Its that time again in Canada when the Canadian Country Music Association or CCMA has it’s annual Awards weekend where it showcases country music and it’s performers with a series of musical workshops, a gala dinner where awards are given out to industry people and a televised awards show the following evening which spotlights the winners in various categories.  This is one of the most exciting weekends for country fans and industry alike because of the many late night jams played by the best pickers in Canada and of late, bands like “Jetty Road” from Australia, who’ve been performing and lighting up Canadian stages in the last few years.

These evenings are, most often, in local bars and rooms which are focused on live music with stages, lights and great sound in place and ready for an onslaught of maniacal country music folks hellbent on having the most fun they’ve had all year.  This year will be again a meeting of musicians, TV personalities  and producers now realizing that cigars are yet another thing that they have in common, will take place for 4 days in Hamilton Ontario.  This event moves from host cities in the west to the maritimes and this year’s event will will be very close to it’s association’s home town of Toronto.

Many great cigars will be passed back and forth and a whole bunch of drinking will take place.  One can only imagine the stories that will be told over breakfast tables this year.  I know that I’ll be seeing friends who play music and friends that are more involved in the technical end of things as well as producers that I sometimes only run into once a year.

As well as sharing Cuban cigars with old smoking buddies I always try to convert new smokers over to the cigar way of thinking… Yeeeeehaaaaaw!

18 Pastures can be a tough golf course just outside of Vancouver.  A lot of seniors who live in the area love to golf there because of the very very affordable rates.. Just under $23 for a round of 18 holes and a shared power cart… You can’t lose, well, the one thing you WILL lose is a lot of golf balls and maybe a whole bunch of blood if you run into a bear in the trees as you look for your ball…

There is a possibility that my Cohiba may have saved my life today.. There’s a statement for all of the hysterical non-smokers who are reading this right now.  I had my cigar lit on the front nine and somewhere around hole 6 or 7 I shanked one into the woods ( which line every fairway ) and as I was entering the trees I heard a bit of rustling and saw a black mass running into the opposite direction… There’s a good chance it caught a whiff of the Cuban tobacco as I neared and probably didn’t like it one bit. Whew.. Black bears will take a route of escape 99% of the time when you meet them in the wild…. It’s that 1 % that always has me wondering.

The back nine was full of the bravest deer we’ve ever seen in these parts… You’d hit a ball close to them and could almost touch them as you walked up to your ball in the fairway… They see a lot of people I guess and we don’t seem to concern them at all…

Last group of animals we saw was a family of skunks… Not a lot of glamor there…..

Ever notice what people leave around tee boxes, fairways and greens more than anything else?? Well from my experience, I’ve seen Cohiba cigar butts more than any other brand.. Funny isn’t it! But its true!!  Now and then I run into a cigar butt of a golf course that has a different band on it but I think that its not as frequent as that very recognizable gold, black and white band!!  I also believe that maybe we’re looking at a Canadian syndrome as well since you may not see as many littering a US course but I could be wrong.. I think its also something that changes from course to course.

Food is something that never seems to last long on the fairways on a golf course, in Vancouver we have crows.. very .. very..very smart crows that know the inner workings of a golf cart and can recognize what is edible and what isn’t although I have seen a crow fly away with my buddy derek’s cigarettes and lighter… They’ll take anything !!!  Next spring I’m going to talk to my accountant and ask him if I can claim a few of these crows as dependents.. Really !!!

I still haven’t been able to get my hands on this year’s Cuban contribution to the cigar smoking world, the Cohiba 1966… I can only go by what I’ve read so far and from what I’ve seen I think that we’ll have a winner here… The Siglo line from Cohiba attracted a whole army of new cigar enthusiasts and I’m wondering if the 1966 will do the same… I’ll give you more of a detailed report after I get to light one up!

Father’s day is an occasion where many sons and fathers get together and either knock a golf ball around, catch a fish or two, share advice and light up a great cigar after dinner.  This time of year is usually busy at cigar shops where sons purchase their father’s favorites and Cohiba is a brand that sells very well.  This time of year is perfect for sitting out on the deck with a cigar in one hand and a glass of something potent in the other because of the warmer weather that has finally arrived.  The winter months are a royal pain for many cigar enthusiasts, with the winter and icy winds that blow a chill deep into your bones and insure that your cigars burn unevenly.  Many space heaters take the terrible chill out of countless garages and work shops during the winter months, a guy has to do all that he can to get the most enjoyment out of a premium cigar.

My father is NOT a cigar smoker, NOT a cigarette smoker and the glare I get from him whenever I light one up in his presence is something that I’ll always remember but I do it anyway.  Funny how we tend to sacrifice almost anything, including a parent’s approval, to enjoy a wonderful cigar with family.  I have a sister who is a cigarette smoker and we’ve shared a lifetime of laughs and memories around a community ashtray.  I’ll never trade those moments for the world.  When I was younger I used to compare smokers and non-smokers and wonder what made people tick and why some smoked and some didn’t .. For a great number of years I told myself that I preferred the company of smokers to almost anyone else but as I get older I’ve relaxed my harsh judgements and see people for what they harbor within.

I can’t see any cigar on a day like this to be better than a Cohiba for it’s classic taste and full body.  The original Cohibas before the Siglo series with their grassy profile are a favorite of mine but in recent years I’ve learned to enjoy the Siglos and can see that for every occasion there is a need for different flavors and strengths.  The world is made up of millions of different personalities and needs and adapting to the moment is what I’ve been striving for lately.  I guess we’re all looking for a balance.

Happy Father’s Day !

Cigar Aficionado’s latest piece on counterfeit Behikes was informative and heartbreaking at the same time.. Its great to know that we can access sites like theirs and learn so much about cigars, wine, scotch and well.. almost anything in life that is decadent and worthwhile.. I read their on-line magazine daily and believe that anyone who has ever put a match to the end of a cigar, whether it is Cuban or Non-Cuban, should take the time to learn from a site like theirs..

I’ve had the pleasure of smoking the amazing Cohiba Behikes and can agree with many of you out there that Cohiba has raised the bar and given us a new line of 3 sizes of cigars that will tantalize many a palate for years to come… The introduction of the Medio Tiempo leaf has added a subtle new dimension to these pricy little babies.. But….. Its always heartbreaking to know that the dark side of the underground cigar industry in Cuba is now counterfeiting Behikes as well and…. are we surprised??

I’m sad that many gullible cigar smokers going to Cuba for the first time will run into serpents of every description telling tales and taking hard earned money for the same old banana leaf and floor sweepings that we know all too well.. If you’ve been smoking cigars for as many years as I have, I’m sure you’ve tasted these mild nondescript counterfeits with the black, gold and yellow band… The individuals selling them on the streets of Havana need to feed their families and I don’t hold this against them but the next time I get the great fortune to walk those beautiful streets, I’ll visit the government stores and shell out my cash for the real thing…. Compared to the prices in Canada you can’t go wrong!!

As I’ve written not too many posts ago, the Falls in Chiliwack is one of our favorite golf courses in the Lower Mainland and the last few days saw 12 of us golfing buddies having the time of our lives with golf, LOTS of alcohol and great Cuban cigars.  This course has some beautiful houses you can stay at on the first tee box and we tied up 3 of these homes for our annual golf tournament.. Let the fun and games begin..

Our great buddy Derek Wong came with coolers of food for one of the best meals we’ve ever had after a twilight round on the first day.  Some guys go beyond anyone’s expectations when it comes to a good time and Derek helped to organize the meals and the tournament’s trophy, KP and Long Drive competition markers..

The first night was a booze-fest with many jokes, much yelling and loud cavorting into the night but one of my favorite moments in the day’s activities was the cigars that followed our great meal….  Cubans were brought out on to the deck and with drinks in hand we started tasting and comparing some wonderful cigars.. Those who took part in this activity all had to come to the same conclusion that when comparing cigars which were some Partagas, El Rey Del Mundo and Cohiba, it was a Cohiba Siglo V tubos that won the hearts of every smoker there… Now this is a tough competition especially when you consider that my Partagas Lusitanias which had been aging for a few years was in the mix.

I was totally impressed with the Siglo V with it’s medium strength that revealed a beautiful Cohiba grassiness and smooth delivery that won hands down.. Derek, who was gifted this cigar earlier in the year, hadn’t tasted one before and was saving it for this golf excursion.. Needless to say, this cigar will be on his wish list whenever anyone of our friends goes to Cuba again..

I think that I’ll have a hard time thinking about any other cigar for the next few days… I was really blown away!

I sat on the edge of my seat all throughout last night’s game as I watched our Vancouver Canucks beat out San Jose to go for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup in the air.  I think they can do it… The only question is; will it be Tampa Bay or Boston they have to beat to accomplish this feat…. I don’t know ….

Last night was a great opportunity to light up a good cigar while the game was on.. I ended up lighting an H. Upmann No 2 and what a fine idea that was..  This was a cigar from 2008 and with the time it had in the humidor to ferment and age nicely, it was a cigar to remember..  Smooth notes of woods, wonderful toasted tobacco and strong coffee made up the profile that amazed me as the game went from period to period..  A lot of ash ended up on my clothes as I couldn’t tear my attention from the game.. Thats easy to deal with…. No problem…

This being a Cohiba slanted blog doesn’t really mean that I have to devote all of my attention to Cuba’s finest brand all of the time… Cuba’s most elegant export includes the finest cigars in the world and it includes a vast array of cigar brands that differ in strength, blend and aroma but the one thing they all have in common is the stellar level of fine taste.

The H. Upmann brand includes various sizes of vitolas that will leave you amazed and wanting boxes and boxes of more.. I usually visit “The Vancouver Cigar Company’ when I pick up more cigars for my humidors.  This group of people are probably the most informed cigar people in our city.  The fact that they get their cigars directly from “Havana House” means that you’ll be getting the best that Cuba has to offer.

Getting back to hockey…. I believe that this is our year to be the champions.. I feel very confident that we’ll do it and I’m very happy that the San Jose Sharks can now finally relax and work on their golf swings..

So there I sit in front of the television last night waiting for the last installment of Survivor to start and I’m thinking that since this is my favorite TV show, I might as well light up one of my favorite cigars.  In my humble opinion, I look at the EL Cohiba Piramides from 2006 as one of the best cigars to come out of Cuba in the last few years and the few that I have left are reserved for big occasions.  Why not Survivor??  I love the show, I love the evil mind twisting games that the participants play against each other and I wonder how this all compares to day to day life in the real world….. Maybe it doesn’t ……. Its only a reality show.. Thats all it is..

I reach for my torch and knowing that this is about a 2 hour cigar, I know that it’ll stay with me for the duration of the drama…..  As the last few years have gone by, I’ve noticed the subtle changes that have taken place in the fermentation process with the Piramides.  In 2008, when I smoked my first, I’m guessing that the oils in the tobacco gave out rich and sweet tobacco flavors that gave this cigar a complex profile loaded with coffees and sweet chocolates but in the last year or so, whenever I’ve lit one of these great cigars, I’m getting more woods and dusty dark chocolate flavors that show me what happens to a beautiful cigar after years in a humidor.

I firmly believe that the sweetness of a cigar tends to gradually fade as it ages.  Some of you may argue with me on this point but the flavors of a cigar are so subjective and I wonder if we all taste the same things.  No matter….. The nicotine tends to fade in tobacco as years go by.. Try smoking a very young cigar and if it has a mighty ring gauge and a fair bit of length, there’ll be a good chance that you’ll occasionally feel dizzy and even break out in a sweat if you smoke it quickly.. Last night’s cigar was woody and smooth, thats all I can say.. I enjoyed it immensely and found myself to be very fortunate to be experiencing such a work of art as I watched one of the biggest jerks get handed a million dollars.

I’m sorry, but the guy is arrogant, smug, cruel and reminds me of some sort of cheap hood that I remember seeing in the movies when I was a kid.  You know the guy, the guy that belongs to some gangster organization, the guy that slaps women around and the type of guy that would probably get a lot of drinks thrown in his face in bars…. I really hope we don’t have to see him again….. Him and Omarosa.. Two peas in a pod!

I’ve been a big fan of many kinds of music through the years but as I get older I keep going back to the jazz albums I used to listen to in the early 70′s…. I was a big fan of Miles, early Coltrane and then Weather Report as time went on.  I wasn’t yet a cigar smoker back in the 70′s, something I regret today, but I can remember hearing albums that were beautiful and timeless.

One of my favorite composers was always Antonio Carlos Jobim and one tragic thing is that most people usually remember him for composing ” The Girl From Ipanema” , a great structured song, but certainly not the only masterpiece he composed.  He is regarded as one of Brazil’s greatest treasures and the more you listen to his music the more you’ll understand why that country considers him to be so valuable to their culture.

I was on youtube tonight and didn’t plan on having a cigar until I found this song… It is “Wave” by Jobim but NOT recorded by the master… Instead, this is a recording from 1973 by Oscar Peterson with strings arranged by Claus Ogerman.  The album is called “Motions and Emotions”… As soon as I heard this track I was stopped dead in my tracks as I listened to the song…. I played it again and then went over to the humidor and chose an Esplendidos, went back to the computer and lit up and played the song again…. Oscar’s piano solo at the end of this song is stellar and the strings are divine.

The cigar tasted better with a song like this in the background.  This made me sort of sad about the condition of jazz bars these days with no smoking policies  because when listening to something this beautiful in a live music environment, there is nothing better than a great cigar and a glass of Scotch on a table in front of you.. These days all you smell in a jazz bar is chicken wings…. Good grief!!!! Something is wrong with us…. Cuba is still where its at!!!! Period

So anyway, sit back, light up your most prized Cohiba and listen to THIS !!

This morning after breakfast I decided to go through one of the humidors that I rarely visit and to my surprise, I found an old Cohiba Secretos under a few Cohiba Robustos that I had been saving.  I’m not sure where this little guy came from but something in my distant memory tells me that this cigar was purchased in 2007 when this series first came out.  This is not a large cigar at 4 3/8 inches long with a 40 ring gauge so I decided that a trip to the back deck with a cup of coffee and the newspaper would be a great idea.

My neighbor was doing some lawn work and grumbling about his lawn mower, all the rain this spring, some neighborhood kids spray painting his front fence, the crow’s nest in the chestnut tree beside his house, his income tax problems, a flat tire his wife got yesterday afternoon and his concerns about the Stanley Cup playoffs while I clipped off the cap of the little maduro and felt nothing but contentment as I reached for my torch.

When this Maduro series came out, Cohiba introduced a five year old aged wrapper and now this being 2011, I was holding on to a little blast of rich chocolate with a 9 year old wrapper..  A blast of rich dark chocolate was the first thing I noticed after a few puffs but 10 minutes later this reyes mellowed considerably and a richer creamier chocolate appeared.. I wish I had the patience to hold on to cigars for this length of time all the time but I’m just not that kind of person.  Whenever I buy a box of new Cubans, I’m always seeing a great number of cigars to give to friends and smoke one after another until I’m seeing 9 or so left and then the feeling of panic sets in and I go into a hoarding mode..

I’m not sure how I was able to hold on to this cigar for this long but starting tomorrow, or maybe the day after I’m going to turn over a new leaf and buy MORE cigars…. Smoke LESS cigars and build up my reserve………… Yeah sure, and the Edmonton Oilers will win the Cup this year too!!!!