Martel's Marvelous Musings on Magnificent Miasmas of Merit

Okay, enough alliteration.
I'm a noob. But I also think I have a decent palate (it's the only one I've got, so I'm partial to it), and I know what I like. Even though I make a living communicating in various forms, I'm not going to claim to be a professional writer. Neither am I going to attempt to have a set rubric for my reviews. So some of these might get kind of weird. I'm going to include the random thoughts I have about smoking and life which I jot down during my smoke sessions.

Okay, enough with the rationale behind starting another review thread, time to get to it. I hope you enjoy. I know I will.

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Martel

I smoked this 5.5x54 Robusto as dessert after a fairly heavy meal of roast pork with a teriyaki sauce gravy served over mashed potatoes and salad on the side. It was accompanied by water. Before busting out the review, I want to comment on the Robusto. I really don't have a lot of experience with other sizes, certainly not ring size anyway. Mid 40s to mid 50s just seems like the right size for a cigar. Some of you large-ring guys may have to try and convert me. Same thing if there are any lancero fans out there.

This stick felt very firm pre-light. The box-press shape was new for me, but I actually liked the feel of it in both hand and mouth. The cigar has a good eye appeal and my first note after lighting it is "Wow! Pepper!" That first taste was strong. The cigar also gave off lots of smoke. My wife didn't care for the odor of this one and left me alone on the porch to smoke it with my cigar notes and some other writing I was composing at the time. Too bad for her, I liked this enough to consider buying more. It is a definite try again cigar.

The cigar mellowed some halfway or a little before. At this point I note how even the cigar is burning. I initially had some trouble getting it to light evenly. One stubborn spot just wouldn't glow, but once I got it going the thing never had trouble keeping-up or staying lit. The ash did fall a lot sooner than I would like, but I blame the fact that a cold front swept in and I was shivering quite a bit shortly after starting this cigar.

Now well into the second third and approaching the final third, I'm noting more dark chocolate, some coffee, and eventually, cedar. There is a nice complexity that remains even as the cigar mellows a lot. Overall this has been a very nice smoke. The pepper comes and goes, but after the first few overwhelming puffs, it was just the right amount of pepper. Right at the end, I started to notice some green apple flavors adding to the complexity and interest.

This smoke was great after my dinner, but it didn't last long enough. It burned pretty quickly. Then again, as cold as I got, maybe that's a good thing. If I had this cigar in anything much larger, I would expect it to give a decent gut punch, too. But I would definitely smoke this one again, if, in part, only to give it a shot on a more comfortable evening.

blurr

Around here you will learn the push will be to get you to smoke more smaller ring gauges, coronas and lances, lonsdales etc. love corona gorda personally for CCs. Robusto is the fattest I usually go, always an exception considering even AJ is acting like a robusto should be 5.5 x 55 rg. They should follow the Cuban tradition and stick to hermoso no.4 with 47-50rg max. I lose respect for every NC blender as soon as they start releasing jawbreaker sizes. Example is perdomo, won't buy them or support them at all anymore because their robusto is 54rg and they dont even make coronas anymore.Good review though, I've been eyeing the oval corona size so I may have to purchase a few soon.

Lee.mcglynn

blurr:
Around here you will learn the push will be to get you to smoke more smaller ring gauges, coronas and lances, lonsdales etc. love corona gorda personally for CCs. Robusto is the fattest I usually go, always an exception considering even AJ is acting like a robusto should be 5.5 x 55 rg. They should follow the Cuban tradition and stick to hermoso no.4 with 47-50rg max. I lose respect for every NC blender as soon as they start releasing jawbreaker sizes. Example is perdomo, won't buy them or support them at all anymore because their robusto is 54rg and they dont even make coronas anymore.Good review though, I've been eyeing the oval corona size so I may have to purchase a few soon.

I wouldn't say the push is smaller rg...it is a preffered thing among some of us but not all coronas are better!! I think it's all in the company to make sure the filler is of quality! And so should the wrapper. IMO that is why Aj's coronas are good. His filler blends seem very similar and to me it is his wrappers that are the difference maker. But if you look at dpg he really doesn't have many coronas but they are still good sticks!! Also I don't mind a 54 rg if it's box pressed! There is a more balanced filler/wrapper ratio then. But it's the same as everything...if you don't have good quality no matter the size it still won't be great.

Martel

Looking at some of these jawbreakers, it seems like the only appeal would be a longer burn time. That and cultivating some sort of image. Still, I'm willing to try just about anything at this point as I explore my preferences.

Martel

Whooo, baby. Another house brand today. This one is not a bad looking stick, but neither is it particularly pretty. The wrapper had a dry appearance with a few veins and the stick was firm but not hard. I was really looking forward to this robusto because of the Pepin Garcia blend. But I'll let you read all that on the website rather than repeat it here.

I smoked this one on a decently warm afternoon out on the porch. The initial light gave off a beautiful woodsy aroma that was a little musty. This was initially like smoking a campfire both on the nose and the palate. The cigar gave off a moderate amount of smoke that was only slightly acrid and throat-tightening.

What I'm noticing with the house brands before and since this smoke held true for this one as well: the flavor profile is consistent throughout but not necessarily a terribly complex flavor profile. In the case of the corojo, the cigar had a favorable flavor and was a smooth smoke. It had a mostly even burn and I smoked it to the end. I may want to try this in a larger vitola than the robusto I smoked because I was starting to notice a hint of almond right at the end, but I couldn't smoke any more! The robusto took just a little over 40 minutes to smoke from lighting to laying it down. Any complexity or depth of flavor was coming in right at the end of that time. That said, let me reiterate that I would rank the flavor profile favorably.

It's my understanding that these cigars are no longer being rolled. At the moment, the ccom website lists the Churchill and the Corona "sold out" but Robustos and Torpedoes are still available in singles and boxes. I'm not at the point in my cigar smoking journey where I'm investing in boxes, but I'm considering pulling the trigger on this one because I'm a poor, severely underemployed, husband and father of two. I like this smoke, especially at the price point for the house blends.

pelirrojo

I had a robusto Friday night and liked it myself. Like you say it doesn't knock your socks off or anything, but tasted good, was well constructed, and burned evenly. I've only had the sungrown, american, and corojo labels and this was my favorite of the 3. I think I would buy this and smoke it again, whereas the others I would not. I'm liking the reviews. Keep it up.

Martel

Thanks, red. I will be reviewing the sungrown next. I did not like it as much as the corojo. Eventually, I will work through all the house blends, but I've slowed down on smoking with some respiratory crud and bad weather. It warmed up the last couple of days and I was feeling better so I hit some house blends. I smoked the corojo a while ago, but I'm starting to run out of the backlog of notes since I've taken some time off from gars. I might get this review thread up to real time!

Martel

Yes, I did get the robusto sampler of the ccom labels and am slowly working my way through these budget-friendly sticks. Overall, the construction of these cigars is mixed...just like the filler. You can read about that elsewhere. Despite that, external appearance on all my ccom sticks is good. Some of them have too many flakes of tobacco that love to find their way into my mouth. The flavors of the different labels, well, that's a personal taste. Let me give you my opinion on this one label.

This particular stick was one that had a lot of flakes. They were coming out of the foot of the cigar like crazy before I clipped the head. Thankfully, they didn't start pouring out after taking the cutter to the cap. I did get lots of bits on this cigar, but I've had worse.

I smoked this on a long walk alone on a pleasant evening. Because of this, my notes are not nearly as detailed. I wrote down what I could after the walk, but this review is more of a general impression than it is an examination by thirds. I enjoyed the cigar as a walking stick, but spitting out tobacco from time to time did detract from the experience a little. I really didn't find this to be anywhere near as good as the Corojo label, but it had more potential (if less complexity) than the purple label. Compared to the Corojo, this was more in-your-face spicy, and the spice was acrid and worked more on your throat, closing it up. The Corojo had plenty of spice, but the spice was more pleasant than on the Sun Grown.

The cigar burned nicely, never needing a touch-up. It didn't put off a lot of smoke from either the foot or by draw. It also smoke fairly quickly, but some of that was due to having to maintain it in some wind. Still, I was only puffing about once per minute except in a couple of instances, and finished in about 40 minutes or a little less. Would I try this one again? Sure. Would I go out of my way to keep it in my humi? No, not with the other house blends available.

allsmokedup

FYI, most of the house blends are short filler. I think the American label may be the only one that isn't, but I haven't verified that. Use a punch as opposed to a guillotine and you might get less tobacco bits in your mouth.

I also had a similar experience with the Sun-grown label coronas. It's the only house blend I detest. In fact, I think our tastes might be similar. PM me your addy and I'll send you a few sticks to review.

Martel

allsmokedup:
FYI, most of the house blends are short filler. I think the American label may be the only one that isn't, but I haven't verified that. Use a punch as opposed to a guillotine and you might get less tobacco bits in your mouth.

I also had a similar experience with the Sun-grown label coronas. It's the only house blend I detest. In fact, I think our tastes might be similar. PM me your addy and I'll send you a few sticks to review.

PM sent, sir. Thank you.

Martel

I want all the Macanudo defenders to know that I revisited the brand. With a little rest, the ammonia wore off and I did not get the chemical taste this go-round. I'm not going to say it was my favorite cigar, but it was smokeable. It had a nice creaminess and some nut flavor, but was all very mild. It smelled more like a cigarette than a good cigar to me. I was smoking a really small ring, too, and I wonder how much flavor would be lost if it were larger?

Anyway, I learned my lesson...gotta let those things sit...as much as I want to smoke 'em right away.

Gaetano7890

I will have to revisit that smoke one day. It was my go to cigar at one point about 10 years ago that all I smoked. I guess we all started somewhere.

Martel

I don't think I'd exactly want to make this smoke a regular thing...only that it was smokeable with some rest. It was still very much like the Purple Label from ccom in my mind, but now I might leapfrog it ahead of the the house brand if only because it was all long filler and it had perhaps a slight bit more complexity. Neither will be on my regular smoke list, but I might want to try some of the other Macanudo blends after the comments on the initial review.

Martel

"By Tatuaje." I guess that makes this my first Tat. I found its construction to be very high quality. The cigar felt nice in the hand. A light touch along the stick gave the impression of felt or velvet on the fingers. Fuzzy, if you will. Not oily or dry. Different to the touch from other cigars I've had, for sure.

I started smoking this on a walk with the family, but my wife stepped on something and decided to go in 'cause she was hurting a bit, so I sat down on the porch to finish. I didn't have my notes with me, so I recorded my impressions later, and didn't keep the best record of the smoke.

This cigar had a lot of Leather and Black Pepper, but was balanced by a nice sweetness that clearly came from the Maduro wrapper. I initially thought this was going to be a strong cigar, but after sitting down with it, my wife suggested I enjoy a drink, too. I had been given a sampler of little airline-size bottles of different Jim Beam products and ended up with "Devil's Cut" to drink. As soon as I took a drink of the whiskey-90 proof extract from oak barrels-I knew it was a mistake to pair it with the cigar. It overpowered the cigar. While I could still taste the flavors of the stick, they were greatly lessened in power. The strength of the cigar was now more like a "medium" than close to strong. Because I started drinking before the gar really got going into the second third, I suspect the overall impression would have been more medium-strong than just the "medium" I got with the liquor or the "strong" I got initially.

I did enjoy this cigar. And honestly, I feel like if I enjoy the smoke, it was a success whether or not I got a great sense for the subtleties and character of the cigar. I do want to explore and hone my palate, but I'm not overly concerned about drinking ice water with one cigar, coffee with another, and on the third sampling trying it with scotch or whatever. This whole process is for the enjoyment. Even though I enjoy the methodical nature of taking notes and making comparisons, I don't want to feel like I'm in a controlled lab environment either.

So bottom line is, I will definitely try this cigar again (with water!) It was a smaller ring gauge, and the wrapper really shined because of that (and was still noticeable even with the Devil's Cut). It makes me look forward to sampling more of Pete Johnson's creations as well.

Lee.mcglynn

I am fond of this cigar...it has a nice spice to it but not overwhelming at all!! I do like tats spice and find it close to camachos. I've had a couple of these thanks to tony aka sleevplz. Mine did have a resting period but they are very smooth and very enjoyable...enjoyable to the point that I might have to buy a box!!

Bigshizza

Lee.mcglynn:
I am fond of this cigar...it has a nice spice to it but not overwhelming at all!! I do like tats spice and find it close to camachos. I've had a couple of these thanks to tony aka sleevplz. Mine did have a resting period but they are very smooth and very enjoyable...enjoyable to the point that I might have to buy a box!!

That's for sure!!

SleevePlz

Lee.mcglynn:
I am fond of this cigar...it has a nice spice to it but not overwhelming at all!! I do like tats spice and find it close to camachos. I've had a couple of these thanks to tony aka sleevplz. Mine did have a resting period but they are very smooth and very enjoyable...enjoyable to the point that I might have to buy a box!!

I really enjoy the La Riqueza. Easily one of my favorite sub-$5 smokes. And yeah, I may have gifted a few last year. Bought a few 5 and 10 packs over that time. Nice review Martel.

Lee.mcglynn

SleevePlz:
Lee.mcglynn:
I am fond of this cigar...it has a nice spice to it but not overwhelming at all!! I do like tats spice and find it close to camachos. I've had a couple of these thanks to tony aka sleevplz. Mine did have a resting period but they are very smooth and very enjoyable...enjoyable to the point that I might have to buy a box!!
I really enjoy the La Riqueza. Easily one of my favorite sub-$5 smokes. And yeah, I may have gifted a few last year. Bought a few 5 and 10 packs over that time. Nice review Martel.

Lol well they are a great smoke!! So keep sending lol and yes very good review!!

Martel

Bigshizza:
Lee.mcglynn:
I am fond of this cigar...it has a nice spice to it but not overwhelming at all!! I do like tats spice and find it close to camachos. I've had a couple of these thanks to tony aka sleevplz. Mine did have a resting period but they are very smooth and very enjoyable...enjoyable to the point that I might have to buy a box!!
That's for sure!!

I might end up with some fivers. I almost jumped on 10 of them on the sprint sale today. One of the few things I've smoked that has appeared on there.

And I should give credit where it is due, bigshizza is my source for this smoke, and many of the others on here. He welcomed me to the forum the right way...but my serious tasting experiment became heavy on Nicaraguan smokes-do you hold a post in the government there or something? I'll be branching out to some more Dominicans and other sources, soon.

Martel

I hated not liking this cigar. It had complexity, and body, and flavor. Not the best looking stick, but not the worst, either. The Corojo Habano wrapper was a beautiful color, even if it wasn't the prettiest thing or the nicest roll on a close look. The band, half a band, and ribbon, added a nice touch. Yes, the largish DPG band of gold on black with a touch of red was stunning with a smaller, matching band naming the cigar line. Honestly, the additional "gold" ribbon didn't seem to match, IMHO, but to each his own. My concern was the different coloration under the ribbon...no mold, but it looked like the cloth trapped more moisture than the paper bands did. These bands pulled right off the cigar...no need to split the seam.

Okay, so you already know I have mixed feelings about this cigar. Let me share my thoughts and see if I can figure out why. The uncut cigar gave off a pleasant, but strong, aroma of hay. After cutting, the prelight draw was more of the same, if more mild than a big whiff by the nose. My humi has gotten a little lower Rh than I'd like, so I knew the light on this would be easier, but I still scorched just a little of the foot despite trying to be low and slow with a soft flame. Oh well, it just added to the initial kick of the first couple of draws. There was a lot of pepper and some charcoal right at the start, but both settled down quickly. It's not like I burned the whole thing to a crisp!

The burn on this cigar was even, crisp, and clean. Letting it rest on my "Stogie Stand," allowed me to observe a steady wisp of smoke rising from the foot. I also noted the ash was white. I'm talking white like me trying to dance white. Very white. Releasing smoke out the nose...a trick I'm still trying to master...reveals a lot of wood qualities to the smoke. On each draw, which is in the medium range as far as effort, lots of smoke is both felt from the head and visible from the foot. Again, as this cigar rests, it just looks pretty sitting there. Like I imagine a cigar should look. I was over halfway done before the ash fell, and that's because I bumped the table while it was resting. Grrr!

As I'm smoking, I notice that I enjoy the aroma and flavor of this more from the "secondhand" smoke in the air than I do from the draw. Before I reached the end of the first third, the pepper was virtually gone, but there was still lots of hay and freshly mown grass. At the beginning of the second third, I got a slight hint of chocolate right at the back of my palate. But it was coy and disappeared. At this point, every draw started releasing smoke right into my eyes. I tried changing position, the angle of the cigar, etc. No matter what, I took a smoke blast to the eyes. This has never happened before while smoking a cigar unless I'm walking into the wind. Combined with an undefined unpleasantness that I just can't describe, I wound up leaving the last third+ respectfully alone in the ashtray without another draw. It hurt, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

There was certainly some unpleasantness in this smoke for me. I wanted to like the cigar because it was a new flavor profile with all that hay. And it wasn't that which I disliked. I think my dislike was also layered and complex. Something on the stogie started to hit me in the gut unpleasantly. Sometimes I can handle this, but other times I can't. This wasn't on the level of the Perdomo Lot 23, but it reminded me of that. I'm glad I tried this cigar; and would try it again. It's not a stick I'd go out of my way for. But I say that in a different sense than I would say it with the Macanudo or ccom Purple. I didn't sense enough in those smokes that I liked to want to seek them out. This Cuban Classic had enough that I liked to make me hate the fact there was enough I disliked to say it was unpleasant overall, especially when I can't really describe what it was I didn't appreciate.

Martel

I smoked this robusto from my sampler pack with my morning coffee out of the Keurig machine. Love that thing, btw. So convenient. *smacks self* Okay, back on track about the cigar. Pre-cut sniff reveals both mustiness and muskiness. There are a few flakes falling out of the foot, but not as many as some house blends have had. The wrapper had lots of vein lines, but they couldn't be felt. The feel was on the dry side as was the look of the wrapper. The cap on this particular stick was starting to separate. I had to do some careful work to keep it on.

The prelight draw was a little acrid as were the first few draws, which were a bit tight. Just as the light started to settle in and the ask had grown to a quarter inch, the thing ashed on me! I didn't nudge, bump, or otherwise touch the stogie in a rough manner. The ash just fell, but after that first ash fall, it held strong and straight with little to no funkiness, flaking, narrowing, or bending of the ash for well over an inch. The ash and smoke on this cigar have a lot of brown/tan in them. The ash is light gray with tan and the smoke is thick with some definite tan color rather than just being white or gray.

I got a few flakes in my mouth at the start, but those also went away quickly. The cigar mellowed nicely pretty soon out of the gate, losing the acrid flavors. The cigar is going pretty well before I take my first sip of coffee. Great pairing, actually. I'm drinking a cheap "house blend" coffee (black, as God intended) from Kroger-their Private Selection Mountain Blend-to match my house blend cigar. This hasn't been my favorite alternative-k-cup coffee, but I've discovered it is better with this cigar. Happy, happy, joy, joy. The cigar's flavor floats above the lingering coffee taste with a lot of nuttiness and cream. Great pair.

The nuttiness is more distinct in the nose with clear pecan overtones. Not sweet enough to make me think of pecan Pie, but definitely some of those great pecan flavors and aromas. By the way, I'm curious how you say "pecan". I say puh-kahn with the accent on the second syllable. I've heard the pee-kahn with the accent on either syllable. I've also heard pee'-kin and pee-can', but was told once that a pee'-can is something that truckers use.

*another self-smack to get back on track*

The draw starts to improve from not-unbearable-but-tight to slightly firm. The strength is a definite mild-medium, leaning to medium over mild. That impression of strength may be from the surprising amount and clarity of flavors in the cigar. The profile doesn't seem quite as good as the Corojo, but it is more complex than the other house blends so far. I like complexity. In addition to pecan and musk, at 2/3 and just before, I'm noticing some gentle white pepper. When the cigar ashed again, it got acrid again as the temp went up, but it went away quickly. In the last third, I got some tunneling, and lost the light before I felt quite finished. Even then, I kept this thing going for an hour or a bit more.

Bottom line: Despite the construction issues being a little annoying (and if they'd been any worse may have ruined this smoke), I really liked this cigar. Flavor wins in my book. I know the quality on the house blends is hit-or-miss. I expect that. I could keep this cigar in my humi and be happy because of its flavor being a bit more complex than the other house blends so far. I would live with the occasional flake and peeling cap at this price point. I also think this would make a good guest-cigar for the inexperienced smoker. It's not too strong, but still has some good body and flavors. Would I prefer better construction? Sure. Was the flavor the best? No. But this was a great value stick; something I would pick-up to keep this hobby budget-friendly. Good job on this one, ccom.

ddubridge

Martel:
I could keep this cigar in my humi and be happy because of its flavor being a bit more complex than the other house blends so far.

Out of the two samplers I bought, this is by far my favorite. Buy it by the box. Prefect yard gar or grab and go cigar. I dont have to hee and haw over what to smoke.

Martel:
I also think this would make a good guest-cigar for the inexperienced smoker. It's not too strong, but still has some good body and flavors.

This one gets handed out more often then not. I even have quite a few return customers to this cigar.

ohh, and by the way...pee-kahn

Martel

Pecan, anyone? I'm still curious if anyone says Pee-can, like the truckers use.

Okay, so onto the American Label. I smoked this in the car. I knew I had at least a 20 minute drive to run to a jobsite and an hour+ to make it in, so I figured I'd drive around and enjoy the smoke. I did. Drive. And enjoy. It was a decent smoke for a drive. Nothing I wanted to focus on, but great to pass the time and have lit in the background with some tunes on. Great when the three wreckers were stopping all the lanes of traffic to clean up an accident and I could just kick back and relax with the breeze blowing through the open windows. Saying all that, you know I didn't take any notes while smoking it. I don't text and drive; neither do I write and drive.

The cigar did put off a nice amount of smoke. It was smooth and creamy with some cedar. Nothing was really offensive, but nothing blew my socks off, either. The wind from the open windows might have had something to do with this, but I did have to make several touch-ups along the way, far more than I would like. Still, like I said, a decent cigar, but I would take the Blue over it any day. I would smoke the American Label again, but only if given it or from getting a good deal on a sampler.

Martel

I hear these don't age well. I want to know how anyone is able to let them sit long enough to age. This thing was good.

My wife gave this cigar to me as a V-day present. Yes, she went to a B&M (after asking me what I liked/wanted to try, so it wasn't really a surprise) and said she didn't want to spend over $40 (shows what I'm worth) and asked one of the ladies behind the counter for help. I got a tasty little present that included this cigar in a robusto size. I couldn't wait to smoke it, so we went for a walk and I lit up.

The aroma of the stick is good pre-light. The pre-light draw is firm but not tight. It toasts nicely and lights well. There is quite a bit of smoke from the foot and a nice even burn.

This cigar didn't seem distinctly different by thirds or any other division. The flavors flow, coming and going throughout. I was able to smoke this cigar for well over an hour, maybe even close to an hour and a half. I would have gotten out a toothpick if the temperature hadn't dropped which would probably have taken me to that hour and a half time frame.

Flavors I noticed included chocolate, coffee, small tastes of black pepper, hints of bell pepper at times. Nut flavors included walnuts and cashews (no pecans this time). There was also cream and vanilla blending in throughout.

Add me to the list of Liga whores...okay, maybe not. I did really like this cigar, but it's a bit out of my usual price range at the moment. On a straight-up comparison, it was one of, if not the best, cigar experiences I've had to date. In terms of value, I'll reserve judgment until I smoke another, but this was so enjoyable that I would say it is still ranked fairly high. Some cigars I've enjoyed less but still enjoyed, and they've been at a much lower price point. I need to find a balance between how much I want to smoke, ought to smoke, want to spend, and have to spend. In all of that, I want to enjoy what I'm doing more than anything. I enjoyed this and will definitely smoke it again, but probably on a special occasion.

macs-smokes

Love the LP 9 always have a couple in humi... while they don't last long enough to age... Heck my 5 year old asks me constantly if I am going to go smoke that 9 ceeegar. But then again she asks me at 4 a.m. when I am heading to work and she is up to pee if I want some whiskey. What a good girl.

Martel

macs-smokes:
Love the LP 9 always have a couple in humi... while they don't last long enough to age... Heck my 5 year old asks me constantly if I am going to go smoke that 9 ceeegar. But then again she asks me at 4 a.m. when I am heading to work and she is up to pee if I want some whiskey. What a good girl.

Thanks, macs, this made my day. Mine is 10, and she will occasionally do something sweet for me, but not so comedic anymore. And more often than not, I'm getting eye rolls instead of cuteness, now.

macs-smokes

Not to derail thread... My oldest was same as the 5 year old... now if i get the Go to He** look its a good day... then surprise she asked wife to pick up me up some smokes... and the 5 year old chimes in 9's... Love my kids.

Martel

No worries about derailing. I'll bring it right back on track as soon as I do my next review. I like hearing this stuff.

beatnic

The NO. 9 is my favorite in the Liga line.

Martel

I thought I'd take a minute, just sit right there, to tell you how I...like to take notes on my cigars.

After looking at some expensive cigar journals and drooling, I decided to just figure it out myself. That didn't work either. I thought about just writing in a journal or notebook, but I liked having some organized lines for information. After some internet searches, I found a form from a competitor's site that works okay. My only complaint is that it is almost too small when I'm feeling loquacious.

After going through a few inkjet cartridges to print out two or three pages (I need a new printer; recommendations, anyone?) I decided that sitting around loose wasn't working for me. I considered slicing my note sheets in half and using a ledger binder, but those things are expensive, too. Finally I found a nice looking 3-ring "leather-like" binder in an appealing blue color. Add some sheet protectors and slide reviews in front-to-back when I finish a page and it's a nice little record.

The bands are held in with tape. I keep a roll of invisible tape-I know, not archive quality, but neither is the paper-with my accessories stash where I smoke.

All my nice pens get lost or break, but I want writing notes to contribute to my overall cigar experience. The feel of this notebook helps; the stupid grinning smiley face on the notes doesn't. So I had to find a pen to put the whole thing in the positive. I've been experimenting and currently enjoy the Uni-ball JetStream RT Fine tip.

It "Helps Prevent CHECK FRAUD"! according to the package, and it is also smear resistant. The pens write in black ink, but have a blue rubberized casing. The pens are just the right thickness for me as well.

With enough makeshift finery, I can almost feel like the Prince of Bel Air.