Life Goes On

Here is another gem that I picked up from Cigar Train here in Spokane Saturday night. For those of you not in the Spokane area I found this item online at NeptuneCigar.com Quick Details Ceramic Holds 4 cigars 10″ x 10″ x 2″ Felt pads on bottom Price: $36.95 The first time I saw this ashtray was at the Legends of Fire cigar lounge here in town. When I saw it, I knew that some day I would have one. I was impressed with the size, the style and the overall design, (designed by musician and men's custom jewelry designer, Matt Booth). This thing is a beast! It's 10 inches square, 2 inches tall and the stirrups will hold a massive 70 ring cigar. It has a nice satin finish, crisp clean graphics and great overall  eye appeal. It's large enough to hold four cigars and their ashes without being emptied. This will make a great summer patio piece when friends are over. If you use it indoors, the felt pads will protect what ever surface it is setting on. The only down side

As you know by now I was unable to attend IPCPR this year so Jay from AKA Cigars sent me a few pre release samples of the new, re blended 2013 Respect. Here is what AKA Cigars  has to say about the new 2013 Respect on their website: "The new blend has been toned down from the original and offers a ton of flavor of earth notes, cedar, and woodiness along with a silky leathery finish.  The awesome burn and effortless draw will produce a nice heavy volume of smoke that will have your senses and palette craving more." I loved the original version of the Respect, and have smoked many since the first review , let's see how this one stacks up! Quick Details Wrapper:  5 Year Aged Criollo Ligero Binder: 4 Year Aged ’59 Seed Corojo from the Eiroa Family Filer: 4 and 5 Year Aged Dominican and Honduran from the Eiroa and Kelner Families Size: Hooah 5.5" x 50 Price: $8.25 Pre release sample provided by AKA Cigars Construction: The first thing that stands out

I love picking up new items from my favorite cigar makers. Finally the wait was over, this beauty from Cuban Stock Cigar  arrived at my door yesterday. Quick Details Ceramic Holds 4 cigars 8.5" x 8.5" x 2.75" Felt pads on bottom Price: $35.00 This ashtray is fantastic! The finish is smooth, the graphics are sharp and crisp and it is the perfect size for the table on the deck. Now when friends are over we can all share an ashtray that is made to hold a cigar! The rests are large and deep enough to hold a 60 ring stick and it will hold the ashes of several cigars before needing to be dumped. The only down side to this piece is that it is ceramic and will break if dropped. With that being said this is a very attractive, high quality ashtray is sure to give me several great years of service and is well worth the $35.00 price tag!

The Cuban Stock Cigars Triumph is an interesting cigar. It is rolled with tobaccos aged for 10 years in oak barrels. I have previously reviewed the Triumph with the natural wrapper and rated it a 94. I am excited and can't wait to give this one a try. Quick Details Cigar Size: 6 x 52 Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Dominican Maduro Special (DMS). Binder: Dominican Filler: Blanded Dominican Price: $6.25 Online Construction: As with all other Cuban Stock Cigars , construction of the maduro Triumph was spot on. It has a nice dark and toothy wrapper that only contains a couple of fine veins. The cold aroma radiating from the foot was a blend of tobacco and Oak. Once the end was clipped, the cold draw was even, smooth and tasted of Oak, tobacco with just a hint of black pepper. Smoking experience: Once the cigar was toasted and burning the flavor notes from the first few puffs were a full bodied mix of Oak, earth and pepper. With each additional puff the pepper fa

Mac Baren Black Ambrosia Tobacco Mixture: Modern Mac Baren Cavendish, loose cut bright Virginia and fruit oils. The exact mixture is a Mac Baren secret. I've been an off and on again pipe smoker for the last 35 years, but this is my first review so please don't be to critical. There are two things I have always looked for when choosing a new tobacco, lots of flavor, high room notes, and no bite. There is not much difference in my tastes between cigars and pipe tobacco, I don't like my tongue being burned, either with pepper or bite. Thirty years ago I found two blends that fit this bill, one was a cherry flavored mixture that I picked up in Portland OR, the other was called Snowberry purchased here in Spokane WA. I have no idea really how they were blended, I just liked the way they smoked and tasted. I liked them both so much that I picked up a pound of each; but at last they are gone and both shops where they were purchased are also long gone. This left m

Right after IPCPR, Jay Lundy from AKA Cigars sent me some pre-release samples of their newest cigar the "Nth Degree". This is there first cigar that comes with a maduro wrapper and I am super excited to give it a try. To put it frankly, to date I love every cigar in AKA's lineup. They all have top notch construction, flavor and burn. I bet they don't let me down. Quick Details Cigar Size: Infinite : Robusto 5.5 x50 Wrapper:  San Andreas Broadleaf Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Peruvian Price: $8.25  Pre-release sample provided by AKA Cigars Construction: This is one great looking stick. The light blue and silver double band contrasts nicely against the toothy, broadleaf maduro wrapper and should make it a standout on cigar store shelves. Once again AKA has hit the construction dead-on. The cigar is packed what seems to be just right, I found no hard or soft spots and the wrapper contains only the smallest of veins. The cold aroma from the w

I've been looking quite some time for a decent pipe ashtray when I stumbled across this one. Since I enjoy, and will be soon reviewing a few blends of Mac Baren pipe tobacco I thought this was a perfect choice. Quick Details Ceramic Holds 3 pipes Cork knocker Price: $18.89 Once I had this beauty out of the box I was pleased with the size (7" diameter and a touch over 2" in height), and the finish of this ceramic ashtray. The finish was smooth and glossy over the entire surface and did appear large enough to hold three resting pipes at the same time. After a few days of use it was quick and easy to clean, all it took was a wipe with a damp cloth. The cork knocker is well attached and so far shows no signs of wiggle or looseness and it is large enough to hold three resting pipes at once. The only negative aspect to the ashtray is the ashtray itself is a bit small and if you are not careful the contents of your pipe can land outside its' boundaries, b

Cuban Stock Cigars: Chubbys 3.4.5 I have been smoking Cuban Stock's for a couple of years now and have yet to run across on I didn't like and the Chubbys didn't disappoint me. To sum it up, the Cuban Stock Cigars Chubbys 3.4.5 pack a big punch for a short, stout stick! Quick Details Cigar Size: 4 x 60 Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper:  Natural Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican Price: $6.00 Online Construction: Opening the bright red box was a rewarding experience; inside were 20 neatly packed cigars with a red and gold band around the neck and foot. Examining the first cigar I found it to be firm, well packed and the wrapper was nearly free from veins. The cold aroma from the foot was a mild mix of hay and tobacco. Once the cap was clipped, I found the draw to be free with notes of sweet berries. Smoking Experience: Once the foot was toasted, the flame jumped from my lighter to the cigar and we were off. Again the draw was free and easy and the first puf