Five O'Clock Friday: Always Be Optimistic

Though sometimes it doesn't matter.

Here's to the weekend

Cheers!

Sunday Afternoon Cigar and Coffee

In the midst of a hectic weak with no chance for a cigar, so as a tonic I'm reflecting on a restful Sunday afternoon. Last Sunday after Mass and a delicious brunch, I tackled a purge of the "junk drawer" in my dresser. (You know the one.) After helping with some outdoor Christmas decorating I felt the day slipping away so I declared an end to chores. Offering to make Colleen a cappuccino helped to sway her as well.

I had already decided on the cigar for the day, the Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend Novemdiales. 

The Novemdiales is the 2023 version of the annual Bishops Blend release. The Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper is change from the Ecuadorian Maduro wrapper of previous releases. An attractive Ecuadorian Habano binder, and a mixed filler of Nicaraguan, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania broadleaf tobaccos complete the blend. The Bishops Blend has always ranked high on my list, and the "boosted" Novemdiales for 2024 is exceptional. 

The full bodied smoke has a flavor profile rich with dark fruit, bitter espresso, along with strong cedar and pepper spices. One smoked previously seemed to be overly packed and took some extra work to smoke, but this example was near perfect. 

While I was smoking and sipping, the clouds even gave way for a bit, the warm sun on the cool day adding to the pleasure. The creamy cappuccino provided a nice foil to the bold cigar. The large coffee treat didn't last as long as the cigar, and I was uninspired to go inside to prep another, so finished by sipping plain water. Not as delightful for sure, but the rest before the new week was most welcome.

Cheers!

Happy Repeal Day

On December 5, 1933 the nightmare of Prohibition finally came to an end. Utah became the 36th state to formally ratified the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution. The 18th Amendment which had unsuccessfully attempted to ban alcohol in the United State was officially repealed.

Unfortunately, the Prohibitionists are still out there. Freedoms once lost, are rarely restored. So responsibly enjoy an alcoholic beverage today and celebrate the gift of personal choice.

Cheers!

A Warm Evening Respite

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Orlando to take in the ESPN Events Invitational college basketball tournament. It was a different sort of vacation for us, but thoroughly enjoyable. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of court side hotdogs and shelf Scotch. I didn't get in a lot of whiskey shopping, but did pick up a few bottles that are unavailable or hard to find in Virginia. It's been a busy week since our return, with inhospitable outdoor weather, but the weekend brought a bit of a respite, and the chance to open a new bottle.

After an early dinner, with the temps hovering a low 60°, I grabbed the St. Augustine Port Finished Bourbon, along with a CAO America cigar.

The bourbon was one I picked up on a whim. I was intrigued by the port finish, and wanted a "souvenir" from the local area. (It was that or a gator head.) I also like the old school bottle style. I've found these finished bourbons generally pair quite well with cigars. St. Augustine Distillery sources port wine barrels from the local San Sebastian Winery to finish their straight bourbon. The barrels then go back to the winery to finish more port wine. Yeah, technically it's a "port-style fortified wine" but no need to be pedantic.

Bottled at 102 proof, the bourbon is an attractive ruby color. The aroma brings notes of dark fruit, caramel. In the appearance, aroma, and flavor profiles, the port influence is unmistakable. The flavor is bold and rich. Dark cherries, fig, and raisons come to mind. There's also a creamy caramel sweetness underlying the fruit. The finish is long, as black pepper comes to the foreground and lingers. I found it a rather enjoyable drink.

The CAO America is a cigar I've not smoked before, and only recently picked up a few to try. This Potomac vitola is a 5 x 56 Robusto. The red, white, and blue label color scheme sits on a barber pole wrapper of Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro with a thin strip of Connecticut Shade tobacco creating the barber pole effect. The wrapper covers a Brazilian binder, which in turn hides fillers from Dominican Republic, Italy, Nicaragua, and the USA.

The cigar is medium bodied with notes of leather, nuts, milk chocolate, and cedar. The flavors are consistent throughout the smoke. The smoke production was rich with an even burn. I enjoy cigars that put out copious smoke without requiring touchups. The plentiful smoke brings lots of flavor to the palate. The ash was solid and the cigar finished with just three, long ash sections left in the ashtray, and no flakes on my lap.

The cigar and finished bourbon paired well together.  I enjoyed about a 45 minute smoke before reaching the warm nub. Retiring inside, the St. Augustine Port Finished Bourbon merited another pour for both Colleen and I to enjoy as a late night libation.

Cheers!

Five O'Clock Friday: Diet Advice

I won't argue with science.

Cheers!

Cappuccino and Wise Man Maduro Lancero

It was a chilly but sunny afternoon when I decided to carry my mid-day treat cappuccino out to the deck to enjoy with a cigar. The fall colors were enchanting and the thinning leaf cover let some sun shine through. 

The Foundation Wise Man Maduro Lancero is a 7 1/2 x 40 well-packed cigar. The Mexican San Andrés wrapper glistened in the sun. Along with the Nicaraguan binder and fillers, it made for a medium bodied, robust smoke. Notes of espresso, chocolate, and black pepper are predominant. As I've remarked in the past, the lancero shape seems to enhance and concentrate the cigar's flavors when compared with other vitolas of the same blend. I expected the cigar to give me about a one hour smoke. The burn was slow and flawless and after about an hour only half the stick had been consumed. I was enjoying a book while smoking so may have smoked a little slower than usual, but the cigar burn never wavered nor needed touching up.

I was tempted to step inside to prepare another cappuccino but the sun was getting lower in the trees. While it was still another 45 minutes or so until sunset, the temperature was dropping. Still bearable but the remaining sun was providing little in the way of warmth. I smoked for another 30 minutes before putting the cigar down with about a quarter left.

The rich expresso notes of the Foundation Wise Man Maduro Lancero complimented the creamy sweetness of the cappuccino well. I was not thrilled with giving up the smoke so early, but it had served its purpose and provided nearly two hours of pleasure.

Cheers!

Late Night With Basil Hayden Toast and Oliva Serie V

This was the pairing on a rare late night smoke recently. We're typically an "early to bed, early to rise" household. While perusing my whiskey shelf I spied the Basil Hayden Toast bottle sitting in the bottom corner. Its placement was reflective of how long it's been on hand -- the prime spots tend to hold more recent acquisitions. 

Basil Hayden Toast also gets overlooked most weekends due to its low proof, just 80 proof. This time I gravitated to it for that very reason. The aroma is very light, almost nonexistent. With concentration I get hints of caramel and oak. The flavor profile is also mild, but pleasant. Toffee and caramel predominate. There are cinnamon spice and brown sugar notes arriving in the finish, which lingers for a short while.

I went with an old standby for the accompanying cigar. Oliva Serie V is a smoke that I generally have on hand in several vitolas. It works well with both coffee and bourbon. It stands up to higher proof whiskeys, and at the same time doesn't overwhelm the milder ones either. The 6 x 56 Torpedo has an attractive Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Nicaraguan tobaccos making up the binder and filler. Clipping the sharply pointed cap reveals a firm but open draw. The cigar gives flavors of coffee, creamy chocolate, nuts, and cedar. It's robust but medium bodied. 

The late night pairing was a fine end to the evening. The cigar gave nearly two hours of pleasure. The easy sipping bourbon provided the perfect nightcap. 

Cheers!

Five O'Clock Friday: It's a Budget Problem

The solution must be reasonable.

Cheers!