Scotchman's Smoking Journal (with likely random detours into the world of Scotch)

[Scotchman]

In an attempt to contribute while not actually knowing anything, I figured this thread can exist as sort of a smoking journal of what I'm trying and my thoughts. Part of the issue is I don't really know what to look for, and can't tell as much difference between cigars as others seem to. I went through the same thing with Scotch though, so I am hoping this is also an acquired taste.

The journey started with a Bolivar Petite Corona and a Warped La Colmena care of @mitetak a couple weeks ago. They seemed very similar and overall I enjoyed them. I did pair the LC with a Bruichladdich Octomore which is just absurdly good and compliments any smoke very well. So there is that.

Grabbed a Budget Surprise Sampler from Small Batch which came with 10 sticks. Took these to a work friend's summer party and returned home with two of them (great success!). I smoked from that a Fonseca Cubano Exclusivo and a Regius (Black Label? San Andres? This is the trouble with samplers especially when new!). The Fonseca was unremarkable and the Regius I found to be extremely mild in comparison, which was surprising to me since it had a darker wrapper than the others.

A few nights later I smoked a Felipe Gregorio Don Cirilo Familiar Reserva, which I did not enjoy. Additionally, I got to experience nicotine sickness for the first time. So overall a bad experience there.

To replenish my stock, I ordered a Small Batch Beginner's Sampler, hopefully to find something I can consistently enjoy.

And this brings me to last night, when I burned the first of these, a Drew Estate Undercrown Shade. I found this to be pleasant overall, but very mild. I don't think I enjoy smoking alone though; I found myself wishing I was done so I could go back inside and do something else. Not the goal for sure.

Tonight I am having a few guys over for, you guessed it, more cigars. @mitetak is bringing me a Drew Estate Kentucky Fire Cured Kyoto which I am excited to try. On one hand, I feel like this is like drinking flavored coffee, or mixing Scotch with coke (ie only done by filthy casuals), but on the other hand I love my peaty Scotches and am curious to see what its like. My other friend smokes Drew Estate Acid cigars, which I am also interested in trying, but have the same reservations about.

Will keep an open mind and see how it goes!

 

[Boudie]

What makes it more complicated is that cigars will often change with humidor time. Some stuff you may not appreciate now, with a couple of months (or years) of humi time become enjoyable. Conversely some cigars you enjoy ROTT with age will lose their zing and become dull and lifeless. Once you narrow things down a bit start buying 5 or 10 packs and try them over time. It may also be helpful to keep a journal of the cigars you smoke. Make notes of the flavors you find and what you like/hate about the cigar. Eventually you'll identify trends in the stuff you enjoy and track how your ability to identify flavors changes with experience

 

[Scotchman]

Thanks. I have been reading about aging and the consensus seems to be age everything at least a month, but there is rarely a point in going more than two years. But plenty of people saying it doesn't make a difference as well.

Should be easier to follow this practice once I build up a bit of a stash.

I am maintaining a spreadsheet of what I have and what I've smoked with comments and ratings, good suggestion.

 

[multi-useless]

In addition to the cigars' flavors changing as they age, your tastes will also change as you smoke more - a stick that blows you away 1 week from now, might be boring as hell for you a year from now... so, another reason not to go out and buy boxes of something just because you liked it the first time

 

[Scotchman]

Yup absolutely. There are a lot of parallels to Scotch here (I did warn you of detours...), when I started all I wanted was Highlands and Speysides, now those are boring and I am all about Islays. Big world to explore.

 

[Boudie]

To say proper aging doesn't make a difference is a bit of a stretch. The changes may not suit your palate and some cigars will age better (suit your palate more) then others but there are too many of us that notice the affects of proper aging to say there are none. Sounds like you are on the right track and yes you have started on the slippery slope of a growing stash.

 

[Scotchman]

Maybe I will hold off on smoking any more of the sampler for a bit then.

 

[BloodWood]

Multi's advise is spot on.
Thinking I fell in love I immediately loaded up my humi with boxes of specific blends.
By the end of the year my palate had adjusted entirely.
I'm still holding numerous sticks labeled L'Anniversaire from 2000.

 

[Boudie]

If the sampler is all different cigars go ahead and enjoy them after letting them settle for a couple of days. If you find something you like buy a 5 pack. Smoke one in a week or two then again every couple of months and see if you can find a sweet spot!!

 

[Bogey]

Big peated Scotch fan here. I almost exclusively drank Islay Scotch’s for a while but since getting more into cigars have found that I like to save the peated stuff for when I’m not having a smoke. I find the smoke of cigar and the peat smoke kinda cancel out and then you miss out on a lot of the more subtle flavors in both the Scotch and the cigar.

If you’re drinking Octomore (the smokiest Scotch on the face of the planet) then it would make sense that you can’t tell that much of a difference between cigars. I recommend revisiting some of your favorite Speysides paired with a cigar, you’ll have a completely different drinking experience then when you used to drink them without a cigar. Since I’ve been smoking more I’ve gained a new appreciation for burbon (which i don’t like without a cigar) and rye.

 

[Scotchman]

Last night I enjoyed a Crowned Heads Luminosa, in a Robusto, from the Small Batch beginner's sampler. It seemed mild but still enjoyable. I tried to focus on smoking slower and drawing in gently, like one puff per minute, and this generally seemed to help, but I did have to relight once. I tended to go longer than a minute at times while going on about this or that with my smoking companion. I guess that is a good problem to have though, maybe really what it's all about.

Tonight is raincheck day for @mitetak and another friend of mine. I am looking forward to trying the KFC and whatever else we dig up. I am going to try to hit a couple B&Ms before then as well so who knows what I'll come home with.

 

[Opie]

Last night I enjoyed a Crowned Heads Luminosa, in a Robusto, from the Small Batch beginner's sampler. It seemed mild but still enjoyable. I tried to focus on smoking slower and drawing in gently, like one puff per minute, and this generally seemed to help, but I did have to relight once. I tended to go longer than a minute at times while going on about this or that with my smoking companion. I guess that is a good problem to have though, maybe really what it's all about.

Tonight is raincheck day for @mitetak and another friend of mine. I am looking forward to trying the KFC and whatever else we dig up. I am going to try to hit a couple B&Ms before then as well so who knows what I'll come home with.

try the Luminosa in the Petit Corona size. Great morning smoke ! Mild(ish) with a lot of flavor

 

[Scotchman]

Yesterday, @mitetak and another non-brother (for now at least) came over to smoke some 'gars. Firstly, got bombed by Tim (below).

For me, it was Drew Estate night (not sure I planned it that way though). I started by smoking a Drew Estate Kentucky Fire Cured Kyoto. It was not nearly as "smoky" as I thought it would be. I detected some amount of smokiness but overall not much to say here. I have a Chunky in the humidor to revisit in a few months.

Next, my friend arrived who smokes Acids. I had wanted to try them, since they are so popular, so I smoked a Drew Estate Acid Blondie Gold. I hadn't realized the Blondie came in colors; I recently ordered some Blue labels for my wife. I very much did not enjoy this cigar. The biggest issue was the sweetened tip; I didn't realize Acids did that, and now I'm wondering if it is just the red and gold label, or if the Blues do it too. What about Kuba Kubas? Anyway, I couldn't get past that disgusting sticky sweetness every time I took a puff, and it made it hard to tell what was going on with the smoke. I did determine enough to know that they are much more "infused" than the KFC I smoked prior. Pitched this one about halfway through.

Finally, to close out the night I returned to "normal" cigars and smoked a Drew Estate Herrera Esteli Robusto which came in my Small Batch beginner's sampler. It had a tight draw and I had to relight it four or so times. The beginning of the cigar seemed pleasant, but all of the relighting, and heavy pulls to keep it lit, made it bitter pretty quickly.

Bomb below:

 

[Scotchman]

Lit up a Serino Wayfarer Corona Gorda, again from the Small Batch beginner's sampler. The burn was not great, which seems to be corroborated from a couple reviews I watched on YouTube (at least it wasn't just me). Had some canoeing I had to fix a couple times, and it seemed to randomly be a smokestack then seem close to going out, even without me doing anything.

Today was the first time I really "figured out" retrohaling, so I am glad that's a tool I have now to better enjoy smoking. As for the Wayfarer, it was good, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the others that came in the sampler. I "paired" it with a Sam Adams Octoberfest (ok, two Sam Adams Octoberfests), which seemed to kind of work? But that may have just been because I like Sam Adams Octoberfest.

 

[Scotchman]

Last few days I've enjoyed a Drew Estate Undercrown Robusto, and last night during Monday Nigh Football, a Arturo Fuente R54 Magnum, the last cigar from my Small Batch beginner's sampler. I enjoyed the Undercrown a lot, I still can't place flavors with specific words like leather or cream, but I can tell that some cigars taste different than others, and I enjoyed the Undercrown. It was a little strong and I definitely felt the nicotine by the time I was done. It burned perfectly and produced tons of smoke, as I understand DE cigars are known for. This is becoming my top criteria in a good cigar, as I hate having to fight to get smoke out, and then overheating it in the process.

The AF was good as well, also burned well for the most part except for some minor canoeing. I enjoyed the flavor here as well, not as much as the Undercrown but it was solid. I am already wanting to go back and revisit some of my earlier smokes that I thought I liked at the time, knowing what little more I know now. Cigars like the La Colmena and Undercrown Shade. However I've been blessed with about 20 sticks in my humidor that I'm looking forward to, so that will probably have to wait.

 

[Scotchman]

Not sure if anyone is enjoying this thread or if I should just let it die, or maybe go to the "Today's Smoke" thread. I am not taking pictures of all my cigars generally, so doesn't seem like it really fits there. Let me know if I should keep going with my ramblings of a new aficionado.

Since we last spoke, I have smoked a Illusione Rothchilde, an Oliva Connecticut Reserve, an Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente, and tried a Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro cigarillo.

The Rothchilde was ok, I enjoyed the first third but found the flavor got weird after that. It needed a couple relights as well which took some points away. I'd probably try it again down the line but I'm not lining up to buy any.

The Oliva I really liked, I kept remarking how good it was, but it too got less good as the stick went on. This is one I definitely think I'd revisit.

The Chateau Fuente was out of a box that I purchased for a wedding I was at. I got intel from the groom the day of the wedding that probably a dozen people would be interested in smoking, but there were no cigars, so I drove 40 minutes each way to the nearest tobbaconist to pick up a box. I decided on the Chateau Fuentes because they came in boxes of 20, instead of 25, had a natural wrapper which I thought would be accessible to casual/infrequent smokers, and came in a vitola like a 4x50. Shout out to Leaf Lover's in North East, PA for helping me out; it looked like a fantastic shop and lounge.

Ended up using 14 out of the 20 in the box, so I'm glad I took the time to get them. As for the stick, I liked it. It didn't produce as much smoke as I like, but the flavor was solid, particularly on the retrohale, the ash held on for longer than I was comfortable letting it, and it needed no relights. I don't blame Arturo Fuente for the other 13 cigars I had to watch get charred and overheated by their owners, especially at the hands of this triple flame torch that was being passed around and held right up to the foot of the user's cigar for what seemed like minutes.

Finally, @mitetak gave me a couple cigarillos to try, as I'd been interested in finding a faster smoke for when I'm alone at home. I tried the Undercrown and found it very strong, which I suppose makes sense since I was basically smoking the wrapper leaf. It wasn't bad just much fuller flavored than I'm used to, and at this point I think I prefer lighter flavored sticks.

 

[Scotchman]

Friday night I was temporarily a bachelor as my wife and kid were out of town, so I decided to wander down to a lounge I've been meaning to check out. I went alone figuring if it was dead I could always come back, and used it as an excuse to get a motorcycle ride in while the weather is still nice.

I picked up a Southern Draw Quick Draw Connecticut to support the shop and gain access to the lounge. I have really wanted to try a Rose of Sharon, but they did not have any, however I figured this was at least a Southern Draw so I'd try it. After getting to the lounge, a guy I know recognized me and brought me over to the poker game they were about to start. @mitetak told me about this game, and I was going to go with him the next time it happened, but since he was out of town he neglected to give me a heads up. It was a pretty huge coincidence that I happened to show up at exactly the right time!

During the game I smoked the Quick Draw, and I believe it is my favorite cigar I've smoked so far. The draw was a little tight, but other than that it doesn't lose points for anything really with me. Flavor was great from light up to the nub. Definitely want to check out more from Southern Draw, including the elusive rose. I also smoked one of the Crowned Heads Luminosa Petite Coronas I picked up a few weeks ago. It paled in comparison to the Quick Draw.

I won the poker game and took home a selection of Alec Bradleys, Macanudos, an Ashton, Dunbarton, My Father, and an Undercrown Shade, which is great as I've been wanting to revisit that one. All in all a great night.