tomthirtysix
Wishing I was as cool as Phil
La GLoria Cubana Serie R Limitada 2005 Maduro
Size: 7.75 x 62
Filler: Dominican Republic
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ct. Broadleaf
Well, it was a beautiful Mother's Day in NY, and I had a lot of work to do. After two hours of sleep from my night job, I went out to my parent's house to help my dad get dinner ready. This was going to be a L O N G project, so I figured I'd bring the biggest cigar I had in my humidor. This one pretty much fit the bill.
A beautiful specimen of a cigar, gifted to me by a fine jazz loving BOTL. I decided a few weeks back that this was going to be the day I set fire to this beaut. What was going to take so long, you ask? Well, here's the project of the day:
Yup, pig roast. After everything that could possibly go wrong with the roast went wrong (pig wouldn't stay secured to the bar, motor burned out, bar slipped out of the bracket a couple times) we finally seemed to get a handle on the situation, and it was time to enjoy the weather.
I used my Xikar Xi3 to get a nice, clean cut, and the pre-light draw was slightly loose (not a bad thing with a cigar this size) and spicy. I began the cigar with some homemade plum brandy my dad just brought back from his trip to Croatia. I took the cedar sleeve to the coals, and lit the cigar. A lot of smoke, nice and smooth, but no hint of the spiciness I tasted pre-light. There was a woody taste. Not cedar, but I could not figure out what it was exactly.
The burn was uneven in some spots, but for the most part, corrected itself quickly. Probably just as much a result of the decent amount of wind we had in the yard, as much as the cigar itself. I only had to correct it once, and that was down towards the end, probably with about 2" left.
About 1/3 of the way in, the woody taste changed over to a taste of cedar. It was a pretty dramatic and quick changeover. At this point, the brandy was done, and we were working close to the fire trying to fix the problems with he spit. So, I switched over to Beck's. It went well with the sweet taste of the cedar, and the big clouds of smoke I was getting.
At this point, everything finally starting going well with the pig. And just in time, too, because getting down to the final third, the cigar really opened up. The cedar taste was starting to fade a little, and the spiciness I tasted pre-light finally arrived. And, I thought I was getting a lot of smoke before, but that was nothing compared to what was coming now. The Beck's was no match for this, so I had to move on to Jameson. I sat back, enjoyed the rest of the cigar and the sun. Total run time was about 2 1/2 hours.
I REALLY enjoyed this cigar. And i know the environment has just as much to do with the enjoyment, but I think this surpassed just being a product of the environment. I wish I had that much time more often to sit back and enjoy a smoke. And thanks, SJM, for this great smoke.
Dinner was great, as expected. And when it was finally done, I sat outside with a cup of coffee and a Bolivar (NC) robusto. Nice strong smoke to cap off a perfect day. I had originally planned on doing a full review on this smoke, too, but I was just way too damn tired to do anything else but enjoy the smoke, and hope that the caffeine would hurry up and kick in.
Size: 7.75 x 62
Filler: Dominican Republic
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ct. Broadleaf
Well, it was a beautiful Mother's Day in NY, and I had a lot of work to do. After two hours of sleep from my night job, I went out to my parent's house to help my dad get dinner ready. This was going to be a L O N G project, so I figured I'd bring the biggest cigar I had in my humidor. This one pretty much fit the bill.
A beautiful specimen of a cigar, gifted to me by a fine jazz loving BOTL. I decided a few weeks back that this was going to be the day I set fire to this beaut. What was going to take so long, you ask? Well, here's the project of the day:
Yup, pig roast. After everything that could possibly go wrong with the roast went wrong (pig wouldn't stay secured to the bar, motor burned out, bar slipped out of the bracket a couple times) we finally seemed to get a handle on the situation, and it was time to enjoy the weather.
I used my Xikar Xi3 to get a nice, clean cut, and the pre-light draw was slightly loose (not a bad thing with a cigar this size) and spicy. I began the cigar with some homemade plum brandy my dad just brought back from his trip to Croatia. I took the cedar sleeve to the coals, and lit the cigar. A lot of smoke, nice and smooth, but no hint of the spiciness I tasted pre-light. There was a woody taste. Not cedar, but I could not figure out what it was exactly.
The burn was uneven in some spots, but for the most part, corrected itself quickly. Probably just as much a result of the decent amount of wind we had in the yard, as much as the cigar itself. I only had to correct it once, and that was down towards the end, probably with about 2" left.
About 1/3 of the way in, the woody taste changed over to a taste of cedar. It was a pretty dramatic and quick changeover. At this point, the brandy was done, and we were working close to the fire trying to fix the problems with he spit. So, I switched over to Beck's. It went well with the sweet taste of the cedar, and the big clouds of smoke I was getting.
At this point, everything finally starting going well with the pig. And just in time, too, because getting down to the final third, the cigar really opened up. The cedar taste was starting to fade a little, and the spiciness I tasted pre-light finally arrived. And, I thought I was getting a lot of smoke before, but that was nothing compared to what was coming now. The Beck's was no match for this, so I had to move on to Jameson. I sat back, enjoyed the rest of the cigar and the sun. Total run time was about 2 1/2 hours.
I REALLY enjoyed this cigar. And i know the environment has just as much to do with the enjoyment, but I think this surpassed just being a product of the environment. I wish I had that much time more often to sit back and enjoy a smoke. And thanks, SJM, for this great smoke.
Dinner was great, as expected. And when it was finally done, I sat outside with a cup of coffee and a Bolivar (NC) robusto. Nice strong smoke to cap off a perfect day. I had originally planned on doing a full review on this smoke, too, but I was just way too damn tired to do anything else but enjoy the smoke, and hope that the caffeine would hurry up and kick in.
