Life Goes On

Well since this is the last post for 2104, I thought something special might be kind of nice to write about. I'm a White Zinfandel kind of person, but most of my adult life I've been searching for a red wine that suites my odd palate. The quest has been long, and some times tedious, but a few weeks ago at a William Church Winery event held at The Cork & Tap  my goal was achieved and the life time quest was over.   Since I'm  not a wine expert, I'll only pass along my experience with this wine and won't try rating it. I'm just a person that enjoys a glass, or bottle, of wine now and then.  This William Church Syrah 2012 Columbia Valley Wine starts in the glass with a big, fruity bouquet reminiscent of sweet, yet tart blackberries. Sipping this Syrah, it was light, smooth and slightly sweet, with a fruity, dusty, spicy finish. There was a slightly tart finish, but there was no bitterness and it left a pleasant aftertaste on the palate.  Like I

Over the past two years Ethiopian coffee has became one of my favorite coffees to brew. Today we look at another Ethiopian Yirgacheffe From Roast House Coffee . Sipping coffee brewed from these light, City roast, beans the first thing that comes to mind is the word "complex". Let's take a look and see why. Dry, the beans gave off a fantastic aroma mix of toast and pecans. Once the beans were ground and wet from the pour-over, the aroma was sweet, spicy and fruity. The aroma changed again once the pour-over was complete. From the cup the brewed coffee aromas were buttery, with light sweet and spicy hints.  Sipping the hot brew the first sips were brisk, light and bright with a clean mouthwatering mouth feel. As the coffee cooled in the cup, the coffee became smoother as acidity dropped a bit. Through the temperature range there were flavor notes that would best be described as sweet and sour. There were flavor nuances of sweet stone fruit, caramel, nuts and

To tell you the truth, I'm having a good time reviewing these E-Cigars and puffing on this Buck Naked Stog-E Disposable E-Cigar is no exception.  This Stog-E is covered with a durable Colorado Claro colored wrapper that tough enough to be chewed on and held between your teeth allowing hands free operation without causing any wrapper damage. There is a bit of a difference with this E-cigar, the head is made from a softer plastic so it feels more like chewing on a real cigar. Size wise, the Stog-E measures about 6 x 46, close to a Toro in size, and it weighs in right at 1.3 ounces, (an average Toro cigar weighs in around .6 of an ounce for a comparison). The e-cigar produces ample amounts of vapor with flavors that  are reminiscent of a mild cigar. There were notes of rum, brown sugar, fermented tobacco, and a bit of oak. Overall the mild flavors were pretty good.  Again, reviewing this 1800 puff e-cigar has replaced over two packs of cigarettes and it's still

Since I'm always looking for coffee to review, I plucked this Portland House Whole Bean Coffee By Portland Roasting off the shelf at a local super-market the other day. Once the bag was open the medium, city +, roast beans had a pronounced aroma of toasted almonds and rich tobacco. I found the same aromas were present once the beans were ground. Several cups were sampled for this review using my normal pour-over ratio of .6 oz. of ground coffee to 10 oz. of water. Doing the pour-over the wet grounds produced a nice aroma with notes of sweet caramel and toast.  Once brewed the coffee had a hearty aroma of earth, toasted almonds and caramel. The first hot sips were brisk and clean with a slightly wine like finish. As the coffee cooled a bit the mouthfeel became creamy smooth with a slightly tart aftertaste.  Through the temperature range there were flavors of caramel, toasted almonds, smokey tobacco, earth and a bit of tart grapefruit.  This Portland House Whol

Well here we go, this is review number five of six. Five of six, that sounds more like a Borg designation than a cigar review, but this is one of the new release cigars from  La Aurora Cigars , the Mid-Atlantic exclusive Corona. These new Coronas are a copy of the Preferido line  in every way, except size.  Covered with an oily, seamless, nearly vein free, Colorado Claro colored Ecuadorian wrapper, this Corona looks good before you even light it up. It's packed well full length and there's a nice amount of fine sandpaper like tooth. From the foot there are notes of sweet fermented tobacco. After the triple cap is clipped the slightly firm cold draw has flavors of oak and honey.  Once the foot is toasted and burning there are initial mild bodied flavors of cream and fruit. As the razor sharp burn moves up the body there are other flavors of white pepper, caramel and light hint of leather. This Corona gave me forty-five minutes of smoking pleasure and finished in the m

About a week ago I had the opportunity to visit Roast House Coffee and spend about an hour talking coffee and roasting with owner Deborah Di Bernardo. It was an informative session and I walked away with several coffee samples to review. For the first review I chose their medium roast Sumatran. Even from the bag, this coffee had big, full bodied aromas of cocoa, nuts and coffee. Once the beans were ground and wet from the pour-over the aromas of flora, cocoa and beef steak nearly filled the room. Once the pour-over was complete the first hot sips were smooth and syrupy with a hint of bright acidity that lingered in my mouth. The cupped aroma was earthy, with a noticeable amount of spice.  While the Roast House Sumatran has complex body characteristics, there were sweet and spicy flavors of cinnamon, pecans and cocoa with an underlying hint of earthiness.  This whole bean Sumatran From Roast House Coffee, brewed into a flavorful and complex cup of coffee. The medium

I had the chance to smoke these three cigars in the new Nestor Miranda Collection from Miami Cigar & Company , early this summer and have since smoked several more of each. These are nice cigars and if you haven't tried them yet you really should! Blue Label Construction of this cigar is top-of-the-line. The Colorado Claro colored wrapper is nearly vein free and is rolled on with seamless skill. There is also a tight fitting triple cap to top every thing off. Cold aromas feature sweet tea from the foot and the free cold draw tastes a bit like chai tea. With the first puffs the mild bodied smoke has a mellow sweet cream flavoring. The cream is soon followed by toast, caramel, leather, oak and some mild black pepper. In the final third there is a medium bodied finish of cream and brown sugar. Rated 93 Green Label This firmly packed cigar is wrapped in a seamless habano wrapper that contains only small veins and it's topped of with a triple cap. F

I've wanted to try cigars from the  Caldwell Cigar Company for some time now, I just hadn't found any. Last month the Cigar of the Month Club package from Cigar Train was packed full of Caldwell Cigars. For my first review I chose to smoke The King Is Dead, Broken Sword.  This Broken Sword is 5 x 40 and it starts with fantastic construction. It's covered by a seamless, nearly vein free Colorado Claro colored wrapper and finished off with a pig tail cap. From the cold foot there's a mild sweet tea aroma and the free draw has notes of buttery, spicy cedar. Once the foot is toasted and burning, the cigar there are mild bodied flavors of sugar in the raw, toast and caramel. You'll see this cigar also produces a nice volume of smoke from both ends. In the second half it moves into the medium body range and the flavors take on more of an earthy balance with nuances of oak, earth and barnyard. After fifty minutes the flavors shift again and the cigar finishes

Shade grown in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range of Ahuachapán, El Salvador this San Isidro Labrador's Roast By Directo Caffè brewed into one of the most complex cups I've ever sipped. Let's dive into this roast a bit more... Once the bag is open a full bodied aroma of cocoa, coffee and earth hit the nose from several feet away. Both ground and wet from the pour-over the ground coffee had a sweet aroma of caramel and pecans. After the pour-over is complete, this coffee really shines. The first sips were both sweet and tart, with a brisk yet creamy mouthfeel. There were flavors in the first sips of sugar, grapefruit, pecans, chocolate and smokey sandalwood. As the coffee cooled a bit there were some heavier earthy flavor nuances, yet it was still sweet but tart, and refreshing.  This San Isidro Labrador's Roast, is roasted Full City+, it produced a clean cup with no defects and was a real pleasure to sip.  Directo Caffè states they are a "tr

Just to fill the gaps, I grabbed some Java Delight French Roast Whole Bean Coffee from a local supermarket the other day. It's a  SuperValu Inc . product and there's no blend or roast information at all on their website. The only information I have about this blend is from the store's coffee display. It's listed as: A rich and smooth dark roast with complex flavors. Well, let's find out of that's true... From the bag the whole beans have an aroma of nuts and earth with a hint of cocoa. The beans look dry and most dark roasts I've reviewed are covered with an oily caramelization so I'm not really sure what I'll find here.  Once the beans are ground in my hand grinder, the coffee produces an aroma of toasty ripe fruit. and wet the coffee gives off a toasty, stone fruit aroma. Doing the pour-over itself the wet coffee gives off a fruity, chocolate aroma. Sipping the hot coffee, it's bright and tart, with a bold dusty charcoal flavo

Well here we go, this is review number four of the new release from  La Aurora Cigars , the Mid-Atlantic exclusive Corona. These new Coronas are a copy of the Preferido line  in every way, except size.  Starting with a seamless wrapper this cigar just keeps getting better and better. The cigar is packed well full length and Claro colored shows only the finest of veins. A triple cap nicely tops off this good looking little cigar. From the cold foot there are notes of spiced tea while the free cold draw has a sweet and spicy taste. Once the cigar is toasted and burning there are initial mild bodied flavors of sweet cream mixed with sugar. As the razor sharp burn moves up the body other flavors of oak, toast, caramel and leather join into the mix. After forty-five minutes this Corona had a surprising finish as the strength unexpectedly and quickly moved in the medium/full range. Just to flaunt its power, the final flavors from this cigar are a mix of leather, sugar and oak.

Cold blustery days like yesterday are great days for a cup or two of tea. Tea seams to warm my cold. old, bones from the inside out, so I brewed up a cup of Stash Premium Green Tea. After a three minute steep, this Stash bagged tea brewed up a slightly cloudy, light yellow-green liquid in the cup.  From the cup the tea was naturally semi-sweet with light, earthy flavor notes and a refreshing palate wash. The tea left behind a nutty, salty after tastes that lingered for several minutes. Overall this  Stash Premium Green Tea brewed a nice cup and I look forward to finishing the box.  Rated 8.5

Today we review another E-Cigar, the Tryst No. 2 Robusto in Kona Coffee flavor. To tell you the truth, I'm really enjoying these E-Cigar reviews and here's why... The Tryst No. 2 Robusto is about the size of a Robusto cigar, but it's shaped like a torpedo with the end clipped. I've found this shape makes this E-Cigar a bit harder to hold between my teeth while typing. It's the Colorado Claro colored wrapper, in this shape it seems a bit slick and I loose my grip on it once in a while.  Weight wise it comes in at 1.1 oz. While that's  bit heavier than a real cigar, it feels enough like the real thing that I find myself puffing on it and not inhaling.  Again, after the better part of two days, the wrapper shows no signs of wear and the unit is still going strong. The box states it's the equivalent of eight cigars, so i'll probably get a couple more days of part time smoking. Just an estimate, but it's already saved me about two packs of

This Cameroon AA Colorado Maduro is my first attempt at a coffee review so please bare with me as my skills are honed. Yesterday, the coffee I ordered from  Milton Made  arrived along with several samples. For years now I have wanted to try making coffee with a French Press so I ran out and picked up a Mr. Coffee French Press and grinder. Tonight the house was empty so I decided to give the French Press a try and, let me tell you I am happy that I did. Once the beans were ground they had the perfect maduro aroma that a fine madruo wrapped cigar has. There were notes of chocolate, nuts, and it was slightly sweet. While the coffee was steeping I pulled a La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte Salomon from the humidor, put a match to it and sat down to pound out one of the five cigar reviews that I'm currently behind on. The coffee in the cup had a nice little oil slick going on top that looked inviting, so I took my first sip. All I could say was "wow"! This was

Well with prompting from @BaristaOnDutY I ordered an inexpensive burr grinder, the Hario Canister Coffee Mill, a few days ago. Nearly everyone in the house has been ill this week and I think it caught up with me, but the Hario canister coffee mill finally arrived and I had to give it a test drive. Before going much further there are a couple of things I should mention. The only words on the box or in the instructions printed in English were, "Hairo Cansiter Coffee Mill", every thing else was in Chinese. Great! It actually made me laugh out loud though. But that wasn't so bad, all that was need to get the grinder working was place the rubber grip to the jar's bottom, remove a cork inserted into the lower grinder opening and install the handle. Kid stuff, right? While installing the handle, I figured out how to adjust the grind. You do this by turning a wheel up or down on the crankshaft. OK that's not so bad, but there are no marks or indicators, it'

Welcome to review number three of a new release from La Aurora Cigars , the Mid-Atlantic exclusive Corona. These new Coronas mimic the Preferido line every detail, except size.  With every cigar I smoke, this new line of La Aurora Coronas get better and better. This Broadleaf cigar is covered by a thick, oily, Oscuro colored wrapper, with tight seams and a few smaller veins. Checking the cold aromas of this firmly packed stick, there are notes of toasted cocoa from both the foot and the free cold draw. Once the triple cap is clipped and the cigar is burning the first medium bodied flavors are a mix of mild black pepper with cocoa. For a Corona, this stick is a real smoke producer. As the razor sharp burn moves up the cigar there are other nuances of brown sugar, toast and caramel. In the second half the burn gets a bit wavy, but doesn't need a correction plus there are flavors of raisin, charcoal, more caramel and chocolate. The cigar finishes it's 50 minute burn

Here's another nice budget stick I had the opportunity to smoke a couple days ago, the Flor de Oliva Gold Toro. Construction of this Gold Toro was what you'd expect from a $10.00 stick. It was firmly packed full length, the claro colored wrapper is rolled on in seamless fashion over the long Nicaraguan fillers, it contains only the finest of veins and it's topped with a triple cap. From the cold foot there were mild notes of toast to the nose and after punching the cap, the firm draw had a toasted nuts flavor. After toasting and lighting the Gold, the first mild bodied mouthfuls of smoke tasted like sweet cream. As the sharp burn moved up the cigar there were other flavors of spice, nuts, sugar, caramel and toast. In the final third the flavor changed drastically, there were notes of hay followed by lots of tongue burning red pepper. I was into the cigar fifty minutes, but at that point, I was done. It probably would have lasted another fifteen minutes.  My g

Well here it is, the first contest of 2015! This month Cheap Ash Cigar is giving away a Colibri Slice Double-guillotine Cigar Cutter. MSRP on this item is $65.00 For this contest, simply subscribe to our new mailing list and you will be entered to win this  Colibri  Slice Double-guillotine Cigar Cutter. This cutter has been used, but only enough to review (it's cut about 10 cigars), and it includes the original gift box.  Here's a big bonus, if you entered the Year End Contest, you're already entered in this contest! The contest ends 1/31/2015 and the winner will be notified via email. Good luck! This won't be a high-volume list, probably only one per month and maybe a special announcement here and there.  Subscribe to our mailing list Email Address * Past Winners Year End Contest: Chase Abernathy Christmas Contest: Bob Langmaid Please follow my social media accounts by using the butons below.  

Davidoff of Geneva announces its most luxurious Flagship Store to date in iconic lower Manhattan - New York City Basel/New York, November 2014 – New York will welcome a new “Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911” Flagship Store at the newly renovated Brookfield Place in late spring 2015. Situated on the Hudson River across from the World Trade Center site, Brookfield Place is set to transform lower Manhattan as a premier destination for world-class luxury retail and best in class dining. Inspired by Davidoff’s operations in the Dominican Republic, the new “Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911” Flagship store will feature 3 distinct areas covering nearly 2,000 square feet. The luxurious retail space is highlighted by a one of a kind walk-in humidor resembling a tobacco curing barn. The stunning humidor will be adorned with modern touches of copper and glass accompanied by walls built of vintage grey wood. “Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911” Downtown will also host a lounge full of a

Here's another cigar that came from Little Smoke, held at Northern Quest Casino last summer, The Knockout TOC, Round 5, 6x60 cigar. This Knockout is a pretty good looking stick. It's covered with a thick, toothy, and oily Maduro colored wrapper. For such a hearty Connecticut Broad-leaf wrapper it's relatively vein free and it's rolled on with seamless skill. Checking the cigar cold, it was packed well full length, with notes of fruit and graham cracker from the foot, while the free cold draw had nuances of mulled red wine. Once burning the first medium bodied puffs were pure cocoa. After a few minutes, flavors of spice, toast, molasses and caramel joined in with the chocolate.  Around the mid-point the 60+ ring "burn demon" I quite often deal with showed up, the wrapper split and the burn needed two big corrections. Bummer.  I was however able to smoke through the burn problems and in the final third it even out a bit. Also in the secon

I picked this  Starbucks Christmas Blend Whole Bean Coffee up on a whim while shopping the other night and boy did I pick a real winner. When the bag was first opened, I was hit with an aroma rush of nuts, coffee and cocoa. Once the Vienna roast colored beans were ground in the hand grinder, a slightly fruity aroma took over. I brewed this using my normal pour-over ratio of .6 oz of coffee to 10 oz. of water. From the cup the Christmas Blend was bold yet sweet, with a smooth, slightly syrupy mouthfeel and a cleansing palate wash. The full bodied flavors had notes of pecans, stone fruit, cocoa, toast with an underlying hint of spice. It was quite tasty. Overall this Starbucks Christmas Blend Whole Bean Coffee brewed into a nice cup of well balanced coffee.  Rated 92

I've had this  CAO Earthquake, from Cigar Train , tucked away in my humidor the past few months. I published a quick review on this cigar a back in may, but it really deserves more. So, let's do it! The Earthquake is covered with a hearty and oily Maduro colored wrapper. Sure there are a few smaller veins in the wrapper, but it's rolled on seamlessly and it's topped by a nice triple cap.  From the cold foot and free draw there are notes of sweet fermented tobacco mixed with hints of red wine.  Once the foot is toasted and burning the Earthquake produces plumes of medium/full bodied smoke with big, flavorful notes of cocoa and tobacco.  As the fairly even burn moves up the cigar there are other flavors of brown sugar, leather, red wine, and charred oak. The seventy-five minute burn has a long full bodied finish with my favorite Maduro flavors, "burnt mocha". Very tasty indeed!  In my quick review this  CAO  Earthquake earned a 92 rating. I

Here's another six part series of reviews, but this time I'm switching gears a bit and reviewing E-Cigars. I know you're thinking "E-Cigars, what's up with that"? Well, E-Cigars fill a couple needs for me. One, I can smoke an E-cigar while I'm working, meaning fewer smoke breaks. Second, it means fewer cigarettes, and I really do want to stop smoking those. I've been puffing and chewing on this One Life E-Cigar for the better part of two days now. The E-Cigar itself measures about 5.25" x 40 ring, about the same size as a typical Corona. Checking the weight on my coffee scale it comes in right at 1 oz. (an average of a few Toro's in my humidor weigh in at .6 oz. each), so that's not so bad. It's light enough to hold in my mouth as I sit here typing away. The end cap and wrapper are pretty durable, so far hours of holding this stick between my teeth hasn't caused any visible damage.  Flavor wise this stick does have a mil

Welcome to review number two of the new exclusive "Mid-Atlantic" release from La Aurora Cigars . These La Aurora Corona's mimic the Preferido line in wrapper, binder and filler.  Here's another nice cigar, the La Aurora Mid-Atlantic Release Corojo Corona. This cigar is covered by an oily, nearly vein free, Colorado Claro colored Corojo wrapper. The cigar has seamless construction and it's topped with a triple cap. It's a nice looking, well constructed cigar.  The cold draw's a bit firm, but OK and it has nuances of sweet fermented tobacco as does the foot. Once the foot is toasted and burning the first medium bodied flavors are a mix of mild black pepper, toast and leather. As the straight burn line moves up the body, an oily gloss begins on the wrapper, plus there are other flavors of brown sugar, earth, anise, spicy cedar and raisins. After fifty-five minutes the cigar finishes with in the full body range with flavors of earth and molasses. 

Last night Paula and I attended the 3rd Annual, Black & White event hosted by the Legends Of Fire cigar lounge at Northern Quest Casino . The event featured Rick Rodriguez of  CAO Cigars and some fine Bourbons, from Knob Creek, Basil Hayden's, Booker's and Baker's. Each person in attendance received two CAO Cigars that aren't available to the public: Rick Rodriguez's personal blend, and the un-released Kid Rock, "Rock N Rolled" cigar.  I smoked Rick's private blend cigar and found it reminiscent of the recently reviewed Flathead 450 Sparkplug in flavor, but it had a bit more kick at the end. It was pretty darn tasty.  There were great drinks, good food, a huge chocolate fountain, a photo booth and lots of prizes given away throughout the night. Even I won a box of CAO Nasty Nutcracker cigars for being the first person called on to remember that Rick was once part of La Gloria before taking the lead at CAO. I forgot to ask Bl

The new Davidoff Winston Churchill cigar range has officially been revealed at a pre-launch event on December 8, 2014 in New York Basel, December 9, 2014. Davidoff announced the renaissance of a line of cigars bearing the name of and befitting the world’s most iconic cigar aficionado – Sir Winston Churchill. Sir Winston Churchill was a man who was the very embodiment of “Time Beautifully Filled”: a man who revelled in a varied life with its many experiences. A man of many layers and many dimensions. A man whose many facets added up to a personality which set him apart. Davidoff Cigars share the same values. These qualities are reflected in this elegant multifaceted Winston Churchill range of cigars from Davidoff. For these reasons, it is fitting that they bear his name and seal. The aim was to craft this new range of exceptional cigars as uniquely diverse as the man who inspired them. The Davidoff Masterblenders have embraced and accomplished an exciting challen

Bob Langmaid, winner of the first Cheap Ash Cigar, giveaway showing off the loot.  Congratulations Bob!  Thanks to everyone that entered!  Speaking of Contests, there may be two more before Christmas.  There's a new email list on the site, it might be a good idea to subscribe for email only announcements. 

In the spirit of tonight's Black & White Event at Legends of Fire , which Rick Rodriguez of CAO Cigars will be in attendance, I thought I'd do a full review of one of my favorite small sticks, the CAO Flathead Sparkplug 450. I actually picked this cigar up on my last visit to Legends of Fire.  I reviewed this back when I thought "quick reviews", were the way to go. Now, I think my old quick reviews really suck so I'm going to fix a few of them.  Looking at this CAO Flathead Sparkplug 450, it's covered in an oily, stout, Maduro wrapper. The cigar has seamless construction and there are practically no veins visible. The cigar is box-pressed and packed tight, so tight you'd think the draw would be plugged, but again the draw was free and easy. It does have the "Flathead", while the foot is closed with a nice little pig tail finish. I don't clip the foot, so there is no cold draw flavors, but once the cigar is on fire, the first

Davidoff Art Initiative Announced New Artist Studios in Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic Engel Leonardo as the Next Artist for the Davidoff Art Residency Program And Tilting Axis as the Recipient of the New Davidoff Art Grant New Artwork On View in the Davidoff Collectors Lounge by Artist Quisqueya Henríquez Davidoff International Art Residency Studios in Altos de Chavón Basel, Switzerland/Miami Beach, Fl., USA, December 8, 2014 – Oettinger Davidoff AG, the worldwide leading manufacturer of premium cigars, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, presented the new artist studios for the Davidoff International Art Residency and announced during Art Basel in Miami Beach the next Dominican artist to take part in the Art Residency and a new recipient of Art Grants. These programs are part of the Davidoff Art Initiative, which was launched in 2012 with the mission of supporting contemporary art and artists in the Caribbean and Dominican Republic and fos