Cigar Art... In Which We've Completely Lost Track of How Many of These We've Done

I think the last time we posted examples of cigar art was sometime back in early 2013.  That would be cigar art where cigar bands are concerned; I know we've posted pics of the nifty boxes these things come in as recently as last month.  Or mebbe December.  None the less, here are the bands from some of the sticks we've been smokin' of late:

These bands are larger than life... no need to click to embiggen

There's a reason why we've not done one of these posts in a while and that reason is we've been smokin' the Usual Suspects for the last few months... those sticks that please us most... as opposed to broadening our horizons.  We fixed that a couple o' weeks ago when we ordered one o' these:

There wasn't a clinker in the mix; I enjoyed all those sticks.  That said, the only new-to-me cigar in this selection that's likely to make it into the rotation is the Nica Rustica.  I really liked that cigar, which, as noted, doesn't take anything away from the other cigars.

Cigar Art XV

That count is apropos of cigar art posts as near as I can determine, based on a search of EIP for "cigar art."  So, plus or minus a post or two, our latest:

No need to embiggen; this is the original size, i.e., "larger than life," which is to say twice normal size.

That Ave Maria band might could be a re-post, but the band is a favorite of mine because it's oh-so-lovely.  What I can't quite figure out is what a knight wearing the cross of St. George has to do with "reconquista" in the current sense of the term.  But historically?  Yeah, I get that.   Oh, well... poetic license, I suppose.

Further... that Ashton label is beautiful for the exquisite detail, finely rendered in miniature, of the landscapes.  I like that a lot.

And those Camacho labels?  I've been infamous for at least that long.

Unusual Packaging, AKA More Cigar Art

We're in receipt of another one of those wonderful cigar samplers from cigar.com, wherein we broaden our horizons in the cigar department.  This sampler... billed as My Buddy Tim's "Best-Ever Sampler"... looks like this:

OpusX Lost City Robusto (5.25"x50)
Ashton ESG 20-Yr Salute Churchill (7"x49)
Montecristo White Toro (6"x54)
Don Carlos Edicion de Anniv. Robusto (5.25"x50)
Padron '64 ANNIV.Exclusivo Natural (5.5"x50)
Ashton VSG Robusto (5.5"x50)
Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto (5"x50)
Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Optimus (5.75"x52)
Oliva Master Blends III Robusto (5"x50)
Romeo by Romeo y Julieta Piramides (6.1"x52)
Camacho Corojo Robusto (5"x50)
Montecristo Media Noche Churchill (7"x58)
Cohiba eXtra Vigoroso 652 (6"x52)
Camacho Criollo Robusto (5"x50)
Diamond Crown Julius Caeser Toro (6"x52)
Graycliff Crystal (White Band) PG robusto (5.25"x50)
Partagas Benji Homage Toro (6.5"x54)
Camacho Connecticut Robusto (5"x50)

Once we're done with all 18 of these sticks we'll have fodder for another cigar band post... but that's at least a week or more away.  What we're on about now is the rather unique packaging on that Partagas Benji Homage.  Like this:

The cigar came wrapped in a single layer of thin tissue paper and was banded on both the outside and inside of the tissue wrapper.  Interesting, eh?  One wonders if the individual sticks come wrapped like this when you buy 'em by the box.  Or mebbe the sticks aren't sold "by the box," mebbe they're only available individually.  That wouldn't surprise me, as Partagas bills this cigar as a special release.

We only took a couple o' draws on this cigar while taking the accompanying photos, so now it's out to the verandah to continue as we've begun... with beer!

Update, 45 minutes later... We are disappointed; our example of the Benji Homage was a bust.  It's my habit to smoke my cigars in a leisurely fashion and by that I mean I take a draw every three-to-four-to-five minutes and let the stick idle in the ashtray in between draws.  A good cigar will allow you to do just that and such was NOT the case with this Benji Homage.  This cigar required constant touch-ups with a lighter just to keep it burning and further required constant  draws to keep it burning... which resulted in a way-too-hot smoke.  I gave up halfway through the stick and let it die in the ashtray.  What a pity.

Cigar Art XVI

We haven't done one o' these cigar art postings since April o' this year and that's coz we've been sticking to the tried and true when it comes to the sticks making their way through El Casa Inmóvil De Pennington.  That said, we've sampled a few new-to-us offerings these past three and a half months and here are the bands from four of those cigars:

The "Java" offering from Drew Estate is the only cigar that might make it into our normal rotation.  I really like the coffee/chocolate infusion in this stick; it's a damned near perfect after dinner smoke when paired with three fingers of single malt or bourbon.  The other three sticks fall into the "good enough" category, but I prolly won't go there again.  All four have very attractive bands, especially the Oliva "Master Blend" at the top.  I remain amazed at the thought and execution put into cigar bands.  Lovely.

Still More Cigar Art

I might have to begin numbering these posts but then again, mebbe not.  I think this is only the third or fourth post of this nature, excluding my posts on cigar boxes... which are still art, but different.  So, without further ado...

Click to embiggen

You might could think there's a re-run or two in the above and you might could be right.  I've posted the Ave Maria band before, but this one is slightly different because the stick was double-banded.  Gurkha might also be a re-run but there are many variations on the Gurkha theme... so we've included bands from the two latest Gurkha sticks to grace our humble abode.

Note that Swag band.  I'd NEVER buy a box of those things (this stick came to me as part of a sampler), mainly because of the verbiage on the band, i.e., "cigar lifestyle."  WTF is THAT?  The only way I can see someone, anyone, as having a "cigar lifestyle" would be if they owned a cigar factory, a cigar bar, or otherwise put bread on their table by virtue of their relationship with cigars.  Otherwise?  Get the HELL off my lawn.

Cigar Art VI and Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

We figgered we better start numbering these artsy-fartsy cigar art posts, mainly coz we've done more than a few o' 'em.  Our latest:

You'll note we've been in the zone and smokin' bombs... ATOMIC bombs, at that... which, of course, are not to be confused with the sort of bombs these guys are on about:

But I laid around a bit
Then I had another hit
Then I rolled myself a bomba
Then I thought about my mama
Then I fooled around, played around
Jacked around a while and then

I got stoned and I missed it
I got stoned and I missed it
I got stoned and it rolled right by
I got stoned and I missed it
I got stoned and I missed it
I got stoned oh me oh my 

Close... but as they say, "no cigar."  We'll plead the fifth when it comes to bombas of the sort Dr. Hook made famous in music.  Draw your own conclusions, Gentle Reader.

More Cigar Art

In today's mail:

Pretty spiffy packaging, eh?  That's a box o' My Father Corona LEs... a smaller size for winter smoking, or so sez my buddy Tim at Cigar.com.  I put fire to the end o' one of these beauties just before I wrote this post and smoked about half of it while knocking back an Abbey Ale from New Belgium.  (The UCR parenthetical: my go-to guys for beer REALLY like Abbey Ale.  So do I.)

But we're supposed to be on about the cigar and its packaging.  I'm pleased to report the cigar smokes as good as it looks in the box.  You'll note the sticks are rather elaborately packaged, what with the nicely finished wood box, silky ribbons, and brass clasp.  The cigar itself is a very spicy, peppery sorta stick and not sumthin' I would recommend for the inexperienced.  That said, it's a well-built cigar with a smooth draw and very, very tasty flavors and aromas.  There's a better review here, for those who appreciate that sorta thang.  Me?  I just smoke 'em.

And now it's back to continue as we've begun.

Cigar Art XIX

In today's mail... wait, that's not right... delivered by a uniformed driver o' the Brown Truck o' Happiness is the reality o' the situation.  These:

That's a box o' Acid Opulence 3s from Drew Estate, one of my go-to sticks.  Once again, the art is mostly about the packaging, which is a well-constructed solid wood box with a clever three-piece lid.  It almost seems a shame to take these cigars out o' the box and put 'em in the humidor.

Herewith a brief review o' the cigar:



What do I think?  As I said before: the O3 is one of my go-to sticks.  I love this cigar.

Boxes

One of the things I like about G+ is the "sparks" feature... which allows you to specify interests and then gives you a daily list of articles from around these inner-nets that fall into the category or categories you've defined.  I've defined a few interests, all of them obvious, like cigars, beer, and single-malts.  Here's a few grafs from a lil sumthin' in the Beaumont, Tejas local paper that popped up in the "cigars" category yesterday:

Cigar boxes are no longer a part of childhood. In an office supply store last week I saw a display of plastic boxes for children for use in school, for storing pens and pencils and glue and scissors and all the other easily-misplaced little impedimenta of very young artists.

Once upon a time, children employed wooden cigars boxes for such purposes; if one's father didn't smoke cigars then someone else's did, and so nice little wooden boxes were as common as 1943 steel pennies. I suppose that if now a child were to carry his art supplies to school in a cigar box he would be sent for therapy and his parents filed on with some state agency for Not Thinking Correctly.

The plastic boxes for sale now contain only air, and to a father that's disappointing; wooden cigar boxes came filled with, well, cigars, so everyone was happy. Contemporary boxes are filled with nothing more than the chemical aromas of Shanghai, and no one ever celebrated an accomplishment or a birth by lighting up a victory Chinese air molecule.

In another time-space dimension, the birth of a child was celebrated by the proud father handing out cigars to his pals. Upon retrospect one realizes that the young mother probably needed a cigar more than anyone, but such an image would not make an appropriately-sentimental greeting card. One wonders if somewhere there is at least one mother who smokes cigars while holding her infant, in Newton County, perhaps.

The article goes on at some length and it's quite a good reminiscence.  I do relate to the first few thoughts expressed above... I kept my childhood treasures in Dutch Masters boxes that were handed down from the Ol' Man.  My friends all had cigar boxes, too.  We kept our baseball cards in 'em, our marble collections (yeah, I shot marbles as a kid... do you know ANY kid that does that today?), and, for me, my model airplane paraphernalia... paint brushes, glue, small bottles of Testors paint, not to mention scads and scads of leftover decals.  I had more than a few cigar boxes.

I still have more than a few cigar boxes (see right), even after I've "gifted" ("pawned off" would be more descriptive) more than a few of 'em to grandson Sean and even some friends.  I find it hard to throw away these small objects of beauty, as I struggle to find some sort of use for 'em.  They only take up valuable and limited space right now, even considering the fact a couple o' boxes hold my Small Treasures, even today.

So... we have boxes.  If you have a child you want to indulge with a nostalgic sort of gift, drop me a line.  I've been known to ship, gratis.  And I have a few boxes on hand.

More Cigar (Box) Art

In today's mail and just in time for Happy Hour...

That's a rather simple natural wood box with no finish but with a pretty cool glass top, all the better to see those tubed Cain Lanceros.  You can see our last example o' cigar art in the background... I've yet to decide how to purpose that box.

But now it's out to the verandah to (a) drink a G&T (or two) and (b) sample one of those Lanceros.

Yet More Cigar Art

Bands from some of the sticks that have made their way through El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington of late...

I especially like the band from the San Cristobal cigar; the parrot is oh-so-colorful and the cigar wasn't bad, either.  The image is embiggened; there's no need to click it.

Yet Still Even More Cigar Art, Already

This is actually episode 21 of the ongoing series and we'll eventually get back to numbering these posts once we run out o' suitable modifiers.  In today's mail:

That's a box o' Oliva Serie O Habana Maduros in the torpedo size, if you're keeping score at home.  The box may look plain at first glance (it isn't) but it was the opening of this well-crafted beauty that amazed and mystified us.  Put another way, opening up this box o' beauties was the equivalent of an old reprobate's Christmas.  It's the little details... the stiff tissue liner, the shiny gold ribbon, and the interior cedar top piece... that all add up up to impressive packaging, yet again.  Art, in other words.

I think it's time to adjourn to the verandah with one of these puppies and a State Pen porter.  Dark begets dark.

Whatcha Been Smokin' Lately, Buck?

Well, funny you should ask.  Here are a few brands that have made their way into El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington of late.  (click for larger, as usual)

This, of course, would be yet another installment o' "cigar art."  You'll note these bands are somewhat less than artistic and I believe that's because the established mainstream brands (like Punch, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, Macanudo, and Montecristo) rely more on their name than trying to impress with art work on their bands.  All of these were pretty damned good, with the exception of the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real... which was wrapped so tight as to be impossible to smoke.  The rest gave us hours and hours o' pure pleasure.

―:☺:―

In other news... we went and got our stitches removed today and my suspicions were confirmed: we're healing much more slowly this time around than last.  I still have a few "sensitive" areas in my mouth... but not so sensitive as to require more than OTC Aleve and Tylenol to relieve the "sensitivity."  I'm thanking The Deity At Hand for small favors.

Art

Well, it may not be art... but I know what I like.  We've put fire to the end of a La Gloria Cubana Serie R (and no, that's not a misspelling, it's Spanish) and are just about to make our way outdoors to park our Old Ass under the awning and gaze at the hole where the Lovely Miss Zukiko used to sit.  But about the art...

The cigar is artfully constructed to begin with, but it's the (slightly out o' focus) image of the smokin' lady on the cigar band that I dearly love, mainly for the 1920s gestalt that's in it.  That said, I'm thinkin' I know one or two lil girls that might could want to wear that band on their ring finger for the afternoon.  Too bad they're not here to keep Grandpapa company.

Yet Even More Cigar Art

In today's mail... the red and the black.

That would be a box of Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real short belicosos... in both Connecticut and maduro wrappers.  Once again, it's all about the box, which, as usual for premium cigars, is of all wood construction and is very well finished. I also like the way the RyJ logo... or crest, you choose... is done up in gold line art on both the exterior and interior of the box (click the images to embiggen).  Very well conceived and executed.

Seein' as how the days are getting shorter, it only follows that my cigars should get shorter, too.  We'll be firing one of these puppies up during After Dinner Whiskey Hour this evening.

Larger Than Life

Alternate title: more cigar art.  Here are a couple o' few cigar bands from the last three or four days worth o' consumption.

The post title refers to the fact the bands are about twice normal size.  I kept the file purposely large so you can see the detail on the more elaborate bands... which is to say the Ave Maria and the Man O' War.  Some bands are pretty plain, while others are pretty danged elaborate.  All of the bands are made of embossed foil-on-paper with the exception of the La Herencia Cubana, which is plain paper.  The band at the very bottom is a footer... Isla del Sol sticks have two bands.  I think they're all beautiful, as well. 

More Cigar Art, Packaging Division

These came in the mail yesterday but I didn't retrieve them until today... a scant few minutes ago, actually:

Beautimous, eh?  This is a box I'll save even though I've got cigar boxes coming outta my ears.  It's just so PRETTY!

So.  We shall now put fire to one of these sticks, retire to the verandah and do today's third beer... while enjoying the extra verandah time, by virtue of Daylight Savings Time.  Which is the silver lining behind that particular dark cloud.  Sometimes ya gotta look to find virtue in any given situation.

Hockey Awards and Cigars

Yesterday I wrote “…if there’s ANY justice at all in this world, Nick Lidstrom will win his fifth Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.” Justice:

TORONTO -- There is little doubt that Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenseman of his generation and, perhaps, on his way to becoming the best ever.

The 37-year-old won his fifth Norris Trophy, awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association to the League’s best defenseman, at the 2007 NHL Award Show here at the Elgin Theater on Thursday night.

This time, Lidstrom beat out a pair of Stanley Cup champions in the Anaheim duo of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Niedermayer, who finished second to Lidstrom this year, won the 2004 Norris Trophy to break Lidstrom’s three-year stranglehold on the award. Pronger, meanwhile, has the 2000 Norris Trophy on his resume. That year, Pronger edged out Lidstrom, who was the runner-up.

But, beating quality opposition is nothing new to Lidstrom, who ranked third among all players in ice time this year (27:29), led all defenseman with a plus-40 rating and was fifth among defenseman in scoring with 62 points, including a whopping 49 assists.

Those gaudy numbers leave even his stiffest competitors doffing their helmets to Lidstrom.

I missed the awards show, but I was NOT alone. Millions— well, hundreds of thousands; this is hockey we’re talking about —of US fans also missed the show, and it wasn’t OUR fault. Frickin’ Versus. It’s hard to imagine ESPN screwing things up like that. But in their defense…it was “technical problems” that canceled last night’s live broadcast. That said, Versus could have run a banner across the bottom of the screen telling the legions of NHL fans tuning in that there would be a tape-delay rebroadcast (Film at 11:00!!) of the Awards show. But there wasn’t, ergo: Screw-Up.

Oh, btw: Sid the Kid wins the Hart Trophy (league MVP, as determined by hockey writers), the Pearson Trophy (league MVP, as determined by the players), and the Art Ross Trophy (points leader for the year); Brodeur wins the Vezina (best goalie), Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks won the Jack Adams (best coach). A list of all the winners is available at nhl.com, natch. Crosby cleaned up, didn’t he? The guy really IS that good. Pittsburgh fans are in for a long run of great hockey, much like Edmonton back in their salad days of the early 80’s. Think “Gretzky.”

Other hockey news…Can a 42-year-old goalie find success and happiness as the league’s oldest goalie in the modern era? Stay tuned this coming year to find out, because The Dominator is BACK. I think that’s pretty danged good news. Oh, Chelios recently signed a one-year deal, too. Get ready for more…much more…BS about Detroit being “old.” Until they win a lot, then it becomes “experience.”

So…Lou and I have had an exchange in the comments to my cigar post— all on the up-and-up and civil, of course — about cigars. The thrust of her comment was her father-in-law smoked cigars, constantly, and he and those around him reeked of cigar smoke. Which set me to thinking. My female acquaintance, whom I recently introduced to the pleasures of a fine cigar, had similar thoughts, i.e., “cigars stink.”

Au contraire, mes amis: cheap cigars stink. Good cigars, of which there are many, are aromatic and shouldn’t drive anyone from the room where they’re being smoked, with the possible exception of allergy sufferers. Cheap cigars— like say White Owls, Phillies Blunts, Swishers, Hav-A-Tampas, and the like—will drive me out of the room, and I love cigars. That said, I take my cigars outdoors. Smoke still fouls the environment, no matter how good it originally smells, by getting into and on every-flippin’-thing. I’m still cleaning residual cigarette smoke off the walls and such in El Casa Móvil De Pennington, and it’s been six months since I gave those nasty little buggers up.

One more thing about cigars…shopping for fine cigars is a wonderful experience. I had my first such experience while living in London in 1980 and stumbled into it quite by accident. The Second Mrs. Pennington and I were strolling down Jermyn Street, indulging our fantasies about bespoke shoes, clothing, expensive jewelry (on her part), and such when we happened by Davidoff’s, which is just off Jermyn Street. A wild hair overcame me and we went in…to a revelation. I’d never, ever, seen a humidor room before. And by room, I mean a glass-enclosed space the size of a small living room or a large master bedroom, filled floor-to-ceiling with cigars…wonderful cigars…most of which were Cuban. You cannot imagine the wonderful, woodsy, spicy aromas that filled that room, unless you’ve experienced it. As I said: revelation.

TSMP and I left the store with a number of cigars (Cuban, of course, there being no embargo in Ol' Blighty), of which she said “You’re not smoking those around me!” She changed her tune after I lit the first one, because, as I said: they smell wonderful. Every time I was in that part of The City after that I stopped in and bought a few cigars, in addition to exploring other, similar shops…of which there are many. I wonder if that’s still true, in this politically correct day and age.

And finally…I found a neat tobacconist in San Antonio when I went there last fall, and I do believe I blogged about it. The shop is a wonderful little store with a modest but adequate humidor room (about the size of a large walk-in closet) and a good selection of my favorite brands. I wish that place were closer to me, but, alas, it isn’t. These days I order my cigars off the internet, but that’s because (a) there aren’t any (real) tobacconists within 150 miles of P-Town and (b) I know what I like/want…so buying isn’t a problem. But I miss being able to “shop” a good humidor room in the company of folks who know and love the product. Who knows what I’m missing?

Today’s Pic: YrHmblScrb, All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go. Would you believe that everything I needed for 17 days was crammed, stuffed, and otherwise jammed into the two containers you see on the back of the bike? Well, it’s almost true, Gentle Reader. I did ship a box to SN1’s place containing good slacks, dress shoes, a decent shirt and a sport coat…all for the graduation. It just wouldn’t have done to appear at a function like that dressed like this…now would it?

Cache La Poudre river canyon, May 21, 2007.

Update: An interesting essay on the humidification of cigars in Britain...if you're interested. With illustrations!

Cigar Art XVIII

In today's mail...

That would be a box of 3 Reynas in the 6x60 gordo size and those puppies are indeed fat.  The box is made entirely of wood except for the brass clasp/hinges and is finished in a very deep reddish-brown that's quite pleasing to the eye.  I also like the 3 Reynas logo... simple and elegant.  Kinda like me, with the emphasis on "simple."

It's a good thing our weather broke today and we're about ten degrees cooler than we were for the past day or six.  And why does that matter?  Mainly coz we'll be on the verandah this afternoon for a lil bit longer than usual.  I think one of these puppies is gonna last a loooong time, mebbe even three beers' worth.  We'll be out to the verandah just as soon as we hit "post."

Apropos o' not much... I need to buy me a flash attachment, one that I can angle up or down as required to eliminate that unsightly flash glare.  Yet another First World Problem, eh?

Broadening Our Horizons XXVI, AKA Sometimes We Just Don't Learn

I think I swore off fruity beers back in March after one too many close encounters of the cloying kind.  Well, hope does spring eternal (ask any dumbass who voted for Obama) so here we go again:

That would be a Shiner Ruby Redbird, which supposedly has gen-you-wine Texas Ruby Red grapefruit juice in the bottle, somewhere.  Beer Advocate doesn't come down too hard on the lil ol' brewery in Shiner, Tejas... rating the beer a C+... and I think that's about right.  This particular fruit beer is far from cloyingly sweet; it actually has a rather pleasant tangy taste about it.  I like it.

Our cigar today is a '93' rated La Perla Habana Morado, and please note the linked reviewer is a girl.  We're tryin' to make amends for yesterday's somewhat chauvinistic remarks about coppin' feels on over-dressed wimmens.  Pennance and all that. 

More about which (the cigar):  nice graphics on the band, given you smoke the cigar and not the band.  Still, I appreciate the "art," if'n ya wanna call it that.

So: here's lunch or part of it, anyhoo.  Like Mr. Buffett sang: "it's five o'clock somewhere."  That would be 1700 hrs for us military types.