Cigar Curmudgeon

Tobacco Control Act - One year later

2010-06-27T09:16:21Z

The FDA recently released a rather ominous document to the world touting the advances and accomplishments of the Tobacco Control Act. Of course they have a very positive slant on the last year but if you break it down, have they really accomplished anything positive?

A Tale of Two Cigars

2010-06-15T15:14:04Z

The surf pounded my brain as I stood on the weathered dock transfixed by the rhythmic surges of the waves on the beach. Smoke from a Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial curled from lips and floated away on the salty breeze. My thoughts drifted from one hallucination to another as the tensions of modern life were released from their bondage and drifted into the morning sunrise ......

Cigar Tasting for the sensory challenged

2010-05-18T12:26:40Z

It seems that some cigar smokers are born with or blessed with a superb palate that allows them to distinguish sandalwood from hickory, sweet grass from hay and marzipan from whatever would be the non-marzipan equivalent. On the other end of the spectrum are the cigar smokers that can only acknowledge good, bad and ammonia. Perhaps these are the more fortunate among us because they can enjoy a wider array of cigars without the burden of such subtleties as burnt toast or organic mango spice.

WOW, watching the shuttle launch

2010-05-14T18:49:21Z

Just a few minutes ago I was standing in the parking lot here at work enjoying a J Fuego Original, listening to a live NASA feed via a local ham repeater and watching the launch of shuttle Atlantis for its last trip to the space station. This trip included three payloads from my employer and that made it a little more special.

I have to admit though, I have been watching rocket launches since the 60's and I never get tired of it. it still amazes me that we can even make all of that hardware work as it is supposed to when we face such a long list of challenges in our society. It is indeed a testament to the human spirit and the power of a free people.

I became an Ambassador for Cigar Rights of America today. I made the commitment because I believe in the cause and I believe that we still have a right to smoke cigars. Cigars are a legal product and we are breaking no laws, hurting no one and infringing on no one else's rights by choosing to smoke them. I remember when being free in this country included being free to be offended and to offend. No one ever promised that you could live your life without being exposed to the legal acts of others that you may find personally objectionable. And there is no guarantee of freedom from offense in our founding documents. Yet so many today want everyone to live in a manner that is agreeable to 'everyone.' We have seen how that type of a society works, its called socialism and it does not work very darn well. If someone's legal choices offend you, turn your head, avert your eyes and keep your mouth shut.

So here is a salute to all freedom loving Americans, may they continue to live as they (legally) see fit no matter the opinion of those that their choices may offend.

My coolidor project

2010-05-05T11:10:56Z

Just a quick post about my office coolidor. My wife has never been real happy with a cooler in the room, its just not furniture. So I have undertaken creating a cabinet to hide the coolidor. Here are pictures of the current situation and the state of the new cabinet. I will post more on this project very soon.

The Simple Life

2010-05-01T10:19:36Z

I love the early mornings. Morning is a simple time when the world is quiet, and I can quietly enjoy the first cigar of the day. There is something more fundamental about mornings as compared to the rest of the day; perhaps that is why I enjoy mornings. On this particular morning it occurs to me that smoking a cigar is also simple. Smoking a stogie is a pure act of pleasure with no strings attached, no pressure to perform and rich rewards. So why do we make it so complicated?

OSHA SETS SAFE LEVELS OF SECONDHAND SMOKE IN THE WORKPLACE

2010-02-04T13:23:00Z

“There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke in the workplace.” The next time you hear someone say this, tell the speaker he or she is misinformed, flat out wrong or full of crap, depending on your mood and the occasion. Tell him or her that there, indeed, are safe levels of secondhand smoke as established by no less an authority than the United States Government. In fact, it was the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration that set the safe air quality standard for secondhand smoke.

Expedition:Esteli 2010 Photos on line

2010-01-19T09:52:51Z

You can view Bob's photos at: SmugMug

Photo's from other travelers:

Fumee Inc.www.flickr.com/fumeecigars

www.flickr.com/heatherannehaddad
www.flickr.com/heatherland

Carl Hotlman has put together a nice set of albums here!

Dales FaceBook photos.

Winston Humidors FaceBook photos.

Craig Schneider's FaceBook photos.

Padilla Cigars

2010-01-16T16:57:47Z

Regarding the recent post in the Wrapper Chatter, I need to clarify and correct some issues. First, I have spoken with Mr. Padilla and he informs me that the information in the post is incorrect. Mr. Padilla was not contacted by me prior to publishing the piece and this was a significant oversight on my part and was very regrettable. I apologize to Mr. Padilla, and the audience for my poor judgement. I had received the information from what I consider a reliable source but failed to demonstrate reasonable care in attempting to verify the information or to obtain a response from Mr. Padilla prior to publication.
Those that know me, know this is not the way I typically operate.
I sincerely apologize to everyone and especially to Mr. Padilla for my actions.

Esteli Day 1 or so

2010-01-12T13:14:34Z

Up till midnight last night. Started the day by touring the Drew Estate factory. Factory is a wonder of modernization. High tech error tracking, clean, fresh facility with ample space and well organized. The people are all smiling and appear to be enjoying their jobs. The perfect modern factory built with purpose from the beginning. Before lunch Jonathan hosted a blending session in which we got to work through several options for filler, binder and wrapper. Each of us created a blend and it will be delivered to us later.

We enjoyed a great BBQ lunch and then travelled to the Oliva factory across town.

The Oliva factory is much different, the lighting seems darker and there is more sign of wear and use. Slightly more disorganized put the people really take pride in working for Oliva so again all smiles. Turns out Oliva produces one of Dale's favorite cigars, the Nicaragua 3000, who knew? Well Dale had postulated on this for some time and is now proven correct. We then visited two small Rocky Patel locations, one a working factory and the other the new factory under construction. We ended out day at the Elogio factory, a very small factory owned and operated by Carlos where Elogio cigars are made. Dale sat down and got schooled in rolling, video coming soon and then Carlos sat down to roll two salamones without the use of a mold. Pretty impressive. Nabil Sabbah, the owner of Elogio provided a roasted pig dinner for us and all of the factory. We ate in a local restaurant and had Yuca, rice and pork. It was a loud and exciting evening that I believe everyone enjoyed. The night ended back at Drewe Estates where we did a rum tasting, smoked more cigars and saw a few visitors. Dion Giollito, Pete Johnson, Pepin and three Pepin's most important managers dropped by for a few hours. The conversation ebbed and flowed throughout the room and I finally excused myself at midnight.