Trinidad Habana Reserve

SPECS:

Brand: Trinidad TTT Habana Reserve

Size: Churchill 7 x 54

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Honduras & Nicaraguan

Trinidad stogies have always been one of my go to cigars for quite some time now. I usually pick up a few sticks from one of my favorite local cigar shops, "The Tobacco Place" here in Columbus, Georgia. Recently I purchased a few of the Trinidad Habana Reserve which I'd never tried before. So, without further delay.......

CONSTRUCTION/APPEARANCE

This churchill comes with a serious smile and charm! Packed quite well with minimal veins, a handsome stick however, a curious discoloration appears at the foot which is darker than the head. I purchased three and two are colored this way which can be described as having a maduro-like tinting to them. No problems here. :) An open pre-light draw brings forth plenty of cedar with a slight spice to it. 

FLAVOR

White pepper laced with sweet notes of cedar appear front and center. To me the best way to access further flavor profiles of a cigar is to conduct a back draft whiff up the old nosey. Blowing smoke up your nose only slightly inhaling can greatly reveal the underworld of a cigar: either the stack is very complex in flavor or you can find nobody's been in kitchen since the Spice Girls retired! But that's not the case for this Trinidad, I get a good sense of something more behind that cedar-white pepper mix. 

Into the first third notes of burnt sugar abounded which creates a complex potpourri of flavors that blend quite well. Lots of smoke and a solid salt and pepper ash that held its own makes this cigar a pure treat along with a chocolate stout I was partaking. Towards the second third sugar became all out caramel mixed with a little milk chocolate to me with cedar notes hanging in there pushing things into the medium to full spectrum. In the final third, and it's rare I can say this about many cigars but, this one remained a joy to the nub! Same flavors remained present getting a bit stronger in the full spectrum range. 

VERDICT
Amazing is all I gotta say here, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Trinidad TTT has never let me down and the Habana Reserve is no exception. At a reasonable cost of between $6.25-$6.50 this cigar is well worth the price. I will definitely go back for more !   :) -Succulent Heretic, Peace, Out!

My Uzi Weighs A Ton: Cigar Review

PROFILE:

• Drew Estate Subculture Studio
• San Andreas Maduro Wrapper
• Ecuadorian Connecticut Binder
• Brazilian Mata Fina Filler & Nicaraguan Leaf

A fellow sistah of the leef out of New York sent this beauty to me some 3 weeks ago. So very proud I've restrained myself from smoking it until today. But I couldn't hold off long enough to snap a pre-light photo but as soon as I returned to my senses I snapped a shot. ;)

Pre-light:
Ok, this IS a beauty and a beast of a cigar if you ask me! My Uzi comes dressed in a milk chocolate maduro wrapper, an oily sheen with ample veins throughout. Soft to the touch which isn't a problem as it's nicely filled out with tobacco. Clipping the cap is easy with a guillotine clipper. Scents of hay and earth dominate along with an interesting surprise of fresh raisins.

First 1/3:
I'm smoking the 6x60 and it comes out the gate with copious amounts of smoke producing a nice thick salt and pepper ash. The flavor profile is mild with quiet hints of grass and tobacco which can fool one into thinking this stogie is rather sedate but I prefer to call it "easy going" providing a buttery smooth finish light and clean. Burning a bit unevenly with potential to self correct...we'll see right? ;)

Second 2/3:
As I continue to travel down the road with MUWAT an uneven burn does not correct itself for some reason but it's holding its ash like a champ. Flavors are resting well  into the mild to medium range with the Ecuadorian Connecticut binder I'm sure contributing to this. Gotta admit though, I'm expecting a bit more body from this cigar at this point and it's not there even when back haling the smoke up my nose, something is missing.

Conclusions:
I absolutely adore Drew Estate cigars, particularly their Liga Privada, Natural, (Irish Hops, English, Dark Angel)  and ACID cigars among others but I think they overshot this one. With such a name, I expected a more imposing  stick with complex flavor and body. Kind of fell flat for me as I appreciate a mild cigar that brings a bit more to the table. Should be renamed : "I Thought My Uzi Weighed A Ton."The MUWAT stayed in first gear the entire time missing on the transition by returning within itself never branching out. Don't get me wrong, it's not a crap cigar just a bit boring.  And I'll add a lifeline here; maybe a bit more time in my humidor could expose a better smoke. I'd be willing to purchase one or two to find out.

Final thought: Not as impressed, would much prefer a Baccarat.

Greetings Lovers of the Leef!

 Think I smell a great week ahead as the semester winds down with the last day of finals and graduation scheduled this evening. Yeah! The library however, is still held hostage by  a few desperate students drowning in anxiety juice trying to craft that last research paper, or refraining from going postal on a team member while working on that  final course project. Summer will simmer like a crock pot providing time for my colleagues and I to work on projects for the upcoming fall semester, still a million miles away.

I smoked quite a few cigars this weekend which got me to thinking about some of my favorite cigar blogs and sites. One such site, Cigars4Women , is an excellent site providing an e-home for women who love cigars and "the men who support them." There is also an online magazine sponsored by this site called "Lit Lifestyle for Women."  The following verbiage below details an article from The Cigar Advisor website posted April 11, 2011:

"Lit Magazine will undoubtedly become a go-to source for women who are tired of only having the male perspective and the good old fashioned boys club publications that are available when they want the latest news, products, reviews and culture centered on fine cigars. Lit is about and for women who enjoy a good cigar and can be fierce and confident in a man’s world. Lit Magazine will be based out of Las Vegas, Nevada.
While the latest in cigar news will be a major part of the publication, Lit Magazine will be filled from beginning to end with engaging sections that appeal to almost any market. Specific sections of Lit Magazine will include the Aficionada’s Corner, which focuses on cigar culture news and Ask Him, a column that give women answers to what men want and need. There will also be a Lifestyle section that will focus on staying fit, beauty and fashion; an Entertainment section; which will highlight independent artists and celebrity news. Lit Magazine will feature stories about remarkable women in and out of the cigar world, along with information on cigar blogs and social networks connecting like-minded, strong, independent women. New brands and cigar accessories will also be highlighted.

The target audience will not only be women who enjoy smoking cigars; but also retailers, manufactures and corporate executives in the cigar industry who respect and value the female consumer and her input. Recognizing the power and influence of the growing number of female cigar lovers, the creators of Lit Lifestyle Magazine are sure it will lead to more than just respect and props from industry executives. They envision the magazine influencing creation of products and accessories to attract and inspire even more female cigar lovers."

I am proud to be a part of this growing trend in the cigar industry. Hold on to yer hats boys, the ladies are here so why don't you settle on down and come smell what we're smokin'!!! :D

Check out some of my favorite cigar blogs that are my go to information sources for cigar reviews and culture. This list contains blogs authored by women and men. Of particular interest to me are legislative issues concerning cigar regulations that may well affect the future of cigars in the U. S. No matter if you're a democrat, republican, independent or Tea Party member, if you smokes cigars, please pay attention to what might be coming down the pike and believe me, it ain't catfish!!! I'll elaborate more a bit later (links to sources will be posted soon.)

Also coming soon on my blog  is an interesting entry about how I spent Saturday morning smoking cigars with our library dean (my boss) and a few new friends (May 6, 2012). I informed them I would post about it so they've been duly warned! LOL!

Smoke on !

Hola! Happy Cinqo de Mayo

Okay, I've done what many  bloggers tend to do: set up a blog and then abandon it like a speeding ticket.

But...
     Today......
I am taking the  exit ramp off this hellishly paved road of Intention to get this thing rollin'. Simply put, I love cigars! If you'd told me 15years ago that I would become a cigar aficionado, I would have had some rather choice words for you.

Yet now I belong to a growing population of cigar smokers called : WOMEN.

How did this happen?

                                    Ok.

                                            So what had happened was...

.........one day while on the couch watching  National Geographic documentary footage of  male hummingbirds cock fighting for a mate (and scarfing down some holiday banana pudding), a  Detroit blizzard of thoughts began to whirl:

"If I were to die today, what would I regret?"

Being a  cigar smoking librarian was etched somewhere at the top of that list along with the following heartfelt dreams:

• learn to fly a Cessna (the mere thought of flight is exhilarating to me as I've always wanted to be a hummingbird. And if perchance I should cycle back, humanity would be better served if I were a hummingbird.)
• become a juicy stripper (this is more of an existential yearning to inform the universe I'm more than a mere pebble on the beach of life.)
• shoot a pirate in the face (not sure why but it sounds  like a really really badass story to tell those gathered around your deathbed!)
• own a juke joint/hookah bar/apothecary surreptitiously hidden deep within the Georgia woods. 

Honestly, smoking cigars allows me to slow down,  to meditate upon the remains of the day appreciating  that I am. Simply, that I AM. A woman. A mother. A daughter. A librarian. A brilliant foodie with issues. A lover of beauty. A comrade to all who struggle growing, living, learning and understanding their journey. I work hard each day to stay glued and focused upon my own journey, and I do so while puffing  maduro, sumatra, connecticut shade, cameroon, and pennsylvania broadleafed cigars into the face of  life .

And I'd love to share this with you!