Any cigar smokers on the GG?

[muddy]

Enjoying one of the gifts from Goodfellow, with some cognac.

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[goodfellow]

Was a great day yesterday -- warm and sunny, and when the lawn and yard were taken care of, the reward was a nice Romeo y Julieta Nicaragua (AJF). A great cigar!! I've only tasted a few of the true Cuban brand cigars in my life, but this AJF blended Nicaragua is damn close in taste to a true Cuban Saint Luis Rey Regios. When I lit it up, that's the fist impression I had of this gem of a cigar.

If you're hankering to know what a good medium body Cuban cigar tastes like -- this affordable Romeo y Julieta Nicaragua blend is it.

The burn is slow and steady, and the cigar remained easy to draw all the way to the end -- perfect!! Paired with an ice cold lager beer, this is as good as it gets in cigar land.

[muddy]

A.J. Fernandez is one of my favorite blenders!

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[goodfellow]

Tim, I think you and I are the only members who enjoy a good smoke on a regular basis around here. I have a new shipment coming in next week and will send some your way when it arrives.

BTW -- I smoked another AJF Romeo y Julieta and paired it with a Guinness stout -- boy what a combination of flavor. It puts Guinness on a new level.

[muddy]

Tim, I think you and I are the only members who enjoy a good smoke on a regular basis around here. I have a new shipment coming in next week and will send some your way when it arrives.

BTW -- I smoked another AJF Romeo y Julieta and paired it with a Guinness stout -- boy what a combination of flavor. It puts Guinness on a new level.

Yes, Guinness pairs well with smooth Fuller bodied cigars.

Rum also pairs well with cigars.
Not many think about it but many of the regions that produce cigars also produce rum. So naturally they pair well.

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[goodfellow]

Well, this one was deserved -- daughter had a check engine light come on in her Highlander last night, and on top of that her passenger floor had a 1/2 inch of water in it. She was just going to sop it up with some paper towels and call it a day, but after I rolled out the shop vac she knew it was going to get serious.

The floor mats. sound proofing and batting was totally soaked. I pulled the drain plug in the foot well and along with the shop vac pulled a gallon of water out. So much for just sopping it up. I spent twoi hours last night taking up the carpet and the batting and vacuumed them semi-dry . Then I put in fans to circulate air over the entire area for the rest of the night. In the morning it was dry -- one problem down!!! Apparently the AC drain had clogged and backed up in the tube and onto the floor. She drove all day yesterday with the AC on and didn't see it until late last night. A little compressed air in the tube and we have good drainage flow again.

The check engine light was diagnosed as a P0138 Code: O2 Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 1 Sensor 2. Sure enough the old PowerProbe diagnosed the downstream sensor as bad. OK - no big deal right!! -- wrong. It was seized in place and I had to use the O/A torch to heat it up in order to move it a few threads at a time -- heat and turn, heat and turn. It finally came loose and a new sensor was put in place with a generous amount of copper anti-seize added for good measure.

What a PITA -- but it's done. Now it's time for a cigar and a beer.

A nice Monte Platinum and a German Tucher Hefe Weissbier (from Nuremberg Bavaria). Life is good again --

[muddy]

Very nice Ray! Good job on being your daughters hero again too!

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[goodfellow]

Very nice Ray! Good job on being your daughters hero again too!

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Thanks Tim -- the car is nearly 15 years old, and things are starting to fail. As an aside, while I was under there changing the O2 sensor, I was amazed that the OEM exhaust system was is pristine shape. I've never seen that in any car we've owned -- simply amazing what Toyota did with that exhaust system.

[muddy]

Very nice Ray! Good job on being your daughters hero again too!

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Thanks Tim -- the car is nearly 15 years old, and things are starting to fail. As an aside, while I was under there changing the O2 sensor, I was amazed that the OEM exhaust system was is pristine shape. I've never seen that in any car we've owned -- simply amazing what Toyota did with that exhaust system.

Maybe it was stainless of some sort?

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[muddy]

Enjoying a blend by AJ Fernandez tonight.

Called the last call, the story with this cigar is that this was a cigar that AJ would pass out towards the end of the night to his guests.

A mix of select Nicaraguan fillers and binder enveloped in a delicious Ecuadorian Rosado Habano wrapper gives this cigar roasted nut flavors, spice, and a unique creamy, woodsy note.

I'm pairing it with a New Holland Brewing Dragons Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout. At 11% this pair us definitely a night cap!

[goodfellow]

11% -- I'm getting sleepy just looking at it, but I do LOVE stout type brews.

[goodfellow]

Picked this one up on a whim -- since I love stout beer, this seemed like a good choice. It literally tastes a bit like chocolate - wonderful flavor.

Paired with a genuine La Flor de Cano Cuban petit Corona -- makes for a wonderful relaxing afternoon on the deck. This is a great beer!!

The cigar is good, but the beer is better 

[muddy]

Enjoying a Hoyo De Monterry Excalibur Cameroon tonight.



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[goodfellow]

Can't say enough about these little Cuban petite coronas La Flor De Cano. I've been smoking the heck out of the 2014 stash that I have, and yesterday received a new batch from Europe. The truth is, this 2018 vintage tastes bland and not very exciting.





"Harsh" is a good word -- hints of ammonia and salt. Just goes to show what a few years of proper aging will do for a cigar; especially Cubans. The 2014 batch tasted excellent, and these will as well -- after two/three years in the cigar fridge.



Oh - well, it was worth a shot to taste the difference -

Happy Memorial Day folks -- Go hug a Vet!

[goodfellow]

Celebrating Memorial Day morning on the deck with a good Romeo Y Julieta 1875 Reserve -- Churchill size, and a strong Italian cup o' Joe. Perfect combo and very relaxing. Weather is sunny and warm; perfect for smoking a large cigar. Hope all of you have a relaxing day with friends and family in remembering and celebrating our vets.

It starts out as a mild cigar, but it gets a bit more flavorful and spicy about half way through. Definitely not a boring smoke.

EDIT: After smoking this cigar, and a few others from this batch, there is one consistent problem. They're hard to keep lit. The construction is such that it draws easy, but it's too loose for staying lit. Not a flavor problem, but irritating because you want some ash to act as a buffer for smooth flavor and even draw. If it has any ash buildup, it dies out. Too bad ---