We made a big mistake! We went through the entire episode and noticed only at the ending that we did not actually record the episode. So what you hear here is the re-recording of the episode.
The Cigar:
The CAO Flathead Big Block that is 7” x 70 square press. A full flavored cigar using Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, Habano binder and a blend of Nicaraguan fillers. It has notes of pepper, cream, espresso, and sugar cane. MSRP is around $10.
The Liquor:
We are pairing with it the Rebel Yell 100 from Heaven Hill products. The Mash Bill is guessed to be 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% barley. It is said to have a Nose of peanuts, dark fruit, cocoa, toffee, dried cherry, nutmeg and nuts. The Palate is written as oak, peanuts, dark fruit, cocoa, toffee, nutmeg, and spice. Then the Finish is supposed to be peanut butter and jelly, oak, and toffee. The MSRP is about $22.
The More:
CLM Give-Away:
There will be drawing every month for a give-away which will include CLM swag such as a sticker and koozie, a Micallef Sumatra cigar and some other stuff. The enter into the drawing all you have to do is post a comment on either our website, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. You can also just send us your email address. The more times you comment, the more times you name will be put in the hat for the drawing. Who doesn’t like free stuff in the mail? It is easy to connect with us and want to hear from you!
Cigar Rights of America (CRA):
If you have not already, sign up for Cigar Rights of America. You get two Premium Cigars and they have form letters that you just put in your name and email address and click send. These will go to your Congress person and there was even one for the White House. They go to D.C. so you don’t have to. It is always good having someone fighting for you so you can enjoy what you enjoy without undo burdensome regulations and taxes.
2020 Winter Whiskey Tasting:
If you have not already, go to our events page and select the city of your choice for the 2020 Winter Whiskey Tasting. This event will be hosted in five cities (Dallas, St. Louis, Denver, Chicago, and Minneapolis) on January 25th, 2020. Get your tickets now. While the specific location of each event are TBD, they will have venues and you will not want to miss this. They have ticket price ranges for everyone. From $35 up to $60. Depending on the level of ticket you get you can taste from 2 hours for 15 tasting up to 3 hours for 20 tastings. There will be food available, giveaways, and more. From Scotch, Irish, Single Malt, Rye. . . this is a great way to start the year off. We will be a the event in Dallas. We look forward to seeing you there.
Favorite Cigars of the week:
Since this past week included Thanksgiving we had a few more cigars than we normally do. With that we thought it would be nice to mention what we like the best. Bill like the Partagas 1845 Black Label Bravo Robusto which is a 4-1/2” x 54. This also sports a USA Connecticut Broadleaf Wrapper, Dominican Binder, and a Piloto Cuvano and Ligero Filler. This was so full flavored it needed to be paired with a sweet liquor or coffee. This went excellent with coffee. Bill and Darrell both though the very best of the week was the LFD (La Flor Dominicana) Colorado Oscuro No. 4. A very good full flavored stick where Bill was able to get notes of coffee even before looking up the what the makers thought. Dark wrapper and a blend that also gives hints of spice. If you like a full flavored cigar, you can not go wrong with the one.
CLM Cigar Journal:
We have mentioned our CLM Cigar Journal in several previous episodes. We now have it available for sale from our Merch page. We took the things we liked about cigar journals and corrected some things that we did not care for. Aside from having places to note down the date, brand, name, where purchased, rating, etc. There are some improvements we think are worth it. In almost all cigar journals the band placement is in one spot which makes the journal thick in one place as you add your bands. We have staggered the band placement across four pages to even out the distribution as the journal becomes thicker. To make reference of cigars much easier, we placed a Table of Contents at the beginning. With this it is easy to go back and find a specific cigar and what page that cigars review is on. We think you’ll like it and of course is a great gift for the serious cigar smoker.
Christmas Shopping Ideas:
Cigar Cutters: Most everybody use the straight cutters. There are a bunch of them out there. There is also the “safety cutter” or “perfect cutter” that is a straight cutter that has a back on it so the cigar can only go so far. Typically the perfect cutters are either 1/64th or 2/64th of an inch to make sure you don’t cut past the cap. We recommend the “v” or “cats eye” cutter. This is the style of cutter we use the most. Your basics are a plastic housing and can be a $2 to $15. On the better end there are such brands as Colibri and Xikar. Darrells favorite is the Xikar VX2. It is a deep well v-cut. The better V-cutters will be in the $42 to $50 range.
Cigars:
I know you are surprised to see cigars on the Christmas shopping ideas list, but yes, cigar smokers like cigars. If you know what the cigar smoker in your life likes, pick up some of those. If you don’t know then go to your local Brick and Mortar and talk to the tobacconist there. They will ask you some questions about cigars, liquor and food that they like. You can also just ask what the tobacconist recommends. Another great idea is ask the cigar shop if they offer Gift Certificates. If they do, that would be a great way of to make sure that they get exactly what they want. 🙂
Cigar Lighters:
Cigar lighters can range from $15 to hundreds. You can get Brick and Mortar lighters with their logo on them on the low end of the price range. One of our favorites is a Prodomo lighter. It goes for about $80, but has worked for Bill more than any other cigar lighter he has had. Another low end option and one of Bill’s absolute favorites is the Micro Torch from Harbor Freight. Darrell likes the Vector lighters, specifically the Urbano which is around $30 on Amazon. Darrell’s wife like the Vector Coup for around $20. They still have the life time guarantees.
Journals:
We have noticed an interest in the journals since we have come out with ours. CLM Cigar Journal, but just about anyone seems to like it.
Liquors:
Most folks who like cigars, like to have some kind of liquor. You can give gift packs, singles, gift certificates. There is a price point that you would like, but we would recommend the $20 to $30 range.
Look Back:
Mister Hydes Monstrous Flavors – Vanilla. A review from 2007. 4” x 44. The notes were: minor wrapper flaws, very strong vanilla scent. very, very easy draw. Papery smoke like a swisher. Uneven burn. Garcia Vega are probably better. Smokes half of it. (2 inches). Washed it down with water. Did not want to ruin good spirits. Gave it a 2 rating because he wanted to leave some room for something worst. “It’s only redeeming factor is that it is on fire.” – Darrell
Cassie Question:
We have another Cassie Question. We like this question. The question is: If you can sell years of your life for $1M per year, how many years if any would you sell? Alternate is how would it change if you age the number of years you sell?
Don’t forget about the Give-Away. Tell us what you think, give recommendations or suggestions by connecting with us on our website, Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter. When you do you will be entered into the Give-Away. Who doesn’t like free stuff in the mail?
Next Week:
H. Upmann Hispaniola by Jose Mendez paired with the Grand Old Parr 12 yr. blended Scotch.
