Another viewpoint

One of my long time smoking chums sent me this list of outstanding cigars to indulge in. Take a look at their picks and let me know what you think.

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/04/13/best-cigars-of-summer/

Review : Punch Sucker Punch King Hit

I have been a fan of Punch cigars for quite some time. Full bodied , good price point, basically well made cigars. I was given the opportunity to review Punch Sucker Punch King Hit a blend sold by Famous Cigars , a well known catalogue  company.  Famous sent me the cigars gratis with no strings attached. 

Here are the details about Sucker Punch King Hit.

 Medium strength, country of origin: Honduras.

Natural wrapper color.

Wrapper origin: Ecuadorian

Wrapper leaf: Connecticut

Measurement was 6 x 54, toro shape

Here are my candid comments about this smoke.

Good looking cigar with some slight veins protruding. Wrapper color was light, solid construction. No blemishes and no discoloration.

First impressions 

Slightly bitter upon lighting. Used an Xixar lighter and cutter. Taste did smooth out pretty quickly, was easy to smoke and not harsh. Pretty typical of Connecticut wrapper.

Middle of smoke

Even burn , light grey ash , no bite, no touch ups or tunneling. So far, enjoyable with a good overall impression.

Last third

Sorry folks, this is where the cigar lost me. Smoke became flinty and metallic. Became somewhat bitter and the good vibes I was experiencing were fading. The cigar did not substain it's good start.

Last thoughts 

Cigar smoking is very subjective as we all have our own ideas what makes a good smoke. The price of these smokes are very reasonable, so they are  worth a five pack to try them out. Check out the brand at famous-smoke.com/brand group/punch+cigars

I have 4 more of the Sucker Punch to try so will keep them in my humidor and let them sit a spell.

small company, great cigars

There are hundreds of boutique cigar companies across the USA. How we find out about them is often a mystery. Often times it is word of mouth from a cigar buddy, or perhaps at a cigar event you might have attended.  I found out about Hava Cigars/RoMa Craft Tobac  from a twitter account and started to followed Chief Hava at @ChiefHava. He had interesting thoughts about cigars but I truly liked his humor about the products. The names of the cigars his company made was truly cool. I suggest you check out their website to get the full flavor of the company.

What I am going to review are the Intemperance brand  of cigars.

I have ordered several 5 packs of Intemperance EC XVIII and Intemperance BA XXI .

Here is my take of both brands. First off I have never had a bad smoke in either batch. I suggest letting them sit for a month of so in your humidor before you indulge. I believe this waiting period helps the overall taste and texture of the cigar. Smoking it right out of the box after transit simply does not allow the flavor of the cigar to come full circle. I have sampled the Short Robusto of both products. Previously I tried the Petito of each product. I am not familar with the larger sizes.

This is the short version of each blend. I always think cigars that are consistent in their construction, burn, appearance and flavor is what smoking a cigar is about. Many cigars have highs and lows. You might have an occasional stinker in a batch but if that happens often, it is a bad choice and would back away from that cigar and perhaps the whole line of cigars. Taste in cigars is very subjective so if  you taste nuts in a cigar or a type of flower, good for you.  I usually do not but I am not saying you are wrong. If you can tell what type of tobacco is in the blend or what country it is from, you have a gift that I don't have. I like reading about that type of information but that is not going to make or break the cigar for me. Here are my results. Each blend was exactly what I was looking for when I smoked it. The taste was clean to my palate, that is was not harsh or off putting. I did not feel lilke my mouth was on fire or had a nicotine hangover from what I was smoking. The cigars did not fall apart and smoked them down to the nub.

I have a rating system called the dog system. One paw= not for human consumption. Two paws=give to your friend. Three paws= keep a couple in your humidor. Four paws= my dog hangs out with me when I smoke. The bottom line  was by all accounts 4 paws. Hats off to the boys ar RoMa Craft Tobac.

When I am up for it, will get the larger sizes and issue a report.

Some cigars do not cut it for me

Every person who smokes has a brand that is their favorite, the go to brand.  This brand may  be based on availablity of the products, consistancy of the cigars, style of them , there are many thoughts on this. For me, I llike to mix it up , try different brands at different times.  Sometimes I may grow tired of a brand so I take a sabbatical  from them.

There are brands however,that I have never truly enjoyed. I have tried them over the years , different cigars, different blends and they just do not work for me.  That is not a knock on that brand. Cigars that have been on the market for years must be doing something right for many cigar smokers.  They do not work for me. It's always tricky to favor a brand over another. Are you a Ford guy, or a Chevy guy? It's the same idea. 

So after this preface, I  will say that Gurkha cigars have not been a favorite.  I cannot pinpoint what about this brand does not appeal to my tastes. The only cigar of Gurkha that I have had a good thought about is the Shaggy.  I have purchased several bundles of these in the past several years and have liked the burn, flavor and the consistency of the product. All the others have left me flat.  Would love to hear what you think about Gurkha's and other brands too.

 My Rating system based on 4 critera.  Appearance, burn throughout the cigar, construction of the cigar, and flavor profile.  I call it my dog system.  One paw= not for human consumption, two paw=give to your friend, three paw= keep a couple in your humidor, 4 paw= my dog hangs out with me when I smoke.

A Shamlux kind of day

There are all types of cigar haunts.  Posh, upscale establishments where suit and tie reigns. Places which are not really cigar lounges but add ons such as vaping stores.  So when you find a lounge which is really a cigar joint, it's important to let the public know. Shamlux Lounge in Granada Hills, Ca. is a great blend of cigars, good ownership and a very pleasant place to smoke.
My dealings with Shamlux revolves around them being the vendor for cigar events at Porter Valley County Club. They have supplied the cigars for PVCC when they have a cigar bash for members and their guests.  Irish Mike Peyton just so happens to be a member at PVCC but my dealings have been with Rick , the General Manager of Shamlux. His demeanor, knowledge of cigars have all been right on. He also gives us a great deal on the cigars we get for the events.
However, Shamlux lounge itself is a great place to sit your butt, pick a cigar from their very impressive humidor and smoke away.  Prices are more than likely in your wheelhouse, with a vast array of product for any taste. They also have lighters, cutters and other cigar toys to purchase.  The lounge has a very homey feel with overstuffed chairs,  TV's for your viewing pleasure and good talk about any topic. This is a gem of a place and you really should be taking a trip to Shamlux in the near future.  This part of the valley is very fortunate to have a cool place to smoke.

LACigarblogtheurbanfishingpole.com

Shamlux: A cigar lounge for all tastes 

Great choice for a Saturday afternoon

Hot day in LA with temps about 90 . Most of the country would be drooling over this. Spent the afternoon with a couple of the cigar crew enjoying the fine day with a fine cigar, check it out.

Cigars and implements

When you smoke a cigar there is a whole world of toys that can be used to cut it, light it and maintain it.  You can just flick your Bic and get the show started. Others try for a more showy or civilized approach.
Cutters run from punches,  v cuts and guillotines to name a couple.  Each cutter has it's own merits, designs and costs.  Some of them can run into hundreds of dollars or more.
As for me I have several different cutters and it depends more on mood for me which one I will use. If I am traveling I will bring a cheaper cutter as not to lose it. They do not as a rule give your cigar an attractive or accurate cut but most of the time they do the job.
My favorite company for cutters and lighters however is Xikar a very good quality outfit. I use their cutters and lighters almost exclusively on my better, higher priced cigars.  Presently I own two of their cutters and three lighters.  They are well crafted and are easy to maintain and use. What I truly like about their products is their policy of 100% guaranteed, no questions asked if the product fails to operate.  This has happened several times to me with both lighters and cutters. Not sure if this was a quality control issue or not but they were true to their word. I sent the products in question back to their headquarters and in about a week, received a brand new product.  One time they could not duplicate the lighter as it was a special model but they delivered something very close to the original.
I could not complain at all . In effect, there are companies that back their wares up. Xikar is great about that and overall enjoy their products too.

Disappointed but not defeated

I was looking forward to spending some quality time with a Quai D'Osay  Habano corona this past Sunday. The cigar in question had a great looking wrapper and color, was very pleasant in appearance.  i used an Xixar cutter and their stratosphere lighter.  Right away we had problems as it started to tunnel. The smoke itself was of medium strength, with a pleasing aroma. However, the burn got worse and I tried to correct the unevenness of it several times. 

The failure of the burn marred what was probably a good smoke. The battle was not worth the end result. I have several more of these cigars as part of a large Cuban sampler I acquired. Will try again down the road. Overall would rate this a generous 6 out of 10.

Every one is a critic

This past Saturday I went to a birthday party to celebrate a 30 something age group birthday. I am sure I was the oldest person present but that was cool as they were nice folks.
People were smoking cigarettes outside and it appeared that was not a problem.  At least no one said anything.  I was prepared for the event and had a short corona Hoya Cubana with me. I lit up staying  away from the cigarette smokers and enjoying the smoke. No complaints , no hassle.
However a new batch of people came to the party and as they arrived a woman commented how the cigar smelled. Mind you I was the only cigar smoker yet there were 5 or so cigarette smokers puffing away at the same time.  Of course there was nary a remark about the cigarette smoke.  I said nothing , smiled and finished my hand crafted cigar. The moral of this story? Not really sure but I guess just enjoy your cigar despite what people think.

About time to get off my ash

Wow, it's been more than a year since I last put any thoughts or pictures here. Not sure anyone really noticed but plan to get back on board right away. Got a couple of cigars that have been recently taste, so let's talk about them. See you shortly.