Sunday Morning Smoke

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Good morning it is Sunday 12/22/13 a WARM wet day here in da Burgh we had a warm front with 50 MPH winds & temps near 70 F blow through last night , we went from 5 inches of snow cover to wet grass, with the rain we had , I had a river flowing through my yard my walk way from the drive way to the back deck had about an inch of water flowing across it . it was & is a mess , looks like our white Christmas is a no go this year ! , we had our Christmas party at the shop Friday night , dammmmmm the place was jammed I did not have a chance to sit from 4 PM till we closed after midnight , lots of fun , lots of food & booze , & lots of cigars went out the door most of them got paid for hahahaha right now I am still beat from all the work , & all the booze & all the smoke ..... Last night our local Fire dept. had Santa on the truck & passing out candy to the kids in all the 'Hood & right in the middle of there rounds a fire at the High school ,,,,, Santa was stuck with out his escorts , so we had a cigar & a scotch , & the more Santa drank & smoked he told me "NOT getting that winning lottery ticket this year" dammmmm !

since it is so warm out today I have a bacon wrapped tenderloin going on the grill with some yams , a break from the HUNK O BEEF the boss wants every Sunday, she gets her Beef & I get my Divine Swine ,,,,,, ahhhh Bacon !!! what's not to like about bacon? I don't think I would fair well in the Middle east, I would want to start a PIG farm...... NEED S BACON .......

I got to talk with one of the grandsons last night , via face book IM.he is in South America & having the time of his young life , getting to see places I never saw in the Navy .........
I just checked the outside temp it is 61 F on the second day of winter here in da Burgh, , Tuesday the fore cast is for a HIGH of 28 F , that will turn all this water to ICE ,,,, break out the rock salt
Last week we stopped at the local Char Buck$ & picked up an 8 ounce package of there "Christmas " roast coffee, a spicy Sumatra so the package said,,,, not a bad coffee a full rich taste & aroma but nothing I haven't made as well or better myself, . I have the Kona ready to brew & a Don Carlos #4 today & will be enjoying the festive passion asap
Enjoy, Vince
 
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tonygraz said:
So did you try a Gurkha for me Friday night ?
Click to expand...

Sure did , the red witch & the 125 anniv. different from each other , both good smokes , , had the Beauty , Solomon shape last night , lasted almost 3 hours
, sipped a few drams of scotch with the cigars last Friday , it was a Great night at the shop for sure ......


Good morning it is Sunday 12/29/13 the last Sunday of 2013 , we had a white Christmas , with a little less than an inch of snow on the ground, but according to the national weather service(NOAA) it has to be an inch or more to count as a white Christmas, but since it is a government agency I dismiss there idea & find in favor of the assembled masses that it was indeed a White Christmas , to be enjoyed by all , unless your in Palm springs or some other warm place there is nothing better than a nice blanket of fresh snow covering the ground when you get up Christmas morning ..... I hate the snow & God has given us a lot of it all ready this season with more to come ....... , but I am happy to see it on Christmas Morning , & it can all melt now & stay away till next Christmas!
Santa was good to me as he is every year ( I am such a good boy ) hahahaha , a nice bottle of red breast single malt Irish whisky a selection of Cigars that my wife personally picked out from a Broad range of tastes & sizes & wrappers , not a dog rocket in the bunch , she is learning what I like in cigars & whisky, after 43 years !!!!!, I know not to buy he clothes, as she will find some thing just not right about my selections, & after 43 years I know what she wants , so I thought, ..... not everything was exchanged , so I felt Ok about it , a few sweaters that were very figure enhancing showing way to much cleavage for her BUT I LIKED IT ! , they went back & she got panties , some thing I wouldn't think of as a gift, panties are what you get when you need them.....
I made a small ham for Christmas Dinner , a side of mashed sweet spuds & a corn casserole & a ton of Christmas cookies for desert, No I didn't bake them, the Church did , & I support any fund raising that saves me from baking cookies ........ AMEN to the lady's of the church.
I have been texting my grandson in Columbia SA a lot more as he is on line more now than when he first got there in August, he is now learned to think in Spanish & is more fluent & isn't translating into English in his mind just thinking in Spanish & moving on , well he is having a GREAT time & enjoying the tropical weather , he was complaining about a cold snap they had when it only got to 76F for the high. POUR BABY hahahaha
well I have a set of Bacon wrapped tenderloins ready for the grill later today a few caramelized sweet onions & a few leftovers & we will have a nice relaxed Sunday supper , I am heading to the Qtr. deck with a pot of Coffee I got for Christmas a nice medium light roast Coast Rican estate coffee & my ever faithful Don Carlos #3 or maybe a #4 today as I have a lot of cigars I want to taste today I might just go for the #4 as it is a tad smaller & I reallllllly want to get into a Gray cliff & a Maria Mancini magic mountain maduro , an inexpencive cigars VS a High end cigar in a taste test with ME being the only judge , I have enjoyed them both on separate occasions but never back to back or at the same time , so this will be a fun day mixing up the taste buds & confusing my all ready warped mind
the shop kicked @$$ this week with a lot of glazed over eyed shoppers , here is my credit card I need cigars for my boyfriend, husband, father, uncle ,cousin & the guy who cuts my grass....... CHA-CHING went the credit card machine !,,,
Time for me to turn on the heat in the Qtr. Deck & get busy with the cigars & do what I do best........ Sitting on my fat @$$ doing NOTHING but stimulating my taste buds & numbing my brain with a fine OLD single malt ! , I hope that you all had a fine Christmas & will be enjoying a great new year ! , Enjoy, Vince

 
Good morning , it is Sunday the 5th. day of Jan. 2014 a snow covered cold day here in da Burgh but we are told to bring in the brass monkeys as the temp is going DOWN , MINUS 15 F is the report from the Goof on the roof looking at all his dials & radar screens, with a predicted high of ZERO for Tuesday , I haven't seen any one scramble so much as yesterday at Costco , the check out lines were backed up into the store so far it took 25 minutes to check out , eggs, bread ,milk & TP were in almost every cart, I needed almonds & Cheese, But I did pick up some Vitimins & calcium tablets as they were on sale , to bad the line I picked did form back into the candy isle instead of the heathly part of the store hahahaha.
They were having a sale on Fish as well so I did pick up a few filets of cod & that will be todays supper,, NO HUNK O BEEF . AMEN !!! I will make some fresh cut chips to go with the fish, maybe I might pick up a yam & slice it into chips as well. It feels good to make something else for the boss , but she is hooked on a great hunk O beef & I can make it in my sleep but I enjoy cooking & this is a different club out of my bag of tricks, the breading will be a mix of AP flour , adobo , salt, white pepper ,dehydrated red peppers ,& a dash of celery seed , the fish will get a milk bath then a light dusting of the seasoned flour, then an egg wash & then into panko bread crumbs & into a hot oil bath till the breading is Gold, a little hot sauce on the side , Heaven.........
we started out the day with a new coffee from Hallowed Grounds Coffee shop in New Brighton Pa, a new roast for them & a new bean for me , its not a Maliebar or a monsoon coffee , but the wife cant remember what it is & she tossed the bag out when she ground it & with the wet grounds dumped on it , making the hand writing dissolve , we will need to go back & get more of this stuff ..... great flavor , smooth & rich , not brewed as strong as I would like it , a medium light roast & I might have taken it to a little darker roast but this was a great way to start the day, next time get a pound!
the Weather has been playing havoc with the customers at the shop, all day Friday from 11AM till 11 PM I was there , didn't do 500 bucks for the 12 hours , , a lot of traffic , a lot of people in & out but everyone got small cigars & only one or 2 .I think my biggest ticket for the day was just over 40 bucks & my average sale for the day was only 12 bucks , a normal day the average sale is in the 25 / 30 dollar range, so I worked hard for the money & didn't make any hahahaha
the grandsons are both doing fine, , catching them on line now more than in person,,,, but its better than nothing , I remember having fun with my grandfathers & I hope my grandsons are having a good time with me , DAMMMM I Feel old hahahaha.
The wife had her car towed Friday , dead battery, so it is sitting in the garage waiting for a new battery & new alternator as well as a state inspection, we can pick it up Monday before the ice storm hits & fill it with gas & pray it dosent freeze up on us , as I have been told so many times , if it has tits or tires it will give you problems , enough said, this problem has BOTH.
I fired up a few old sticks yesterday , the best was an Ashton Cabinet corona, a smooooooooth smoke & I have one for later today in the robusto size , but it will come after the Don Carlos #4 & with the chill in the air it is a perfect day for a Laugavulin 16 YO ,,,, yummmmmy , well that's about all I have this morning , time to turn on the heat in the Qtr.Deck & get started . Enjoy, Vince [/I
 
Monday night Up date , to late to bring in the brass monkey , it is MINUS 7 with the wind at 15 steady & gusting to 25 , don't want to think about the wind chill. ( the goof on the roof said it will figure out to 30/35 Below ) I have the doors open under the sink in the kitchen as it is on an outside wall, the heated floor in the bathroom is on MAX & the electric blankets are on the beds , it is so dammmmmm cold I didn't go out to the Qtr. Deck for a cigar tonight, didn't even think about going to the shop , hey it is Orthodox Christmas for the people who fallow that calendar, , & I hope you all have a Blessed & warm Christmas .
School is closed for Tuesday & I am thinking about closing the shop early , why sit there if no one is coming in ., I can be cold at home with a Bigger liquor cabnet & a bigger choice of coffee, How ever the cigars have never been allowed in the house, that's what the Qtr. Deck is for , hey for 43 years she has put up with me & my cigars, just not in the house ...., we both had Doc . appointments today , I sat out side in the car & had 2 cigars , a Don Carlos #4 & a pitite corona from the humidor with out a band on it, might have been an ISOM Monte, that was a gift a few weeks ago ,
Picked up the wife's car , new battery , new rotors on the front, , with the expense of my car & hers we spent over $1000.00 since Christmas on the transportation issue & that isn't counting the gas, & it is cutting into my cigar money !
I think I would love to sell everything , & move to Hawaii & live on the beach ...... & let the Government take care of me .... as a Disabled Vet I get a small amount from the VA not enough to make a car payment but it pays about half of my health insurance , BUT I was checking out some statistics & people who have never had a Job are getting more money from Uncle Sam than people who worked 40 + years & retired with a pention & social security,,,, some NON citizens are working the system better than the natural born lazy loafers ....... I plan on asking my congress rep WHY?
well it is cold & I have a few blankets that are not being used & they went to the local homeless shelter , I must say I have WORKED my entire life & have given freely a lot of my hard earned fruits of my labor , BUT I don't like it being Taken from me to support lazy people & "sick" drug addicts ,,, today when I went in to pick up the wife's car there was a guy there driving a Hummer with 22 inch wheels , needing air in one tire , telling his buddy who works there , yea just got back from the methodone clinic, & got a flat tire , had to drive all the way here on the flat cause I don't know how to change the tire ( MORON) , so you have no job, your on methodone , & drive a hummer with 22 inch Brass rims , have numerous piercings & tattoos, where do you get your income , other than getting a check from Uncle Sugar ....... dammm now I am hot under the collar...... Hummm not bad since it is so dammmm cold outside
Enjoy, Vince
 
We got our coldest on Saturday morning, but -8 was better than the -16 that was forecast. Today we are in the single digits since 3 AM and it's not going up to double digits until 10AM tomorrow. Stay warm Vince.
 
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Good morning, it is Sunday Jan.12,2014 a wet cold SNOWLESS day here in da Burgh, after a few days of Negative numbers we had a plus 50 few days & all the snow is GONE , we had a bit of rain & some flooding from ice jams along a few of the small creeks & rivers , nothing major yet but the ice is thick & jamming a few of the bends in the rivers, ,hopefully we will have a slow thaw & no flooding will happen.
there was a chemical spill some place in WV & it got into the river & messed up a lot of people , the water cant be used for anything, , no washing your hand ,cooking , washing clothes, , I don't even think you can use it in the toilet , sorry I didn't pay all that much attention to the news story , I don't know if its some sort of acid or caustic in base form , all I remember that EVERYONE is ticked off & I Thank God I have a well that has Good but not great water, , at times it gets low & I need to save as much as I can , but I knock on wood & I can shower , flush & wash clothes , cooking is a given & I can always poach the eggs in beer or wine if needed hahahaha ... I have been here about 40 years now & cant complain about much of anything , but I might just come up with some thing , just to say I am alive hahahaha,
Grandson #2 turns 16 on Tuesday, ,,,,, Driving lessons to start ASAP , I think he will be easyer than his older Brother as he is a bit more focused & not a day dreamer like #1 , even that both are talented #2 is more directionaly focused & as easly distracted buy a sun set or tree in bloom , how ever a short skirt & cleavage will have him hitting the curb, a tree or what ever gets in the way ! , a chip off the old block hahahaha
breakfast was a 5 cheese baked egg, & the bacon wrapped filets were supposed to be for supper, OOOPS , so we had a huge hit of calories this morning , & I have no idea what to make for later today as nothing is defrosted ,,,,,, I'll come up with some thing .......
I picked up a squash yesterday & will be making soup on Monday , might get moved to today .......
the shop was SLOW all week, everyone stocked up & now they are smoking the Christmas specials , I have some stuff left over , gift boxes with ashtrays, flasks, & rocks glasses, all have logos from a big bunch of cigars Mfg's. , the cigars are right off the production floor & the add on's are all boxed up & ready to go
so here we are 2014 & the president has never had a rating from the country as low as this, back in the Carter years costs were out of sight & the interest rate was sky high , I was getting over 15% on a bank CD , how ever a loan had a rate higher than that , so the bank mad the cut & paid the depositers, just like a bookie collecting his "Vig " , & everyone was happy,,, now they are not happy unless they get a hunk of the principal along with the vig. , better off dealing with the bookies & loan sharks, at lest you know the people & they spend some of your money in your shop , not like the bankers who stay away & act like they don't know you on the outside , pompous B@$t@rd$
....... not that I care hahaha

I have a change in todays cigar rotation, starting off the day with an Ashton ESG toro, a big change in size & PRICE of the morning smoke , I figured W T H , I should enjoy the fruits of my labor & the fruits of the labor of the GREAT gift ,,,,, to go with the Peaberry Kona I have an 18 YO Glenlivette , nothing like a morning whisky buzz,,, much more satisfying than a beer buzz , last longer hahaha & very easy to keep up I don't get bloated on the carbonation ! , YEP today will be a day to keep my head in the clouds, & no better time to start than right NOW , Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning it is Sunday 1/19/14 a cold snow covered day here in da Burgh. & welcome to the deepfreeze 1.1 a second "artic vortex " is invading & dropping the temps into the below zero area again , nothing like the -35 we had before , this will be closer to zero & a few degrees below with the wind chill. , BUT it is still to dammmm cold to sit on the back deck with a mug of coffee & enjoy a cigar hahahaha, But it is nice & warm in the Qtr.Deck up to 74 all ready , that small oil filled heater is a great addition to the 220V baseboard that has been there since it was built. , with one on each side of the room the air flow is much better & the place warms up a lot sooner, , & when it has gotten up to temp I can shut off the little one & it stays right where we set it & stays there till some one opens the door ! !!
things are slow at the shop as everyone spent all there money at Christmas, , this Friday I am running a sale on Montecristos, Buy 2 get 1 free, , gotta move out some stock , I need the space so if you can get here , buy any 2 Monte's in the shop & I will give you a third monte Free,,,, buy 2 BOXES & get a free Box. , this sale will last all weekend , & I hope I need to order more montes on Monday !!!!
I didn't feel like cooking breakfast this morning so we had Oatmeal with a hand full of trail mix tossed in , a few nuts & some fruit added to whole grain oats a dash of unsalted butter & a few drops of half & half I wanted to add a little cottage cheese but the Boss said NO , so I did have some on the side with the same fruit & nuts as the oatmeal, & since it is cold out & I am not going to grill out side, the Hunk O beef is in the oven with carrots, onions, celery & Garlic , the Yukon Gold potatoes will go in later ,,,, she never gets tired of this dish, I just don't understand that I want to change it & add some red gravy at times with a side of bowtie pasta, or cut a pocket in the hunk O beef & stuff it with meat loaf mix , wrap it in bacon , But NO , just a plain old chuck roast braised in its own gravy , no wine , no exotic spices ( just a little salt & pepper ) but no bay leaf, no rosemary, no cumin , no nothing, , just a straight up hunk O beef, so that what I make for her , I keep a bottle of Tabasco on the table to add a bit of ZIP .... My taste buds are tired & I need to add some spice to the taste buds to make sure they still work!
I did take a short road trip yesterday to ASW , Allegheny Smoke works in Blawnox Pa , just a few miles from Pittsburgh northeast of town & I am northwest of town, , & being to cheep to Pay to use the Pa turnpike & since it was a weekend & the traffic is less that half on weekends I went into town & back out on Rt.28 the bottle neck of Pittsburgh, , Not all that bad , took me about 55 minutes to get there & I had a good time the BS was flowing & I picked up a few sticks I don't have , like the ASW house blend, & a few others that I don't have on my shelf, a Regius , yea that's miss spelled but I am to lazy to go check the band , & a band that had no name on it just a straight razor & embelishment's on the band,, Not bad , & there were a few others but my mind cant recall the exact names & as I said before , I am to dam lazy to get up & look at the stuff I got to get the correct spelling & actual names of the stuff.
We had a pot of Indian Monsoon for breakfast , & I am finishing it up & getting ready to make a pot of Columbian to sip with a Fuente NO name , especial that I picked up at ASW yesterday,,,, I cant remember if I told the boss were low on Kona , But there was not enough to make a full pot & since I didn't want to make a half pot I passed on it in total, , so Monday It is off to the roaster to get more Kona....
the grandsons are both fine getting on with life & growing up, #2 just turned 16 & will be driving soon, "GOD help us all" but I think he will be better than #1 as he will not be distracted so easy . I HOPE !
we have a few Christmas decorations still hanging on the back deck, the batterys we put in them at Thanksgiving are still holding on , since they are on timers they come on at 6:00 PM & go off at Midnight , the stuff that was beside the globes burnt out last week, so they are all put away, But the Mercury glass globes are just fine, I think the wife changed the batterys & didn't let on , she thinks that they are wonderful & with the random light patterns they have inside the glass , yes they do look fine but I am not impressed as much as her.
Well Campers its that time ,,,, I hope you all stay warm if your in a cold area & keep cool if your in a warm zone , I am heading to the Qtr.deck with a cigar or 2 maybe 3 who knows what I will be doing between now & time for the hunk O beef to come out of the oven !
Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is Sunday 1/26/14 a C O L D snow covered day here in da Burgh it went to MINUS 8 last night & is all of plus12 now , about 4 inches of new snow fell yesterday & it is still coming down NOW.
we had a wonderful Friday night at the shop , we did a Montecristo special, Buy 2 get 1 free, & this coming Thursday we will be hosting Mid Atlantic Mark from Rocky Patel for a big event , I have no idea what he will be offering for specials what ever it is , it will be great. King Beaver Cigars , 1106 Penna. Ave. Monaca Pa 15061,, 724-774-5166 , like us on face book & show up for a great night of cigars coffee & maybe a weee dram or 2 of single malt scotch.
No idea what the grandsons are doing , I did take #2 to the doc on Tuesday, he has the flu, & just missed a few days of school, as the school was shut down for the cold weather, , we are looking for MINUS 30 on Tuesday........
the hunk O beef is in the oven & will be ready about 4..... Breakfast this morning was a bacon & hot pepper omelet with cheese,, & the coffee was a pot of Indian monsoon & I have the kona waiting in the press pot & will be making it asap & the DON CARLOS #3 is ready ! , seems like nothing changes much here other than the weather !
& I am heading to the Qtr.deck & a relaxing day I hope ! Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is SUNDAY FEB.2 2014 Groundhog day, Superbowl Sunday ( yawn ) & Ron King is having a birthday today, , it is raining & cold here it is 36F & the weather man said 2 to 4 inches of snow over night, ,,,,, wait & see is all I can say, & the groundhog saw his shadow this morning so we will have 6 more weeks of winter, , & if the groundhog didn't see his shadow we would have 6 more weeks of winter , , just a great way to get drunk in the morning waiting for the Inner circle to pull a drugged up groundhog out of a custom made tree stump ......
Blueberry & Blackberry pancakes with bacon were on the table this morningalong with a pot of Mexican grown coffee, the name escapes me right now , I do remember it was from Mexico......very good with the pancakes & bacon, , might go well with a cigar , but that will be checked out a bit latter, a CAO la Travitia corona will be the stick , & the kona & Don Carlos #3 will be on todays list as always , but NO HUNK O BEEF today , I have some frozen fish that will get some heat in some form or an other, , nice thin slices of some kind of fish from the south pacific , , nice white tin sliced fish of unknown species, , don't know if I should bake it grill it , deep fry or steam...... who knows , I will see what areomatics I have & I might get out the bamboo steamer & give it a south seas island twist , who knows , the wife will want it breaded & deep fryed ....... easy to do but lacks paszaz
, this past week was a KILLER in the cold dept. nights were MINUS 30 with the wind chill & the sales at the shop show it,,,, BUT we did have a Rocky Patel Night Thursday & it made up for the entire week .Sales were OUTSTANDING .... we need a few more Events like that & we have a CAO event set for FEB 21st , so come on down!!!!
No news on the grandsons , school was delayed & called off all over the area, sub zero cold & snow, dammmmm school busses today, "why back in the day" we went to school by WALKING , bare foot up hill both ways in the snow !
Got in line at the car wash yesterday , took about an hour , so I had a big mug of coffee , music on the radio & a few cigars in my pocket, a wonderful way to spend time with the wife, she was talking the entire time & all I had to say was yes I am still listening every time she asked ........ one of the LONGEST hours I have ever spent , but the cigar & the coffee were good .......
way to cold & wet to go to the pistol range so I will be spending a great deal of today in the Qtr,deck enjoying the PEACE & QUIET , of a few cigars & some Jazz , with coffee & later tonight a weeee dram or 2
time to fire up the heater & get the day going . Enjoy, Vince
 
Good call on the groundhog, Vince. I bought some Mexican coffee when we were vacationing in Cancun one time and it was surprisingly pretty good. Who is Ron King---or should I say which Ron King is having a birthday today ?
 
Ron King was a next door Neighbor who was born on Groundhog day , , we had a lot of good times , drinking beer, with the entire neighborhood on summer nights, watching Gumball Rally , on the early VCR machine & the ONLY tape we had was a dubbed copy of a copy of a copy, , but we watched it over & over, , he was the Manager of a Swimming pool shop & there was a big pool in the store , & we went swimming all winter there ,,,,, But he took a different job a few years later & moved , we kept in touch over the years but never get to see each other anymore, , Right Now I have no idea where he is living or if he is . ,,, that was a Long time ago & I still remember him every Groundhog day.
 
Good morning B/SOTL it is Sunday the 9th day of Feb.2014 a COLD snowcovered day here in da Burgh,,, WHO EVERY prayed for snow & cold so they could go ski, SHUT UP & STOP PRAYING..... we average 40 inches of snow between Oct. & March, so far we are close to 50 inches all ready & have more coming down Right Now, the goof on the roof said it might be up to 3 more inches on top of the inch we got over night ,,, & I wonder WHY I stay here in da Burgh.... . Family, friends & job top the list, but if I move some place warm I can get any job, & make new friends , But I cant move the family, so I guess I will be hanging here in da Burgh, till I move to Silvania Hills ( the local Grave yard)
With all the Sub Zero temps we have been slow at the shop, a few hartdy souls have popped in & out but they have been few & far between, Friday night when I got the shop closed & was heading home the dash board temp gauge said it was MINUS 3 the radio report was 5 above, & the digital readout at the bank was MINUS 2 , needless to say it was to late to bring in the brass monkey.......
The schools are all running late or calling off , the road depts. are all running out of salt , the water & gas company's are dealing with broken lines & the power company cant keep up with the outages & there are a TON of people with out any heat....... NOT much fun at all. , We did get out for our Saturday Night Cigar ride & I fired up a SHARK, since it was a special night (NO SNOW) I figured out I might as well go for the gold !
This morning I have a pot of Rouwandin ,(this batch is verrry high in caffine as I am Feeling a bit of the jitters all ready & with all the coffee I drink that must be a firecracker load of caffine) that was roasted Thursday & ground this morning , a bright clean fresh roast flavor that went well with the slab bacon & eggs , a slice of Christmas fruit cake & the last honey bell ( a cross of a tangerine & grapefruit )
I will be starting the day with a ISOM Partagas serie D #4.... a nice "Mellow" start to go with the Kona that is being pressed right now


The Hunk O beef is in the oven, the heat is on in the Qtr.deck & I am ready to get started on my Sunday morning smoke . Enjoy, Vince

 
GOOD morning , it is Sunday 2/16/14 a SNOWCOVERED cold day here in da Burgh, in fact it is snowing right now,,,,,, would some one who is praying for snow PLEASE STOP ! , I have snow shoulder high at the end & sides of my drive way ,the Township is out of road salt & sand& the rivers are ice covered , all 3 rivers & that is snarrelling the river traffic, slowing all the locks & dams to double duty as you need to push the ice through before you get the barges in to send them up or down river , I am just glad not to be out in the elements ......
on a lighter note, Breakfast,,,, not that it was light , No way !!! a HE man omlette Panchetta & feta with some peppers, hot & salty just don't be down wind of me today hahahaha , Coffee was a Mexican sourced blend of a few different roasts of 2 diferent estate grown coffees , not enough of any to make one pot so it all went into the Blending jar for a quick shake & grind sort of flowery with a touch of brightness , I like it !!! , and speaking of food, I have 2 large Pork chops & a lot of left over bread that is getting stale , so you know what that will become,,,, yep Stuffed pork chops , NO HUNK O BEEF today AMEN,,,,,,,, I had planned a relaxing day in the Qtr.deck but with the snow coming down at an inch an hour I don't think I will be getting much cigar time today so the Partagas series d #4 will be heading back to the humidor & a yard gar will be clampt between my jaws as I move the snow from the sidewalk & drive way & STACK it up with all that is all ready there..... on average we get 40 inches of snow here, right now we are closing in on 60 inches , granted we are no ware close to Buffalo, NY in snow totals but they are right on the lake & in the path of the Snow machine driven Lake effect snow, here in da Burgh we are about 100 miles from lake Erie & with the weather coming out of the west moving east we don't get much lake effect snow , ,,, we do at times , but most of the time our weather is out of the SW , with a NW flow we do get some streamers of snow from the lakes , but they are few & far between. ,
the Grandsons are all fine & I haven't been able to see them as much as I like & they are all busy, the older one in Columbia , SA, is keeping in touch Via email , the younger one gets on the phone when he remembers .... being 16 he is as forgetful as his great grandmother .... we have had so many days of school missed some of the schools are thinking of holding Saturday classes to make up for lost time , with the sub zero temps & the lack of salt for the roads, making travel almost impossible a lot of schools have canciled the Presidents day holiday & will be holding classes weather permitting !!! ,,,, Time for some one to shoot the dammmmm groundhog !
The cars are looking like $hit with all the salt & sand tossed up on the sides of the cars & the spray from the tires on the body & with all the lines at the car washes, we sat in line about an hour to get in the wash, & by the time we got home it looked like we hadn't gone to the car wash.....
We are having a C.A.O . event this Friday night at the shop ,,, if your in the area, stop in & grab a few sticks or a box, there will be some Mac & cheese to help keep you warm along with a nice bottle of single malt & a pot of Coffee, , should be a Fun Night...... 724-774-5166 call the shop for directions to KING BEAVER Cigars , 1106 Penna. Ave Monaca Pa 15061

Time to brew up the Sunday pot of Kona & fire up the Don Carlos #3 & get comfortable for a bit BEFORE grabbing the shovel .... dammmmm Groundhog hahahaha
Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is Sunday Feb.23,2014 na cool wet day here in da Burgh I just turned on the heat in the Qtr. Deck & it was 40F inside & 38 outside , according to the decorative thermometers , should be a comfortable 70 by the time I get the Hunk O beef in the oven , , a cheese omelet graced the breakfast plate with a slice of thick cut bacon & a pot of Indian Malabar ....... made a bit on the thin side , my wife needs to step up & add some coffee to the pot , , she just scoops , BUT I use a scale to weigh it & get it right every time , , as a chef I hated to bake , as you needed to weigh & measure everything to get it exactly the same every time ,,, but when you cook its different , everything is subjective to the whims of the chef 7 things get changed every few days , months & years as the taste of the raw food changes all the time but flour , sugar are always the same thanks to quality control at the prossessing plants , so for a constant product you need a constant recipe, , & that involves measuring ....... bahhh humbug ,,,, I hate to measure, BUT with Coffee ,,,,,, that is different , 10 cups of water ( that is a 6 oz. cup ) , 60 oz. of water , & 2.5 oz. of coffee water heated to 205 F & 4 minutes in the press pot....... , How ever the Kona & JBM the water is heated to 197 & the time is 4.50 minutes to extract a bit of the bitter oils I enjoy from the kona , you might want to cut your time back to 4 or less to enjoy the lightness of the coffee , with kona I want to taste the coffee not the roast, with some other coffees I want a combo flavor , sometimes the difference of a few seconds in the roast can be the difference in a GRAND cup of coffee & a mug of garbage , right up to but not burnt, BUT then some coffees need that little spark of acid to give the flavor & you better be right on with the roast or you end up with a muddy tasting product.....
We have been digging out of all the snow & after a few days of above freezing I can see grass in my yard, , the snow was piled as high as my shoulders at the end of the drive way now is about waist high & the yard is a swamp ! , the moles are having a field bay eating the roots of my yard & I see tracks & holes all over the place , looks like its going to be a tuff summer on the lawn,,,,,, time to get into the SR. Citizen High rise & to H3LL with the yard , ,,,, but who wants to hang out with a bunch of old people hahahaha
we had a C.A.O event Friday night at the shop , a good time was had by all a better time by a few of us as a bottle of Glenmorangie Sherry cask finish was FINISHED ..... Good stuff ..... BUT I missed having my smokey peaty Islay whisky ,,,, Laugavulin, Laphroaig, ,,,,,, ahhh yes ......, Maybe a little Bowmore today , who knows I might just go for that 21 YO Glen whatever or I might just have an Irish whisky today I might just do that ,,, get ready for St. Patrick day, Break out the Red Breast ........
with the snow & cold I haven't seen much of the grandson, , talk to him when he answers the phone But I think he sees who is calling & lets it go to voice mail hahahaha .


Some how some one took a photo of me sweeping & mopping the floor at the shop, ,,,,, DONT believe it , it is Photo shopped hahahaha

, well its that time boys & girls , I need to get that hunk O beef in the oven fire up the Sunday morning Don Carlos #3 & get on with my day ,,,, the wife wants me to get gas in her car today & I better get that done before I hit the Red Breast.......
Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning B/S OTL it is Sunday March 2 2014 & a COLD SNOW FILLED day here in da Burgh , the Goof on the roof is telling us we can get between 6 & 12 inches of new snow today ....... 6 to 12 dammmmmm, we are all ready over the average snow fall by over a foot & now we are getting more, Globial warming my @$$ ,,,, if there was not the cycle of warm & cold where did the ice age come from & where did it go ...... don't mess with mother nature, she will get you in the end !
with all the snow we have had this winter season most of the road crews in the area are out of salt & sand for the roads & to top it all off the shed that housed the trucks & equipment in a small town a few miles west of me Burnt to the ground last week & destroyed all the trucks , plows & salt for the roads, ..... Not a way to start the spring season hahaha , yea like it will get here when ever it wants to ,,,, never mind what the callender has to say .
I am getting tired of all the BS from the TV news & all the Turmoil from the middle east & Russia , Korea & all the infighting here between the R & D in congress ,,,, m they can all KMA , I want to move off the grid , away from everything , BUT I want to have the ease of life that electricity brings & a good wifi connection & cable TV with all the great music stations ,,,, so I guess I just want to stay right where I am & be left alone by the government,,,, & speaking of the BIG BROTHER , I filled my income tax,,,,, getting back 67 Bucks ,,,, just what I got back last year ,,, I have the right mix of deductions to income & with holding , almost a perfect blend, I was going to fine tune it a little closer so I got back ZERO & never have to pay , but a small loan of 67 bucks with zero profit is a small price to pay, for living here In the USA ,,,, hahahaha a long time ago I had my withholding sky high so I got a TON of money back every year , a forced savings of some sort that gained 0.00% , BUt if I had the with holding lower & had the difference go to the Credit union I picked up a few % & have been practicing that ever since ,,, a good finance program cant hurt, to bad congress hasen't learned that ....... when is enough enough , STOP SPENDING MY MONEY you BUNCH of @$$HOLES ....... OK I got that off my chest & now on with the regular BS
This mornings coffee was a pot of Sumatra grown medium dark roast , roasted last Sunday & ground this morning , the weekly pot of Kona will be going on soon & a Don Carlos #3 will be fired up with it...... a Sunday staple ...... Breakfast today was a bacon egg & cheese sandwich on grilled rye with tomato & hot pepper relish ...... getting my taste buds fired up for the NY strip steaks I have in a marinade ,,,,,, snow or no snow I am hitting the grill today , I am TIRED of the Hunk O beef ,,,,,, time for a BIG strip steak , I am not anti Beef any way shape or form BUT I like a bit of a change every now & then, But I cant push the envelope to far as to keep the BOSS happy.....
Grandson #2 got his learners Permit & will start driving asap..... I had planed to take him out today but with 6 to 12 inches of snow I think he will be playing with his play station today , or is it a Nintendo , WHO CARES its a game system....... he is 16 , as long as he isn't on drugs 7 getting good grades I think my daughter is on track with him ..... his older brother will be home from South America late May early June & is looking for a job in Germany ,,,, the kid wants to learn as many languages as he can , right now he is speaking & thinking in Spanish , he speaks a little German now as well as French , his native is English & he has a smattering of Yiddish & some Polish , with a little Italian tossed in just to keep every one happy ..... I remember when he was about 5 or six he did some thing stupid & ask him if he was Polish (his last name is ZELECHOWSKI) , he said he didn't know.........NUFF SAID ......
the shop was slow all week, just enough traffic to make it hard to close early & go home , but we stuck it out & stayed till the local 9 PM fire alarm , every night 7 days a week the fire dept. checks the alarm , one 2 second blast at 9 PM ,,, you can set your watch with it .... , they used to check it at 11 Pm but it was to late & woke up a lot of Sr. Citizens who had fallen asleep on the couch reminding them to go to bed, now with the alarm at 9 they just go then ! , keeps them off of the roads after dark in the summer hahahaha
The snow is coming down harder right now , we started out with a tiny round flake that WAS SWEEPABLE now its a heavy flat wet flake & the direction has changed from the SW to the NW the temp is now 22F it was 25 when I got up. The winds are giving us a feels like temp of 19 ,,, it will be getting lower all day , the Sunday night cigar ride is OUT for this week , But last night we had a nice ride of 2 hours & a Fuente Shark was smoked with a trip to Ch@rBu¢k$ for the wife's Venti gingerbread latte with an extra shot of espresso almost 6 bucks for a cup o joe ...... I bitch about 2 bucks for a PLAIN BLACK COFFEE , in my own travel mug, they don't even need to give me a cup , but they took 22 bucks for the mug when I got it , should get a few free cups of coffee for that ...... But I did find out the company pays more for health care than it pays for coffee every year, so I guess I am paying for the health care of the employees & the illeagles & the lazy bums who VOTE for a living instead of working as well as my own health care.... Do you think anything is ever free....... some one is paying for it some place, maybe not you but some one is , the only thing free is AIR & Sunlight,,,,,,, if the government had a way to tax it ........
it is time for the press pot of kona & a cigar ,,,,, enjoy your day I plan on getting out & moving a LOT of snow today so I need to get that first cigar under my belt & keep the BP down ..... Enjoy, Vince





 
Well it looks like that snow is going to just about miss us this time as they have downgraded it to 1/2 to 2 inches now. Vince, I think you may have just lost your Polish customers, hope you don't have a big supply of Ortsacs on hand.:cool:
 
Good Morning all , it is Sunday 3/9/14 a COLD snow covered morning here in da Burgh , it is 30F right now , better than it being a minus 30 hahaha, but the sun is out & the wind is out of the NW ( not good as the great lakes are NW of us ) , we picked up a few inches of fresh powder last night, & with the rain we had before that , it is a Mess of frozen slush now , ,,, but with the sun it will melt off soon I HOPE, ,,, the cold winter has done its damage to the buildings , roads & sales at the shop , it has been a Rotten winter ...... Since today started out with me sleeping in , Thank you for Day light savings time I am a bit behind in my Sunday time line , the Hunk O beef is in the oven, & I did get the Boss her breakfast , ( B.O.B.) that's breakfast on a bun , a grilled English muffin with Swiss cheese, bacon, tomato & egg ,,, I added a bit of crumbled Blue cheese to mine . the coffee was a pot of a new roast from the coffee shop, he wouldn't tell me what it was , just had a number on the bag, I was given 4 ounces of it & ground it last night as per instructions , & at 8 am the pot kicked on & we had our morning pot a short time later , it was/is a smoooooth taste & a bold flavor a bit of the roast is tasted but the roast isn't all that dark.... a nice cup O Joe, , it isn't an overly acidic coffee , but it has a clean snap at the finish, what ever it is I like it , I have no idea where it was grown or the price , but I like it , yes I do like JBM but I don't pay the big price tag for it , I limit my self to Kona on Sunday , as if I were to drink it every day it would not be a treat any more , just like smoking a Cuban Monte #2 every day , after a few years of that torture a Standard of mine the Fuente Don Carlos #3 would be a NICE change .
Took #2 grandson out for his first driving lesson ........... lets just say we made it home in one piece & didn't hit anything ....... , he is a bit laid back & not in any hurry to step on the gas ....... Good at times , Bad when making a left turn in traffic........ I hope the stain comes out of the seat ........
we have a Whisky tasting at the shop this coming Friday (14th) & a Kristoff event the 21st. ,,,, both night's should be a lot of FUN.....Come on down & join the FUN....
I am heading to my brothers place soon today , he got his new 300 Count Humidor shipped in on Friday , so today we will be seasoning it , & smoking the over flow that will not fit in the new box....... so long coolerdor ,,, back to keeping the beer cold !!!!!!
time for the Sunday Morning smoke & coffee as I head down the road to my brothers place,,,, Enjoy, Vince







 
Good morning , it is Sunday 3/16/14 a day to get ready for the green Beer, & KISS ME I'M IRISH t shirts & a BIG parade with a small amount of trouble & the IRA kicking some British @$$ & WHISKY , wonderful IRISH whisky, , I have a Bottle of Connamera single malt a peated Irish Whisky most Irish Whisky's don't add the smoked barley, & there is a bottle of Red Brest an UNPEATED Irish single malt,,, But No green beer for me thank you , not that the color makes me feel different about the beer, I just don't handle the carbonation & just don't drink beer , or any carbonated beverage . I will have a beer here & there at times But I have a hard time with the bubbles , flat beer, CHUG , but the crispness & flavor go away with the bubbles, How ever Murphy's Stout & Guenniss are both LOW carbonated beers & I do have a weeeeee pint now & then , BUT WHISKY & coffee with a cigar is hard to beat, , sure I have had a cigars & a Murphy's , but the beer & coffee just don't hit my taste buds , BUT I have had coffee stout & that was fine but the brewer added way to much CO2 , & all you got was a glass of foam, I am supprised the bottles did explode ....
so WINTER is on its way out ....... & its about time ..... , My well manicured lawn is a total loss, the moles, shrews & ground hogs have taken advantage of all the snow cover & have been digging all winter long , , so after 30 plus years of my wife taking care her lawn, it is all shot to H3ll in one winter , we had a few problem areas near the property line near the cow pasture , but I was able to put out pellets & got rid shrews & the grubs they were feeding on , well now it is so bad & will need to reseed after I get rid of the grubs the shrew's / moles are eating ..... I am getting to old for this BS, ....... Maybe its time for a SR. citizen high rise apt. ...... NOT.,
Breakfast was a bowl of Oatmeal with dried cranberry's & apricots , the wife had a bout with the bug in the gut & has been on & off the toilet all night , so it was plain oatmeal for her & the coffee was a LOUSY pot of Hondoran , that Gerry brought back form his visit to the Rocky Patel factory ,,,,,, it looked & smelled great , but the taste is NOT the best...... it will get mixed in the next batch of ends & tails , I have added more coffee to the pot & that was worse, , it made a stronger bad tasting coffee, , so I might take it to the shop & add a small amount to the pot to make sure the flavor gets covered up but I hope it will not be detectable , I just don't want to toss it all out ...... But I should...... yep its that bad .

Since the wife isn't feeling well & I only cook that HUNK O BEEF for her , I have no idea what to make today , she said she didn't want the smell of anything cooking today since she isn't feeling all that well , so I guess it will be a sandwich of some sort , A RUBEN sounds good to me , she isn't a fan of them at all so I will take advantage of that & stop at the deli & get my corned beef fix ,,,,, or do I want some Lamb from the Irish pub ( if I can get in the place ) as all the Pre parade drinking has all ready started ......
& speaking of Drinking , we had our SAINT PADDYS DAY tune up & whisky tasting Friday night at the shop.... thank God for Taxi service ... that's all I have to say on the subject.......
I have had the #2 grandson out driving a few times & he is getting a little better with each mile.........

I think it is time for the press pot of Kona & the DC#3
Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning it is Sunday 3/23/14 the never ending winter is still here, dammmm it has been a tuff time weather wise, sales wise & tuff on my back, hands & feet, I am sore all over , even my hair hurts hahahaha We had a snowfall on Friday that was BIG fluffy flakes , not much wind with it so the flakes sort of Floated in the air & it made wonderful snow balls ( stored in the freezer for the 4th of July snowball fight ) , right now it is 28F with a wind chill dropping the feels like temp to 18F ..... Not a fun time here in da burgh.
We had a Cigar "tasting" Friday night , featuring Kristoff & San Lutano cigars , it was a good night , a bit of food was eaten ( ham sandwiches ) on Friday during Lent .... ,,,, I am not Catholic so I ate the ham, as a Lutheran, we have no restrictions on what we eat & when we eat it , ,,,,, If you fallow the 10 commandments you should be Good in the eyes of God , I think the Church & government make up way to many laws, all we need is the Original 10 .... if you can live with in the top 10 you don't need any thing else.......
had the Grandson out driving again , No hits on any fender or bumpers, so we are good ! ,,,, he needs to step on the gas a bit harder, when we get to a hill, & lets face it everything here is on a hill.
Dammm its SNOWING AGAIN...... Enough all ready !!! we have 20 + inches over the average snow fall for the year & it is still coming down , & more to come !
Since it so chilly out & I am getting lazy , the Hunk O Beef is at the top of the list today, , about 15 minutes of prep, & I am Done , into the cast iron Dutch oven, into the oven & I am DONE till its time to make the gravy hahahaha
breakfast was sausage links , & eggs with Rye toast for me & Oatmeal toast for the Boss. the Coffee is a great find at Hallowed Grounds coffee roaster in new Brighton Pa , "Beaver Valley Espresso " , ground for the Drip pot & made with out it seeing the Espresso pot , a wonderful balance of strength ,Flavor & aroma a Dark roast that is just KICK@$$ flavor wise & the aroma is medium full, & the color of the brewed coffee is "Thick" & dark a great cup O Joe,,,,,,, Not going to replace the Sunday morning press pot of Kona & the DC#3 but a nice change from the ordinary.....
I found a few Photos on the net of famous people & some not so famous smoking cigars , & printed out a few of Steve McQueen ( the KING of COOL ) with a corona in his hand, he is going on the wall in the Qtr. Deck for sure, , there is one of Lucille Ball with Ernie Kovack that needs to be on the wall for sure BUT I am running out of wall space , soon I will be hanging them on the ceiling !
I have had enough of politics , ... IF you don't study history you end up repeating it ..... when the Olimpic games were help in Berlin & when the games just ended in Russia , Hitler invaded & so did Putin ...... but instead of Chamberlin being in England we have obummer in the USA ...... So we have the Terroriests from Islam to worry about but the return of the USSR ...... I feel bad for my grandchildren , living in a world that isn't any better for them than it was for Us,,,, what ever happened to leaving the globe in Better shape for the next generation? Mother nature cant fix everything all that fast & we sure can mess it up Faster than it can be fixed.
Yesterday we went shopping , 3 different grocery chains gas in Both cars total spent was close to 500 Buck's............ What's it going to be like for the next generation ? with the price of food , insurance, Electric & gas , water, sewage , & just going out for some fun can break the bank ! Not to mention the life blood of single malt scotch & cigars ...... I don't want to think of the Inventory of my humidors & scotch collection, well its not much of a collection as EVERYTHING gets opened & consumed, what is the reason for having a great whisky if you DONT drink it ? What are you going to do , look at it ? I will admit I have bought some wine in the past as an investment , & sold it for a Tidy profit But I am not a big wine drinker , so I took advantage of a wine drinker & I get taken advantage of people who cater to us Scotch drinkers ... it all gets even in the end you HOPE ! , But we all know that "HOPE & CHANGE " isn't working , ....... if the media was on obummer like they were on G. W. he would have never had a second term, Liberalisum is a sickness, , I think if you need help you should get it BUT you should do what ever your Ability allows to repay that, if you can go out & sweep the street , do it , if you can give your time at a Sr. Center so be it , but sitting on you @$$ with free healthcare, free cell phone , free rent & free bus pass , getting you nails done , eating Lobster, tattoos out the wazoo & spending MY Money on cigarettes & lottery tickets , selling you food stamps for a bag of dope & I could go on & on about the BS that ticks me off but I need to get off the computer & in the kitchen that Hunk O beef isn't going to cook it self ! , & it is TIME for the Kona , & a walk in the Sun with Don Carlos ,,, all the way from the front porch to the Qtr.deck hahaha. Enjoy, Vince




 
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