Cigars & Tech

Cloud Computing.

2009-07-09T15:32:00.002-04:00

Hello Fellow Techies...

Isn't Cloud Computing just a return to the old mainframe days ?
Where we just become dumb terminals with the Internet behind the glass ?

Todays Cigar for 03/30/09

2009-04-02T00:52:00.006-04:00

Today I had a Hoya de Monterrey Dark Sumatra at Addison Cigar & Tobacco. The Dark Sumatra is one of the fullest flavored Hoyo de Monterrey blends, featuring an extra fermented dark wrapper.

A line extension from Hoyo de Monterrey, this extra-rich cigar called "Dark Sumatra", is named after its wrapper tobaccos, which are hand-selected from the very darkest and richest Ecuadorian sun-grown, Sumatra seed leaves. These choice, extra-dark Sumatra leaves are then aged in "tercios", wood-textured bales made of thick, dried palm leaves.

Puff.com cigar rating : 7.94

Comcast to restrict monthly broadband use

2008-08-29T09:13:00.002-04:00

Comcast soon ( Oct 1) will begin cracking down on heavy users of its Internet service in a move that critics fear could be a step toward restricting unlimited broadband access to download and upload files while surfing the Web. Customers who exceed the limit (250GB/month) a second time in six months will face termination of their account.

To approach the monthly limit Comcast is placing on its Internet users, you would have to do one of the following:

-- Send 50 million e-mails

-- Download 62,500 songs

-- Download 125 standard-definition movies

-- Upload 25,000 high-resolution digital photos

GOP VP Pick

2008-08-29T08:27:00.006-04:00

John McCain will pick Republican governor of
Alaska, Sarah Palin as VP. Pick seen as playing
to the defectors of the Democratic party that
supported Hillary Clinton.

Todays Cigar 08/27/08

2008-08-27T17:30:00.004-04:00

Cuvee Rouge

Todays Cigar 08/26/08

2008-08-27T17:29:00.001-04:00

Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur Crusader

Todays Cigar 08/25/08

2008-08-27T17:28:00.003-04:00

Macanudo

Todays Cigar 08/22/08

2008-08-27T17:27:00.001-04:00

Carlos Torano 1916

Todays Cigar 08/21/08

2008-08-27T17:26:00.002-04:00

Rocky Patel Signature Series lancero.

Todays Cigar 08/20/08

2008-08-27T17:19:00.002-04:00

Hoyo De Monterrey

Cigar du jour 08/19/08

2008-08-19T16:14:00.003-04:00

Now that I have a 100ct hummidor, its now a challenge to decide what cigar to have. So I picked one out at random. I came out with a Oliveros XL for MEN. So off to the ESL I went to light up this manly cigar. It turned out to be a great smoke. The draw and burn were flawless throughout the whole smoke. At first I was primarily picking up heavy cocoa flavors which turned into a good black coffee. The ash was very white and firm. I was able retro-hale and blow out through my nose without the feeling that someone had kicked me in the face. I took it all the way down to the nub and only got bitterness in the last quarter.

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A ( Top25Cigar db still down :( )

Todays Cigar 08/18/08

2008-08-18T17:23:00.004-04:00

Today I smoked the Oliva Serie O maduro at the Executive Smoking Lounge nearby the workplace. The Oliva is an all Habano Puro constructed with Nicaraguan Habano fillers and binders. It is finished with a Sun Grown Habano wrapper giving this mild smoke a rich taste of spice and cedar. The robusto size stick measures a standard 5 x 50. The draw was easy and smooth. The burn was even and the construction was top notch. The cigar was firm to the touch and the oily wrapper made it feel like a velvet gem.

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A ( Top25Cigar was hacked and will be down till 8/19/08.)

Todays Cigar 08/13/08

2008-08-13T18:42:00.005-04:00

The cigar du jour was an Oliva Serie O.

Todays cigar 08/12/08

2008-08-13T18:33:00.003-04:00

Todays cigar was a Padilla Limitado that I received as part of a PIF.

Todays Cigar 07/11/08

2008-08-13T18:18:00.005-04:00

Todays cigar was a Camacho 10th Anniversary Robusto. The Camacho 10th Anniversary is a complete Corojo cigar. The wrapper, the filler and the binder are all Corojo leaves. The spice was immediately noticeable upon lighting. It had an extremely rich leathery taste, very spicy and the flavor stood out immediately. Coming up on the last quarter of the cigar, I started to notice that the spice almost kicked up a bit. There was a peppery taste that struck me, and the spice of this cigar was consistent and even strengthened at the end.

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A

Cigar Jack Contest

2008-08-08T09:55:00.003-04:00

Show Us Your Camacho!

Alright you can show CJ any cigar you want, but you’ll get an extra entry if it is a Camacho.

What do you win?

Camacho has been kind enough to send CJ this lovely travel humidor containing some very fine cigars.

Todays Cigar 08/07/08

2008-08-07T18:03:00.003-04:00

The cigar I picked for today was one of my favorites a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Epicure from CigarBid.com. 5/25x50 size.

The Excalibur is the premier line from Hoyo De Monterrey, with top-quality Connecticut shade wrappers and the very finest fillers. The Excalibur Epicure features the full-flavor and strength of the regular line, with a rich, creamy taste.

Top25Cigar Rating : 6.99

I must disagree with this rating, I thoroughly enjoyed the cigar. It was smooth, mild and was consistent in its taste and burn throughout.

Cigar 8/6/08

2008-08-07T17:12:00.007-04:00

For today's cigar I decided to try something a bit different. I pulled a Tabak Especial Corona Negra ( $5.39 ) from my Rocky Patel Sun Grown 100 humidor. The pre-light aroma was definitely of light coffee and some sweetness. The Tabak is an extra-dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper which envelop a Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan Criollo filler leaves. This cigar was a interesting change from my usual cigars. A good cigar to cleanse the pallet with a good coffee.

Cigar 8/5/08

2008-08-05T17:49:00.004-04:00

A very dark and cloudy day today, so I was afraid I would not be able to get outside today. But the weather held off and I was able to escape the cubbie for the refuge of my stogie spot.

Today I had a Rocky Patel ITC 10th Anniversary from 2 Guys ( Not available on the Website ).

From what I have googled, ITC is Indian Tabac ( Cigar or Cameroon ?) The email for Rocky Patel is info(AT)indiantabac.com

This is the company’s first Nicaraguan Puro using binder and filler tobacco from 3 different regions in Nicaragua: Jalapa, Esteli and the Condega Valley. The Wrapper is a Cuban seed corojo, also grown in Nicaragua. The cigar is flavorful and elegant with a spicy flavor and complexity

Todays cigar 08/04/08

2008-08-04T15:41:00.006-04:00

Today I decided to try a Cusano Habano LXI. The pre-lite aromas were good along the wrapper as well as the foot. The post punch flavor was good as well. my initial thought was this should be a good smoke, but I was wrong. It took me forever to get it lit and when I did the draw was terrible. The cigar had various problems, terrible tunneling, the wrapper was extremely fragile and the burn kept meandering all over the place. I had to draw punch it a few times to keep it going and when I got a good draw it seemed I had to keep relighting it. All in all a bad cigar smoke today. Oh well there is always tomorrow.

$6.33 at Cigar.com

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A

Sunday Cigar

2008-08-04T15:35:00.003-04:00

I was lucky to have some downtime while waiting for some car repairs. So I headed off to my local B&M known as 2 Guys Smoke Shop in Nashua NH on DW Highway. I picked up a few smokes...

CAO Gold
Cuvee Rouge
Hoyo De Monterrey Governor

I had the CAO Gold which was excellent as always, never had a bad CAO other than a flavored one that I won't mention.

Twins Smoke Shop BBQ

2008-07-31T11:01:00.001-04:00

Just an FYI, the Twins Smoke Shop BBQ is today.
See post twins-smoke-shop-fundraiser

Cigar 07/30/08

2008-07-31T10:34:00.003-04:00

Today I had what I thought was going to be a fairly good cigar. It was a Rocky Patel Sun Grown, $32.99 for a pack of 5 from Famous Smoke Shop. The pre-light aromas were good and familiar from past RP's. After lighting it started off good but then it went very bitter and harsh and never seemed to recover. I was very disappointed with this stogie being a fan of things RP. It could be just me but I don't think I would buy this one again.

Top25Cigar Rating : 7.99

Cigar du jour 07/29/08 Part 2

2008-07-29T17:58:00.003-04:00

On the commute I had a Alec Bradley MAXX Nano corona.

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A

Cigar du jour 07/29/08

2008-07-29T17:48:00.005-04:00

Today I decided to try a cigar that never had before. It was a Gurkha 8 year Legend box-pressed toro. I got a 5 pack of them from CigarBid.

Top25Cigar Rating : 8.08

Cigar of the Day 07/27/08

2008-07-29T17:30:00.004-04:00

Todays cigar was an impromptu one while I was browsing my local B&M. This cigar looked interesting and the aroma was nice. So I decided to give it a try. Well it was a mistake, it tasted awful and the draw was extremely tight. When I tried to open it with a poker I nearly broke the cigar in half trying to get it thru the cigar.

The cigar was a Nestor Miranda Special, $6.99 from 2 Guys Smoke Shop in Nashua, NH.

Not a cigar I would buy again.

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A

Macanudo 1968 Deal

2008-07-25T21:35:00.005-04:00

General Cigar is running a deal at http://www.macanudo1968.com/ to try out the just released Macanudo 1968. It's supposed to be a more full-flavored cigar, and probably retail for around $7-10. You can get 3 for $9.95 shipped, limit one per household.

There is also this promotion...

4 Tastes of Perfection.
http://www.cigarworld.com/promotions/PromoPopup.aspx?pid=31

Social Cigar 2nd Millenium

2008-07-24T20:58:00.005-04:00

Register at SocialCigar.com to reach the 3000 mark !!

Register Today !

http://www.socialcigar.com/

The 2000th user was habanaharpo invited by UncleBugga.

We currently have 2044 Socialites :D

Twins Smoke Shop

2008-07-22T19:05:00.006-04:00

Team Twins Fundraiser

Please join us for a great evening July 31 from 6-10PM in Londonderry,NH. For a minimal $10 donation, come and enjoy food from Pinkerton Tavern, drinks and cigars. We will be holding a silent auction as well. Items are already coming in like car care, cigars, restaurant gift certificates and jewelry. We MAY be getting a very special auction item, rent a Porsche for the day! In addition to the auction we will also be enjoying music from DJ Jodi and hanging
with the Whiskey Girls!

Please bring your friends and family to help us out!

If you can donate any items to the auction or if you have any questions, please call Mame at 1-603-234-6469

Twins Smoke Shop BBQ.

2008-07-21T21:25:00.002-04:00

TWINS Smoke Shop will be holding their annual Big BBQ with live bands on Sunday Sept 14, 2008. More details to follow. Just something to keep in mind. Hopefully we can get together and represent SocialCigar. Now's the time to hit up TommyBoy for your SocialCigar Gear if you haven't already. I keep you all informed with times and schedule of events.

Shamelessly stolen text from Mark (Bugs) Moran.

Day 1

2008-07-21T20:53:00.003-04:00

Well today I was able to sneak out of he house on errands. I stopped by the 2 Guys Smoke Shop in Nahusa NH and picked out a AVO 787. Not many tobacconists seem to sell this particular stogie. It was $7.99 at 2Guys.

The 787 consists of a Connecticut Seed, Sun Grown Ecuadorian
wrapper, Dominican binder, and Dominican filler. The cigar opened up with a flourish of nuts and coffee and quickly took on a toasty flavor.

While some cigars aren’t so good in the first inch, the 787 was a great smoke right off the bat. It struck me as being very complex, with flavors of grain, toast, coffee and earthiness. It seemed that every puff was noticeably different than the one preceding it. The rest of the cigar remained earthy with just a bit of leather. As entered the final inch of the cigar, it took on a harsh flavor, and I gave up my ambitions for a proper finger-burning nub.

Top25Cigar Rating : 8.11

Cusano Event 7/25-7/27

2008-07-21T13:30:00.004-04:00

2 Guys Smoke Shop
Cusano Cigar Events This Weekend
Come by Nashua NH this Friday July 25th, Salem NH this Saturday July 26th or Seabrook NH this Sunday July 27th to meet Joe Cusano (right) and get great specials on all Cusano Cigars. Including the "Cigar of the Year," Cuvee Blanc. He will also be offering specials on all his other lines; Cusano 18, Cusano Corojo, Cusano Hermanos, Cusano LXI, Cusano 59, Cuvee Rouge, Cuvee 151 and more.

Joe will be in Nashua all day Friday, Salem all day Saturday and Seabrook all day Sunday.

Today was Xikar

2008-07-18T20:29:00.005-04:00

I had a Xikar Defiance Guardian Corojo 6x52
$7.19 from 2Guys.

The criollo wrapper is smooth with light veins and no tooth.
The wrap was well done and appeared seamless.

This isn’t a complex cigar as the flavors remained constant
throughout. Wood and nut pervaded my taste buds, and
except for some tannic undertones, it was quite pleasant.
The strength started mild then grew into a solid medium
body with a medium finish. The construction and quality
was what I expect from a good cigar. I definitely
recommend you try this cigar. Not to mention that this
cigar stands for our rights to smoke cigars.

Top25Cigar Rating : N/A

Cigar at Lunch 07/17/08

2008-07-17T14:27:00.003-04:00

Today I purchased a Folding mesh Camp chair to enjoy my cigar.
The stogie was a Cohiba Corona 5x42 $10.00 from Cigar.com.

The pre-light aromas were of course of enjoyable Spanish cedar.

The Cohiba had notes of cream and coffee, citrus, a little pepper flavor and some kind of spice I could not make out. The savory wrapper had a mild pleasant flavor, smoke had a pleasant smell, very mild and voluminous.

A very enjoyable cigar with my libation of the day a Minute Maid Lemonade.

Top25Cigar Rating : 7.04

Todays Cigar 07/16/08

2008-07-16T17:58:00.006-04:00

Hello fellow stogies, the cigar I chose today was a
Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur Limited Edition. $5.60 at
Famous-Smoke Shop.
Top25Cigar Rating : 8.12

The Connecticut shade wrapper contrasted sharply with the dark blend of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican filler.

Spice was the initial sensation from the thick, creamy smoke. That taste faded as the white ash grew. A warm, smoky flavor developed about a quarter of the way through, and the finish got drier. Near the halfway point, I got hints of what seemed to be coffee and caramel, while the spice came and went several times.

All in all a fine cigar that could find a home in my humidor anytime.

Yesterday's Cigar 07/15/08

2008-07-16T10:44:00.000-04:00

Sorry I wasn't able to report on the CDJ yesterday, so there will be 2 postings today.

Yesterday I had a Oliva Serie O 7x50 $5.39 at 2Guys.

Top25 Cigar Rating : 9.0

I liked this cigar very much. The pre-lite aromas were woody and fresh. The light was easy as well as the draw. The stogy produced a lot of thick smoke, so much so I thought people would have assumed I was on fire or sending a S.O.S.

I would get this cigar again, possibly in a box or 5-Pack.

The Series O earns its name as the original blend to hit the market. The all Nicaraguan tobaccos used gives this cigar a medium well-rounded body and aroma. A silky Nicaraguan Colorado
wrapper finishes this cigar making it look almost as good as it tastes.

Cigar du jour 07/14/08

2008-07-14T17:03:00.000-04:00

For lunch today I had a Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 for my favorite B&M, for $8.89

I got this cigar as part of a Living Large Traveler pack special from 2 Guys for $29.99

Top25Cigar Rating : 7.41

Right off, this cigar starts with a heavy coffee flavor, a
hint of cream, and a bit of earthiness. After a few minutes
it picked up some black pepper that left the tongue tingling.
I would have to say that overall this cigar has a predominately
coffee flavor, with subtle changes in the accompanying notes.

A definite do over.

Second Hand Smoke farce.

2008-07-12T20:45:00.000-04:00

Here is a interesting article on Cigar Diary even though it was
written in 2002 on this subject.

Here is an opposing view from the American Lung Association.

Cigar 7/11/08

2008-07-12T19:51:00.000-04:00

Lunch cigar on Friday was a Romeo Y Julieta 6x50 $5.39
from 2 Guys Smoke Shop in Nashua NH.

Top25Cigar rating : 7.94

The cigar itself is a nice golden color, firm to the squeeze, with an attractive gold foil band. The size of it is 6x50. I punched it with
my retractable punch, applied flame and took a puff. The cigar
is very mild all the way through, and after about an inch it
developed a woodsy flavor with a very slight coffee and chocolate
touch to it. It stayed mild and pleasant all the way down to the
end. The ash was a very nice white color, not very flaky, nice
and firm.

A definite must do over.

Cigar Videos

2008-07-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some videos that I have come across concerning all things stogie.

How to Light A Premium Cigar
How to roll a cigar

Worlds Largest Humidor

Yesterday's Cigar 7/10/08

2008-07-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, I went to my usual out of way spot for a bit of peace from the pleasure police. The cigar was a Camacho Triple Maduro 6x48 $12.69 from 2 Guys.

TopCigar25 : Rating 8.0

Just looking at this cigar can make your blood run cold. If cigars were the mafia the Camacho Triple Maduro would be the hit man. Even though it has a bold look the flavors are smooth and cool and then BAM! He’s popped a cap in the back of your head.

Full bodied cigars take a lot out of me and so I don't usually smoke them but I had to give it a try.

Thanks to Tommy Boy at Socialcigars.com for sending me a bunch of EMPTY Camacho bags !
Thanks Tommy !

Cigar du jour 07/09/08

2008-07-09T14:15:00.000-04:00

Todays cigar is a Oliveros Honey Sweet Toro 5.75x50 $4.99 at 2 Guys.

The pre-lite aroma was sweet and a bit toasty wood. After punching a lighting the draw was easy and sweet.

The cigar was a bit bitter and the sweetness didn't last more than a third of the way.

An OK cigar, I would smoke it if offered, but not a repeat buy.

Top25Cigar : Rating 7.43

Cigar of the Day 07/08/08

2008-07-08T16:14:00.001-04:00

It's a hot and humid day today as I went out to find a cool spot to have a smoke.

The cigar is CAO America Monument 6.25x54 $7.99 at 2 Guys.

The stick was firm and I couldn't feel any soft spots. The post lite draw was smooth and easy. The taste was of toasted nuts and slightly bitter wood.

Nice easy smoke. I paired this with a Mountain Dew !

Top25Cigar : Rating 7.53

Same Cigar Vendor ?

2008-07-08T12:26:00.002-04:00

I was listening to a podcast of The Cigar Alliance and one of the guests mentioned that these 3 online sites have the same mailing address.

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/html/contactus.asp
http://www.cigarbid.com/auction/contactus.cfm
http://www.cigar.com/info/index.asp

What would be the reason for this ?

I have found that CigarBid is a division of Cigar International.

Cigar of the Day 07/07/08

2008-07-07T14:40:00.000-04:00

Today's cigar was a Camacho 11/18 which I paired with a vintage Mountain Dew Code Red 2008.

The world's only authentic Corojo cigar, with 100% 1st generation Corojo Seed grown in the Jamastran Valley. With the authentic Corojo (Jamastran) wrapper, binder, and filler.

Leather, exotic spice and damp earthiness are present. A natural tobacco sweetness on the lips and in the smoke dance around all the other flavors. The finish is long and retains that blend of leathery spice.

Top25Cigar : Rating 8.38

Colibri Lighter

2008-07-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

I have a Colibri Firebird Piston (Red), it is full of fuel. I can see it spark, I hear it hissing but it never lights..

Ok, problem solved. A good blast of compressed air down the butane nozzles cleared up the problem. Torches good now !

Cigar Chicks 2

2008-07-06T20:09:00.000-04:00

Cigar Chicks

2008-07-06T20:04:00.000-04:00

Todays cigar 07/06/08

2008-07-06T17:14:00.000-04:00

I had a Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Connecticut 6.5x52 $7.89 from 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Pre-lit draw and taste was very good with grassy tones.

Draw was smooth and easy, burn was even until half way one-side burned faster than the other. Very good cigar, smooth and mild.

Top 25 Cigar : Rating 7.12

Todays cigar 07/03/08

2008-07-04T18:52:00.002-04:00

Todays cigar was a Partagas Black Magnifico 6 X 54 -$5.79

Very full flavored, full of bitter chocolate and black pepper flavors. It was so strong it knocked me on my butt for a bit.

Top 25 Cigar : Rating 7.83

Todays cigar 07/02/08

2008-07-04T18:23:00.000-04:00

Today I had an Ashton Churchill from 2 Guys Smoke Shop $8.69

The cigar started off well with nice woodsy flavors. But then it went down hill from there. A vacuum hose couldn't draw this and I eventually had to poke a hole down the middle to get any draw at all. I also had to constantly re-lite it. When it was burning the mascara line meandered all over the place. Not one of my favorites.

Top 25 Cigar : Rating 8.26

Todays cigar 06/30/08

2008-06-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

For Lunch I had a CAO Gold Churchill (7x48). $5.89
A fairly decent smoke, mild and smooth. A definite go to cigar.

Top 25 Cigar : Rating 7.43

Social Cigar

2008-06-29T16:49:00.000-04:00

If you enjoy fine cigars and want to socialize go to..

View my page on Social Cigar