Two Warm Days, and Cigars

After several weeks of cold weather and seemingly endless winter precipitation, we were treated to a couple days of warmer weather this week. Of course, I took advantage of that tease of spring to sit outside on the deck.

On the first day of the brief warming trend, I rushed outside right after dinner with a bottle of Elijah Craig bourbon and a CAO Pilón to go along with the libation. The sun would soon be setting and I did resort to turning on the heater at my feet. Nonetheless the hour long smoke and sips of bourbon provided a good digestive. The cigar's creamy cocoa and nutty notes were a good match for the vanilla and oak in the mild-mannered bourbon.

The next day proved to be even warmer, creeping up over 60° for a short time. I was even able to finally get the thick layer of ice off the sidewalk to the front porch. To my delight all my Zoom meetings for the day ended by mid-afternoon. My thoughtful wife prepared our dinner early so there'd be more time afterwards to enjoy the outside before the sun set and temperature ultimately dropped.

The selection for this evening was Liga Undercrown Maduro paired with Starr Hill Little Red Roostarr Stout. The Undercrown is a favorite stick, and I've enjoyed many of them in the Robusto vitola. This time I opted for the larger Toro. The familiar espresso, cocoa sweetness, and dark fruit flavors were present, although I felt they were less pronounced than in the smaller stick. The sweet chocolate and vanilla of the stout paired well.

By the time the two hour smoke ended, the sun had set. I resorted to adding a sweatshirt, but never needed the heater. I must say, it's been a while since I enjoyed the deck without supplemental heat. The spring preview was short-lived, but was a welcome reminder that warmer weather is just a few weeks away.