First spring-time 2012 cigar by the fire

Yesterday was the official first day of spring, 2012. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm 60° day. Among other things, I worked on my garden's raised beds for an hour or two and installed a "new" used stove our kitchen with my Dad. I also just had to build a little fire in the backyard fire pit and chill with a beer and cigar for a while. 

The first yard flowers showed up in force on the first day of spring.

While I wouldn't call it a ritual or yearly tradition, each year's first cigar that I enjoy outside by the fire is always a sweet experience. The months of winter and more infrequent opportunities to smoke a cigar during that season make the first spring-time smoke a much welcome event.

My choice for yesterday's smoke was an Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva. It's a solid, reliable and pleasant smoke, relatively mild but with all of the warm aromas and flavor that you want in a good cigar.

This particular Gran Reserva was a smaller ring size than I normally prefer; I think it might have been a 46. But it turned out to be just the right size for the fairly short respite I was looking for at mid-day. The Arturo Fuente website indicates that their Gran Reserva line wrappers are either African Cameroon, Connecticut shade or Ecuadorian sungrown. I don't know what wrapper this one displayed. Regardless, the cigar was expertly constructed and had an extremely smooth draw. The burn was solid and consistent, with a pepper gray ash.

I got my Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva from the good folks at Cigars Direct, an online tobacco retailer where you can purchase a variety of fine name brand products. I have a CigarsDirect link on the right sidebar of this site. Check them out. 

Wishing everyone a fantastic spring!

Sometimes mail is better than antibiotics

I've been sick and bed-ridden this week with the worst cold I've had in quite some time. But two things that came in the mail have made it a good week after all:

One, my copy of The Gruffalo DVD came today, and as soon as I'm done making this update I'm going to watch it with daughter Jesse, who is also home from school with the same virus that I have (I'm sure she passed it onto me).

Two, a package containing 5 new cigars for me to sample and review arrived courtesy of Cigars Direct. If you look on the right sidebar of this page you'll find the Cigars Direct link, where you can buy premium cigars at discount prices. (Note to a certain spouse I happen to be married to: cigars make the perfect gift for any and every occasion, or even just for the heck of it!). So, as soon as I've conquered this virus I'll be sampling these little beauties and sharing my reviews with you all.

• 2 Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva
• Corojo Special Torpedo by Rocky Patel
• La Gloria Cubana
• Casa Magna Colorados

A much appreciated cigar hits the spot.

I had a great cigar the other day while driving up to Green Bay. My friend Bill Granger stopped by for coffee and chat and gifted me two excellent smokes, one being the Indian Tabac Maduro pictured here. Sometimes a good cigar tastes even better, because other variables line up to make the context of the experience more enjoyable. This was one of those times.

Because I'd been so busy with work-related stuff I hadn't taken the time to enjoy a cigar for a couple weeks. The day Kim and I drove up to Green Bay was exceptionally nice, with warm, shirt sleeve weather and a bright blue sky. The fact that this cigar was a gift from a friend I hadn't seen for a couple months also figured in. And this was just a darn tasty cigar.

From the very first puff it was delicious, with loads of aromatic spiciness, nuttiness and warm sweetness. It was smooth from start to finish with nary a harsh note, which pleasantly surprised me, as some reviews of the Indian Tabac had me expecting a bit of unwelcome bitter heat as I neared the head.

You'll notice near the bottom of the left sidebar a link for cigarsdirect.com. If you're a cigar afficionado or budding afficionado please check them out. They've got a good selection and provide some great information on the site if you want to learn about cigars. I'll also be adding a section to this site that will be devoted to cigars.