Balls of Steel, Smoke Inn Toy Drive and Felipe Gregorio Defiant Cigars

I have to mix things up a little bit from time to time, so before I get into the cigars I’ve enjoyed on my evening walks, I’d like to share a couple of opportunities to be charitable. The first item I’d like to share is from OriginalBOS.com. Balls of Steel is an ice alternative for those of you who enjoy chilled spirits. Fifteen percent of the proceeds go toward testicular cancer research. I don’t drink, but I do have testicles, as do many of you, I’m sure, so I felt it appropriate to share here. Here’s what they have to say:

“OriginalBOS was founded to create a community for men with a very serious issue in a light-hearted way that gives every man the opportunity to feel like a distinguished gentleman by using Balls of Steel Whiskey Chillers. By providing a useful and conversation-starting product – really, it might sound like a 17 year old named it, but just try to say ‘Balls of Steel’ to a stranger without an explanation – OriginalBOS is opening up a national dialogue about the realities of testicular cancer while hopefully encouraging some smiles . . . and probably a few furrowed brows.”

So grow a pair and buy some! They make a great Christmas present, can’t you picture Santa pulling them out of his sack and putting them under your tree? I know you can’t wait to get your hands on a pair of these. There have to be a handful of funny jokes about this product, but I can’t think of any. Nuts!

In other news, Smoke Inn in Florida is holding a toy drive benefitting kids with cancer. You could possibly win some very nice cigar prizes just for shipping them a new toy. Details are in the graphic below (or above, depending on the device you use to read this). There are some incredible prizes, but thinking of the little bit of joy you could bring to a child is worth the cost of a toy.

On to the cigars. I’ve been working my way through some more IPCPR samples, and figured I’d smoke my way through the three varieties of the Defiant from Felipe Gregorio. Of course, I always smoke from darkest to lightest when given the opportunity, so I went with a reddish, oily wrapped cigar which was the Habano Marron first, then the Corojo, and finally the Connecticut. All three were 5” x 50 robustos and all had the same band. These are a nice representation of how much the wrapper changes the flavor of a cigar, since these are all the same filler and binder with the only difference being the wrapper. I have to say, I personally enjoyed the Connecticut more of the three, oddly enough. They all had bee in my humidor since the trade show in July, and they all exhibited similar burn problems, uneven burns, and some tunneling. The Habano Marron had a bitterness that I didn’t particularly care for, and the Corojo wasn’t bad, but wasn’t particularly memorable. The Connecticut had a pleasant sweetness that I enjoyed, although the burn was a distraction. I’m anything but typical, and walking the dog in the dark may not be the perfect environment, but most of my cigars burn well and give me enjoyment. I’m sorry to say that this line probably won’t be on my re-smoke list, but your mileage may vary.