“Smoked Up” No.48

Posted by Shawn

December 10, 2013

The holidays are in full swing and things here at my house are swinging back and forth worse than a carnival ride. The weather went from wet to cold to warm to comfortable all within a few days. The humidity stuck around long enough to hamper my cigar smokings somewhat. But it wasn’t enough for me to work on my Christmas light display. I am at the home stretch and only have a few hundred left to hang. I have officially ran out of extension cords and will be getting some this weekend to finish everything up.

With the weather and Christmas light display beingÂ a highÂ priority, I didn’t get in too many cigars this week. I did getÂ in a review of the A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Half CoronaÂ from Pinar DelÂ Rio Cigar, so check it out too. I have been enjoying a few good beers here while working out in the yard. My favorite right now in the fridge is the Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout. Its a seasonal beer I highly recommend to try.Â The Moo-Hoo is followedÂ by the Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, its a very good beer that’s better with nutty nuances with a nice smooth texture to it. I am also liking the Bell’s Brewery Expedition Stout, its one stout beer for sure. Their Kalamazoo Stout is higher up on my likings though.

Cigar Views

Arturo Fuente Anejo No.50 (2013): I absolutely love the Fuente Anejo. They are good fresh out of the box, better after a year rest and great after two years. I usually try to get a handful of themÂ when they show up around Christmas time.Â This particularÂ one didn’t last long in the humidor, as it was from the 2013 Father’s Day run. I still have a stash of various Anejo from many years back. Had awesome cedar, a little pepper spice and a great cocoa/chocolate flavor. The oaky after taste was deep and lingered for a long time. Into the smoke a bit, the smoke got a bit creamier than previously. Had a little thicker draw than I usually like; but itÂ was very manageable. From the good burn came a tight ash that was a dirty white and almost pure white in places.

Camacho Havana Monarca: I don’t see the HavanaÂ line of Camacho veryÂ much in my local shops.Â One local shop does get them in various sizes; each time one size gets low, they order a different size. I like this idea as their humidor isÂ small and it keeps a good variety on the shelves. I previously had the coronaÂ andÂ it was a prettyÂ niceÂ smoke. The corona was a little more bolderÂ than the Monarca. The robustoÂ had a nice spicyÂ and woody start. Around halfway, a slight creaminess arose and helped ease the spice a good bit. They claim the Havana lineÂ to be “The most Cuban-esque of all the Camachos” and it has a slight resemblance to a few Cuban cigars I’ve had. Had a pretty good burn and great draw.

Moya Ruiz La Jugada Habano Torpedo: A new addition to the La Jugada line comes the Habano. This cigar had a great slow burning aspect to it with a nice draw that was a little thicker than I like. But overall no construction issues. Had a nice black pepper at the start with some woodsy notes. The black pepper faded slowly to a more woody smoke, but came back in a lesser form around half way. I really enjoyed this new addition to the Moya Ruiz line of cigars. It hails from the La Zona factory, which has been producing many nice smokes this year. Look for a full review of this cigar later this week.