Normally the Avo line is out of my price range (single, celebratory smokes excepted), but I found a great deal at an online store and pounced. I would prefer to visit a brick and mortar cigar shop, but I don’t always have that luxury out here.

Plus it’s damn hard to turn down a savings of nearly 50%.

The Avo is every bit as good as I remembered and then some. Their smooth draw and solid construction make them a joy to hold, and they produce plenty of silky smoke. The bold, earthy flavor gives way to a creamy finish with a hint of leather. This finish survives to the next puff, but is far from overstaying its welcome.

In short they are worthy successors to my beloved RyJ Reserva Reals, if not superior. I’m on my third from the box and it’s just as pleasing as the first. If this continues, I won’t hesitate to order the next box.

The Only Way to Write

Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.

I’ve often thought about taking a laptop out with me when I smoke, but the battery in my old Dell laptop is down to about 10 minutes of juice and I’ve gotten out of the habit. Yesterday it dawned on me I’ve got a shiny new MacBook Pro in my bag and I get over three hours on a charge, so I thought it might be worth trying again. I grabbed the laptop, my new Xikar lighter, and a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real and headed out to the patio.

For starters, the cigar was excellent. I’m down to three Reals from last year’s box, and this cigar reassured me I made the right choice in purchasing another box of them on Friday. The creamy wrapper and full (yet smooth) flavor was a genuine pleasure, and I had no problem sitting with it for damn near two hours, smoking well past sundown. The finish on the Reals is very gentle, and this one left me with a heady buzz.

Even better, I got several hundred new words written on Top Secret Novella. I rewrote the opening yet again, and I think the story will be stronger for it. The cigar didn’t get in the way at all as I punched the keys, and I trusted the sturdy Real not to drop premature ash onto my keyboard.

I don’t feel the need to smoke a cigar every time I write, but it sure doesn’t seem to hurt me any. I’ll be trying it again in the future, I’m sure.

The quake shook our house pretty good, and I wasn’t sure if some heavy vehicles were rolling through (highly unlikely on our street) or if it was indeed a quake. It woke the Wife and I, but the kids all slept through it. I’m sure that’ll be the big topic at school today, though.

Not that I’ll hear any of it; I took a vacation day to hang out with John, who is at that tail end of his vacation. We’ll be hanging out, browsing places full of big, shiny, electronics like Best Buy and Fry’s, and no doubt dropping by to visit New Trends for a cigar. If I’m really lucky, one of them will have the new Canon Digital Rebel XSi in stock.

That didn’t last long. It took some doing to light this cigar, and that spicy flavor intensified and stabbed at the tip of my tongue for a minute or two. Next it refused to smoke evenly, and insisted on canoeing after a few attempts at solving the problem with the lighter.

I was just about to chuck it in the fire pit when it mellowed. Halfway through, the burn evened itself out and the bitter spice went away. Despite the canoeing early on, the ash clung on at an awkward angle for nearly half the smoke before a wind gust knocked it off.

The cigar was much better from there on, and I smoked it down to my fingers. It seems strange to me that the characteristics could take a 180-degree turn halfway through, but that’s exactly what this La Gloria Cubana did. I’m wondering if the tip dried out for whatever reason, or if it was just a bum smoke. I did struggle with my humidor over the winter, but it’s been fine for weeks now, at least a month or so.

If I can find some reviews saying they’re typically as good as the second half of the smoke, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a few more. Until then, I’ll continue to stick with my Reserva Reals.

It’s with this in mind I lit up the Don Tomas Cameroon last week. It came as part of a robusto sampler pack I ordered a while back, and I wanted to give it some time in the humidor so there would be no lingering dryness from shipping that may affect the flavor. It lit easily, and the draw was fine. My luck with sturdy cigars in the face of spring breezes continued with the Don Tomas, as I had no trouble even as the cold started to numb my fingers. The cigar had a fine ash and produced thick smoke.

But there was that odd tang to the finish again. Not altogether unpleasant, but I found myself pining for one of my Reservas instead. Perhaps next time I’ll have to try a Cameroon with a beer or a glass of whiskey and see if that doesn’t level things out. I’m almost certain some good smokes I’ve sampled in the past have been wrapped in Cameroon tobacco, but it seems like when this flavor appears, it’s in a smoke with a Cameroon wrapper.

This week I’ll be visiting New Trends with John. I’ll have to chat up the owner, Mark, and see if he can offer some insight or tell me I’m just nuts. While we discuss it, I think I’ll have a nice Avo Classic.

I wasn’t wrong. This maduro had a bold flavor with a hint of chocolate, but lacked the bitter spice that accompanies many maduros. Its smooth, even draw held up to the stiff breeze with no sign of tunneling. The ash sustained itself until I tapped it off myself, and it produced plenty of nice, thick smoke to blow around. I think my daughter thought my lungs were on fire.

Next time I’m in the mood for a maduro, this Macanudo will do the job nicely.

As for the manuscript, I enjoyed it as well. If all goes well for the writer, maybe I’ll be blogging about it again by year’s end.

The weekend weather teased us, hitting about sixty degrees yesterday afternoon before plummeting back to the low 30’s today (we’re also expecting snow tonight and tomorrow). I took advantage of the weather break around 8:00 last night and sat out front. My hoodie held off the worst of the cool breeze, and I was only just starting to feel cold when I put out the stub of the cigar 45 minutes later. Perfect.

The Sancho Panza was a mild, even smoke, and not a bad choice for the first smoke of the year. It held up well against the wind, showing no evidence of canoeing or tunneling that I often see in lesser cigars in the strong winds around my home. I’m also impressed that it maintained the same characteristics from start to finish; no harsh taste on lighting or when it burned down low. In summary, the Sancho Panza is a pleasant smoke I wouldn’t shy away from in the future.

As for the smoking experience itself, I’d forgotten how calming it is to just sit outside and chill for 45 minutes or so. I pondered my karate a bit, and even wandered around the porch and driveway, dropping into stances and examining footwork. I worked up a mental draft of an email I needed to send my German publisher, Otherworld Verlag, including responses to corrections that needed to be made for the translated Deadliest of the Species manuscript. Finally, I got a good look at the stars speckling the clear sky for the first time in months.

All in all a great night for reflection and relaxation. I’m already looking forward to my next one!