Almost two weeks ago my wife left on a trip to visit her parents (cue Jim Nabors) "back home, again, in Indiana..."
All in all it was a relatively uneventful two weeks. I did manage to attend a Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce mixer or two, simply for the food, and make my way to Fair Oaks Cigars, Goodfellas Cigar Lounge, Ambassador Fine Cigars West, Fine Ash Cigars, and Owl Ear Cigars.
Old friends, who met at Applebee's almost 7 years ago, got together for a BBQ. These events are fun as everyone brings a dish. Mario Batali's Spicy Beer Shrimp Boil. Earlier in the day I picked up a 6-pack of beer from Whole Foods. The beer, called Gold Mine Lager, was average so I didn't feel all that bad using 3 cans for the boil. By the way it was $2.99.
A couple of weeks ago I was given a Padron Serie 1926 80 yrs from a good friend at Ambassador Fine Cigars. This maduro, was the #2 cigar on Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 cigars of 2008, uses some of Padron' rarest leaves in its blend. The cigar, a perfecto, is also rolled by one trocodero and at roughly $30 per stick, this cigar, according to one source, is one of the 10 most expensive cigars in the world.
Wednesday found me with several client meetings in Central Phoenix, so I detoured over to Goodfellas Cigar Lounge. Short on time, I didn't have time to enjoy a cigar with Shawn, but I did pick up a few nice smokes that are distributed by House of Emilio. The Ezra Zion Ja Mais Vu (formerly the Inception, the Emilio Series H Maduro, and the Rodrigo La Fortaleza. For the record, the Ja Mais Vu didn't last long I burned that Wednesday evening.
Glen Case, owner of Kristoff Cigars, was in town this past week. Owl Ear Cigars hosted Glen for a Spring Training themed event. The event was catered by BOTL Chef Tom Baumbach. I've known Tom a while, but never had the pleasure of enjoying his food. Here, in no particular order, is some of what he created for this event; the Chicago Dog, the Anaheim Angels Halo Dog, the Kansas City Royal BBQ Dog (using Kristoff's BBQ Sauce). I went with the Pittsburgh Dog, complete with pierogi's and caramelized onions.
Kudo's to "H" at Owl Ear. Earlier in the week I received a call, from "H", telling me that I had won baseball tickets for Thursday afternoon. I promptly call "H" and told him I couldn't use them and to please give the tickets to someone who could use the. When I arrived at the event "H" gave me $50 in store credit to use however I wanted to. I used the credit to pick up a Xikar Cutter and a few sticks to balance out my humidor.
Kudo's to "H" at Owl Ear. Earlier in the week I received a call, from "H", telling me that I had won baseball tickets for Thursday afternoon. I promptly call "H" and told him I couldn't use them and to please give the tickets to someone who could use the. When I arrived at the event "H" gave me $50 in store credit to use however I wanted to. I used the credit to pick up a Xikar Cutter and a few sticks to balance out my humidor.
A last minute change of plans, to catch up with an old friend, found me at the Arizona Biltmore with "Uncle" Michael. Listening to live music, and enjoying a Kristoff Sumatra.
Friday I popped by Fine Ash Cigars o see what was new, and stumbled upon this.
The Esteban Carreras Chupa Cbara Coronoa, The cigar was very well-balanced flavors yet took some surprising turns during the course of the smoke.
It's Easter Sunday and I about the least religious person you will ever meet. Don't know what happened but it is what it is.
I spent the day in Scottsdale, with Mom, where we went through some of my grandpa's old papers. One of the more interesting items I came across was a letter from my great-grandfather to my grandfather when he was a, boy of maybe 8 or 9, and had just broken his arm. The formality of the letter blew my mind. It essentially seemed like a scolding for, well basically, being a child.
This afternoon's cigar was the Rodrigo La Fortaleza Forte, at this point I believe this cigar is available, in Arizona, at only Goodfellas Cigar Lounge in Central Phoenix. I paired it with a 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet from Sean Minor. Full Bodied and very complex it paired well with the Cabernet.
For a unique look into RodrigoCigar Factory, Click Here, it's fascinating...
Looking forward to a Davidoff Tongue Tasting, as I understand it we will taste the three components of a Davidoff Cigar (the Filler, Binder and Wrapper) individually, and then the final complete blend. Should be fascinating.
Until next time...
#KeepTightAsh
Until
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