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A Rainy Morning at John B. Hayes Tobacconist

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • May 15th, 2025
Category: Blog Entries.Local

I found myself in Winchester, VA this week with some time to spare, so I decided to stop by John B. Hayes Tobacconist in downtown Winchester. After a long drive through heavy rain, my luck seemed to turn — I found an open metered spot just around the block. Even better, I already had the ParkMobile app on my phone, so the absence of coins in my car wasn’t an issue.

I browsed the cabinet humidors for a few minutes while the proprietor helped another customer. Once he was free, he retrieved my selections, and I settled into one of the large leather chairs to finally enjoy a long-anticipated smoke.

The shop’s “old school” charm made an immediate impression — everything from the furnishings to the display of umbrellas and walking sticks evoked a bygone era. John B. Hayes Tobacconist is a long-standing institution in the DC Metro area, known especially for catering to pipe enthusiasts. While the cigar selection isn’t the most extensive I’ve seen, it’s more than adequate, with plenty of appealing options. In fact, I ended up buying more cigars than I had time to smoke.

Though I didn’t have quite as much time to unwind as I’d hoped, I still enjoyed a satisfying break after a two-hour morning drive. The dry shop on rainy morning offered a peaceful interlude with a good cigar, a comfortable chair, and a city sidewalk to watch. I’ll definitely keep John B. Hayes Tobacconist in mind for future visits to Winchester.

Cheers!

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Birding at Chippokes State Park

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • May 13th, 2025
Category: Blog Entries.Local

We were camping at Chippokes State Park this past weekend. On Saturday morning, we did a birding hike that got us riverside, forest, and open farmland habitats all within a mile. It added up to 49 species, including a bobolink, which was a life bird for me. It could have been a bigger day if there had been any ducks on the river.

Our e-bird list for the morning.

Collage of bird photos

Chippokes State Park and Jamestown

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • May 12th, 2025
Category: Blog Entries.Local

Trip: 49
Nights: 170-171

Welcome to camping season 2025. Our first trip of the year was to Chippokes State Park, about 75 miles east of home. It’s an old working plantation dating back to early colonial times. We’ve camped there two times previously, once during COVID when everything was shut down, and a couple of years ago as a base camp to attend the Great Dismal Swamp Birding festival. So this was the first time we actually got to experience the park.

We got in Friday night with rain in the forecast, but it never did rain. We had dinner and played games until bedtime. On Saturday morning we went out birding and had a fabulous morning, finding about 50 species including one lifer (a Bobolink). After lunch back at the camper we took the Jamestown Ferry across the river to Jamestown and spent the afternoon exploring the ruins of the very first English settlement in the Americas. One of the historians gave a fascinating talk on religion in Jamestown, making a very convincing argument that John Smith was a Puritan, and that there was a Catholic Priest at Jamestown. The king would not have been happy about either.

After taking the ferry back across the river we had dinner at the camper and settled in by the fire for some quality drinking by the fire time. And by drinking I mean NA beer for me and fizzy water for Michelle. Do we know how to party or what?

Photo Collage

On Sunday we went to the farm museum at the park where they have a rather impressive collection of 18th and 19th century farm equipment. I did not realize how much automation was already in farm equipment in the 19th century. After that we tried to tour the plantation home but they were not doing tours until later in the day. So we headed to Bacon’s Castle, which is a brick Jacobean home built in 1665, and the oldest brick home still standing in North America. It’s called Bacon’s Castle after Nathaniel Bacon, of Bacon’s Rebellion fame. He never set foot in the house, but some of his followers did occupy the house for a few months before he died of dysentery at age 29, two months into his so-called rebellion. He got famous 100 years later when Thomas Jefferson referenced him as a great patriot leading the first revolt against the king. What he wanted was more rapid elimination of the Native Americans, among other things. So he was no hero. The tour was super interesting. Remarkably, the house had only 3 owners between 1665 and 1972, when Preservation Virginia bought it to preserve it.

After that we headed home, where I grilled steaks and served them with baked potatoes, honey-balsamic glazed carrots, and applesauce for Mother’s Day dinner.

It was a very good weekend. Hopefully, one of many we will experience this summer.

Photo Album

Review: Rocky Patel Dark Star Toro

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • May 12th, 2025
Category: Blog Entries.Local

The Rocky Patel Dark Star was released in 2023, but despite being a longtime fan of Rocky Patel cigars and always looking forward to new releases from the brand, I never got around to trying this one — until now. I picked up a few in the Toro vitola this past January, and after a four-month rest in the humidor, I finally lit one up over the weekend.

Part of my initial hesitation may have come from how different this cigar is compared to Rocky Patel’s typical offerings. Rocky himself described it as "Cubanesque, but mild to medium-bodied" — a profile I usually find a bit unexciting. While I’ve smoked and enjoyed some Cuban cigars, they often come off as a little too subtle for my taste.

The 6 x 52 Toro features a delicate Honduran Corojo wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder, with filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. Notably, the filler includes a Honduran-grown leaf from Paraguayan seed — a first for Rocky Patel — which adds an unusual twist to the blend.

The cigar I smoked had a minor cosmetic issue as the wrapper was slightly damaged near the midpoint, with a few flakes peeling away. I do recall having dropped it during a dig through the humidor not too long ago. Fortunately, this didn’t affect the burn or draw, and the burn remained even throughout. Smoke production was excellent right from the start.

Upon lighting, I was greeted with abundant smoke and an initial flavor of toast and cinnamon. Soon after, a mildly sweet nuttiness emerged, followed by notes of creamy coffee and chocolate. While individual flavor components stood out, the overall profile was somewhat elusive and difficult to pin down. The overall experience was surprisingly complex, with roasted nuts and cinnamon taking the lead in the mild to medium-bodied smoke.

At times, a fleeting mineral-like note crept in, though it never lingered long enough to be distracting. In the end, the Rocky Patel Dark Star delivered a unique and enjoyable smoking experience — not bold or intense, but flavorful enough to keep my interest. Maybe Rocky really did capture a bit of that "Cubanesque" character he was aiming for.

Cheers!

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Review: Rocky Patel Dark Star Toro

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • May 12th, 2025
Category: Blog Entries.Local

The Rocky Patel Dark Star was released in 2023, but despite being a longtime fan of Rocky Patel cigars and always looking forward to new releases from the brand, I never got around to trying this one — until now. I picked up a few in the Toro vitola this past January, and after a four-month rest in the humidor, I finally lit one up over the weekend.

Part of my initial hesitation may have come from how different this cigar is compared to Rocky Patel’s typical offerings. Rocky himself described it as "Cubanesque, but mild to medium-bodied" — a profile I usually find a bit unexciting. While I’ve smoked and enjoyed some Cuban cigars, they often come off as a little too subtle for my taste.

The 6 x 52 Toro features a delicate Honduran Corojo wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés binder, with filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. Notably, the filler includes a Honduran-grown leaf from Paraguayan seed — a first for Rocky Patel — which adds an unusual twist to the blend.

The cigar I smoked had a minor cosmetic issue as the wrapper was slightly damaged near the midpoint, with a few flakes peeling away. I do recall having dropped it during a dig through the humidor not too long ago. Fortunately, this didn’t affect the burn or draw, and the burn remained even throughout. Smoke production was excellent right from the start.

Upon lighting, I was greeted with abundant smoke and an initial flavor of toast and cinnamon. Soon after, a mildly sweet nuttiness emerged, followed by notes of creamy coffee and chocolate. While individual flavor components stood out, the overall profile was somewhat elusive and difficult to pin down. The overall experience was surprisingly complex, with roasted nuts and cinnamon taking the lead in the mild to medium-bodied smoke.

At times, a fleeting mineral-like note crept in, though it never lingered long enough to be distracting. In the end, the Rocky Patel Dark Star delivered a unique and enjoyable smoking experience — not bold or intense, but flavorful enough to keep my interest. Maybe Rocky really did capture a bit of that "Cubanesque" character he was aiming for.

Cheers!

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After the Roar: A Porch, a Pour, and a Cigar

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • May 10th, 2025
Category: Blog Entries.Local

We did something a bit out of the ordinary this week: we traveled to Blacksburg, VA, to take in the historic Metallica concert at Lane Stadium. I’m not a huge fan of heavy metal, but I enjoyed the energy and sheer scale of the event. After a busy yet fun week, I looked forward to a quiet evening on the porch with a bourbon, a cigar, and some good ol’ blues music.

I poured a glass of Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength Bourbon and lit up a Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20. The pairing was intentional. I wanted a long, satisfying smoke, and the 124-proof bourbon would be perfect to chase away the springtime chill.

The 6 x 54 box-pressed Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 had been resting in my humidor for just shy of a year. This Nicaraguan puro features a dark, chocolate-hued Corojo Oscuro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers aged for over five years.

Medium to full-bodied, the smoke opens with notes of cedar, espresso, and roasted nuts, finishing with a warm white pepper spice. The profile is smooth and balanced, with no harshness, and the spice gently lingers on the tongue. The flavor held consistent throughout the experience, which, as predicted, lasted just about two hours.

The Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength is a wheated bourbon, with proof varying between 110 and 124.6 depending on the batch. My bottle comes in at 124 proof. It opens with a mouthwatering aroma of butterscotch, maple, and honey. On the palate, it reveals notes of charred oak, dark cherry, plum, molasses, and cinnamon. The finish is long and warm, with a lingering heat balanced by rich, dark sweetness. It’s a bold, full-flavored pour ideal for slow sipping.

Together, the Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength Bourbon and the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 created an exceptionally satisfying flavor pairing. Each offered lingering spice and depth, with just enough body to complement and stand up to the other.

The couple of hours spent on the quiet porch, with classic blues playing in the background, offered a stark contrast to the energy and chaos of the Metallica show. Whether it’s the roar of a packed stadium or the hush of a spring evening, memorable moments can be found in both. Adding a good cigar and a strong bourbon to the setting makes it even more pleasurable.