This isn’t going to be too long a post, we went to a local Vietnamese restaurant for dinner tonight and apparently Vietnamese cuisine isn’t a good match for my digestive tract! Scratch that one off the list! We have a shopping center within a half mile of the house that has a bunch of interesting eateries, and we’re working our way through. So far Cheeburger Cheeburger is a winner for dinner, and The Bacon Press is an obvious choice for breakfast and lunch (not open for dinner, the Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Jalapeño was really good). Something about the rice noodle wanton soup didn’t do it for me. Anyway, if you want to hear about digestive woes tune into The Cigar Authority show, we’re here to talk about cigars! 🙂
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Tuesday I was late getting home due to traffic, and figured it wound be a good time for a short smoke. I have had some Toscano 1492 cigars in the humidor for a month or two now, and have been waiting for the right time, this was it. Toscano cigars are Italian cheroots, and are very rustic. They are hand rolled with out molds, and are meant to be cut in half and smoked that way. Of course you can smoke the whole thing if you want, but the tradition is to halve them. These are the cigars that use the majority of the Kentucky Fire Cured tobacco that was all the rage in premium cigars last year, and, if there was any doubt about that, the unlit flavor and aroma removes that doubt. They smell like a campfire. Sadly, I’m not enamored with this flavor profile, but once again I soldiered on, for science. It’s been my experience that this style of cigar burns longer than one would expect, and it took me nearly an hour to smoke the half of the 1492 (the unbanded half in the picture). THIS is an in your face, powerhouse of a little cigar, very smoky in flavor and not without some acidity and bitterness. This will certainly appeal to a group of folks who like that sort of thing, and certainly satisfy the need for a strong smoke. These and other Toscano style cigars are available at ItalianSmokes.com. Everyone should at least give this style of cigar a try to see what pure Tennessee grown Kentucky Fire Cured tobacco tastes like, and to look cool like Clint Eastwood.
Tonight I enjoyed an Arandoza White Label Robusto after dinner as Macha and I took a walk on the first warm day of the year (I think it may have hit 60). I love it when it’s still light at 7 PM, and not having to suit up with hat and gloves and layers is a welcome change. The Arandoza White is a tasty smoke from the La Zona factory in Esteli. I seem to be amassing cigars made there recently, as I’ve gotten a box of La Sirena Divines in the past couple weeks which are also very nice (I smoked one Sunday, more on that as I smoke a few more and actually pay attention, now and then I need to just smoke a cigar without thinking about it!) I’ve talked about the Arandoza White Label before, and it’s a well balanced, dignified cigar that I find quite pleasant and flavorful, I’m a fan of the whole line. I’m very much looking forward to meeting Robert Arango at the IPCPR show this summer.
That’s enough for now. My new humidor shipped from Florida yesterday, so I’m hoping it arrives by Friday. Expect and update one way or the other on Sunday. I have to figure out how it’s going to get unloaded from a truck, the new house has no loading dock, nor do I own a forklift (fun fact: I am a licensed forklift driver!). I cant wait to finally get this thing and get it up and running!
Have a great week, until the next time,
CigarCraig
