Life Goes On

Friday night The Cork and Tap, in Coeur d'Alene, held a tasting event featuring wines from the  William Church Winery  located here in Washington State. In addition to the wine, winery owners Rod and Leslie Balsley were on-hand to answer any questions patrons had. We tasted four wines starting with a white:   2013 Viognier   2012 Bishop's Blend   2012 Syrah   2012 Cabernet Sauvignon All four of these wines from the William Church Winery, were hands down, the best wines we've ever tasted. In fact we enjoyed them so much we brought home a bottle of both the Syrah and the Cabernet Sauvignon to review on isitworthit.guru in the coming month.  Turnout for the event was a bit light, but that gave time to talk one-on-one with Rod. I learned a great deal about wine and wine making, it was a lesson I'll soon not forget.  I've personally been on a quest to find a red wine that I like most of my adult life. Until The Cork and Tap opened it's doors I&

Is Death Wish Coffee, The World's Strongest Coffee? I really have no idea, but I do know this; it brews into a great cup! When you first sip this coffee there's a raw and rugged, punch that hits you square in the mouth. But then, subtle and smooth flavors with  a mouthwatering palate wash develop. Opening the bag tantalizing notes of orange, pecan and cocoa are your reward. Once the coffee is wet from the pour-over, it gives off more of a blood orange aroma. When you take the first sip, the Death Wish Coffee is bold, yet semi-sweet with the feel of velvet brushing across your tongue.  Several cups were sampled for this review using the pour-over method and with each cup the depth of flavors become more apparent. There were flavors of charcoal, blood orange, pecans, cocoa, earth, oak, toasted almonds and lots of caramel.  Death Wish Coffee Claims, "We Are the World's Strongest Coffee! Some have called us irresponsible for making this product, we t

You know how you dig and dig and dig until you find something good? Well today I dug up a real gem-in-the-rough, the Quorum Toro. This Quorum Toro about knocked my socks off with it's first half flavors. But let's back up a bit and look at the construction first.  To look at, the Quorom Toro looks like just another budget cigar. It has a thick, stout, toothy, Colorado colored  wrapper that shows some veins and the seams are raised a bit here and there. Feeling down the body you'll find it's a bit on the soft side, but there's a nice triple cap. Checking cold aromas there are notes of rich fermented tobacco from the foot and the free draw has a flavor mix of oak and cherries.  Once the foot is toasted and burning, the first large mouthfuls of medium bodied smoke have a hint of black pepper and leather. The pepper quickly fades as flavors of brown sugar, toast, caramel, mild cherry, and creamy milk chocolate take over to finish the first half. In the second

A.J. FERNANDEZ TO INTRODUCE THE NEW WORLD CONNECTICUT EXCLUSIVELY FOR EVENT AT THE “CIGAR INN”  (Miami, Florida) November 25, 2014— A.J. Fernandez Cigars, known for producing consistently highly rated cigars will introduce a limited batch of New World Connecticut cigars for a one-night only sit down dinner event taking place at the world famous “Cigar Inn” located in New York City. Event will take place on Monday, December 1, 2014 at Cigar Inn located at 1016 2nd Ave. NY, NY 10022. New World which was collaboration between A.J. Fernandez and father Ismael Fernandez has been received with rave reviews. To celebrate the success of New World, A.J. Fernandez Cigars and Cigar Inn will partner for a limited seating dinner event featuring a course meal by Rothmann’s Steakhouse. The exclusive event will also feature a premium whiskey pairing hosted by Gentlemen’s Jack to introduce the unveiling of the New World Connecticut. Cigar Inn is one of the most notable cigar shops in the nation

My initial plans were to let this Allure Connecticut Torpedo From J&D Cigars rest a week, but as you know, "curiosity killed the cat", and after only 3 days I gave in.  Once the cigar was out of the cellophane, the high quality construction was even more obvious. The Claro colored Connecticut wrapper contained only the finest of veins and the seams were nearly impossible to see at arms length. Cold aromas from this cigar were nice, the wrapper smelled of slightly sweet tobacco, the foot had a strong aroma of tobacco and spicy cedar, and once the end was clipped the nice even cold draw had notes of tobacco and black pepper. All I can say about this cigar in terms of flavor is; interesting. The first few puffs were a mild black pepper mixed with Oak, then the pepper faded giving way to a mix of nuts and earth. These were the main flavor notes present throughout the entire cigar. What makes this flavor mix so interesting is, I never knew what was coming a

This Rocky Patel Platinum Box-Pressed Toro is one fine looking cigar. To start, the construction of this stick is top of the line. It's box-pressed and covered in an oily, thick, seamless, Oscuro colored wrapper that shows only the finest of veins. The Platinum is packed well full length and finished off with a nice triple cap.  Putting the cold foot to my nose there are spicy notes of cedar and after clipping the cap the free cold draw tastes like sweetened raisins. Once the foot of the Platinum is toasted and burning, the first medium bodied mouthfuls of smoke have flavor nuances of chocolate and earth.  As the razor sharp burn moves up the body more flavors join in, you can taste cream, stone fruit, toast, lots more chocolate and some espresso. The cigar finishes it fifty-five minute burn with a full bodied flavor mix of cocoa, charred toast and white pepper. It was a pretty tasty mix! Overall this was a fantastic cigar with super construction a nice burn and a

Today we review the Old El Paso Roasting Company, Chiapas, MX Coffee From  DP Coffee Club . This Sample came in a 2 ounce, pre-ground sample pack. On the package, it says the sample brews 10-12 cups so instead of doing a pour-over I chose to brew it in my  Bella auto drip maker . Once the seal was broken on the bag I could smell rich notes of caramel. Once wet the   aroma changed to a sweet mix of  plum and pecans.  Sipping from the cup, the hot coffee was sweet, with light note of pecan, and a light, brisk mouthfeel. There was also a sharp, overpowering tartness that wasn't supported by a flavor. As the coffee cooled in the cup the tartness changed to bitterness. With the sharp tartness without a supporting flavor nuance I feel this coffee is at the wrong roast level creating an out of balance cup. Perhaps had I ground this sample myself I could have found a better grind to bring out the flavors.  Rated 87 DP Coffee Club  offers one free sample per household

It's been so busy around here, I'm running a bit behind. This Passport Lancero By Crux Cigars came in last month's Cigar Of The Month package from Cigar Train . It's just my 2 cents here, but I think Crux has great logo!  Holding the Passport in my hand, it's a beauty. It's packed well full length, the oily, maduro colored wrapper is seamless and contains only the finest of veins. From the cold foot there are notes of rich, fermented tobacco to the nose and once the standard triple cap is clipped, the firm draw has flavors of spicy fruit.  As the Passport burned it started with mild bodied flavors of cocoa, corn syrup, toast, brown sugar and nuts. After the first third the cocoa changed to chocolate leaving a nice chocolate aftertaste plus there were nuances of caramel and cream mixed in. The Crux Passport Lancero finished it's eighty minute burn with a nice medium bodied mix of chocolate, cream and spicy white pepper. Tasty! Although this ci

This contest ended 12-1-2014 Well here it is, the first ever contest from CheapAshCigar.com . Many of you already know, I'm just a private blogger, about 90% of what I review, I purchase from local stores or online at full retail prices. Every item in this contest is out of my personal inventory, there are no corporate sponsors. Here's the goods: 1 -  15 count humidor 1 - Puck style humidifer 1 - Black Ops cutter 1 - Rocky Patel, Gary Sheffield, Maduro Toro Cigar 1 - John Starks Maduro Toro Cigar 1 - John Starks Connecticut Toro Cigar 1 - RyJ 1875 Toro Cigar 1 - Psyko Seven Gordito Cigar 1 - Undercrown Robusto 1 - Camacho Ecuador Robusto This package is worth about $75.00+ Retail. So here's the deal to qualify. This one will be easy. 1: Comment on this blog post, (not on the Facebook or g+ share, but the actual blog post ). 2: Follow @dangmm on Twitter 3: Follow @dangumm on Instagram 4: Send me a Tweet that you have entered The

Well I'm making more changes as my blogging evolves. No, not here. Things are going great here, but at DanGumm.com . I've added a new name, IsItWorthIt.guru and am now reviewing lots of every day items. Don't worry, if you have links to cigar, coffee or product reviews posted there, the links aren't changing. danugumm.com is still active and will still answer page requests. Here's the type of review you might find on  IsItWorthIt.guru . We just reviewed the Holl-ee Roller Dog Toy from JW Pet . Go ahead, hop on over and take a look. IsItWorthIt.guru Thanks for your continued support!

I'm always looking for different coffees to review, last week I obtained a couple samples of Old El Paso Colombia-Bolivia Coffee From DP Coffee Club . I'd never heard of Old El Paso Coffee, so I'm pretty excited to give it a try. This Sample came in a 2 ounce convenience pack, pre-ground. On the package, it says the sample brews 10-12 cups so I chose to brew it in my Bella auto drip maker  instead of doing my normal pour-over. From the bag there were deep, rich notes of cocoa mix with earth. Once wet the grounds gave off a nutty, warm bread aroma ( I had to wait until the brewing was done to check this), and the coffee brewed up dark. It was actually one of the darkest cups I've ever sipped.  Sipping from the cup, the hot coffee was sweet, with flavors of chocolate, earth, nuts, charcoal and hints of grapefruit.  Although the coffee brewed up dark, the mouthfeel was light and slightly brisk with a fresh, cleansing, mouthwatering, palate wash.  Wi

Over the years, I've gotten away from my blogging roots of reviewing budget cigars, well finally I have a few stocked up and this  Casa de Garcia Connecticut Toro is a good place to start. Giving this a cigar a visual inspection, it's a bit rough looking. The stout, Claro colored wrapper shows some medium veins, however the seams are fairly tight. Feeling down the body, it's a bit soft full length. From the foot there's a faint aroma of tree fruit and once the cap is punched I taste the same fruit notes from the free draw. Lighting the cigar was a breeze and I was rewarded with a large mouthful of mild bodied smoke with hints of nuts, fruit and cream. Soon after, brown sugar and a bit of earth took over as the main flavors holding to the mid point where I found about 1/2" of black pepper and barnyard. After a few minutes that faded and was replace by toast, cream, more brown sugar and a hint of pecan. After fifty-five minutes the cigar finished with so

Today I'm lucky enough to review another Famous Smoke Shop exclusive, the Montecristo Relentless Toro Cigar. The Relentless is another nicely sized 6 x 54 Toro that just feels good in your hand. It comes draped in a silky smooth Colorado Claro colored shade grown Ecuadorian wrapper that's pretty much seamless and vein free. From the foot, the Nicaraguan and Brazilian Mata Fina long-fillers give off a light cedar aroma, while the firm draw tastes like spicy Spanish cedar.  Once burning the cigar produces mild bodied flavors of toast, cream and mild white pepper. As the burn moves up the body there are other flavor notes of sugar, toasted marshmallows, raw sugar, mild earth and hints of leather. The Montecristo Relentless Toro finishes it's eighty minute burn in the medium bodied range tasting like coffee with extra cream and sugar.  In the first half the burn line was razor sharp, but in the second half it took off a bit, not enough to need a correction though. 

To celebrate the Chinese Year of the Sheep, Davidoff introduces a range of exciting Limited Edition Cigar Accessories Basel, November 2014. Davidoff delights aficionados across the globe with an exclusive Limited Edition range of accessories to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Sheep. This new range is the perfect complement to the recently introduced Limited Edition Year of the Sheep Cigars. An elegant porcelain ashtray designed by Chinese designer Chen Jiang, prestige lighters and unique custom-made scissors will give beautiful cigar experiences which befit this time of year. They reflect the very qualities that those born under the sign of the Sheep possess. Belonging to the element of wood, the Sheep is a craftsman, an artist, a devotee of beauty, fashioning a world of harmony and aesthetic pleasure. For in the Sheep’s eyes, happiness is other people’s happiness. The Sheep love to see their own love of life reflected in the faces of those around them as well as the object

So here it is, the Allure Habano Torpedo From J&D Cigars. Construction of this cigar was flawless. As I examine the cigar's body I can see it only contains the smallest of spider web size veins, it has nearly perfect seams and it's packed just right the entire length. This cigar looks like it could easily carry a $10.00 or higher price tag. The cold aromas from this cigar are nice, from the foot I am finding a hint of sweet  fruit and tobacco while the Colorado Claro colored wrapper has a nice sweet tobacco aroma. Once the end is clipped The perfect cold draw gives me a nice shot of spicy tobacco. After toasting the foot with my trusted single jet, the first flavors I can taste are a mild, dry, mix of black pepper and earth. Just as I get these flavors jotted down in my notes, a nice mellow, creamy sweetness is pushing away the pepper, then suddenly here comes coffee, then earth mixed with a bit of oak. This is amazing, it seems like the flavor changes with every

Here's a coffee that's been on my to-review list for some  time, Death Wish Coffee's  Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend.  Although this sample came pre-ground, I used the pour-over brewing method with .6 oz. of coffee to 10 oz. of water, 30 seconds off the boil.  Once the bag is opened the ground coffee has a deep, fragrant aroma of earth and cocoa. As hot water is poured over the grounds and it begins to bloom, the aroma changes to mix of sweet stone fruit and pecans; these same aromas radiate from the cup once brewing is complete.  Even though this blend was created for the hard hitting guitarist, Zak Wylde , it's a hearty brew fit for Odin himself. The flavors are bold, yet balanced, with a smooth, sweet, syrupy mouthfeel.  Tasting the Death Wish Coffee Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend, there were complex flavors of charcoal, pecans, caramel, cocoa, stone fruit and toast. Hot, the coffee starts in the medium body range and finishes full bodied as it cool,

I saw a picture of this Black Lotus Robusto from Dominion Cigar on Twitter the other day and just had to have one. I tweeted in reply and Dominion Cigar put one in the mail for me that day. Their picture was much better than mine, but I think the bands on this cigar are pretty neat! Giving this Black Lotus the once-over, it's covered in an oily, near veinless, maduro colored wrapper. The wrapper is seamless, and the firmly pack cigar is finished with a triple cap. Testing cold aromas, there are notes of fruity fermented tobacco to the nose and the firm draw has flavors of spicy raisins.  After clipping the cap and lighting this great looking cigar, the mouthfuls of medium bodied smoke had nuances of powdered cocoa. As the razor sharp burn line moved up the cigar a deep oil sheen developed on the wrapper and more flavors moved in. Flavor notes developed of sweet raisins, toast, nuts, toasted marshmallows, ripe plum, leather, caramel, sugar in the raw, earth, charcoal, w

I like my whiskey " neat ", but at the same time cold. Until now that problem was solved by keeping whiskey bottles in the freezer. That was pretty good solution most of the time but there isn't always time or room, plus the minute the whiskey hits the glass it starts to get warm. About a month ago I came across the SipDark.com website. After a few minutes of reading I thought to myself "These are pretty neat looking and I bet they really work". To make a long story short, I ended up with three SipDark products to review; Whiskey Stones, Steel Whiskey Stones and a LoBall Whiskey Sphere. So, let's get down to business and see how well each of these products performed. For these tests I measured out and poured 2 ounces of whiskey in each glass. Temperature readings were taken of each sample after 5, 15 and 30 minutes. Each of the SipDark products were in the freezer for 6 hours before testing.  Whiskey Stones: Sets of 3 or 6, custom engraving  

Well, the journey through this new line of  Exclusivo U.S.A. Cigars from Regius Cigars draws to a close with this Toro Extra. Let me say, this may be the most interesting cigar of the line. This Regius Cigars Exclusivo U.S.A. Toro Extra, starts out mild and sweet then BAM, about two thirds through it hits with a full bodied mix of bold and earthy flavors. But, lets back up a bit. Looking at this Toro Extra the quality of construction radiates from the cigar. The oily, smooth, Colorado Claro colored wrapper contains only the finest of veins and it's rolled on with seamless precision. Feeling down the body, the cigar is packed well and the cigar has a neat little pig-tail cap. From the foot there are aromas to the nose of fermented, fruity tobacco and the firm cold draw tastes like spicy Spanish cedar. After clipping off the pig-tail cap, toasting the foot and lighting this beauty up, the first puffs are mild bodied with a sweet Chai tea flavor. In the first two thir

Here's a neat new cigar I picked up at Cigar Train and had the opportunity to smoke a couple days ago,  La Aurora  "Untamed" Robusto. I posted the press release about this cigar a while back " The Lion Has Gone Rogue ", go ahead and see what La Aurora has to say. Holding this Untamed cigar in my hand, it's nice. It's covered in a stout, thick, nearly vein free, Maduro Colored Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that's rolled on with tight nearly invisible seams. Checking the cold cigar, I find it's packed firmly full length, plus there are aromas of fruit and cocoa from the Foot. After clipping the triple cap, there are flavor notes of cocoa and wheat straw from the free draw. After the Untamed Robusto was burning, the first medium bodied flavors were a mix of cocoa and black pepper. Within a few puffs the pepper faded and chocolate took over for a bit. As the burn progressed--it was a bit wavy in the first half-- a dark oil line formed and othe

Last week I launched a new WordPress site and Chose SecureWebs.com as my hosting company. If you're like me you want your WordPress site hosted with a company that not only understands the platform, but has the backbone, servers and up-time to give your readers a quality experience. Next time you're looking for a quality WordPress host try  SecureWebs . Opening their doors in 1995 SecureWebs is one of the first companies to offer dedicated server hosting and shared virtual hosting. They were also the first hosting company with enough vision to offer shared .Net hosting back in the day. Sure, there are bigger hosting companies that have slick online setup forms and will sell you what ever you want, plus lots of extras but SecureWebs knows hosting and they will sell you just what you actually need, with world class support and at a fair price. SecureWebs builds all there servers from scratch using high-quality, top-of-the-line components like SuperMicro motherboar

Last night Northern Quest Casino held a Gary Sheffield HR 500 Cigar event in the Legends of Fire Cigar Lounge . Gary Sheffield himself was there promoting his newest line of cigars. It was a fun night, there was a great turn out plus Blake and Brittney put on a really nice event. Paula went along and we picked up a lot of great cigars and stuff that Gary autographed for us--be on the lookout, I feel a cigar contest coming on the next couple of weeks. This limited edition Gary Sheffield HR 500 by Rocky Patel was created to commemorate Gary's 500th home run. We had the honor to smoke and purchase a special box-pressed toro version of this cigar. Well, let's talk about the cigar itself now. Like I said, this was a box-pressed toro covered in a hearty Colorado Maduro colored wrapper. About 70% of the cigar is covered with bands, but once they're removed you can see the seams are tight and the toothy wrapper only has a few small veins. The cold foot had an aroma t

I love cigar tools and here's a good one, the Screwpop™ - Cigar Punch 2.0. I've only had it a few days, but that's enough time for some serious testing. This Cigar Punch 2.0 is pretty neat, not only is it a quality cigar punch, but it pulls double duty as a bottle opener. Besides that, it's just handy, you can use the carabiner style latch and hook it to almost anything: keys, belt loops, zipper eyes, fishing vest, tackle box, golf bag etc. I think you get the idea. OK, so it's handy, but how well does it punch a cigar? To answer that question I've used the Cigar Punch 2.0 to punch over a dozen cigars with wrappers ranging from finest Connecticut's to thickest Oscuro's. I punched all these cigars and didn't crack or break one single wrapper! To be honest I was a bit worried about that before I began testing because this punch is pretty big, it cuts a 3/8" hole. But it's sharp and does a great job. One of the mo

Davidoff announces new Flagship Store in Buckhead Atlanta to open in Spring 2015 Basel/Buckhead, Atlanta, October 2014. Buckhead, the affluent uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, will welcome a Davidoff Flagship Store developed in accordance with the new globally standardized design and concept of “Davidoff of Geneva – since 1911” at the Buckhead Atlanta shopping district, slated to open in Spring 2015. Davidoff partnered with Oliver McMillan to integrate Davidoff’s new retail concept into the luxury retail and high end cuisine, shopping and dining district in the heart of Buckhead. The new Flagship Store will feature a luxurious environment and guest experience covering nearly 3,000 square feet, split into five carefully designed areas. Throughout each space, the interior and architectural design will be inspired by the traditions of the Dominican Republic, where much of Davidoff’s production and many of its employees are based. “We are delighted to open up a new ‘David

This Ezra Zion Tantrum Prensado Penqueno is another sample provided by Ken from the  Ezra Zion Cigar Company  which by the way is one of the lines included in the  House of Emilio  best of the boutiques.  I am pleased the Ezra Zion Cigar Company asked me to review their products and would like to thank them for the opportunity to enjoy their fine cigars. Quick Details Cigar Size: 4.4 x 44 Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper:  Vintage Nicaraguan 99 Corojo Rosado Binder: Nicaraguan 98 Criollo Filler: 5 to 7 year aged Nicaraguan Ligero This was another cigar that my preconceived notions nearly had the better of me. I have read a few other reviews on the Ezra Zion Tantrum over that past couple months and they led me to believe that I had a pepper bomb on my hands. If you have read many of my reviews, you know just how much I like pepper and if you are a first time reader, let me share it with you too. I hate pepper! Now I don't mind a bit of pepper but, if it burns my tongue

Like I said, it was cold the other day, it's even colder today, and here's another cigar I picked up from Legends of Fire inside Northern Quest Casino , the San Lotano Maduro Lancero from A.J. Fernandez Cigars . Firmly packed and covered in a stout, toothy, Oscuro wrapper, this is one nice cigar. Surprisingly, for such a stout wrapper, it only contains a few fine veins and since it's a Lancero, it's finished with the classic pig-tail cap. Testing the cold cigar, the draw is a bit firm, but OK, with the same flavors found in foot, cocoa. Cocoa and black pepper are the initial flavors once the cigar is burning, but the pepper quickly fades leaving behind just the cocoa. The best way to describe the medium bodied flavor mix is to call this cigar a chocolate bomb. Besides the chocolate, there were nuances of cream, brown sugar, leather, caramel, toast, dark chocolate and some scattered mild black pepper. There was a long finish and a flavor battle throughout the last

This sample of Indian Arabica from Monsoon Coffee & Tea  arrived in the mail a couple of days ago and since Monsooned Malbar is one of my favorites, I am pretty excited to give this roast a try. Once the bag was opened there was an immediate aroma of nuts and cocoa radiating from within. After grinding the medium roast beans, the nutty cocoa aroma was still present but there were added hints of spice. For this review I used the pour-over brewing method and just to hone my skills, I did a cupping. Normally I don't do much cupping. Why?  because I'm a coffee sipper, not a coffee roaster and I want pass on to you how a coffee sips. Doing the pour-over, the wet coffee gave off pleasant notes of sweet, warm bread with that same hint of spice found earlier. From the cup, the first sips had notes of sweet nuts and cocoa. As the coffee cooled, the notes of cocoa became more pronounced, the natural sugars develop and notes of earth appear. Doing the cupping, the w

Of course I'm a fan of Espinosa Cigars , I think everyone should be. I'm pretty excited to smoke this new 601 Steel, exclusive to Famous Smoke Shop , in the Girder (Toro), vitola.  To start things out, this is one nice looking cigar. The steel and black band creates a nice contrast point against the dark Oscuro wrapper. Holding the cigar in my hand, it's packed well full length, the oily Oscuro wrapper is hearty, but contains only fine veins and the seams are tight. From the cold foot there is an aroma of chocolate covered raisins, while after clipping the triple cap the free draw tastes like fruity chocolate. After toasting and lighting the foot, the first medium/full bodied puffs produce large mouthfuls of smoke tasting of cocoa and raisins with an added dash of black pepper. I should also mention that the Oscuro wrapper left a nice chocolate aftertaste on my lips. In the first half the burn was razor sharp and the wrapper developed a rich oily gloss. Th