[emodx] People on Cigar Pass know you as Coventry Cat. For the record, what is your name?
[ccat86] Bill Jenkins
[emodx] So why did you choose the handle Coventry Cat?
[ccat86] Well, since I like restoring and working on cars, particularly Jaguars, which are sometimes, referred to as "Coventry Cats" I thought it sounded good. The "86" is the year of the Jaguar I fixed up. The Jaguar factory is in Coventry UK
[emodx] Ahhh...I got it. Any other cars you are into?
[ccat86] I used to be into Cadillac’s, I had a Deville convertible 20 years ago and I still own a 1972 Fleetwood limousine. I also like BMW's. I have a 1979 733i.
[emodx] Anything from recent production you like? I have an 87 Corolla you could fix up... LOL
[ccat86] LOL, the newest car I own is a 1987 Buick Park Avenue, which is my daily driver. It's got 275,000 miles on it. My goal is to get it to 300K!!
[ccat86] I'd love an old Aston Martin DB5 but even those, if you can find them go for big $$$ James Bond drove those in the 1960's like in "Thunder Ball"
[emodx] So beside cars, what are you doing to keep busy?
[ccat86] I also like to build furniture and do wood working. I also spend a great deal of my spare time with politics, working on campaigns and with my position on the Republican State Central Committee, which is a volunteer position. I spend a lot of evenings at meetings, etc. It's just a hobby. It's very time consuming and the amount of time that I spend on say building a bookcase would require that I sell it for $500.00 in order to break even!
[emodx] How do you think the president is doing?
[ccat86] Hmmm, an interesting question. Personally I think the economy is doing very well, just review any stock market chart for the last year and a half and I think a great deal of people support him in ridding the world of one of the worst dictators of our century. As some have said, he did the right thing (invading Iraq) for the WRONG reason (WMD). He should have given the real reason, too many civilians being murdered by Sadam.
[emodx] But the stock market is not the end all be all indicator of how the American economy is doing. And many would argue that the economy would have done the same thing if Gore were in office. I agree with you on the Iraq issue though.
[ccat86] True on both counts BUT the voters reward incumbents in good times and punish them in bad times, look at 1992 (punish Bush) and 1996 (reward Clinton) neither of which deserved what they got.
[ccat86] How well the economy is doing is usually a matter of your personal circumstances. In my case, I've been underemployed for two years but many people's careers and jobs and their pay is pretty good, just like in 1988 & 1996, it’s an 8-year cycle. What's this year? Oh year, 2004 LOL
[emodx] Point taken, not that I agree... So do you plan to make politics a career?
[ccat86] Well, I highly doubt I will ever run for State office. Maybe a local position in two or four years. As far as employment, who knows, I'd like to do this for a living but as they say, "timing is everything", and hopefully I'm available when a good job working in the State Legislature for my party opens. Right now, I'm working as a committee clerk for this year's legislative session, for the Judiciary Committee in the Connecticut State Legislature. The job ends in early May.
[emodx] When did you get into cigars?
[ccat86] Well in 1992, my wife at the time was a subscriber to "Wine Spectator" and they sent out a Volume 1, number 1 issue of Cigar Aficionado to all subscribers. I loved it and immediately visited my local tobacconist. I started smoking regularly in 1997
[emodx] What were your go to cigars back then?
[ccat86] La Gloria Cubana and Macanudo’s, then I discovered JR's
[emodx] LGC's and Mac are pretty different...
[ccat86] and started getting into Hoyo de Monterrey’s, Excalibur’s, and Remedios.
[emodx] JR's is the Mecca for inexpensive cigars.
[ccat86] Yes, I liked the LGC's but never really took a liking to the Macanudos. CA seemed to rate the Mac's high but I could never understand why. I used to take a lot of chances with the inexpensive ones offered by JR's but was usually disappointed but not with the Remedios. I love those cigars and they are very affordable.
[emodx] I have smoked a few of them myself. Off the truck they are so-so, but after stabilizing in the humi they are a good deal. I prefer the Nat's to the Maduro's. And I usually like maddies the best.
[ccat86] YES, they definitely need time to stabilize. I prefer the maduro's, they have a SWEET CTBL wrapper that is just about my favorite maduro out there. Connecticut Broad Leaf for all those out there reading this who may not know the acronym.
[emodx] Right now, what cigar can you not smoke enough of?
[ccat86] Vegas Robaina, I love 'em 'cause they're STRONG. I usually prefer DC's but SD_Stack gave me the idea of TPC's so I've been smoking RASCC's as my daily smoke. They are very affordable for a Havana.
[emodx] I smoke a lot of PC's and TPC's because I can't always devote the time to big cigars
[ccat86] Yes, I hear ya!! Some of those DC's take an hour and a half but the TPC's usually go for about 20 minutes with me
[emodx] Which Havana do you not like that every one else seems to like?
[ccat86] My latest favorite DC is SLR. Only problem is according to Min Ron NEE, they are no longer in production Oh, I don not like Party shorts. I really don't like Montes either. RASS, RyJ Exhibitions, PSD4's are all popular but they're not on my preferred list. However I will smoke ANYTHING anyone wants to give me.
[emodx] I really like the Shorts and the pre-99 Montes
[ccat86] I'm also not a fan of Havana ERDM's, they're kind of mild. Ah, the best Monte #2 was one I got from a BOTL in Florida (LOL I wonder who) THAT was a nice smoke due to the age!
[emodx] So what do you think of Min’s book? I got mine on Monday and I am half way through it right now.
[ccat86] I love it, I like reading the history and I love the pictures. I think it's a fantastic book. Some will say he's not "god" but I don't think he tries to claim he is. He clearly states that the content is his opinion. I think he overstates/overstresses aging but again, that's a difference of opinion. I guess I just say that because I do not have the patience to age my cigars anymore than a week or two LOL.
[emodx] There is a lot of historical info he had to dig for, I really respect that part of his work.
[ccat86] Yes, I very much appreciate the research that went into it.
[emodx] What Bulletin Boards are you a member of?
[ccat86] Well, I signed up at CF, CA, CU but hardly ever post at those. There is also a small one in New England called The Great New England Smoke-out started by some former CA guys, which I participate in occasionally. I post at CW from time to time but usually only for Fast4Dr's LI Herf's and in their political forum just for laughs!! CPass is my "home".
[emodx] Speaking of home, do you have a hometown team that you follow?
[ccat86] Well in baseball, I'm a huge Houston Astros fan. For what little attention I pay to pro football, I like the Packers and the Patriots. I really prefer College football and College basketball. My college football favorites are Penn State, Florida and Michigan with an honorable mention to Kansas State thanks to Gibu. An obviously for college basketball, UCONN (sorry Fast4Dr), since I'm UCONN alum and I only live ten minutes from the campus.
[emodx] I am a Bucs fan and a Gator fan myself. Hear of any good jokes lately?
[ccat86] Fllbrent and Ricmac25 will love us huh? LOL Jokes, actually YES but I can never remember them! Three guys walk into a bar. The fourth one ducked. Pretty bad huh?
[emodx] Yup, so bad I am not going to edit it out...LMAO
[ccat86] Awwwwwww........................
[emodx] Describe Coventry Cat to the members of CP in 3 sentences…
[ccat86] That's a tough one, can I "Pass" on this one? it will take me way too long to think of something
[emodx] If you want to pass that's fine, but you can have all the time you want
[ccat86] Ah, I think I'd rather pass
[ccat86] Sorry
[ccat86] How about asking me how I found out about Cigar Pass?
[emodx] That's cool, you have been really active in CP, especially in passes and trades, what makes this place home for you?
[ccat86] The size of CP is what appeals to me. At any given time we have 50 to 100 "active" members, which for my simple mind is manageable. CW is four times bigger and I meet some guys there then seem to lose them or never see their post.
[emodx] How did you find out about CP?
[ccat86] Okay, I found out about CPass from Cigar Pool where I first met Dave Frank. Dave Frank won Cigar Pool two or three times. On Cigar Pool, people post their homepages and Dave had one for his computer business. I bought a computer from Dave last summer and noticed on his home page he had a link to Cigar Pass. GreatComputerService for ALL your computer needs!!
[ccat86] Back to the first question
[emodx] A shameless plug...
[ccat86] LOL on the shameless plug!! How'd I do Dave? LMAO
[emodx] So, back to the first question
[ccat86] At CPass, I feel I really know most of the active members pretty well. I think we've got a great group here and it's fun to post, trade and pass with everyone here. I have a pretty good handle on where everyone is from, how old they are, what cigars they like, etc. I think I'd win a CPass trivial contest hands down! Even though I'm kinda new. New but ACTIVE lol!
[emodx] Ok smarty-pants, about how old am I and what cigars do I like?
[ccat86] You are in your early 30's and like Havana’s and Padrons, and you live in Key West when you’re not out at sea in the USCG. My dad was a WWII vet and served in the Coast Guard. The USCG academy is here in Connecticut
[emodx] ding ding ding... we have a winner. So you have Coastie blood. The Coast Guard has a rich history...and the academy is around the corner from you.
[ccat86] LOL, my dad really wanted me to go to the academy when I got out of high school but I don't think I coulda gotten in. Of course he did since he thought I was smarter than I am. Looking back, I really wish I did go into the military or at least went ROTC in college. But what the heck did I know when I was 18?
[emodx] LOL
[ccat86] well I'm not too sure I know much more now that I'm 42 LOL
[emodx] The military life is a difficult challenge, but it is rich with rewards for those who do well. Cool, well thank you for sitting down and chatting with me.
[ccat86] Yep, I don't think anyone can go wrong by doing that when they're young. My pleasure Emo and good luck on your next deployment!!
[emodx] Thank you, I'll letcha know when I am going to post it.
[ccat86] Thanks for serving our country in the USCG and for serving us here at CPass!!
[emodx] Thanks, I'll see you on the boards... Good night
[ccat86] Bill Jenkins
[emodx] So why did you choose the handle Coventry Cat?
[ccat86] Well, since I like restoring and working on cars, particularly Jaguars, which are sometimes, referred to as "Coventry Cats" I thought it sounded good. The "86" is the year of the Jaguar I fixed up. The Jaguar factory is in Coventry UK
[emodx] Ahhh...I got it. Any other cars you are into?
[ccat86] I used to be into Cadillac’s, I had a Deville convertible 20 years ago and I still own a 1972 Fleetwood limousine. I also like BMW's. I have a 1979 733i.
[emodx] Anything from recent production you like? I have an 87 Corolla you could fix up... LOL
[ccat86] LOL, the newest car I own is a 1987 Buick Park Avenue, which is my daily driver. It's got 275,000 miles on it. My goal is to get it to 300K!!
[ccat86] I'd love an old Aston Martin DB5 but even those, if you can find them go for big $$$ James Bond drove those in the 1960's like in "Thunder Ball"
[emodx] So beside cars, what are you doing to keep busy?
[ccat86] I also like to build furniture and do wood working. I also spend a great deal of my spare time with politics, working on campaigns and with my position on the Republican State Central Committee, which is a volunteer position. I spend a lot of evenings at meetings, etc. It's just a hobby. It's very time consuming and the amount of time that I spend on say building a bookcase would require that I sell it for $500.00 in order to break even!
[emodx] How do you think the president is doing?
[ccat86] Hmmm, an interesting question. Personally I think the economy is doing very well, just review any stock market chart for the last year and a half and I think a great deal of people support him in ridding the world of one of the worst dictators of our century. As some have said, he did the right thing (invading Iraq) for the WRONG reason (WMD). He should have given the real reason, too many civilians being murdered by Sadam.
[emodx] But the stock market is not the end all be all indicator of how the American economy is doing. And many would argue that the economy would have done the same thing if Gore were in office. I agree with you on the Iraq issue though.
[ccat86] True on both counts BUT the voters reward incumbents in good times and punish them in bad times, look at 1992 (punish Bush) and 1996 (reward Clinton) neither of which deserved what they got.
[ccat86] How well the economy is doing is usually a matter of your personal circumstances. In my case, I've been underemployed for two years but many people's careers and jobs and their pay is pretty good, just like in 1988 & 1996, it’s an 8-year cycle. What's this year? Oh year, 2004 LOL
[emodx] Point taken, not that I agree... So do you plan to make politics a career?
[ccat86] Well, I highly doubt I will ever run for State office. Maybe a local position in two or four years. As far as employment, who knows, I'd like to do this for a living but as they say, "timing is everything", and hopefully I'm available when a good job working in the State Legislature for my party opens. Right now, I'm working as a committee clerk for this year's legislative session, for the Judiciary Committee in the Connecticut State Legislature. The job ends in early May.
[emodx] When did you get into cigars?
[ccat86] Well in 1992, my wife at the time was a subscriber to "Wine Spectator" and they sent out a Volume 1, number 1 issue of Cigar Aficionado to all subscribers. I loved it and immediately visited my local tobacconist. I started smoking regularly in 1997
[emodx] What were your go to cigars back then?
[ccat86] La Gloria Cubana and Macanudo’s, then I discovered JR's
[emodx] LGC's and Mac are pretty different...
[ccat86] and started getting into Hoyo de Monterrey’s, Excalibur’s, and Remedios.
[emodx] JR's is the Mecca for inexpensive cigars.
[ccat86] Yes, I liked the LGC's but never really took a liking to the Macanudos. CA seemed to rate the Mac's high but I could never understand why. I used to take a lot of chances with the inexpensive ones offered by JR's but was usually disappointed but not with the Remedios. I love those cigars and they are very affordable.
[emodx] I have smoked a few of them myself. Off the truck they are so-so, but after stabilizing in the humi they are a good deal. I prefer the Nat's to the Maduro's. And I usually like maddies the best.
[ccat86] YES, they definitely need time to stabilize. I prefer the maduro's, they have a SWEET CTBL wrapper that is just about my favorite maduro out there. Connecticut Broad Leaf for all those out there reading this who may not know the acronym.
[emodx] Right now, what cigar can you not smoke enough of?
[ccat86] Vegas Robaina, I love 'em 'cause they're STRONG. I usually prefer DC's but SD_Stack gave me the idea of TPC's so I've been smoking RASCC's as my daily smoke. They are very affordable for a Havana.
[emodx] I smoke a lot of PC's and TPC's because I can't always devote the time to big cigars
[ccat86] Yes, I hear ya!! Some of those DC's take an hour and a half but the TPC's usually go for about 20 minutes with me
[emodx] Which Havana do you not like that every one else seems to like?
[ccat86] My latest favorite DC is SLR. Only problem is according to Min Ron NEE, they are no longer in production Oh, I don not like Party shorts. I really don't like Montes either. RASS, RyJ Exhibitions, PSD4's are all popular but they're not on my preferred list. However I will smoke ANYTHING anyone wants to give me.
[emodx] I really like the Shorts and the pre-99 Montes
[ccat86] I'm also not a fan of Havana ERDM's, they're kind of mild. Ah, the best Monte #2 was one I got from a BOTL in Florida (LOL I wonder who) THAT was a nice smoke due to the age!
[emodx] So what do you think of Min’s book? I got mine on Monday and I am half way through it right now.
[ccat86] I love it, I like reading the history and I love the pictures. I think it's a fantastic book. Some will say he's not "god" but I don't think he tries to claim he is. He clearly states that the content is his opinion. I think he overstates/overstresses aging but again, that's a difference of opinion. I guess I just say that because I do not have the patience to age my cigars anymore than a week or two LOL.
[emodx] There is a lot of historical info he had to dig for, I really respect that part of his work.
[ccat86] Yes, I very much appreciate the research that went into it.
[emodx] What Bulletin Boards are you a member of?
[ccat86] Well, I signed up at CF, CA, CU but hardly ever post at those. There is also a small one in New England called The Great New England Smoke-out started by some former CA guys, which I participate in occasionally. I post at CW from time to time but usually only for Fast4Dr's LI Herf's and in their political forum just for laughs!! CPass is my "home".
[emodx] Speaking of home, do you have a hometown team that you follow?
[ccat86] Well in baseball, I'm a huge Houston Astros fan. For what little attention I pay to pro football, I like the Packers and the Patriots. I really prefer College football and College basketball. My college football favorites are Penn State, Florida and Michigan with an honorable mention to Kansas State thanks to Gibu. An obviously for college basketball, UCONN (sorry Fast4Dr), since I'm UCONN alum and I only live ten minutes from the campus.
[emodx] I am a Bucs fan and a Gator fan myself. Hear of any good jokes lately?
[ccat86] Fllbrent and Ricmac25 will love us huh? LOL Jokes, actually YES but I can never remember them! Three guys walk into a bar. The fourth one ducked. Pretty bad huh?
[emodx] Yup, so bad I am not going to edit it out...LMAO
[ccat86] Awwwwwww........................
[emodx] Describe Coventry Cat to the members of CP in 3 sentences…
[ccat86] That's a tough one, can I "Pass" on this one? it will take me way too long to think of something
[emodx] If you want to pass that's fine, but you can have all the time you want
[ccat86] Ah, I think I'd rather pass
[ccat86] Sorry
[ccat86] How about asking me how I found out about Cigar Pass?
[emodx] That's cool, you have been really active in CP, especially in passes and trades, what makes this place home for you?
[ccat86] The size of CP is what appeals to me. At any given time we have 50 to 100 "active" members, which for my simple mind is manageable. CW is four times bigger and I meet some guys there then seem to lose them or never see their post.
[emodx] How did you find out about CP?
[ccat86] Okay, I found out about CPass from Cigar Pool where I first met Dave Frank. Dave Frank won Cigar Pool two or three times. On Cigar Pool, people post their homepages and Dave had one for his computer business. I bought a computer from Dave last summer and noticed on his home page he had a link to Cigar Pass. GreatComputerService for ALL your computer needs!!
[ccat86] Back to the first question
[emodx] A shameless plug...
[ccat86] LOL on the shameless plug!! How'd I do Dave? LMAO
[emodx] So, back to the first question
[ccat86] At CPass, I feel I really know most of the active members pretty well. I think we've got a great group here and it's fun to post, trade and pass with everyone here. I have a pretty good handle on where everyone is from, how old they are, what cigars they like, etc. I think I'd win a CPass trivial contest hands down! Even though I'm kinda new. New but ACTIVE lol!
[emodx] Ok smarty-pants, about how old am I and what cigars do I like?
[ccat86] You are in your early 30's and like Havana’s and Padrons, and you live in Key West when you’re not out at sea in the USCG. My dad was a WWII vet and served in the Coast Guard. The USCG academy is here in Connecticut
[emodx] ding ding ding... we have a winner. So you have Coastie blood. The Coast Guard has a rich history...and the academy is around the corner from you.
[ccat86] LOL, my dad really wanted me to go to the academy when I got out of high school but I don't think I coulda gotten in. Of course he did since he thought I was smarter than I am. Looking back, I really wish I did go into the military or at least went ROTC in college. But what the heck did I know when I was 18?
[emodx] LOL
[ccat86] well I'm not too sure I know much more now that I'm 42 LOL
[emodx] The military life is a difficult challenge, but it is rich with rewards for those who do well. Cool, well thank you for sitting down and chatting with me.
[ccat86] Yep, I don't think anyone can go wrong by doing that when they're young. My pleasure Emo and good luck on your next deployment!!
[emodx] Thank you, I'll letcha know when I am going to post it.
[ccat86] Thanks for serving our country in the USCG and for serving us here at CPass!!
[emodx] Thanks, I'll see you on the boards... Good night
