KFC

They're here! After a long wait, I finally got
a chance to smoke a Kinky Friedman cigar. Then another.
Then another.

These aren't gimmick cigars. The Kinkster has rolled
out an impressive line, featuring Honduran wrapper,
a Costa Rican binder and Nicaraguan & Honduran fillers.
It is a bold yet complex smoke, with plenty of body
but hardly any bite. It reminds me of a nice earthy
Nica puro blended with about 25% VSG. The spice is
every bit as nice as Ashton's masterpiece, only in
much more subdued amounts. The price is fair, the
construction is fabulous, and the Texas flag and
state map are on the band -- along with coyotes,
broncos and bluebonnets -- what more can you ask?

Absolutely freaking fabulous. I've had The Willie, The
Texas Jewboy (a hefty torpedo with an almost Graycliff-
like draw) and The Utopian. I'll guarantee that I'll
smoke more today, tomorrow and this weekend.

Kinky in 08. Think it over.

Slainte.

Illusione 2/3

"Tre in uno." That is all you need to know.

The Illusione 23 Culebra is likely the best
cigar in the already outstanding Illusione line.
It features a nutty, malty bouquet with a hint
of cocoa. The body increases in strength and
flavor as you smoke, and for a full bodied cigar,
it develops very nicely.

The aroma is as you'd expect: nutty and nice
with a little spice.

Plus, after you've smoked the first leg of the
3, you realize that there are two more for
later on. Culebras: I'm bringin' it back.

And on the subject of cutters...

While my Xikar multi-tool is still my
favorite cutter in the world, if I'm buying
a new one, it would have to be a
Palió.

The website is linked in the title of this
post. There are a lot of really sweet
design features to this cutter. It is a
perfect combination of form and function,
and the action is like a 1972 Stratocaster.

So, get one.

I'm seriously.

Found a very nice smoke for someone who is
long on time and short on cash:

The Don Tómas (or is it Tomás?) Sun Grown
Presidente.

Retails between four and five dollars, has a
raisiny aroma on the leaf (though, don't get
your hopes up too high -- it isn't THAT kind
of raisiny) and it smokes long and rather
luxuriously.

Now, it is missing the spice one might want
out of a Honduran puro with a nice rosado
SG wrapper, but again, we go to the 7 X 50 for
under $5 card. It is a good cigar to add into
the rotation, as it will never offend the taste
while having enough strength to let you know
you've smoked something. A good all-around cigar,
with a surprisingly pleasant appearance.

Pick one up and try it, especially if you smoke
multiple times a day and don't drive a Continental
with platinum spinners.

More Illusiones

Ah, finally got the latest Illusione shipment.

I'm torn, though. Has anyone come across a box
of La Flor DL 600's that had an almost sweet
aroma to them? Just had a box show up yesterday
that smells like a dream.

Well, I can resist anything save temptation.

A must-smoke

All right: I won't be making any productivity
pledges on Puros y Ron. Just not enough time.

But I will throw this out: if you enjoy full-
flavored, rustic, bursting with bean (of the
coffee type) cigars, smoke the ILLUSIONE.

In particular, I'm addicted to the Illusione 68,
a 4 X 44 dynamo that is worth every bit of its
92 from Cigar Insider. Not for the faint of heart,
though. This smoke can sit you down.

Three-fourths of the way

What a weekend. Have to admit, I spoiled
myself.

I started off Saturday with a Padilla 1948
Torpedo. An excellent cigar, just like everything
that bears the Padilla name. Flawless
construction, a robust, earthy flavor, and
that characteristic maltiness one comes to
expect from all things Padilla. It was way
too early to enjoy it with a MacAllan, but
that'd be a great way to do it. The 1948
isn't quite on the level of the Miami 8 & 11
or the 1932, but it is precisely what one
comes to expect. Increasingly, I find that
these are the best sticks coming out of
a certain city that shall go unmentioned.

I then commenced to watching the most exciting
football team in America. I hate to say it,
but that team would be the Oregon Ducks.
Dixon and that spread offense are flat-out
scary. If I were a team in bowl contention,
I can't think of a team I'd want to play
less than the Quacks, other than West
Virginia. The hairy dawgs put a beating
on Florida as I knocked back a few
Red Stripes, and all was well with the world.

Speaking of teams in bowl contention, I treated
myself to an Opus Perfection X while enjoying
the superb defense of a certain ball club from
the city of Lawrence.

While we're on that, and for what it's worth:

College football coaches, listen up. Field goals
are for Sunday football. Two touchdowns is never
a comfortable margin in the college game, and if
you have the ball on the five yard line, it is
better to go for it and give it over at the
opponent's one yard line than take or, as we saw
Saturday, miss a field goal.

I'm sure L'il Sammy
is pretty pumped about his Tigers, and though the
Gods of Mammon moved the Border War to the
godforsaken state of Missouri, I'm pretty excited
for that game as well. I think Missouri will
win easily, and I'm not upset. Think of all those
people from the West Bottoms to the Illinois line
that will get a chance to finally woo their cousin
into the boudoir if that comes to pass.

Our consolation here in Kansas will be that the
Jayhawks will always be one of the five most
revered basketball programs in the nation (football
is kind of a side project) and that in the
biggest scoreboard, The War, we are 1-0.
So don't get too frustrated by our cornsilk
smoking neighbors to the north if they're
feeling it after the KU-MU game. Like Reese
Witherspoon and Barton Fink, they're just trying
to matter.

Ended the weekend on a Padrón 1964 Torpedo. I
thought very hard on capping it with a Maximus,
but that might wait until Tuesday. Well, what
needs to be said about the Padrón or the Opus?
They are in the elite. I'd still take an 8 & 11
over both, but when those two are in your
weekend line-up, you've got nothing to complain
about.

Whaddya say, Cuvee?

L'il Sammy's back at it! He's linked through the
title, which you'll want to do, because I've heard
they're using his url in keyboarding classes around
the country. If you can type it in less than five
minutes, you pass.

I am becoming more intrigued by Mikey Cusano's
Cuvee Blanc. I've smoked each size, and like
the robusto best. The diadema is a bit much,
but a guy could do worse with 2 free hours.

There's a really nice "cask" flavor to it, reminiscent
of some Bahia stuff. But this one is a mellow
to medium. Overall, it isn't for everyone,
but if you are a fan of a hearty red wine and/or
a nice Connecticut smoke with a touch of gusto,
it is worth trying out.

Quick hit

The Red Sox come from behind.

I'll bet their fans won't be obnoxious
about this. The one saving grace of the
Cubbies ripping my heart out each year
is that, as long as we remain losers,
we don't turn into the once likable Sawks.

Cleveland will have to wait for LeBron,
it seems.

I feel like trying something new today,
but I am not sure what.

Though I've had them before, I haven't
smoked too many Padilla 1948 Lanceros.

College Football Saturday

Ah, the week's finest bounty. The Premiership on
FSC and College Football virtually everywhere
else. Sadly, one needs GamePlan for the OBC at
USC, but there's always Southern Cal taking on
Punt Jesus in South Bend.

Or, if you're interested in something we like
to call "football," there's UK v. Florida. Now,
that'll be nice. I'd love to take the Cats, but
with Florida on a two game skid, I have to go
with the Gators. Tim "Rusty T-bone" Tebo losing
three straight? Hard to see that happening,
no matter how good UK looks right now.

On a diminished plane, but still interesting,
KU plays Colorado in Boulder on ESPN. As much
as I hate to say it, I'm betting against both
UK & KU. Basketball season is less than a month
away, guys.

What to smoke? Well, last night closed strong
with a Graycliff Château Grand Cru Chairman. Hard
to beat that, so I doubt I'll try. A good pairing
for UK or KU will be... lemme check the humidor...
AH! Maximus Robusto #5. Sweet.