These Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988's are definitely opening way up...richer and heavier in body than most of what they produce. I'd say the Lirio Rojos are "stronger". I'll be smoking more of these ...nice change of pace within the brand.

Yikes. This is right up there with guys up at Outlaw who take off their shoes and socks when sitting in the lounge. Why can't these guys just plug the store toilet like the rest of us civilized gentlemen?

A Secret Santa smoke...man, I don't think I've smoked a La Aurora in close to 20 years. Can't remember exactly when, but it was back when everyone was amazed they'd go all-in with a shape preferred by cartoon gangsters. I liked it more than I expected, honestly. Good balance and complexity...

EL Robusto Reserva... puff for puff I get a hell of a lot of ROI from John's stuff. Consistency goes a long way with me, the EL's always hit the spot.

Finally got around to my first smokes of the year on a drive back and forth to Topeka. A 2 year old Lusi is great, but a 4 year old Wide Churchill is a showstopper.

So my friends received their 3rd gift box of the same Monte 2's last night, and I did get the serial number and checked it on the Habanos site. The serial number definitely comes up, but is associated with a box of RyJ Mille Fleurs. So now I'm curious to see if subsequent boxes have an...

I do wish they'd taken my advice and sacrificed at least one to cut it open for inspection. I haven't had time to get down there and check them out myself, but I've got them accustomed enough to decent cigars to know when they have a bad one. I don't know if they were hair and poop-level bad...

HEY GUYS! My buddies have a friend who knows a guy in Havana that sends him these boxes. He gets them before they even leave the factory....check out the sticker and tax stamp so you know you aren't being ripped off! No box code compared to my Monte 4's...who wants to advertise what factory is...

Man, winter weather and family stuff kills my cigar time...but work and family are 2 cigarblocks I'll happily live with. Finally got around to something with an actual band vs. my EL's.

When your newbie cigar buddy who doesn't know enough to shop on his own heads to Italy and you tell him "whatever has a 2nd band that says exclusivo", and he comes back with an almost full box of Casanovas for you...

Spotted these babies at the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka yesterday....probably still too strong for me after 45 non-humidified years so I stuck with my BBF.

Lol, some of those FOH dudes remind me of guys who live in terror that someone will take their original Star Wars figures out of their packaging.

"50,000 year old thread"

I've got a small backpack with a main compartment big enough to fit a Xikar 15 count travel humi, with a couple of Boveda packs under the bottom foam layer. It's filled with mostly nicer Cubans because when I take it with me it means a good time with friends, a few NC's I don't smoke regularly...

I'd have to revisit after a rest, but I'd say probably competition for the Aganorsa Leaf/Casa Fernandez brand best-of, but NOT an Aganorsa tobacco usage best-of. Edited to add: For the money I'll stick with Warped/Illusione blends when it's time to buy boxes.

Some of John's EL Esplendidos arrived last night. Very pleasing to the eyes and nose. Actually going to let them settle a bit before inhaling one.

Tried this one out yesterday, pretty good for being ROTT. If you're an Aganorsa tobacco fan, definitely worth sampling a fiver.

Man, there's a Kramer for 12 grand on a cutlery site I use. Insane. You can get a very nice custom, hand forged chef knife for plus or minus a grand, but the popular guys who do the best work go for 2500 to 5000. Instagram is the devil...so much nice stuff.

Boli RC to celebrate not destroying my marriage by buying a $3000 chef knife at the knife show today.

Very cool story. Dion was probably the coolest, down to earth producer I spoke with at IPCPR a couple of years ago...genuinely appreciated the enthusiasm for his brand, and liked talking about the smokes. I've really pared down the NC's I keep stocked, but Illusione is right at the top of the list.