar and gave it a rating of 3.

The taste was consistent and enjoyable, but the construction and subsequent burn issues did hurt its overall score.


I had the Padilla Obsidian Limitatdo Edicion Especial - 2006, Belicoso size. I paired it with an O'Fallon, 5 Day IPA, given to me by my brother Rob. This cigar has a Maduro wrapper and is quite attractive, very dark in color almost black. It has a dark label as well which is unusual. This cigar is well constructed and very firm to the touch. After clipping the cigar the first thing I notice is that the draw is very tight, which makes the cigar somewhat difficult to lite. I'm hoping that the draw will loosen up as I get further into this cigar.

The cigar starts with a very bold and spicy flavor and I'm a little worried that it will be to strong for my taste. The cigar initially burns well and the few minor burn problems that occur are generally self-correcting. As I get into the second third the cigar's flavor mellows out and is quite enjoyable, but the draw continues to be very tight.

I ended up abandoning this cigar after smoking about two-thirds of it. The draw was just to tight, causing me to have to work to hard and significantly reducing my enjoyment. The cigar was also becoming a little bitter toward the end.

I'm giving this cigar a score of 2.

At our next get together Randy and I will be reviewing the Oliva Master Blend 3.

Until next time - Smoke em if you got them!

Stressful Times -

These are stressful times. People are worried about the future and life feels much different than it did just a year ago. What should we do to respond? We can't live our lives without stress, but we must find ways to effectively respond to it. If we handle our stress effectively we can feel empowered and gain a sense of mastery. If not we can feel hopeless and helpless. This will lead us to avoiding situations, places and people we fear will cause us additional stress. When people feel stressed they often focus on the source of the stress and look for ways to avoid it. This can lead to more problems as obligations and expectations are not met. Research has indicated that the people who do function the best are not the people with the least amount of stress but rather the individuals with the best coping strategies.

The more stressed I feel the more I look for simple and slow activities. At the top of this list for me is sailing. There is something therapeutic about being on the water. I can literally feel the stress melt away as the sun warms my face and the breeze fills the sail. It is quiet, simple and esthetically pleasing to be propelled across the water in a boat with lovely lines. To set the sails on a beam reach, lean back against the coamings and feel the resistance of the tiller in my hand as she picks up speed is a transformational experience. As she gains speed she heels over gently looking for the slot where she can run. She dances across the water and I am transfixed. My mind has emptied of the usual work and life related concerns. I am focused and aware, but only of the here and now - what happened yesterday or what is to come tomorrow is gone. Although the boat needs constant attention it is generally minimal - adjusting the sail trim, looking at the tell tales, casting an eye toward to approaching horizon off the bow, making a minor adjustment to the tiller, that is all she needs.

It is often said that sailing is about the journey and not the destination. It is a wonderful metaphor for life. sailing forces a person to be patient because you have to take what the forces of nature give you. You are dependent on the wind and you have no control over how much there will be or what direction it will come from. Sailing is often a slow and deliberate exercise that forces you to see what is going on around you. On the best days my boat and I meld and become one. You know this has happened when the boat becomes an extension of your being - you feel what the boat feels and she responds to your touch. You hear what the boat is saying to you - from the sound of the hull cutting through the water to the flapping of sails that need their trim adjusted. In a good wind the rigging will sing letting you know that she can handle the stress and the load - she wants to run, to be set free, unrestrained. You can sail with your eyes closed simply by listening to the boat and responding to what you hear and feel. It is fantastic.

I do not meant to diminish the visual aspect of sailing for it is wonderful as well. To my eye there are few things prettier than a sailboat on the water. They are quite, lithe, and beautiful. They move through the water with a subtle power and grace that is awe inspiring. They represent our past and simpler times when man moved through the world in a more thoughtful, quiet and less obtrusive manner. It also allows for the opportunity to actually see what is going on around you. You have the time to study the shoreline, watch the water for signs of changes in the wind or appreciate the look and function of a properly trimmed sail.

Sailing stirs something instinctual and deep in my being. I did not sail until I was an adult. I always knew that I would love to sail. When ever I saw pictures of boats or someone sailing on TV I felt a yearning as if it was encoded in my DNA. The first time I took the helm of a sailboat I felt myself and everyone around me disappear. I lost track of who I was with and what I had been doing just a few minutes earlier. I was in a sate of contentment such that I do not think I could have even entertained a negative thought or feeling. They could not have survived in my mind as there was nothing that would have sustained them - I was at peace, with myself and the world.

When ever I get really stressed I think about sailing and it helps me gain the perspective that life is stressful and I need to make sure that I spend time doing things that effectively counter my stress. When I get to sail, I always remind myself that I need to honor the sources of my stress like work as they are also sources of my income and what allows me to sail. Sailing is not always without its own stress but I'll save that for another post.

Camacho Select

Last night I enjoyed my first Camacho cigar, the Camacho Select. Camacho cigars have a reputation as being a more full bodied and flavored cigar. I was a little reticent about trying one as I generally prefer my cigars on the mild to meduim side.

Lately, However I have had smoked some very good cigars that were also stronger in their flavor profile (Man-O-War, CAO Brazilia, Padron 5000). The proprietor of Churchill's (SW Gage Center Dr., Topeka, KS ) recommended the Camacho Select. He said I would be pleased with this cigar and he was right.

I smoked it last night in the Man Shed with my Pals Randy Gibbs and Richard Jensen. Randy and I smoke together a lot and enjoy sharing and trying new cigars. Randy was smoking a Man-O-War and we paired our cigars with Liberty Stout from our local Micro-brewery.

This is a very attractive cigar - I smoked a Torpedo. It is a medium brown in color with virtually no visible veins. It has two ornate bands. The wrapper is African Cameroon and the filler and binder are both Honduran and it is blended by Julio Eirca. The cigar is very well constructed and had a perfect draw. It started out very spicy and I was a little worried that I would find it to strong and overpowering over the next couple of hours. The cigar leveled out quickly maintaining the spiciness but without being to strong.

It burned perfectly with a thin burn line and a tight and compact ash. It was a cool smoke that produced abundant smoke and flavor without ever becoming bitter. It went well with the stout and the wonderful camaraderie of my brothers of the leaf.

I would definitely smoke this cigar again and will keep an eye out for an online special as this was around $9.00/stick when I purchased it which is much more than I want to spend on a cigar.