Life Goes On

Basel/Tampa, February 27, 2015.   Davidoff of Geneva USA will cement its commitment to the Tampa Bay area with a new “Davidoff of Geneva -since 1911” store in late 2015. Situated in the MetWest International Retail Village the 5,000 square foot store will be the largest Davidoff Flagship Store in the world. This will be the company’s first licensed flagship store outside of Las Vegas, NV. Davidoff of Geneva USA will open the new location in partnership with Jeff & Tanya Borysiewicz, successful owners of Orlando based Corona Cigar Company. To create a destination in the Cigar City, the new “Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911” will feature a completely humidified store filled with premium cigar retail space, multiple lounges both indoor and out, private lockers, as well as an elegant full service bar serving premium alcoholic beverages. Jim Young, President of Davidoff of Geneva North America, comments: “We are delighted to open a new “Davidoff of Geneva - since 1911

Bean Box Sample 3 Zoka Coffee Co. Seattle, WA Colombia El Paraiso Origin:  Colombia Reigon:  Cayun, Cachipay Roast:  Medium - City + Brewing method:  Pour-over Price:   BeanBox.co  - $21 - 12 ounce bag This Colombia El Paraiso By Zoka Coffee , the third of four roasts featured in the February package from Bean Box  is yet another amazing and complex Seattle roast.  From the bag there are notes of cinnamon toast, sweet stone fruit and a hint of bright raspberries. After giving the bean a quick grind there's a transformation in aroma to sweet, yet slightly tart raspberry. Once the pour-over is complete the notes of raspberry are still present, but nuances toasted walnuts are the most prominent.  Sipping from the hot cup is where this roast really shines and it wasn't at all what I'd expected. The first sips were very bright, fresh and clean with a wash that wakes the palate bringing it to life for the day ahead. The mouthfeel did surprise me, but

Well here it is, the final review of the CAO "Holiday Series", the Sinister Sam. Based on the America, the Sinister Sam has the dual wrapper, but as you can see in the picture, it's applied in a unique way.  Like the other cigars in the series, the CAO America Sinister Sam is 6 1/2" x 52 and was a limited run of 2,000 boxes of 14 cigars. I feel extremely lucky to have gathered all five cigars in the series with many of them coming from Cigar Train . Toast is both the main aroma and flavor from the cold cigar. The draw is free and construction of this cigar is simply solid. Once toasted and burning the mild/medium bodied initial flavors are a mix of toast, oak and pepper. After a few puffs the pepper fades as it's replaced with some sweet cream.  Once the burn hits the maduro section the cigar transforms completely in both strength and flavors. The cigar moves into the medium/full bodied range and the flavors shift to a mix of chocolate with charc

Bean Box Sample 2 Slate Coffee Roasters Seattle, WA Kilenso Ethiopia Origin:   Kilenso Mokonisa Reigon:  Sidama, Ethiopia Roast:  Medium - City + Brewing method:  Pour-over Price:   BeanBox.co  - $19 - 12 ounce bag This Bean Box sample of Kilenso Ethiopia by Slate Coffee Roasters is definitely a specialty coffee in my book. Although it's only February, this Kilenso Ethiopia roast has earned the year's highest rating to date. Let's see what I found... Immediately upon opening the bag the vivid aromas of strawberries with a hint of cocoa rise and greet the nose. After grinding the whole beans the aroma shifts a bit and develops a hint of blueberries to go with the cocoa and strawberries.  Once hot water is poured over the grounds the aroma swells and fills the room with gentle notes of sweet blueberries. After the pour-over was complete I expected a warm sweet blueberry aroma from the cup, but I was wrong. From the cup an aroma of warm glaz

Here's another first for me, the Unholy Cocktail From Diesel Cigars. A.J. Fernadez month at Cigar Train was good to me providing some nice cigars I hadn't previously smoked.  Covered in a stout, oily, maduro colored wrapper this 5" x 56 torpedo looks like it means business. From the cold foot there are notes of sweet fruit and fermented tobacco, with the same fruitiness found from the free draw. It did disappoint me that when the foot band was removed, a dime-sized chunk of wrapper left with it. Once toasted and burning the cigar produced hearty mouthfuls of smooth, rich, full bodied smoke with nuances of black pepper, leather and fruit. Additionally the smoke and the wrapper left behind a pleasant, lingering sweet aftertaste.  As the razor sharp burn moved up the body the pepper quickly faded being replaced by notes of toast and cocoa. In the final third flavors of fruity chocolate, espresso, earth and a hint of anise joined the complex mix.  With a s

Indaba Coffee Spokane, WA Guatemala - Juan Pira Origin: Santiago, Atitlan Price: $10.00 - 8 ounce bag. I've wanted to stop by Indaba Coffee for some time now but as you know I don't get out much. Well today I did get out and I did stop by their store.  Indaba Coffee has a great looking storefront in an area of town that drastically needs revitalized. Along with their effort to revitalize that area of Spokane, for each bag of coffee sold, Indaba donates one meal to our local Second Harvest Food Bank . I tip my hat to Indaba Coffee and say, well done! While there, the barista on duty created a pour-over of their Guatemala, Juan Pira coffee for me to sample. While I wasn't in charge of the grind, the water temperature or the pour-over, their coffee is definitely worthy of a review. From the hot cup a pleasant aroma of cocoa and walnuts rose to great me. The first sips were bright and crisp with a cleansing palate wash. As the coffee cooled the mouthfeel b

Here's the forth installment of the "Holiday Series" from  CAO Cigars , Again this is a cigar I picked up from   Cigar Train   my favorite local cigar shop.     So far I'm really enjoying this holiday series from CAO and the Angry Santa is no exception. Based on the Traviata, the Angry Santa is 6 x 52 and like the others, production was limited to 1500 boxes of 14 cigars.  To begin it's covered with an oily, seamless, Colorado Maduro colored wrapper that's nearly vein free.  Once toasted and burning there are big notes of medium bodied sweet cocoa that hit your taste buds right up front. The cocoa is soon followed up by nuances of toast, nuts, oak, caramel and some brown sugar. The burn was razor sharp full length and a nice oily gloss developed on the wrapper just above the burn. After seventy-five minutes of enjoyable smoking the Angry Santa finished with nice flavors of caramel and oak. So far I've really enjoyed this series of cigars, but

Bean Box Sample 1 Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co. Seattle, WA Cerro Del Cielo Origin: Nicarauga Reigon: Mozonte, Nueva Segovoia Roast: Medium - City + Brewing method: Pour-over - Iced Price: BeanBox.co - $18 - 12 ounce bag This Nicaragua Cerro Del Cielo By Caffe Vita, is one of the four roasts featured in the February Bean Box package. When the bag is first opened an aroma of sweet and nutty stone fruit hits your nose, but that's only the beginning of what this coffee has to offer. Once the beans are ground the aroma reminds me of the bright fresh aroma you get as you zest an orange. However things quickly change as hot water is introduced during the pour-over. Both the wet grounds and the cupped coffee produce a sweet aroma of pecans and Mandarin orange.   From the hot cup the first sips are perfectly balanced, there's a hint of brightness but at the same time it's smooth and creamy with a soft, clean palate wash. Moving down throug

I came across the " Bean Box " the other day and thought it would be a great product to share with everyone. The Bean Box contains four sample bags of coffee from some of the finest coffee roasters found in the Seattle, Washington area. With a $20.00 price tag and free shipping this is great offer for coffee lovers that like to sample new roasts without breaking the bank.  Each Bean Box contains;  * Four 1.8 ounce bags of whole bean coffee. * Four unique roasts each month. * Free shipping within US. * Shipped fresh within 2 days of roasting.  * Roasters profiles, tasting notes and brewing guide. On the BeanBox.co web site you can order a single box for yourself, as a gift, or chose their monthly subscription service. If you wish to sample larger quantities, you can subscribe to their monthly or bi-monthly service for a single 12 ounce bag. Again the coffee ships fresh and there's free shipping in the US. There will be reviews posted on al

This cigar was reviewed on dangumm.com all most three years ago to the day. For some reason it didn't get published here. So today I am fixing that. Why? Well Cigar Federation announced today they found some Grimalkins from Emilio Cigars stashed away and this was one of the most memorable cigars I've ever smoked. Had the first cigar smoke for the review  not had a tight draw, this cigar would have earned a 96 or 97 rating. It's that good... **** For this review I strayed away from the norm of smoking only one cigar and then writing the review based on that experience. The first stick had the same complex flavor profile, which you will learn about below, but the draw was so tight it took nearly all my might just to get a puff through it. So in the name of fairness I smoked the other cigar I was saving for a special occasion. Construction:  As I examined this cigar the construction is striking; the wrapper that has a nice oily sheen is nearly perfect with only o

I reviewed the Black Market as a Churchill three years ago and loved it. Here's a link to that old Churchill review if your interested. So today, let's take a look at the robusto and see how it holds up.  This well packed cigar is covered by an oily maduro colored wrapper that just looks good. The construction is seamless, there are only the finest of veins in the wrapper and the cigar it topped off with a tight triple cap.  Testing the Black Market cold, from the foot there's a nice aroma of cocoa and after clipping the cap, the free draw has nuances of spiced fruit.  From the burning cigar the first flavors were a medium bodied mix of cocoa, fermented tobacco and a dash of black pepper. Fading quickly the pepper is soon replaced by notes of toasted oak. Around the mid point the burn had canoed up one sided and needed a correction but it burned true after that.  In the second half the burn produced an oily sheen on the wrapper half  plus there were addi

CHAPTER 1 This 7 x 62 cigar is a beast. It's covered with a super oily maduro colored wrapper with only the finest of veins, it's packed well full length and it has a triple cap. I hate to add, but the wrapper had a 1/4" hole just below the bottom band. Cold there are strong notes of rich fermented tobacco from the foot and the free draw has notes of spicy cedar with hints of fruit. Once the Cigar is burning there's a huge blast of medium/full bodied chocolate, followed by oak, earth and dark chocolate. In the second half there were other notes of sandalwood, ripe tree fruit, molasses, barnyard and cream. After sixty minutes, one relight and four burn corrections I gave up on this stick. Looking at the ash I could see the burn problems were caused by an off center bunch, its really too bad since the flavor mix of this Chapter 1 was outstanding.  Rated 88 CHAPTER 2 What we have here is another beast, at 7 x 64 it's even larger than the C

Velton's Coffee - Evert, WA Sulawesi Toarco Toraja A Origin:  Sulawesi, Indonesia Reigon: Ngariama, Central Province, Kirinyaga East Roast: Light/Medium Brewing method: Pour-over Price: $18.50 - 16 oz . Bright, crisp and clean, yet smooth soft and syrupy. That best describes this Sulawesi Toarco Toraja A, city + roast from Velton's Coffee . Along with the complex body and mouthfeel, this roast has an amazingly complex flavor range. From the bag the whole beans give off a pleasant aroma of rich caramel with a hints of chocolate and sweet citrus. Once the beans are ground, the dry aroma changes a bit releasing notes of sweet caramel and stone fruit. The pour-over the aroma swells into the room with notes of sweet citrus and more caramel. Once brewing is complete, the are notes of cocoa, caramel and sweet citrus rising from the cup.  The first sips from the hot cup are bright, crisp and clean with a mouthwatering palate wash. There are flavors of sweet caramel

I get a real kick out of reviewing "series" cigars and this is the third installment of the "Holiday Series" from  CAO Cigars , the Mx2 Rabid Reindeer. Again this Holiday Series cigar came from  Cigar Train  here in Spokane.  Like the others in the series, the 6 1/2 x 52 Rabid Reindeer is a limited release of 2000 boxes of 14 cigars, but the Rabid Reindeer is based on the MX2. Construction of this cigar is near perfect. The stout, oily, maduro colored wrapper appears seamless, there's some sandpaper-like tooth and it's nearly vein free. There's a nice triple cap and the cigar is packed well full length.  From the cold foot there's a hearty aroma of earthy cocoa and the free cold draw reminds me of  spicy cocoa.  Once burning the cigar produces a nice amount of medium bodied smoke with nuances of stone fruit, cocoa and fermented tobacco. As the razor sharp burn moves up the body there are other notes of toast, earth, and leather wit

Davidoff Cigars unveils the first Davidoff Exclusive Editions 2015.  Unique cigars tailor made exclusively for key Davidoff retail partners globally Basel, February 2015.  To celebrate the successful business relationships between Oettinger Davidoff AG and its indespensible business partners around the world, Davidoff Cigars has created Premium Exclusive Editions designed for its Davidoff Flagship Stores, Appointed Merchants and top Travel Retail Accounts. The Davidoff Exclusive cigars that make up these various Editions are as unique and distinctive as a country, a city or a city’s skyline. Blended to match the palates of those who will have the opportunity to enjoy them, they will be available in limited quantities only. “At Davidoff, our mission is to fill the aficionados’ time beautifully, delighting and surprising aficionados and key retail partners worldwide, by crafting exceptional cigars and creating unrivalled retail experiences. With these bespoke Exclusive Editio

Today we have another nice budget cigar, the Quorum Shade Toro. For a budget cigar, this stick was pretty impressive. Let's take a deeper look and find out why.  Covered in a silky smooth, shade grown Connecticut wrapper, this Quorum looks like it could quite easily retail for around $10.00. The construction is seamless, the wrapper contains only the finest of veins, it's packed firmly full length and it's topped off by a triple cap.  From the cold foot there were rich fruity notes of fermented tobacco, while the free cold draw produced toasted tobacco notes with a hint of spice mixed in.  The first draws were mild bodied and smooth with flavors of cream, toast and again, a light hint of spice. As the sharp burn line moved up the body, the cigar's flavors shifted to an earthy mix of oak, earth and leather until the burn reached the final third. In the final third the sweet cream came back, plus now there was lots of light brown sugar added in. The ci

Fort Lauderdale, FL - The world's finest and most expensive cigar maker --Gurkha Cigars -- has reached new heights once again with the release of its second super premium luxury cigar, 'Maharaja.' While Gurkha's original super premium luxury cigar the 'His Majesty's Reserve' is infused with Remy's Louis XIII Cognac at $2,400 a bottle, the 'Maharaja' will not be infused. It is a secret blend of the best quality tobaccos available. The beautiful maduro wrapper pairs Dominican binder and fillers to create a smooth and sweet taste on the lips. To be enjoyed by true cigar connoisseurs, the Gurkha Maharaja is medium bodied and one of a kind. It retails for $500 a stick.  "The limited edition 'Maharaja' has set a new precedent for premium tobacco," said Kaizad Hansotia, founder and CEO of Gurkha Cigars. "We're excited to be able to pair these rare leaves in such a magnificent and flavorful way. It's been a wh

Once again, here's a cigar from this month's Freight Train package the Grind Double Toro by Diesel Cigar .  Let me say, this Grind is one nice looking cigar, plus at 6 x 60, it's big. It's covered in a seamless, practically vein free Colorado Claro colored wrapper, with the finest of veins. The cigar is packed well full length, it has seamless construction and it's topped off with a triple cap.  Checking aromas on the cold cigar, there are notes from the foot of fruity, fermented tobacco. After clipping the cap, the free draw again has a fruity flavor but there's a bit of mild spice to make things interesting.  Once the cigar is burning the first mouthfuls of medium bodied smoke tease your palate with the same mix of spicy, fruity, fermented tobacco found in the cold draw. It's actually a pretty tasty mix. As the sharp burn line progresses up the body other flavors of toast, leather and light brown sugar join  the mix.  In the final third

Once again thanks to the monthly  Cigar Train "Freight Train" package I have another Caldwell Cigar to review, the Long Live The King, My Style Is Jalapeno Lancero.  A nifty looking band and an oily, seamless, nearly vein free wrapper lead me to believe this will be another great cigar from Caldwell Cigars. Let's see if I'm right.  Before we really get stared, I have to wonder, what kind of name is, "My Style Is Jalapeno", for a cigar. Well I think it's a pretty good one myself. However, it did make me wonder if this cigar was a pepper bomb. Well I can gladly say, it wasn't.  Starting with the Corojo wrapper you can see in the picture it has a bit of color difference from one end to the other, but that's OK, plus in true lancero style, it's capped with a nice, tightly wound pigtail. From the foot I pick up a really mild cedar aroma and after clipping the cap, the free draw has a light spicy cedar taste. Once the ciga

Oettinger Davidoff and Quintessentially Lifestyle unveil the Hourglass Lounge, the world’s first members-only luxury concierge service dedicated to filling the cigar aficionado’s time beautifully. Basel, February 2015.  Oettinger Davidoff, creator of some of the finest premium cigars, has joined forces with one of the world’s leading luxury lifestyle concierge service, Quintessentially Lifestyle, to launch the Hourglass Lounge: this first global luxury concierge service dedicated to the cigar aficionado. “The Hourglass Lounge will delight and surprise aficionados worldwide by delivering unique and unrivalled experiences – following our philosophy of “Time Beautifully Filled”. If time is one of life’s greatest luxuries, nowhere is it more richly filled than in the Hourglass Lounge,” says Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, CEO of Oettinger Davidoff AG. The Hourglass Lounge enables its members to enjoy unparalleled levels of service: from responding to their everyday needs t

Roast House Coffee Shadow Location: Spokane, WA Reigon: Sumatra, Mexico, Nicaragua Roast: City + - Full City + Brewing method:  Pour-over Price: $15.45 - 16 oz. Here we have another top of the line coffee, Shadow from Roast House Coffee . These beans brew into a cup as complex as the regions they're grown in.  Aroma from the beans and ground coffee mainly has notes of cocoa, but there's also a faint hint of oak that makes things interesting. As water is introduced during the pour-over process, sweet notes of cocoa and warm bread rise to greet your nose. Once the brewing is complete, the aroma rising from the cup has notes of sweet caramel.  Sipping from the cup, the first sips are light, clean and brisk with a clean wash across the palate. As the brew cools it becomes heavier with a smooth creamy mouthfeel and a soft lingering aftertaste.  Not only does the body change in the cup but so do the flavors. The first sips contain notes of lightly sweet ca

Here's another great tasting e-cigar the Tryst No. 2 Robusto Vanilla-Spiced Rum E-Cigar. Featuring e-juice made in the USA, these  Tryst  e-cigars are a pretty sweet deal. Again, this is another nice example of a cigarette alternative that gives me cigar-like satisfaction. Like I mentioned before, these American made e-juices from Tryst have fantastic flavor. With this e-cigar vanilla reigns as the prominent flavor, but there are hints of spiced rum underneath and it creates a nice mix.  To date, other flavored e-products I've tried don't compare at all to the Tryst e-cigar flavors. So far all the Tryst products I've tried have top of the line construction and I haven't had any negative issues. Add together great taste, health benefits and reduced cigarette costs, Tryst e-cigars are a real winner for me. Give them a try! You can find  Tryst  e-cigars at  Famous Smoke Shop . The No. 2 Robusto sells in 12 packs for $152.99. Since each Tryst Robusto is th

Today we have the second installment of the "Holiday Series" from  CAO Cigars , the La Traviata Maduro Evil Snowman. You know by now that good packaging gets me all the time and this Holiday Series CAO Cigar I picked up from Cigar Train caught me, hook, line and sinker. But that's not all, there was a really nice cigar under this limited series band. Let's take a look and see what I found.  So this is what I found. The Evil Snowman is covered by a nice oily, slightly toothy Maduro colored wrapper that shows only the finest of veins. The cigar is packed well full length and had a light barnyard aroma from the foot. After clipping the triple cap, the draw was free and there were flavor notes of lightly spiced oak.  Once burning the mild bodied Evil Snowman produced a large volume of smoke with an initial flavor mix of toasty fermented tobacco, cocoa and oak plus it left behind a nice chocolate aftertaste.  In the second half the wrapper developed an oily s

VIVA REPUBLICA ANNOUNCES LIMITED-EDITION CIGAR: JAILBREAK Miami, Florida - Viva Republica , a premium handmade cigar manufacturer is ready to launch a limited edition, one of a kind blend named: Jailbreak . Jailbreak is the latest in unique and innovative lines put forth by Jason Holly, President of Viva Republica. Jason Holly said” Jailbreak is a new concept in where a Lancero is buried inside of a 6’X 58 cigar trying to escape. I decided to create this unique cigar in dedication to my stepfather who recently retired as a Superintendent of the Dallas State Correctional Institution.” The cigar features a double-wrapper ( Dominican Corojo and Ecuadorian Habano ), undisclosed double-binder and features 10 different filler leaves. The lancero/center-chamber is rolled and aged prior to being re-rolled into the 6 x 58, which is then aged again. Holly said,” The cigar offers a flavor profile that is quite unique, it's a blend that would be v

I ran across this funding project on Twitter today. Since I'm a coffee nut and it's a local project, I feel the " INDABA  Downtown" project deserves as much promotion as possible. I NDABA COFFEE INDABA  Downtown: A Funding Project With Local and Global Economic Impact. Help bring "good" coffee to downtown Spokane. The summary below is directly from the funding page . " Short Summary Hi, I’m Bobby Enslow, the owner and founder of INDABA COFFEE. After spending time working in South Africa for an HIV/AIDS clinic, I returned to my home town of Spokane, WA with a renewed passion for the poor and a dream to start a socially conscious coffee business. This indiegogo campaign is to raise money for our second location downtown! It’s been five years since we opened our first location in West Central, and now we are ready to take our business to an up and coming area of downtown. This location will allow us to raise even more money

I plucked this  Rocky Patel Catch Twenty-Two, Sixty right off the shelf on my last visit to Cigar Train . With the high tobacco taxes in WA, and a retail price under $7.00, this Catch Twenty-Two is darn nice stick.  This 60 ring beast is packed well from head to foot, plus the Honduran and Mexican long fillers are covered in an oily, slightly toothy, Maduro colored Corojo wrapper. Aromas from the cold foot are a mix of light spice and rich fermented tobacco. Once the cap is clipped, the free cold draw has sweet notes of fermented tobacco. From the burning cigar, the first large mouthfuls of medium bodied smoke have flavors of oak, leather, cocoa, and more fermented tobacco. In the second half the strength builds into the medium/full range and more flavors join in. There's a bit of black pepper, some peat, earth, brown sugar and burnt oak.  After seventy-five minutes the Catch Twenty-Two finishes it's burn with flavors of charred oak and chocolate. It was a p

Okay, it's February already and here's the new monthly contest we promised. This month it's an 8-pack of cigars all from my own personal stash. No sponsors, just me. To enter the only requirement is subscribe to our mailing list and "POOF" you're in! It's that easy. Here's the line up: 1- La Gloria Evil Twin 1- Mark Twain 1- CAO Nasty Nutcracker 1- John Starks 1- Man O' War 1- El Baton 1- Camacho Ecuador 1- Ave Maria This package has an MSRP over $75.00 You must be of legal smoking age for your state to enter.  Here's The big bonus, if you're already subscribed, you're already entered in this month's contest! The contest ends 2/28/2015 and the winner will be notified via email or Twitter. 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 * Pa