Today's smoke

Had a tatauje noella reserva really mad a lousy day enjoyable

Tatuaje noella reserva brighten a very gloomy day

Had an HC Maduro today that was given to me. Not a bad cigar. Got hot towards the end, and didn't burn straight through the middle. But, it corrected the burn on it's own. Overall, pretty good.

I just finished a bowl of the beans I cooked last night -- Great Northerns, liberally seasoned with bits of country ham. That put me in the mood for a Perdomo Lot 23 robusto I got from CBid a week or two ago; it's going nicely with a mug of fresh-ground Eight O'clock Colombian Peaks. Yeah, my tastes are a little pedestrian; but I'm happy, and that's all that really matters.

Earlier I grabbed for a cigar before my eyes were completely open and ended up with an H. Uppmann Media Noche, another robusto I think. It was powerful enough to finish waking me up, almost too strong for so early in the day.

I haven't decided what I'll have this evening, but I've been eyeing a big fat Monte that's been resting for a few months. Or perhaps a Gran Habano "something" I picked up at the B&M the other day, if I don't have enough time to appreciate a bigger cigar; this will be my first Gran Habano, so I don't really know what to expect from it. Aw heck, I may just pick a humidor by eenie-meenie-minie-moe, close my eyes and see what comes out; after all, it worked well enough this morning ...

Tony, the GH was a Corojo No.5; I found it, as you said, "just OK". A nice little smoke that struck me as medium-bodied and moderately tasty. Certainly nothing objectionable about it, but neither was it what I would consider exceptional. Just slightly stronger than my usual preference, which encouraged me to puff more slowly -- and that's probably a good thing since I sometimes go through cigars I really like all to quickly. (By my standards, that is. I'm generally a slower smoker than most of my friends, and have even been known to make a little Macanudo Ascot last 30 minutes or longer.)

Reading the last couple of posts makes me glad to live where I do in West Tennessee. It got cold this week (sub-zero one or two nights, I'm told) and we received some snow and more ice; but then it warmed up and began raining Friday night, with rain continuing most of Saturday. Washed away the snow, melted most of the ice, no shoveling involved. Not that it was a problem for me anyway, since I live in an apartment (Maintenance salted where needed) and I was able to stay inside during the worst of it all. Currently 38 degrees F on the patio, so I'm not on the patio.

Went to see McFarland USA yesterday with my lady and her grandson. Pretty good movie. Without giving too much away, it's "based on a true story" and a feel-good Disney film starring Kevin Costner as a high school coach who has worked his way down to the bottom -- assistant football coach for a small town near Bakersfield where practically the entire population are agricultural workers and no one expects much from the kids. Costner's character inspires his students to excel in a totally different sport (and salvages his career in the process). Epilog shows most of his students went on to college (some on scholarships) and turned out well. Enjoyed a very nice Macanudo Vintage 1988 robusto (bolder than the Macanudo Cafe line) on the drive home, good ending to a good day.

Today I enjoyed a somewhat aged Avo Domaine after breakfast; right now I'm eyeing a Romeo y Julieta Reserve corona that's just begging to be decapitated and ignited. Later I may venture out to a Mexican restaurant I like, maybe follow that with one of my remaining Anthology sticks. Life is good.

Wasn't today, but I'll post anyway:

Friday afternoon I had a Cohiba Pequenos on the deck at our place at North Myrtle Beach. Temp was high 40's but the sun was shining (early afternoon) and it felt warmer. Good little cigar. I was impressed with the volume of smoke it put out. Had a good taste and didn't get harsh.

I then headed to Nick's Cigar World (only about 4 miles away) to try their cigar/wine bar. Bought a Nick's 10th Anniversary Robusto. These are a mild cigar, Connecticut wrapper, that Nick has made for him by Rocky Patel. It's one of their best sellers, so I decided to try one. Took it next door and paired it with a glass of Pinot Noir. Great pairing! The cigar was mild but tasty. Sat back in a leather chair and killed an hour watching the LPGA on the flat screen and slowly smoking. Nice way to spend some time!

Saturday evening it was high 50's. Went on the deck and had a Punch Bareknuckle Robusto. Quite a difference from the day before. This was a strong cigar, lots of pepper and spice. Really enjoyed it!