We received a re-supply o' cigars in the mail late yesterday afternoon. I had ordered a box o' one o' my favorite sticks... the Partagas Spanish Rosado, in the Familia (6x54) size... so we proceeded to open the box and were disappointed to find four plastic baggies containing 26 loose cigars, only ten of which were Spanish Rosados with the remaining 16 being Padron Serie 1926 sticks. The loose cigar thing isn't unusual but the substitution thing WAS. I was not pleased.
Fast forward a couple o' hours and we lit off one o' those Padrons to enjoy during the hockey game, along with usual, customary and quite reasonable three fingers o' Glenlivet, repeated twice. Or thrice... who's counting? I was impressed. The Padron, at nearly seven inches, lasted for the duration of the entire game and was also quite tasty. Full-flavored but not harsh, easy drawing, and very robust. "Not bad," thinks I, "I think I like these things." And well I SHOULD.
Our curiosity got the best of us after the game (which the Wings won) so I hied myself off on to the inter-tubes and looked up the Padron Serie 1926. Imagine my surprise:
Gad! That cigar I so cavalierly smoked last evening costs 20 Yankee Dollars a pop! I don't ever buy cigars in that price range except for the oh-so-rare occasional one-off and that was mostly in the way-back when I had access to Cuban cigars. Nope... we smoke cigars in the five-to-eight dollar range (the Spanish Rosados are a hair over six bucks a stick, just as an illustration), buying an occasional ten dollar stick when I'm feeling sporty.
So now I'm gonna have to re-order, mainly coz I refuse to burn cigars that cost 20 Yankee Dollars all by myself during Happy Hour. Nope, I'm gonna rat-hole the Padrons and only trot 'em out on special occasions. Cigars like these need to be shared among very good friends and family.
In other (related) news... We made a run out to Cannon Airplane Patch to resupply our meds, the whiskey stock, and also bought food, while we were at it. In so doing we saw this at the Class VI:
I'm thinking our troops MIGHT be a bit overpaid if they can afford to buy JW Blue at 200 Yankee Dollars and change. Just who in the hell... aside from generals/flag officers, and there ain't no generals on Cannon... can afford to buy that? OTOH, mebbe it's not the active duty guys... mebbe it's retirees who smoke 20-dollar cigars*.
* Full disclosure: I bought a bottle o' that 12 year old Macallan you see. Cheaper, but only by comparison.
Fast forward a couple o' hours and we lit off one o' those Padrons to enjoy during the hockey game, along with usual, customary and quite reasonable three fingers o' Glenlivet, repeated twice. Or thrice... who's counting? I was impressed. The Padron, at nearly seven inches, lasted for the duration of the entire game and was also quite tasty. Full-flavored but not harsh, easy drawing, and very robust. "Not bad," thinks I, "I think I like these things." And well I SHOULD.
Our curiosity got the best of us after the game (which the Wings won) so I hied myself off on to the inter-tubes and looked up the Padron Serie 1926. Imagine my surprise:
Gad! That cigar I so cavalierly smoked last evening costs 20 Yankee Dollars a pop! I don't ever buy cigars in that price range except for the oh-so-rare occasional one-off and that was mostly in the way-back when I had access to Cuban cigars. Nope... we smoke cigars in the five-to-eight dollar range (the Spanish Rosados are a hair over six bucks a stick, just as an illustration), buying an occasional ten dollar stick when I'm feeling sporty.
So now I'm gonna have to re-order, mainly coz I refuse to burn cigars that cost 20 Yankee Dollars all by myself during Happy Hour. Nope, I'm gonna rat-hole the Padrons and only trot 'em out on special occasions. Cigars like these need to be shared among very good friends and family.
In other (related) news... We made a run out to Cannon Airplane Patch to resupply our meds, the whiskey stock, and also bought food, while we were at it. In so doing we saw this at the Class VI:
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| A bad mePhone pic, but you can get my drift. |
* Full disclosure: I bought a bottle o' that 12 year old Macallan you see. Cheaper, but only by comparison.
If someone were to have some o' that Blue, yours trust's be hard put to stay away just because my curiosity would get the best of me.
ReplyDeleteI was curious, too. I've read reviews... all superlative... and I was sorely tempted. But sanity took hold and I passed.
DeleteAh, I'm gonna invoke the Sanity Clause.
DeleteMy husband took me to a restaurant for my over thirty birthday (last century), where there was multiple eating utensils on both sides of the plates. I discovered several new taste buds over four courses. Afterwards he asked me if I enjoyed the meal, and I said it was excellent. Knowing it must have taken a silver coin, I gave it my best Eva Gabor: daaah-ling, let's go again next week!
ReplyDeleteI dearly, dearly love good restaurants. Or I used to, and that's one of the very few things I miss about SFO, which is second only to NYC and N'Awlins as America's best restaurant city... IM(NS)HO. So... didja go back the next week? ;-)
DeleteIt seems to be an every 10 year thing :-)
DeleteMan, if I could still smoke cigars I'd drive to New Mexico just to share one of those Padrons on your nickel. Mouthwatering!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a point, Rob. I wonder just how long I'm gonna be able to continue smoking these things. I can't imagine life without cigars... I just CAN'T.
DeleteThose are some very nice cigars. However, those days are firmly behind me. Firmly. OTOH, the Macallan will do in a pinch. I'd buy 2 of those, 2 of the Glenlivet and I'm sure they have Glenmorangie lying around there somewhere for the likes of me. I think the last cigars I bought came from the Piedmont Tobacconist in Oakland. That was a great shop for cigars.
ReplyDeleteThe Class VI does stock Glenmorangie... so you'd be good. As for tobacconists... there was this little shop (I can't remember its name) around the corner and a half block down Market Street where I bought my cigars when I lived in SFO. The store was a family business and had been there for over 70 years when I was there. There were times when I'd take my entire lunch hour there, mainly because it was fun to lounge in one of two great old leather wing-back chairs, smoke a cigar and chat with the owner... who had forgotten more about good cigars than I ever knew.
DeleteI did a quick google search while I was writing this and I think the name of the shop was Grant's. The shop is closed now, and more's the pity. There were quite a few reviewers at Yelp who liked it as much as I did.
Oh yeah, Grant's......fond memories. Another fine humidor was to be found at Dunhill's off Union Square in the '90s (and you know how much I liked to shop for classy duds.) I remember another family biz tobacconist named Drucquer's in Berkeley, of all places.
DeleteEven in Santa Rosa, they're still around - and I occasionally will go into one just to breathe deep and remember.
There's nothing quite like a walk-in humidor for the aromas o' civilization. I still remember the very first time I went into a walk-in humidor in London in the early '80s, which was the birth of a life long love affair.
Delete