Day 2 and after a not so relaxing night in an affordable roadside motel 10 hours from home I thought I’d continue on and drive the rest of the way to Lethbridge, Alberta.  Problem is, I shouldn’t have waged war on the red-neck party animals who were up all night a few motel room doors down from me at 3:00 AM.  A part of me knew that maybe all I needed to do was to put in some ear-plugs, roll over and go back to sleep when they started a late night football game in the parking lot below my room.  Another part of me knew that it would have been better to stay in my room and keep to myself rather than go down to the group of yahoos and tell them that they were acting like idiots, keeping all kinds of people from sleeping and that if they didn’t shut up immediately they’d regret ever being born.  You’d think I’d have known better after seeing the majority of them walking around holding on to bottles of every kind of hard liquor imaginable mixed with the sounds of country and western music blaring from one of their pick-up trucks idling in the parking lot.

You’d think I’d have had a bit of common sense…………………. You’d think……………….

Nope!!!!!!!

I told them if they touched or harmed my car( Pointing to my Car) in any way, I’d have the lot of them thrown in jail.  I marched back to my room, slammed the door and thought that I had made my point in a crystal clear manner.  Things quietened down after that and I felt victorious but got a bit nervous when I heard voices whispering and quietly laughing now and then just outside my door.  I somehow got back to sleep….

Next morning the parking lot looked like a ghost town and the only vehicle left was my car but it looked very very different from the last time I saw it.  The tires were removed and the vehicle had been jacked up and put on blocks…. Big blocks…… High blocks……. The car was about 7 feet off the ground sitting on, what appeared to be, 2 foot length pieces of railroad ties all stacked up like Leggo blocks.. It almost looked like a crane would have been needed to lift my car that high….. Plus……. My tires and rims were tied to the handles of the car’s doors and hanging by 4 feet of rope.

These were very smart practical jokers I ran into and I have no idea how the police and tow truck people were able to get my car off of the stilts without hurting it but all was in order after I walked 2 blocks back to the motel after breakfast. The police said that they had actually heard of this very same problem 2 days before at one of the neighboring towns.  Seems like there was a group of engineer students terrorizing the country after a “Big and Rich” concert was cancelled in Calgary and some very strange pranks had been pulled.

I gassed up, had 6 hours to go and lit up a Cohiba Magicos on my way out of town.  Something told me that not just any cigar would do so I lit up something very special.  The 5 year aged maduro wrapper had a calming effect on me as I held this cigar during the first third.  I think it was the rich chocolate flavors this cigar has to offer had me pacified and allowed the next hour and a half to smoothly pass by. These are a real victory of cigar blending and rolling and I felt that this little Magicos saved my morning.

Well the most important items to pack for a road trip these days are my cigars and a supply of Butane and, oh yeah, a toothbrush…….  I’ve been wanting to leave town for a few months and since Christmas is gone and all of the commitments that go along with that holiday are taken care of my only concern is me, and my time in the next few days…. Maybe a week…… Probably more time than that……

The best part about not being really sure where to go is that you aren’t held back by any restrictions, other than maybe the weather and road conditions.  The one thing I DO know is that I want to drive EAST and with that in mind I have all of Canada facing me.  If you have never driven from coast to coast in North America in an east-west fashion, you need to know that it could take a while.  I read somewhere that a watched pot DOES boil….. but it takes a while!  This being winter, in most of Canada, I’m wondering if I should have my head examined for what I’m about to do……. Nawww….. It should be fine!!!  Especially since I want to stop along the way and visit a few friends of mine who are cigar smokers, like myself.

I have a real close friend who lives in Lethbridge, Alberta.  I’m not about to start mentioning any names because of…. well…… This guy has a very healthy humidor which he keeps stocked with wonderful ( pricey ) items from the Cohiba brand and he’s been asking (hounding, really) me to drop by for a few days of fun and irrational behavior.  His job wears heavily on him and, although very successful, he needs to blow off a bit of steam from time to time…… This is where I come in!!!!

After Lethbridge I’ll be continuing on to Calgary to visit another friend who is in the oil and gas business.  Wow, talk about a workaholic!!!!  He spends about 4 to 5 months of the year up in Canada’s north, searching for oil and sometimes natural gas and he has a lot of people working under him and depending on him to be very good at what he does….. When he is successful at finding great amounts of natural resources he goes on a tear and disappears for a few weeks…. This is where I come in!

One more person I really want to see is a dentist friend of mine in Regina!!  I don’t think I need to tell you about his line of work and how it weighs on him, all I need you to know is that he’ll go to Cuba once every couple of years and come back with the kind of treasure we all dream of……. Guess what, this is where I come in………

I have made some very good friends along the way and I wouldn’t trade them for all the gold on the planet.. A few of them can be really irritating…… but…… Oh well, so can we all.. I can be a real pain but I usually show up with some very nice cigars and Scotch and leave when I feel that the time is right…….

I’m sure all of you, from time to time, notice the color of the Cohiba Cigar ash and comment to yourselves on how bright white they can be compared to most, if not all, other Cuban brands.  I was going through some old photographs and remembered some of the first Esplendidos I smoked and photographed.  These were moments I found to be memorable and decided to keep a bit of a record on the ash colors that Cohiba had.  There have, of course, been some cigars I forgot to photograph but as time goes by I can remember that each time I light up a Cohiba I never fail to think to myself how clean they burn.

Shape of the ash and how it burns is another factor I look at when enjoying a cigar.  2 days ago I was enjoying a Cohiba Robusto and was amazed at the construction, even burn and color of the ash.  This cigar had an even cone shaped end as it burned, which will tell you that it was rolled by skilled hands.  The ligero tobacco in the middle of the cigar burns slower because of mineral content, sugar and nicotine therefore giving you the cone shaped burn.

The quality of the soil in Cuba which produces this world class tobacco will also dictate the color of a cigar’s ash.  A high potassium content in the soil, for example,  will give you a lighter ash and I also believe that Cohiba’s third fermentation process gives Cohiba cigars their tremendous taste and burn quality.

I, for one, am very excited about the release of 3 new cigars from Cohiba this March/April.  We’ll be seeing a bit of a different blend of leaves as well with the use of the two very top leaves of the tobacco plant that are called ” medio tiempo”.  Some reviews have said that these are a beautiful tasting cigar, very rich in flavors while others say they will probably have a not so beautiful price tag.

There will be no way they’ll be as expensive as the original Behike that was introduced in 2006 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Cohiba. Only 100 humidors were released at a price of about $450 per cigar.  I believe that this year’s release will be more affordable to the general public but still no promises as to how many will be available.

The Behike BHK 52 will be a petit Robusto with a length of 122 and a ring gauge of 52.  The Behike BHK 54 will be a Robusto Extra at a length of 144 at a 54 ring gauge while the Behike BHK 56, a double Robusto, will have a length of 166 and, of course, a ring gauge of 56.

Cohiba, my favorite brand out of Havana and easily the best quality tobacco, not only has me in awe of their efforts but never ceases to amaze me as to how much suspense they can provide to their devotees.

Go to Cuba, meet as many people as you can and ask them about their opinion of Castro!  Well, there’s a way to start a blog entry.  I’ll try not to get to political here because, after all, this is about Cohiba cigars but you can not smoke these beautiful examples of Cuban artistic perfection without occasionally thinking about the man who helped bring them into the picture.  Castro smoked the Cohiba Corona Especial, a thinner ring gauge (38) then the Esplendido and a bit mellower but every bit as wonderful with the typical grassy Cohiba approach.

As we travelled around Cuba I was struck by the kindness of the Cuban people.  They were very educated and everyone we met from taxi drivers to bus boys to hotel managers seemed to have a lot to say about their lives today in Cuba.  As you probably know this is a country of poverty and hardship, people don’t have a lot of money, grand possessions and the ability to travel but thats not to say that they don’t have knowledge of the world. People had no problem opening up and telling us about their families and how day to day life treats them.  We spoke to school teachers that drove taxis and worked in restaurants.  We met people from all walks of life that were now deeply entrenched in the service industry who, although loved the money they were now earning, missed their original jobs.

The interesting thing that I noticed was everyone’s opinion of Castro.  Each person seemed to dislike his politics but had a strong feeling of love for the man.  I found it quite fascinating that they all looked at him as being a strong father figure in their country, and in some way, he is.

I know that one day their country will change for the better.  I sincerely hope that the people will have more chance to leave their island and see first hand what it is like to jump on a plane and go to Europe, Canada, the U.S. and return home again with wonderful memories like the ones we have visiting their country.

A few days ago I bought a second hand humidor and a few cigars were in it.  One was an Especiales, made by the good people from “You Know Who” and the curiosity got the better of me today and I had to fire it up.  Many words come to mind but the first one should be Wow!

I’m usually a thick gauge kind of guy but if it has the Cohiba band on it, oh yeah, I’m going to try it!! This one started out being very very creamy with a lot of dark chocolate.  Kind of sounds like dessert, doesn’t it. Another thing I’m tasting is quite a mildness but still what I’d consider to be very full bodied.

The construction is even throughout as is the burn.  I’m amazed at how talented the people from Cohiba are to blend such a little beauty like this.  I’m starting into the final third and also detecting a wonderful sweetness…..

Well, I gotta give this one  2 thumbs up and the best part……. It was free!!!!!!

I love Cuban cigars but I’ve definitely been running into a problem lately with all of the choices I have coming out of Cuba but what I’ve been going back to time and again are the Cohibas.  As I smoke them I hold and caress them and I know that what I’m enjoying is the best that Cuba has to offer.  Now here is the problem, and I’m sure you ask yourselves this from time to time.  Is it the band that has us so enthralled or is it the tobacco that tastes so superior.

I know for myself that as years go by if you were to remove the band and give me 4 different Robustos I’d probably pick the Cohiba 9 times out of 10 in a blind taste test.  It gets easier and easier as I smoke these gems, I’m totally convinced, that they have such a distinct flavor profile they are quite identifiable.  I don’t know of any other cigar that starts out with that grassy pepper flavor that always tends to evolve into a more complex being.  I was looking at a Cohiba Robusto before I sat down to write this and even the look of the cigar is un-mistakable.

I really don’t have much more to say on the topic this evening other than I have a problem with Cohiba worship…….. Well……. Maybe it’s not that big a problem.

For anyone who who have taken a trip to Cuba, the sights and smells of Havana leave you with memories that last a lifetime.  Spending time on the beach and staying at the usual “All Inclusive Resorts” can be a great experience for someone going there for the first time.  I think you have to do it at least once and be spoiled by the service you get from some of the friendliest people on the planet.  I’ve read different reviews on a few different travel sites by people that have nothing else to do but complain about the service, the food, the noise at night and the quality of their hotel rooms.  Give me a break!!  Cuba is still a third world country and these resorts do their very best to show you a great time with their entertainment and service.

Want to have fun?  Try golfing at the Veradero Golf Club.  I had a great round there one day and although I think they could have watered the course a bit more, I saw things there I haven’t seen on any other golf course.  Here at home we have to be quite vigilant with food left on our golf carts because we have “Smart Crows” that will strip your cart clean when you aren’t looking.  In Veradero they have chickens.  Chickens?? Yup, chickens!  In fact, if left alone you could have as many as 6 chickens walking all over your power cart if you don’t watch out.  We had beer, which they weren’t interested in so I wasn’t so concerned but it made for some really funny pictures.  I was able to rent Taylormade R7’s so I wasn’t complaining about the quality of rentals.  I gave one of the golf pros 6 Pro V 1’s as I dropped off my gear at the end of my round which he was very excited about.

Seeing Havana from the back of a Coco taxi is a very entertaining way to go around town.  These little 3 wheeled motorcycles with a bit of a bubble domed cover for the passengers zip all around Havana at a fairly reasonable price and if you have a driver who is in a talking mood you can get a good tour guide out of the deal as well.  One day we went to the Cementerio de Colon, Havana’s huge Cemetery and if you want to see acres of the most beautiful grave sites, you’ll find it there.  Amazing statues of angels and monuments gleaming in the sunlight for acres.

The highlight of the day was stopping at the Partagas factory and buying a box of Siglo VI’s..  Each time I go there I will make sure to return to that shop.  Smoking a great cigar and drinking rum at the cathedral square in the early afternoon is a great way to start off the next phase of your day in Havana.  Be careful though, time goes quickly at the square and rum seems to go down so easily in the hot sun…..  It seems that cigars in cuba taste better somehow.  I’ll have to return as soon as I can to see if my theory holds any water… I’ll let you know!

Well, how much of an adventure can a humidor give you?  Not much unless………

I’ve recently gotten 2 more boxes of cigars and one of them being a beautiful box of Siglo IV’s I thought that aging them for a while in my humidor would be my new favorite pastime.  Problem here is that my humidor at home is already full and with 2 more boxes to take care of, I needed a new one….. Or….. maybe a second hand one!  I like saving money as much as the next guy so on to Craigslist I go.

late last night I saw a post and was that this guy wanted only $40 for a humidor with a few cigars thrown is as well ( one Cohiba Especiales and a non-Cuban, oh well).  Sign me up!  I e-mailed him this morning and didn’t hear back so I went golfing for the day.  It was a coolish sort of outing with overcast clouds and a temperature of around 8 degrees C, but I was hitting the ball OK and all in all, a pretty good time.  After I got back home this afternoon I saw that the humidor guy had written me back saying that there was a lot of interest in his ad and some people were on their way over.  I wrote back saying that I still wanted the humidor and he told me that I still may get lucky if I hurried and beat the others.   When I got to his place I was pleased to find that I was the first one to see the humidor since everyone else was stalled or cancelled and well, after all, it was Sunday.  I guess the others had more important things to do or… I drove faster than they did.

The humidor was quite beautiful and looked like the top of a roll-top desk with plexi-glass being on the front of the box.  It had a divided tray that sat at an angle and four spacers on the bottom.  The wood inside looked a bit reddish but I really didn’t pay attention to my gut instinct that said, “Hey, that wood looks a bit reddish!”  I gave him the $40 and home I went.

The first thing I did when I got it home was clean it up, wipe down the plexi-glass and soaked down the interior with distilled water.  I was very pleased but that wood inside still looked maybe a bit too reddish. I closed the door and had dinner.  After going back to my new toy I opened it up and, well, out came the odor.  Yup, you knew it all along, didn’t you.  American cedar!  Hmmmmmmm, this isn’t going to work at all, especially with a nice box of Cohibas sitting in it for any length of time.  I’ve never owned a humidor with a Red American cedar interior but I’m thinking that there’s no way I’m putting my Cubans in there.   Sometimes the thought of saving money clouds one’s judgement and you make rash decisions, or at least I did today.

Now rather than scrapping the whole idea and turning this into a display case for my wife’s jewelry I think the best thing to do is be a bit more stubborn and start contacting a few friends of mine that are good with wood.  My feelings are that this isn’t really all that bad and that the interior can be replaced with Spanish cedar without too much trouble, well maybe a little trouble… But… I love the design of this humidor and with a little effort and probably more $$$$$$ I can make it work.

I’ll let you know in the next few days how this adventure comes to an end……

Stay tuned!!!!!

Last night I sat around with a very dear friend, my Piramides from 2006 and I can’t begin to tell you how this cigar has improved with age.  I smoked one earlier last summer and was so impressed with its smoothness and complexity.  None of the flavors I remember were a lot different but what struck me was how it evolved in the humidor and became gentler in it’s approach.

One thing that caught my attention right after I removed it from my humidor was the construction of this stick.  A beautiful maduro wrapper, perfect throughout and the cap appeared to be that perfect spiral that, when cut, stayed intact and behaved like a champ

This is not your typical “grassy” Cohiba, you’ll find more chocolate and caramel appearing making this a bit of a different experience from regular Cohibas.  This re-edition of the very successful LE 2001 comes in dark brown boxes of 10 and I felt very lucky to get my hands on a few of these cigars.  I’ll continue saving a few to see how they develop in the up-coming months but I have to tell you, this one is very hard to hang on to for any length of time.