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  • BOTL UPCOMING MAINTENANCE

    Hi Everyone, as mentioned in my introduction post, BOTL needs quite a bit of updating, patching and whatever else I might come across. Over the next few weekends BOTL may be unreachable on occasion as I do migrations or updates, etc. Just be patient - we'll be back! I'll generally try to keep these maintenances until later in the evenings.

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  1. Bruce T.

    Tight draws

    Yeah, me neither. It sounds weird but Cuba does have a lot of honey, it is one of their bigger products. I haven't yet found any further info on it.
  2. Bruce T.

    How to check if your CC box is fake

    Supposedly there is a code number on every box of CC's located on the government seal. It can be entered into an online database to check if the box is real. Here is the link to the database http://www.habanos.com/en/verificacion-de-autenticidad/ I don't have any CC boxes that are recent so...
  3. Bruce T.

    Ageing of Cuban tobacco

    I was trying to confirm some information I was told on a recent trip to Cuba and I came across a Habanos website. Sorry if this is old news to most of you but I had not seen it before. Here is a link to page that talks about the aging of their tobacco...
  4. Bruce T.

    Tight draws

    To add a bit more info to this.... In Cuba, filler and binder leaves are aged in bales that are wrapped in some type of burlap cloth. The wrapper leaves are aged in bales covered in the bark of Royal Palm trees. Most leaves are aged 3-5 years. All leaves used for the Cohiba brand are aged 5...
  5. Bruce T.

    Tight draws

    How long do they run before you need to replace the batteries?
  6. Bruce T.

    Fake CC, but they smoke great! Would you?

    There is a big difference between fake CC's from Cuba or from anywhere else. I have had many fakes from Cuba. They have all been good smokes and well made. There are thousands of boxes of fakes sold in Cuba every week. They must be produced in a factory somewhere and you can be sure that...
  7. Bruce T.

    Fixing humidity loss in a small cabinet humidor

    Whitehourse is about 2,000 miles north of Toronto. There's lots of trees but I don't think hardwoods grow that far north. Even the evergreens are stunted. But the wildlife is abundant and the people are wonderful. If you love to hunt or fish the north is where it's at. And where did you...
  8. Bruce T.

    Pics of Your Sticks

    Hey Webmost, I think your cutter would be considered a prohibited weapon in Canada. But it would be handy if you got in a fist fight while rolling some sticks.
  9. Bruce T.

    Fixing humidity loss in a small cabinet humidor

    I've been to Whitehorse. It's a great place but I don't think there is a hardwood tree for 1000 miles. Just lot's of evergreens.
  10. Bruce T.

    Why is the wrapper so important?

    It is a good read, thanks. In the intro it states, "The Cigar Encyclopedia and Cigar Aficionado suggest that the wrapper is responsible for 60% or more of the cigar’s flavor". Unfortunately it does not offer any reason for this.
  11. Bruce T.

    Why is the wrapper so important?

    I've often read that the wrapper leaf on a cigar has a dominant influence on the overall flavor. I always wondered why. If we look at a typical 48-50 rg cigar there is typically one leaf of a stronger flavor in the center of the bunch. This is surrounded by 2 or 3 of other types of leaves...
  12. Bruce T.

    FLASH POLL: IN OR OUT?

    100% outside and only in nice weather, in a nice chair and with a nice drink.
  13. Bruce T.

    What is the cheapest (i.e. least expensive) Cuban cigar brand?

    I find the Cuaba not too bad, though it may not qualify as "inexpensive". I can certainly tell you what to avoid. Guatalamara, Belinda and Troya are three that prove the saying "you get what you pay for".
  14. Bruce T.

    What is the cheapest (i.e. least expensive) Cuban cigar brand?

    Excuse my ignorance but what the hell is PLPC and RASCC ?
  15. Bruce T.

    Pics of Your Sticks

    Here are some of my sticks from this week. While I am not a very good roller, I do like to experiment with shapes, just for the fun of it. The second one is tapered towards the head. This ones below are a figurado, tapered at both ends and a box pressed. Below is my attempt at a chisel...
  16. Bruce T.

    Pics of Your Sticks

    Sorry about the thumbnail photo. The original was 6 Mp but I thought I should make it smaller but I guess I went too far. Next time I'll post the bigger version.
  17. Bruce T.

    Pics of Your Sticks

    Ready to roll.....
  18. Bruce T.

    Show us your latest leaf purchase

    So here is my latest. I haven't done any rolling for a couple of years and I wasn't very good at it when I did. I bought 2 blending packs from Whole Leaf. Let the fun begin (again).
  19. Bruce T.

    Fixing humidity loss in a small cabinet humidor

    That was a great write up and is very useful. I too needed a humidor that was more visually appealing than a winador. I was impressed with the idea of the air-tight seal of a winador but not the ascetics. I decided to cover a winador with wood to get the best of both worlds. This may not be...
  20. Bruce T.

    Lifecycle of a cigar

    I don't remember which video it was but it stated that 70 different people handled each leaf/cigar before it leaves the factory. Now that's labor intensive!
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