Five O’Clock Friday: Vacation Edition
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 22nd, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
It's vacation! Fun times ahead.
Cheers!
I'll be over here . . .
Cheers!
Archives for the ‘Blog Entries.Local’ Category
Category: Blog Entries.Local
Hibiki Whiskey and Room 101 Send Nudes
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 22nd, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
A mid-week opportunity to enjoy a cigar and a drink arose somewhat unexpectedly. Despite the cold temperature outside I couldn't resist taking advantage. I grabbed a Room 101 Send Nudes smoke from my humidor, and grabbed the bottle of Hibiki Harmony Japanese Whisky I've been eyeing.
Cheers!
I've actually had the whiskey sitting on my shelves for a couple years. Despite the fancy attention-getting faceted glass bottle, it had not been visited recently. I've been wanting to drink it again, but newer bottles kept getting my focus.
Hibiki Harmony checks in at a mild 86 proof. The golden liquid has a pleasing floral and honey aroma. In the sipping, the whisky comes alive. It's light, and flavorful at the same time. Fruit, honey, cinnamon, and a host of other notes blend into a palate pleaser. The finish is clean with a touch of sweetness and heat. I'm a jaded bourbon lover, but the bright, mild Japanese whisky was most delightful.
The unbanded Room 101 Send Nudes cigar was included in the November Luxury Cigar Club monthly shipment. I knew Room 101 by name, but that's about the extent of my familiarity. The only description provided was of Nicaraguan binders and fillers. The Toro sized stick appears to have Habano wrapper of some ilk. I admittedly was not expecting much excitement from the stick, and figured it would be worth the risk of lighting it up in the cold.
Immediately upon lighting it, I was hit with a burst of pepper. Wow, I was not expecting that. As the cigar progressed to the halfway point, the spice diminished. It was still there in the back, but balanced by black coffee and woody notes. It remained a flavorful smoke until I had to put it down. While at the start the smoke overpowered the Hibiki a bit, the combo developed into an enjoyable pairing.
One of the banes of cold weather smoking is occasionally a wrapper will crack and explode from the cold, dry air. About the midway point of this cigar I noticed some minor flaking of the wrapper, which the burn easily passed by without any issue. Along about the start of the last quarter, the wrapper developed more significant cracks along its length. At one point I actually heard a "pop" as the wrapper split. It was below 40° at this point, and I was leaning over the propane heater, which may have compounded the issue.
Ah well, my glass was empty and my hands were cold, so I didn't try to salvage the last bit. It had been a surprisingly enjoyable break, and I felt no disappointment with the either drink or the cigar.
Cheers!
Entrepreneurship
Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 22nd, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
Cappuccino and Southern Draw Brimstone Lonsdale
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 20th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
Saturday afternoon provided the perfect time to enjoy a smoke on the deck. Enough chores were completed, and we'd returned from a fun, and filling, lunch out. I brewed up a couple cappuccinos and headed for the screened porch with mine. I opted for a Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone in Lonsdale format to accompany the milky coffee.
Cheers!
Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone is a full bodied cigar. It sports a USA Broadleaf wrapper and binder. The strength is enhanced by a triple ligero filler blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. This Lonsdale vitola is a 6 x 44 stick.
The smoke is a robust blend of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, dark fruit, along with a pepper spiciness. The burn needed just one touch up, due to my inattention. The boldly flavored smoke was smoothed by the creamy, slightly bitter coffee drink. The two flavor profiles complimented each other to perfection.
Most of my smoking time is accompanied by listening to music, most often blues selections. I'll turn some classic jazz frequently, especially during afternoon smokes while relaxing with coffee. This time, within a few minutes of lighting up, no less than three neighbors fired up their leaf blowers, which served to drown out any musical enjoyment. The cacophony of small engine noises provided a less than ideal background. However, I did give me a pleasurable satisfaction knowing that my own yard cleaning chores were completed and off my list.
Cheers!
Wilderness Trail Bourbon, Hamlet Tabaquero, and Caramel Popcorn
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 18th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
A pairing, plus one, of sweet treats kicked off the weekend. Cold, and rain, and chores, not to mention my day job, had conspired the past week to prevent relaxing with a good smoke. Finally, Friday evening combined with warm weather (relatively speaking) offered a break.
The Wilderness Trail Small Batch Bottled in Bond Bourbon was picked up during our Thanksgiving travels. The wheated bourbon is released in small batches of 18 barrels, this bottle is labeled 18K0722. The whiskey is aged 5-6 years. The aroma has vanilla and caramel aromas with a hint of alcohol. Upon sipping a strong oak presence joins the vanilla and caramel. A hefty dose of cinnamon and pepper spiciness rounds out the finish. I get a little heat for interest as well. I found it to be an especially enjoyable libation. Wilderness Trail products are not common on VA ABC shelves, but I'll keep an eye out for others.
For the smoking pleasure of the evening I grabbed a Hamlet Tabaquero. This stick was from a box I picked up in September 2022. That was right after it was announced that Hamlet Paredes was leaving Rocky Patel, and the Tabaquero line was being discontinued. The 6 x 52 Toro uses a San Andrés wrapper, a Nicaraguan filler, and San Andrés and Brazilian Mata Fina double binders. It has a creamy sweetness, with milk chocolate, cedar, earth, and oak.
The Tabaquero has been a long time favorite of mine. This was the sixth from the box of twenty. Unfortunately, the previous five all had some sort of burn issues that ranged from mild to serious, with the frequent touchups hampering the experience. This one however, was flawless. Exceptionally so. For the entire 90 minute smoke the char line was even and the smoke production plentiful. Even the best cigars often require some touch with the lighter, usually in the last quarter or so. Perhaps the 14 months of humidor time helped to mitigate any issues from unknown storage conditions prior to my receiving the box. Since I'm rationing the remaining cigars, it may be a while before I find out by smoking another.
And the third part of the trio was some caramel popcorn. That decadent treat is from a Christmas food gift sent by a family member. In my defense, there was no "Do Not Open Until Christmas" label on the box.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Five O’Clock Friday: Budget Busters
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 15th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
Bourbon does some damage too.
Cheers!
Rocky Patel Disciple and Smoke Wagon Bourbon
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 15th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
After an early dinner this week I escaped to the screened porch for a relaxing smoke and bourbon. I've been looking forward to enjoying the Rocky Patel Disciple from the five pack I grabbed a couple months ago. I remember from smoking the cigar a couple years ago that it was a strongly flavored, robust smoke. Therefore I selected the Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon as the accompamiment.
This bottling of Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered comes in at a hefty115.9 proof. The proof provides a smack of heat that should go well with a potent cigar, and provide a nice foil to the cool evening air. The bourbon is rich in oak and maple notes. A heat dose of cinnamon also joins a candy sweetness for a bold drink.
The 6 x 50 Toro Disciple has a dark maduro San Andrés wrapper and binder and fillers tobaccos from Nicaragua. I got notes mainly of espresso, black pepper, and cocoa. Throughout the 90 minute smoke the cigar wasn't coming across as strongly flavored as I recall. All the expected flavors were there, but in a muted ensemble. Was it the cigar, or simply the strongly flavored bourbon? I wasn't sure. Admittedly, I did acquire the cigars from an online discounter, something I rarely do. Could they be old? Or poorly stored? The cigar was still enjoyable, but I am very interested in smoking the next one on it's own.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Rocky Patel Conviction Sweepstakes Winner!
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 13th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
This past summer I entered the Rocky Patel Conviction Sweepstakes. I submitted my and promptly forgot about it. Then in August I received a direct message on my Instagram account that I had won the Grand Prize. My first reaction was "What sort of scam is this asking for my mailing address?" I bit of research later, and a memory refresh, I realized it was for real.
It took nearly two months for the package arrive. Inside was a large leather bound travel case, complete with an Envoy lighter, a promotional cutter, two logo rocks glasses, and cigar travel trays. The case also has space for bottle of whiskey. I quickly realized the heavy glass Luminoso ashtray was missing. Frankly, that was the piece of the prize I was most excited about. I messaged the company and they let me know the oversight would soon be corrected.
Cheers!
And it was, in spades! When the ashtray arrived, the package included a few other goodies. By way of apology they also included a leather cigar case, a Poseidon triple cutter, an Artisan lighter, and another Envoy lighter.
The sweepstakes was part of the promotion of the new Rocky Patel Conviction cigar. That is a cigar I'd love to try. Though, even as a fan of Rocky Patel, at $100 a pop it's highly unlikely. Maybe they'll have another contest!
Cheers!
Chilly Night Sip and Smoke
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 11th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
It always takes me a while to adjust to winter, especially when I'm hoping to enjoy a cigar. In the early weeks of the cold season, more often than not I'll simply forgo that after-dinner pleasure. Hence, the reduced posting this time of year. The thing is, once I do venture out, it's generally not as unpleasant as I feared. Such was the case on a recent evening.
I turned on both the portable propane heater and the infrared table lamp heater, grabbed a thick leather jacket, and headed out. I selected a smaller, more budget cigar in the Crowned Heads Juárez, just in case I decided to quit early. I went more robust with Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength. I needed the "warmth."
Crowned Heads Juárez OBS is a 4 3/4 x 52 Robusto with a chocolate Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and filler from Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The stick has an MSRP of around $6.00. It's a mild to medium profiled smoke with notes of chocolate and leather. There's a hint of raison that comes in the finish. As I began the smoke, I thought to myself that I may have "overstepped" with the bourbon selection. The burn remained even though at times I had to double puff to keep the smoke production up.
Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength is one of my favorite members of the "regular" Maker's Mark lineup, though it is at times hard to find. The ramped up version of the standard 46 "French Oak" expression is bottled at 110.1 proof, at least in this bottle. I've seen various proofs, all around the 110 mark. Aromas of caramel and wood char predominate. The flavor notes feature caramel, brown sugar, and sweet bread. Cinnamon and a light alcohol warmth round out the sip. The finish is clean and relatively short.
Although the cigar was on the milder side of medium, I was still able to enjoy the flavor, without it being overwhelmed by the bourbon. As I slowly sipped my drink and enjoyed the cigar, I became mostly unaware of the cool night air. However, near the end, the fluttering flame on the heater reminded me that a run for more propane is on the agenda.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Five O’Clock Friday: Always Be Optimistic
Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Dec 8th, 2023Category: Blog Entries.Local
Though sometimes it doesn't matter.
Here's to the weekend
Cheers!
Cheers!
