Smokey Kisses (Virtual) Cigar Social, this Saturday, 13 August, 2022

Come smoke (or just hang out) with me on Zoom this Saturday, 13 August, 2022, from 3-6pm, Pacific Time at the very first (hopefully of many!).

The Zoom link will be sent to all confirmed attendees the day of the event, so be sure to check out the FetLife Event Page, or just go directly to the website event page to get all the details and RSVP (required!).

This will be the first of several Smokey Kisses and PNW Cigar Enthusiasts events, so be sure to keep an eye out for more!

This is a virtual cigar social for lovers of the leaf and their admirers to gather and enjoy fine cigars and pairings, share tips, tricks, recommendations, and general conversation.

Whether you enjoy smoking cigars, watching others smoke them, serving as a human ashtray or other cigar service, want to learn about cigars as a pastime, fetish, form of service, or just what pairs well or where to find great deals on sticks and accessories, this is a great opportunity to meet some new friends and have a good time.

And while you're at it, check out my newly revived Smokey Kisses Website!
I've been giving it a major overhaul. I've already implemented a brand new and improved smoking gallery, with all the previously existing sets already uploaded, PLUS lots of never seen before sets (over 1,700 cigar photos so far, with more on the way!), all in better organised, easy to navigate, fully searchable categories and albums with voting and comments enabled and a built in Members Only feature with extra special content just for my most loyal fans! Check it out and read up on all the new and upcoming changes. I'm going to be adding new sets to the gallery at least once a week for the foreseeable future, and more!

(̅_̅{K}_̅_̅_̅_̅()ڪے

 

Review ~ JFR Lunatic Habano Short Robusto (5/10)

This was the featured cigar at this months Tulalip Resort Casino Cigar Night.

Coming in at #7 in Cigar Aficionado's top 10 rated cigars of 2018, and boasting a CA rating of 93, the JFR Lunatic Habano should have been something to write home about - one would think.

On initial inspection, the stick looks beautiful - smooth and sleek, with a nice, slight sheen, solid construction, and is presented with a golden, foil wrap, which, when removed, reveals a lovely,  partially closed foot.

According to Cigar Aficionado,

    "The cigar is profoundly nutty (no pun intended) with precise notes of cashew and walnut wonderfully layered atop a core of coffee bean",

 and Cigars International says it is,

    "Exploding with notes of roasted nuts, earth, toast and coffee".

 Taking in the aroma of the unlit beauty, it seems all those promises will be delivered, in abundance. It smells like a high end sweets store, specialising in chocolates and nuts, and my expectations are in line with the rating.

The light was practically effortless (I use the light and cut method - AKA, La Méthode de Jacques Puisais), and the draw was smooth right off the bat, though it didn't really seem to taste like much at all. No biggie - That is often the case at the beginning of a stick, though less common with the medium to full bodied smokes, as this one purports to be.

After the first several puffs though, the only description I could come up with for the flavour profile was, "confusing".

Initially, there was a very slight peppery hint, followed by just kind of generic, any-cigar flavour, light and smooth, with a decent amount of smoke and solid ash. Pleasant, but not especially noteworthy.

Once it got to about 1/3rd down, a bit of an earthy, almost grassy flavour revealed itself. Not quite earth and not quite grass, but more, as I described to a fellow attendee, kind of tasted like the scent of the bottom of a piece of sod. Now, I know that may not sound very nice out loud (or in print), but it really isn't at all an  unpleasant aroma. If you've ever done landscaping, you know what I mean. If not, just take my word that it is a nice, early summertime, outdoorsy, nostalgic kind of smell that feels like lying on the lawn after a good day's work.

As it got closer to the last 1/3rd, the pepper resurfaced, this time more distinguishable as perhaps white pepper. Again, not strongly at all. Just a touch to linger on the tongue and back of the throat.

It was smokable all the way down to just into the last 1/4, before it tasted "done".
My initial instinct was to label this stick as "bland" or "boring", but the truth is that it is simply a lot milder and more subtle than I tend to prefer in my smokes.

Bottom line, despite my disappointment (my sponsor says the definition of expectations is premeditated disappointment. I concur!), it is a decent tasting, pleasant cigar, and,  at $6 a stick, if you like mild to medium, not too complex cigars, worth a try, as long as you're not expecting it to taste like the unlit version smells, or like the advertisers say it does.

While I wont be buying any more of the habanos, I actually DID buy a couple of the Maduros to try, figuring they may be more to my liking. One to smoke in a few days, and another to leave in the humidor for a few months and see how it ages. So, we'll see how those go.

I give this one a 5/10, meaning just average, but not at all bad. YMMV. 


As an addendum, seeing as pretty much everyone at the event I spoke to or overheard seemed to have a very similar experience, combined with the fact that there was some issue with this shipment being late in arriving, meaning that it may have spent more time in transit than usual, and the box may NOT have spent as much time in the humi before we got them... It occurs to me that this could have been a factor. So, if the Maduro versions are good after some time in my humidor, I may see about trying another one of these, or at least giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

Review - Cuban Stock Classic - Robusto - 2011.01.17 (5/10)

I've been meaning to try these out for a couple years now, but never could find them in a sampler or a five pack, and didn't want to buy an entire box, so I was pleased when they were one of the featured smokes at the most recent Tulalip Cigar Meetup this past Monday.

As has been my habit of late, when I remember, I used the "light and cut" method.

A pretty mild smoke to start out with. Nice, even, moderately easy light.

No flavours really stood out, but still a nice enough tasting cigar. Got a bit bolder as I smoked it, with more hints of spice toward the end.

Not a very solid ash - only about 1 inch max.

It did stay lit well, and the flavour was good all the way down to about the last 1.5 inches.

I was a bit disappointed in the filler, as I was constantly ending up having to spit out little pieces of tobacco throughout, and for that I took off a point.

All in all, a decent... Even good smoke, but I probably won't ever be buying a whole box, and will reserve these for a "breakfast cigar".

5/10

Review - Alec Bradly Tempus - 08.April.2010 (8/10)

This is the second Alec Bradley I've tried.
Superb construction and beautiful to look at.
Again, used the light & cut method.
HUGE punch for such a small stick!
Same "stealth" factor as with the Prensado, but I was prepared this time.
It didn't want to stay lit, but that could have been due to inattention on my part, as I was caught up in multiple conversations.
Slightly more distinctive flavours in this one than the Prensado... some woody accents and definitely more pepper, but not too much.
Great little smoke and seems like a perfect "go to" stick for when I've little time to devote to a smoke. Probably won't make it to my top 10 list, but that certainly doesn't speak ill of it!
It has to pretty much be 11+/10 to make my top list.
This one gets 8/10

Review - Alec Bradly Prensado, Maduro, Box Pressed - 05.April.2010 (8/10)

I was introduced to this gem at the first Tulalip Cigar Meetup I attended, and it is a great smoke!
Beautifully constructed, firm and springy, smooth leaves, smelled great!
Nice light, despite some "lighter issues" that caused an uneven light. It quickly evened itself out without extra help until about 2/3 through, at which point it had some trouble staying lit. I had to relight it twice.
Cap didn't try to fall apart when chomped on, like many seem to, which is nice.
Bold and smooth from the first puff!
Not at all as spicy as I expected, but that was not a detractor.
Interestingly, there seemed to be no distinctive flavours.. or anything that really stood out, which would normally turn me off of a cigar, but it didn't. Truly an expert blend!
This cigar was deceptively strong! It seemed to taste milder as it progressed, but it packed a MAJOR punch! It hit me hard and damn near knocked me on my arse! I was pretty buzzed; That's for sure!
Definitely should have a good meal with plenty of red meat prior to smoking one of these.
Nice, firm, long ash. Medium to dark grey.
I smoked it down just a tad too far and the taste suffered for it. Should have stopped at right about 2", but went a bit past that.
Not my "perfect" cigar, but excellent, nonetheless.
8/10

Cigar meetups, photo shoots, new forum, and general musings.

Obviously, the planned photo shoot for January didn't happen. There were no donations whatsoever, so I will have to assume for now that there just isn't as much interest in new shoots as people keep telling me.
Then, there was not even one scheduled for March, cause I broke my back on March 7th and have been recuperating. The healing is coming along, and I have been able to get out a bit, as long as I am very careful, and have also been FINALLY able to start enjoying some good sticks more often as well!
So.. I'm probably going to make a tentative date for an April shoot. Again, dependent on donations.

I have discovered a couple of (kinda) local cigar meetups just recently, and am happy to be able to have a gathering place to smoke and chat and such with people of like mind again. Such has been very difficult to find around Seattle since I-901 passed several years ago. (Washington's "clean indoor air act"). Luckily, Tribal land is exempt from the law, so we still have at least SOME options!
I went to the first meetup at the Tulalip Casino on Monday, April 5th. It was great! Met several really cool people. It's a nice, laid back and friendly crowd. Amazingly, I WASN'T the only woman there!! And at least one of the other couple of women there was obviously a serious cigar smoker, like myself.. not just some groupie, so that was really cool.
Was introduced to a couple new (to me) cigars there from Alec Bradly. VERY impressed!! (Reviews forthcoming in later posts), in addition to coming away with a new Blue Rhino lighter and really nice cutter from Cuban Crafters. Cuban Crafters has a lifetime guarantee too, so if anything ever goes wrong with it, all I have to do is send it back to them and they'll replace it for free! ...Which is awesome. :D

The group meets at the Tulalip Casino on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, and I definitely plan on being there for as many of them as I can!

There is also a cigar night ever Tuesday night at the Snoqualmie Casino's Lit Cigar Lounge, which I have not yet been to, but am looking forward to checking out! It sounds very nice, from everything I have been told by people who have been there.

I might go tomorrow (well, technically, that would be today). We'll see.

I have created a new online forum for cigar enthusiasts in and around Seattle.

Here is the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNWcigars