Well it was a great time. Even won a nice Zippo utility lighter as a door prize. The food was great...all homemade. Pasta, chicken wings and outstanding large meatballs. Pizza came later.
The humidor was fantastic. There were maybe a couple of cigars I couldn't find (Arturo Fuentes "Work of Art" Maduro and Padron 2000 Maduro.) The selection and prices were quite good.
Here's what I smoked:
Onyx Reserve Maduro Robusto: Well, I was really expecting alot from this stick. It's been rated as high as a 94, and it's one I've been wanting to try for awhile and just haven't gotten around to it. I've had a few Onyx before..namely the 642 and 650. But the Reserve is supposed to be on another level. And for me..it wasn't. It had the usual maduro flavors of cocoa and coffee with some spiciness. But it just didn't knock my socks off like I was hoping. It smoke (to me) like an average maduro. Nothing special...but not bad. I thought I might have a cold coming on (been slamming the Cold-FXs for a couple of days) so I'm not sure if my palate was "off"?? I cleansed my palate like I usually do pre-smoke and between smokes by melting a piece of 85% dark chocolate on my tongue. I think I'll re-visit this cigar again just to make sure I didn't have a dud.
Drew Estates Tabak Especial Corono After my meal, I decided to try one of the event sponsor's cigars. And the Tabak Especial was recommended to me by the rep. Drew Estates makes some unique cigars. Many of them are a blend of great tobaccos that are then either infused or mixed with botanicals not otherwise found in cigars. They are unique, that's for sure. I've had and enjoyed the Roam and Kuba Kuba in the past. Both of those sticks smell almost like incense when they are lit they are so heavy with botanicals. Anyways...the special thing about the Tabak Especial is that it's infused with coffee. Well....this cigar sucked, really. I didn't even finish it, leaving a full 1/3 of it to die in the ashtray. I could taste a VERY mild coffee taste...and the tobacco itself was rather mild. It's not that I don't like mild cigars...since they are good for smoking on an empty stomach as the medium-full bodied ones can make you dizzy/buzz if your belly isn't full. My friend also tried one..and his draw was too tight and he didn't finish his either. Will not try again.
NUB 358 This is a new type of cigar made by the Oliva family. Oliva is my favorite brand ATM. I had been putting off smoking this one as well, mainly due to the odd sizes. The NUB looks exactly as it sounds. A nub is a cigar that has been smoke almost all the way down. All of the NUB cigars are only about 3-4" long..but with gigantic ring sizes. The one I chose was the "358" with a Conneticut wrapper. They also have a Cameroom and Habano wrapper. I just chose the Conneticut to keep it a bit on the smoother/creamier side. This is a very finely made cigar. The wrapper is perfect and beautiful. The cigar feels large. Just a tad over 3 " with a massive 58 gauge ring. That's about 1.9" diam. The pre-smoke draw was perfect. So easy you could breathe through it! Once lit, this cigar did not disappoint. Amazing quality, burn and taste. Very creamy...with pronounced tastes of buttery toast and some cedar. Thick, thick smoke. I thought because of the stubbie size, this would be a quick smoke. Not so. It lasted 45 minutes. I suspect it would go longer, but I was enjoying it so much I may have been smoking it rather quick. I REALLY like this cigar and bought 2 of tem to take home with me, along with a CAO MX2 Maduro (yummy!). Overall...this is a FANTASTIC cigar, and definitely a new smoking experience. I'm so impressed, I will be ordering a box shortly. I've included a full size pic.
