A Perfect Pairing for a Mild Fall Evening: Southern Draw and Wilderness Trail Bourbon

Another fall weekend, another road trip. This time we were headed to Blacksburg to catch the VA Tech football game. In Southwest Virginia, nights can get chilly this time of year, but Friday evening’s mild weather let me comfortably enjoy a cigar on the hotel patio after dinner.

I had packed a travel humidor with a selection of cigars for the evening and the next day's tailgate activities. For this evening, I lit a Southern Draw Manzanita and poured a glass of Wilderness Trail Bottled in Bond Bourbon.

Southern Draw Manzanita is a cigar that consistently pairs well with bourbon. This 6x52 Toro, features a reddish-brown Habano wrapper encasing a Habano binder and Corojo and Ligero fillers. I was surprised this one has been resting in my humidor for 7 months. A purchased a 5 pack in April and surprisingly had not smoked them all yet.

The Manzanita produces a rich smoke with deep notes of earth and leather, complemented by bold dark chocolate and cedar. A touch of black pepper intensifies as the cigar progresses. The combination of bitter chocolate and spice makes for a satisfying flavor combination when enjoyed with a robust bourbon.

The Wilderness Trail Bottled in Bond Bourbon I had put into my travel flask was quite enjoyable with the Southern Draw Manzanita. This wheated bourbon is aged five to six years. The aroma is rich with vanilla and caramel with just a hint of alcohol. The flavor profile combines sweet vanilla and caramel with a touch of oak, while a moderate kick of cinnamon and pepper adds spice to the finish. It's a good bourbon for a full bodied cigar.

As in past visits, the hotel parking lot was bustling with traffic from the neighboring restaurants, headlights constantly cutting through the night. Yet, despite the distractions, the evening was relaxing and a welcome way to unwind after an afternoon of busy interstate driving.

Cheers!

Weekend Escape: Family, Football, and Bourbon

We escaped for a weekend in Blacksburg, VA, to catch another Virginia Tech football game. It was also a chance to spend time with our son and daughter in-law who also came to town for the weekend. The weather in southwest Virginia was unexpectedly pleasant, and after a filling dinner of pizza and beer, I settled on one of the hotel’s patios to savor my evening repast. Although the prominent signs announced, “This is a Non-Smoking Hotel,” I’ve noticed that the same single ashtray drifts between the outdoor seating areas, typically bearing the remnants of a cigar.

Knowing that the lobby bar’s selection of distilled beverages and beer tends to be disappointing, I typically bring along a flask with something to enjoy. This time, I paired Barrel Mizunara Cask Finish Bourbon with a Bishops Blend cigar by Black Label Trading Company.

The Barrel Mizunara Cask Finish Bourbon opens with a warm oak and butterscotch aroma. The golden liquid glistens under the lights in the parking lot. With the first sip, rich notes of vanilla and butterscotch unfold, balanced by hints of dark cherries, dry nuts, and a touch of oak. There’s a brief cinnamon heat on the palate, but it quickly mellows, blending seamlessly into a smooth, lingering finish. The flavors of the finished bourbon meld very nicely with the roasted coffer boldness of the Bishops Blend cigar.

The evening was cool, but the nearby lights and parking lot offered enough warmth—no jacket required. The parking lot bustled with people arriving for the weekend, but otherwise I was alone with my thoughts. My only gripe? The driver who pulled into a nearby spot, with his headlights glaring right into my face, cutting through my peaceful setting briefly, but I was too relaxed to let it spoil the moment. A strategically propped seat cushion on the railing helped block most of the annoyance. After 20 minutes, he eventually backed out and left, never even stepping out of his car. If I were a bit more paranoid…

After a restful evening unwinding on the patio, Saturday brought a different pace as we geared up for the noon kickoff against Georgia Tech. The early start meant the tailgating activities were limited to some morning sandwiches before heading into the stadium. Alas there was no time for a cigar.

The game ended in our favor, with the Hokies pulling off a solid win. Afterward, we celebrated over dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, savoring the food and enjoying sightings of some of the players. When we got back to the hotel, my family, tired from the long day, headed straight to their rooms. I wasn’t quite ready to call it a night, so I took the opportunity to unwind on the patio and finally enjoy that smoke.

For this evening’s cigar, I chose an AJ Fernandez Dias de Gloria Brazil, a 5 1/2 x 54 box-pressed Robusto. This cigar has a Brazilian Mata Fina maduro wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and filler. The wrapper feels slightly dry and rough to the touch, likely from having been in my humidor for just four weeks. I’d tried one recently while in Italy, and it felt a little dry then too, though the draw and burn were still excellent. This one burned quickly but evenly, giving just enough smoking time to relax into the evening.

The flavor profile started with earthy notes and a subtle sweetness of coffee, which deepened into layers of milk chocolate and caramel. As the cigar progressed, the flavors shifted toward darker, roasted coffee with a hint of spice, adding complexity to the smoke. Paired with Barrel Mizunara Finished Bourbon, it wasn’t quite as spot-on as the previous night’s selection, but I still savored every sip—until the flask ran dry, that is.

All in all, it was a weekend to remember — perfect weather, an exciting win, plenty of good food, and, best of all, time spent with family. A tiring weekend with just the right balance of relaxation and celebration. 

Cheers!

Weekend Road Trip

It was a beautiful weekend for football and tailgating. We headed down to Blacksburg for the first Virginia Tech home football game of the season and had a wonderful time. We started our weekend at the new home of J. H. Bards Spirit Company. Their new, expanded tasting room is located in downtown Blacksburg. The new location has more seating, indoors and out, as well as nearby food options for carry-in or delivery. 

We enjoyed a couple of the house special Smoked Old Fashioneds, as well as some pasta and pizza ordered from Not Your Momma's Pasta. The food was delivered quickly and was quite tasty. J. H. Bard's is a fairly regular stop for us when in the area, and since it's no longer so far out of town, we'll probably stop by even more often.

Friday evening continued enjoying the pleasant weather on the outside patio of our hotel. I had brought along a travel flask of Michter's US*1 Small Batch Bourbon, as well as a selection of cigars to enjoy.

The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown is a medium bodied cigar. The flavor kicks off with sweet caramel and cedar from the thick and copious smoke. As the cigar warms, caramel, molasses, and coffee join the mix. The dark fruit, vanilla, oak, and pepper notes of the bourbon pair nicely.

Saturday morning threatened some light rain, but that soon passed. We headed over to our tailgate space early, to enjoy the afternoon before the 4:30 PM kickoff. Colleen had prepared a selection of delicious "brunch" foods and we enjoyed a nice meal to start off the festivities. For me, the main tailgate event is relaxing with a nice cigar while enjoying conversation with family.

We had picked up some Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen to enjoy as well. I especially enjoy the selections of  malty Oktoberfest beers that hit the shelves this time of year, and the Paulaner is a classic, and one of my favorites. I selected a Veritas 412 to enjoy with the Märzen. This is a cigar that I find pairs nicely with a malty beer.

The Veritas 412 features a dark Pennsylvania Maduro wrapper, a San Andrés binder, and Nicaraguan Double Ligero and Pennsylvania fillers. It's a full flavored, yet smooth smoke with semi-sweet chocolate, black pepper, and roasted nuts in the profile. The Veritas 412 is bold and dark, but with a mild sweet toasted underpinning. The 6 x 54 Toro gave about an hour and 45 minutes of smoking pleasure.

Finally it was game time. And the Hokies win at home!

Cheers!

Five Years Later - A Better Way to Enjoy the CFP

As I sat down to enjoy the College Football Playoff Game Monday night, the evening treats included Elijah Craig 18 Year Bourbon.

The view brought back a similar memory of watching the 2019 Championship game five years ago. The setting and the mood could not have been any more different.

The life events of January 2019 have been on my mind lately. The background for the two evenings is eerily similar but at the same time extraordinarily, and thankfully, different!

Cheers!

Tailgate Cigars

It was a beautiful fall Saturday, perfect for tailgating before a college football game. While the games are generally exciting, I look forward to the tailgate beforehand, mostly because it means time spent enjoying a cigar. While at home, I generally prefer bourbon as the accompanying beverage, but beer is always suitable for the pre-football festivities. For this occasion I had the Fightin' Hokies Lager from Hardywood Park Craft Brewing in the cooler. For my smoke I selected the Tobacco Tactical Dead Conqueror Alexander the Great Corojo. This was a selection in the June My Cigar Pack shipment, and a cigar I was unfamiliar with. The 6 x 54 Toro features a very dark chocolate Corojo wrapper with Dominican binder and fillers. I reviewed the Maduro version previously.

Like many large ring gauge cigars, the draw was open and airy. It took a while to get the cigar really going  before I started getting a good smoke production going. After 15 or 20 minutes, I was still double and triple puffing to get a good amount of smoke on the draw. Despite the moderately increased smoke production, I was getting more disappointed with each passing minute. I found the cigar to be quite devoid of flavor. "Sucking on a wooden toothpick" was the descriptor that came to mind. Reviewing my comments regarding the Maduro version, I noted muted but present flavors with that version, and it was an enjoyable smoke. Dominican tobaccos are generally mild, though still flavorful but this one I found exceptionally uninteresting. I took a break and I decided to eat my sandwich and set the cigar down with about one half smoked.

After the main eating was done, though snacking was ongoing, I decided to abandon the Dead Conqueror and light up a cigar I knew to be very flavorful.

The Olmec is a newer release from Foundation Cigars that I've smoked previously. This is a 5 x 50 Robusto with a dark San Andrés maduro wrapper covering binder and aged fillers from Nicaragua. Now we were getting somewhere - espresso, charred meat, molasses, and dark chocolate notes are all detected. This one I enjoyed thoroughly and smoked it down until there was nothing left to hold on to. 

Despite the slow start, the afternoon of enjoying good food, drink, and smoke was a blast. The day only got better as our team went on to victory in the late night game.

Cheers!

Scenes From the Weekend

We treated ourselves to a long, four day weekend and headed off to our (current) favorite spot near Buchanan, VA. What had earlier been predicted to be a wet, cold weekend, turned out to be a fairly dry, but still cool weekend. For most of the weekend it was perfect for afternoon and evenings spent outside enjoying the view, good drink, and of course, cigars.

The roads were crowded on the drive to southwest Virginia Thursday, and the trip a little longer than usual, but before the sunset I was on the porch enjoying a refreshing beer and smoke. The cigar was Black Label Trading Company Viaticum, paired with Blue Mountain Lights Out Winter Ale.

The scenery of the surrounding pastures and mountains in the distance added to the blissful feeling. 

After lunch on Friday, the winds heralding an approaching cold front diminished significantly and we were able to enjoy some time by the fire pit. Over the course of the next five hours or so, we burned a lot of wood, while I sipped some whiskey, and enjoyed a couple fine cigars.

The first pairing included Few Bourbon and the Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2021. 

Watching the stars come out by the glow of the fire is an experience that never fails to set a man's heart at ease. 

After a quick dinner inside, it was time to return to the fire and enjoy another good cigar. I closed the evening with the 2021 Black Label Trading Company Bishops Blend. And naturally, a few more sips of the Few bourbon were in order. 

Saturday afternoon brought us to the "main event" of the weekend, the VA Tech Hokies football game against Duke. The cold front arrived in force, with brisk winds and rapidly falling temps — classic football weather I suppose. Due to the high winds, I opted to skip my customary tailgate cigar before the game.

Well-bundled against the cold, although the efficacy of the multiple layers diminished as the evening wore on, we enjoyed an exiting game and a Hokies win.

I really could not have hoped for a more relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Tailgate Cigar and Whiskey Pairing

The weather was nearly perfect for last weekend's college football tailgate party. The partly cloudy sky allowed enough sun to come through to knock off any full morning chill. Though rain was in the forecast, the precipitation held off until after the game, except for a few last quarter sprinkles. The mid-afternoon kickoff had us starting the festivities late in the morning.

While we snacked and chatted, I lit up a Powstanie Habano Toro This cigar had been hiding in my humidor for over a year. The well-rested stick provided creamy chocolate and woody notes throughout. A touch of cedar spice lingered in the background. Powstanie is a favorite, though I typically reach for the Broadleaf wrapper versions. I think I will pickup a few more of these to stash away.

I had also brought along a bottle of Larceny Bourbon. This wheated bourbon has caramel, oak, and vanilla notes with very little spiciness. The smooth sipping whiskey was an exceptional compliment to the flavors in the cigar.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or just my mood at the time, but I felt this cigar and bourbon combination was one of the most enjoyable pairings I've had in a while. 

On top of the tailgate fun, we were treated to a very exciting football game. Our guys pulled out a win in what turned out to be the longest game in ACC history. It was a nail biter at times, but a great cap off to a fun day.

Fall Tailgating: Beer, Cigars

With the advent of fall, our weekend activities often revolve around college football. Fall also means the store shelves are filled with one of my favorite styles, the malt-rich Oktoberfest lagers. Afternoon tailgating before a game provides the opportunity to combine good beer, good food, and a good smoke.

The tailgate preparations included picking up a six pack of Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest. The brewery collaborated with Germany’s Bitburger Brewery to create the 2019 version of the seasonal release.

Though not visible through the plastic cup, the beer is an attractive copper-red color with a creamy head. A rich malt aroma greats the nose. The flavor profile has toasty malt, caramel, and a sweet breadiness. There's a mild, but pleasant bitterness in the finish, along with thick mouthfeel. Overall, a very enjoyable drink.

I opted to pair the beer with the limited release Fratello D.M.V. in the District of Columbia vitola. The medium bodied cigar features a rich leather flavor and moderate spiciness. The two hour smoke offered the chance to open another refreshing bottle of the Oktoberfest.

Sadly, our team is not having a good season, and the game following the tailgate fun was most disappointing. However, as fans, we will look forward to the next tailgate, along with more enjoyable beer and cigar pairings.

Game Night Snacks

I was stuck in the ICU for the College Football playoff game this year. Being restricted to a "cardiac diet," I was limited in my game-time snack options. However, I planned ahead and stashed some "sides" from previous meals. Fortunately I was allowed potato chips with my lunch. (Interestingly, I was not allowed to order them with dinner.)

Besides the chip rule, there were a few other things I quickly learned in order to manipulate more satisfactory meals. I was allowed only decaffeinated coffee, but could have all the caffeinated tea, hot or cold, I desired. So it was iced tea for every meal. Surprisingly those teas came with copious packs of sugar, which I didn't use. However, I did desire pepper for my food. I found our early that pepper was a separate menu item — if you didn't specifically order it, you didn't get it.

I realized the other day, the last red meat I've eaten was with the hamburger meals I was served, twice, in the hospital. I'm overdue for some quality cow.

I could have used binoculars to get a better view of that game...

Consolation Beverages and Cigar

Other fun family activities have conflicted with my shooting opportunities for much of the fall. Fortunately, some of those other events still permit me to indulge in some of life's other pleasures. To that end, I covered all three of my favorite beverages at our recent college football tailgate. In addition to the different drink choices, the mild weather also allowed me to enjoy a long smoke, one that went quite well with all the selected libations.

Shortly after getting our tailgate set up for last weekend's college football game, I lit a Rocky Patel Vintage 2006 San Andres. It was still "before noon" so I sipped a milky latte purchased from a ubiquitous chain. Typically my coffee is fresh-brewed and enjoyed black, but the creamy, vanilla-flavored drink presented a nice pairing, even if the actual coffee content was minimal.

Coffee completed, I moved on to one of my favorite sipping whiskies, Bulleit Bourbon. Obviously no complaints with this pairing, which served to alleviate the remaining morning chill.

A short while later, I still had plenty of cigar left and lots of time before the game. Not shown in the picture, the afternoon's choice of beer was Devils Backbone Cold Room Violation. This Imperial Red Ale was brewed in collaboration with Sibling Revelry Brewing. The slightly sweet caramel and mild bitter citrus flavors presented no conflict with the rich smoke.

This Saturday football outing unfortunately conflicted with the Rivanna IDPA Top Ten Match. After several years of shooting at the club, I was excited to have finally made the Top 10 cut. These pre-game indulgences helped to alleviate the disappointment of missing the match. Even though our team isn't doing well this year, spending a moderately warm November Saturday afternoon sipping and smoking is a pleasurable consolation.

The Pre-Game Was Fun

Arriving at our tailgate spot, we got our limited setup ready to go. It was a Thursday evening game so the festivities were somewhat subdued. I quickly had my essentials ready to go.

The beer options for the day were from Devils Backbone. I kicked things off with India Black Lager, brewed in collaboration with Wynwood Brewing Company. The dark, mildly hoppy beer was paired with a Perdomo 20th Anniversary Connecticut cigar. The beer went down quickly, although I didn't think it was an ideal flavor match, being a little heavy for the lighter cigar.

My second try was Mile 842 Hoppy Lager. This is a malty lager with a nice touch of citrus. I was a bit surprised how well it paired with the mild, but slightly spicy smoke.

The tailgate area is crowded, and folks are friendly. I had no complaints about the long smoke, and even met a couple other folks enjoying their cigars. I did observe that we had less people cutting through our space and bumping into our seats while I was smoking.

The cool weather, good beer, fine smoke, and plenty of food made for enjoyable afternoon. Unfortunately the game was less satisfying.

In Lieu of a Football Post

A musical message.

And another year of not watching the felons and ingrates toss a ball around...

Go Hokies!

With a 23 - 20 win over rival Virginia, the Hokies continue the streaks! We're finally relaxing after a long day Charlottesville and this seemed liked fitting libation to cap off the day.

It was a nail-biter of a game and great send off for Coach Beamer.