084 – Crux Epicure and Doc Swinson Flagship 2 – Cigars Liquor And More Podcast

The Cigar

Crux Epicure Maduro

Nicaraguan Binder and Filler. Mexican San Andreas Wrapper. Listed as Subtle and Sweet. MSRP $10.

Stogie Press gives it a 94. This is a good looking wrapper. The wrapper reminds us of the outfit worn by Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element. Has a Pegasus on the band.

The meaning of Epicure is person with refined taste who is devoted to sensual pleasure and fine living. To live like an Epicure!

This stogie as a spicy kick to it when it started out, but mellowed out. The construction is really firm, but no problems with the cigar at all. Heavy smoke, but it does not feel heavy when you smoke it. In the retrohale, you get pepper and another flavor that we did not really get the feeling for.

The Liquor

Doc Swinson’s Flagship Series 2

This is a straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Sherry Casks. Bottled at 90 Proof. A Single Barrel 12 year Tennessee bourbon and introduced it to some Oloroso Sherry casks from Spain. Tasting notes of sweet corn, dry orange peel, leather, stewed apricot, caramel, oak aged vanilla, walnuts, dark cherries, and wildflower honey. MSRP $45.

The Doc Swinson does pack a bit of a punch when it starts out and has a long finish. The cigar does have a coating effect on the tounge. The liquor is stronger than the cigar, but it does help rinse off the coating the cigar gives you.

Old Fashioned

We mixed up an Old Fashioned wiht the Doc Swinson, and it does make a great Old Fashioned. It does change the flavor of the cigar. It came back smoother and sweeter in combination with the Old Fashioned. We both prefered it with the Old Fashioned over straight, but still good straight.

The More

Scout Campout

Darrell attended one of the Scout campouts that his son went to. He likes the outdoors, but just not want to sleep outdoors. What can you do. I was informed that they are called just Scouts now and not Boy Scouts as there are girl troops now. So they are no longer the Boy Scouts of America, just Scouts of America. Darrell did notice a difference in the girl and boys troops. When performing activities, the girls will listen to the instructors and do what they learned. The boys just don’t. That was funny, but not totally unexpected.

One of the competitions is first starting. You are limited to what you can use to start the fire. There are two strings, one at 12 inches and one at 18 inches. You can add wood onto the first until the string at the 12 inch mark is burned through. Then the fire you created needs to burn on its own and go through the string at 18 inch.

Another observation from Darrel is that the boys don’t act as silly about their presentation (skit) now that the girls are present. In the two that Darrell has been to like this, non of he girl troops have done a skit. Don’t know why, but that is what he saw. Darrell’s guess is that both the girls and boys don’t want to come off like fools in the skits. Who knows. Could be.

Cigar News

Cigar Authority had announces that Famous Smoke show was being sold. Charlie Minato of halfwheel put out an article (https://halfwheel.com/famous-smoke-shop-oliva-deny-sale-report/381208/) about it. His sources state that the announcement by Cigar Authority was not valid and Cigar Authority was contacted. Soon after the post that Cigar Authority made was edited to reflect the denial.

But aside from that, what was interesting about Charlie’s aritcle is the last paragraph.

Famous Smoke Shop is the largest cigar retailer that is not owned by a company that also owns a cigar manufacturer. Cigars International and Thompson are owned by the same company that owns General Cigar Co.; JR Cigar is owned by the same company behind Altadis U.S.A.; Holt’s is owned by Ashton.

We were not aware that the online retailers that folks have been balking at are owned by the same cigar manufacturers that produce the cigars we all like. This is one of the reasons why halfwheel is the source for cigar industry news. They not only tell you about what is going on, but follow it up by giving you extra information to improve your knowledge. Thanks to those at halfwheel for going the extra mile to give us information.

Another peice of news from halfwheel (https://halfwheel.com/court-vacates-fdas-cigar-warning-label-requirement/381194/), is about a Court vacating the Warning Label Requirement portion of the FDA regulations toward tobacco.

Today, Mehta granted vacatur, meaning that the warning label parts of the rule will be vacated in full. The Department of Justice—on behalf of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration—had requested that Mehta remanded the rule.