Monday, March 18, 2024

La Mission de L’Atelier 1959 and Coffee

Cigars and coffee. While my preferred pairing with a smoke is whiskey, often the situation calls for a non-alcoholic beverage. Many carbonated drinks work well, especially cream sodas in my opinion. I just prefer to limit my soda intake to very rare occasions. 

My preferred coffee flavor is "black." However I do find that often a flavored-style of a caffeine beverage does seem to work better with cigars. Cappuccino is an excellent choice. I also frequently turn to flavorings such as vanilla, caramel, or mocha. Mocha was the random pairing selection to go with the La Mission L'atelier 1959.

L'atelier Imports is a project of Pete Johnson of Tatuaje cigars. The Tatuaje influence is strong in this cigar. I've enjoyed other L'atelier cigars, and they are often referred to as "Tatuaje L'atelier." The La Mission line pays tribute to the Château La Mission Haut-Brion winery in Bordeaux, France. The 1959 represents one of the years the winery received a 100 point rating from wine critic Robert Parker.


La Mission de L’Atelier 1959 is a 4 3/4 x 52 Robusto. The tobaccos used are a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cap has a prominent pigtail twist. Interestingly, all L'Atelier cigars include a leaf of Sancti Spiritus tobacco. That tobacco is a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro seed that is grown by the Garcia family of My Father Cigars.

Smelling the cigar before lighting, I was struck by a musty barnyard and hay aroma. Once lit, the cigar kicks off with semi-sweet chocolate joined by prominent pepper. As the cigar progress, the profile gains an earth and leather aspect, but the chocolate and pepper remain. Towards the end, spicy pepper and cedar creep into the forefront. This is definitely a full-bodied cigar. 

The cigar was a little rough looking, with a slightly off center cap that included an extra tab of tobacco. The draw was open and the burn remained even. The cigar did go out once, a result of my own inattention. 

I enjoyed the La Mission de L’Atelier 1959 quite a bit. I did regret that I was not enjoying it with a spicy rye whiskey. Next time for sure.

Cheers!

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Celebrating the Feast of Saint Patrick

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh!

It's that time of the year when a Saint revered by many, especially in the Irish-Catholic community, is adopted by people of all descent. As a Catholic of Irish decent, I can find little fault with people bettering themselves. :-)

In 2024, the feast day falls on a Sunday. Therefore, throughout much of the Church the Saint's day loses out to the liturgy for the 5th Sunday in Lent. Since St. Patrick is our parish's patron saint, it's traditionally a "day off" from Lenten obligations, but this year Sunday already grants that option. 

As we typically do, we'll avoid the local pubs on the 17th. I don't drink green beer, and remain confident that neither did St. Patrick. But do as you wish. For my celebration I will stick with a dark Stout or an Irish Red Ale. And surely a wee pour or three of Irish Whiskey will be enjoyed. In our house there is always homemade Irish Soda Bread and Irish Stew served as well. 

While in the midst of your celebrations, try to give thought to the man behind the Feast Day. Whether you accept the traditions associated with St. Patrick's life or not, there can be no denying the good he did. (As much as some of these stories cannot be proven, they cannot be disproven either.) Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery in Ireland, he grew to love the Irish people. Late in his life, he was around 60 at the time, Saint Patrick returned to the Ireland to teach and convert the people he had adopted as his own. Certainly that is worthy of our respect.

Our family has long had a devotion to St. Patrick. That admiration was made all the more tangible when we were blessed to make two pilgrimages to the Emerald Isle, in 2012 and again in 2019. During those visits I was reminded just how much the Irish love Patrick. He's more than just a marketing ploy there.

Odd as it may seem, we actually have to remind people, and pubs, that St. Patrick was a man, not a woman. His name is Patrick, which comes from the Irish, Pádraig. Shorten his name to Paddy if you must. However, we do not celebrate "St. Patty's Day." Patty is a shortened version of Patricia, a girl's name. Feast-related debauchery is one thing, but transgendering our Saint is unacceptable. As much as it pains me, I refuse each year to take advantage of any "holiday discount" from businesses who attempt to lure me with discount codes of "STPATTY" and the like. It's a feeling of satisfaction when I see a local establishment has corrected their marketing after being reminded of this error.

Let's all celebrate the memory of St. Patrick. Enjoy a drink or two and some good food, hopefully with friends. There's nothing wrong with bringing a little revelry into the world, we certainly need it. I like a good party as much as the next guy. And I certainly appreciate a good Irish drinking joke. Drink your green beer if you must. Dress up in silly clothes. (But, remember St. Patrick was a man, not a leprechaun.) Then remember the reason for this feast. Take a moment to honor the man and all the good he did. In our house we'll raise a drink of uisce beatha, "the water of life," and a prayer, to St. Patrick in honor of his deeds and his country.

All the children of Ireland cry out to thee:
Come, O Holy Patrick, and save us!

Sláinte!

Thursday, March 14, 2024

A Tease of Spring

There's a meme on social media that says, "It's like Winter leaves the room and then comes back to say, 'And one more thing. . ." Well, Winter left the room for a few days this week and we got a glimpse of the Spring to come. (Yes, Winter is coming back in a few days.)

I took advantage of the 70° temperatures to enjoy some deck therapy with a pour of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, paired with the El Güegüense Toro Huaco from Foundation Cigars.


The El Güegüense has been resting in my humidor for about a year. This Toro Huaco vitola is a hefty 6 x 56 stick. It felt especially large since I've been enjoying a lot of Robusto and Lancero cigars of late. 56 ring gauge is about the largest size cigar I enjoy. I've smoked many 6 x 60, or even 8 1/2 x 60 sticks. But for smoking time, balance in the hand, and comfort smoking, 56 is a good ring gauge. 

This Nicaraguan puro has a Corojo 99 wrapper and binder, and the binder is a blend of Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 tobaccos. The chocolate brown wrapper is somewhat bumpy with the rough inner leaves seemingly trying to escape. Despite a rough appearance, the oily wrapper held everything together and the cigar performed without issue. A blend of cocoa, espresso, sweet chocolate, nuts, accented by a mild pepper spice combined for a complex and flavorful smoke. 

The medium bodied cigar paired quite nicely with the Buffalo Trace Bourbon. I've been nursing my few bottles of Buffalo Trace as it's "allocated" in Virginia. This not truly rare bourbon can only be purchased when the VA ABC announces a random "drop event." And then you don't know where the bottles will show up until you arrive at the store. Adding to the State-generated hype, if one decides to purchase a bottle of Buffalo Trace, no other allocated bottles can be purchased that trip. It's an idiotic system devised by, well, you know. Fortunately, it often available in neighboring states, and online, at or near MSRP. 

Buffalo Trace in the quintessential bourbon. It checks in at 90 proof, and has all the classic notes of caramel, vanilla, and toffee. It's has a sweet but balanced profile that offers an easy-to-sip drink. Buffalo Trace is often dismissed by the bourbon "snobs" but is generally well-received by folks who simply like a good bourbon. The $30 price tag is a bonus as well. (I refuse to pay secondary market prices for any whiskey.)

Now that we are in Daylight Saving Time, I was able to enjoy the after dinner smoke and drink before the sun had even set. That felt good to say the least.

Cheers!

Monday, March 11, 2024

Knuckle Sandwich Maduro With OGD 114

I've been looking forward to trying this one for a while. Back in December I picked up the Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano and Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Maduro, both in the Robusto vitola.  The Knuckle Sandwhich line is the result a collaboration between chef Guy Fieri and Erik Espinosa. I'm an admitted fan of the boisterous celebrity chef, and hoped the cigars would be representative his personality. Not just another celebrity putting his brand on a product, Fieri is a longtime cigar enthusiast. 

For this outing I selected the Knuckle Sandwich Maduro version. The chocolate hued Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro wrapper holds Nicaraguan binder and filler. The 5 x 52 cigar is box-pressed.


The cigar blasts out of the gate with a flavorful blend of dark coffee, cocoa, and a bit of white pepper. A dark fruit aspect comes in the finish. The draw was on the looser side, with lots of smoke production. The first third of the cigar seemed to burn really fast. I was seriously enjoying the flavors, and started lamenting the predicted short smoking time. To my delight the burn seemed to slow, especially past the midpoint, and I ended up enjoying a surprising 90 minute smoke from the small cigar.

The ash on the cigar did seem to drop easily in short blocks. On several occasions I ended up with the ash section in my lab. There was also as fair amount of loose ash flakes dropping on a consistent basis. As I became aware of the mess I was much more attentive to keeping the stick over the ashtray on the side table. Other than than, I had no burn issues. Even down to the tiny nub, the smoke remained cool, even when I could no longer hold the cigar between my fingers.


I paired the Knuckle Sandwich with Old Grand-Dad 114. This bourbon seemed to be hard to find in Virginia for a while. When we visited Florida last fall I picked up a bottle. Of course, soon after that I started seeing it again on shelves locally.

Upon pouring, the 114 proof point, along with the high rye mash bill, is immediately evident in the aroma wafting from the glass. The spicy heat is apparent, in the nose, backed by a brown sugar sweetness. The flavor profile follows the pattern with brown sugar and caramel sweetness. A rye and cinnamon spice coats the palate, as well as the warming proof. The finish is long, with the flavorful heat lingering.

Despite the many mentions of spice and heat in the paragraph above, Old Grand-Dad 114 is extremely drinkable. There's no harshness, just a full palate sensation. At an approximately $30 price point, it's a value that should not be passed by,

The Knuckle Sandwich Maduro and Old Grand-Dad pairing made for a delightful combination. Two full bodied flavor sensations together were even better than the parts. Both the bourbon and the cigars are ones I'd gladly keep on hand. I am looking forward to trying out the Knuckle Sandwich Habano counterpart very soon.

Cheers!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Grenadine Old Fashioned Paired With BLTC La Madonna Negra

More warm weather, means more cocktails and cigars on the deck. As I was perusing the virtual stack of drink recipes I've gathered over time, I came across one for a Grenadine Old Fashioned that sounded interesting.

The recipe calls for 2 ounce of wheated bourbon, 1/4 ounce of grenadine, and bitters. I selected a Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon for the drinks. Stirred over ice and served on a single rock, I garnished with a Luxardo cherry. The 88 proof bourbon was somewhat muted by the sharpness of the grenadine, but still it was a flavorful drink. The Grenadine Old Fashioned isn't as sweet as my normal recipe, but I found it to be a very refreshing drink. Worthy of a second round at least. A platter of sharp Irish cheeses also added to the enjoyment. 


Sometimes I sip a drinking immediately know what cigars I want to smoke. This time I quickly settled on the Black Label Trading Company La Madonna Negra, in the 5 1/4 x 50 Robusto vitola. A dark chocolate colored Connecticut broadleaf wrapper covers an Ecuadorian habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. I recall the smoke having a robust, flavorfully sharp profile that I felt would go well with the sweetly bitter drink.

The cigar has been resting in my humidor for about eight months. Some of the initially smoked sticks had tight draws that required some work to maintain a full smoke output. Not so with this one. The cigar smoked wonderfully and made a delightful pairing for the cocktail.

As noted, the slightly aged cigar burned well and produced a medium to full flavored smoke. The flavor presents a blend of dark chocolate, espresso, and dark cherries. There is some pepper and cedar sitting in the background to add even more interest. 

I quite enjoyed the combination of the drink and cigar flavors. I'm looking forward to trying the cocktail with some different cigars, and of course, the remaining La Madonna Negra cigars I still have on hand.

Cheers!

Monday, March 4, 2024

Cool Evening With Hamlet Tabaquero and Knob Creek Rye

March 1 marked the first day of "meteorological spring." The actual start of spring is still three weeks off, but the days are getting longer and warmer. The bulbs are sprouting in the garden, and the birds in the trees are active. And it's pleasant enough for a smoke on the deck. 

For this evening repast I grabbed one on my favorites, the Rocky Patel Hamlet Tabaquero, accompanied by a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel Rye.


The Hamlet Tabaquero is from my slowly shrinking stock I purchased in September 2020 upon hearing the line was being discontinued. The 6 x 52 Toro  has a San Andrés wrapper, a Nicaraguan filler, along with San Andrés and Brazilian Mata Fina double binders. The previous ones from this box have had some minor burn issues, but after 16 months of resting, the performance has improved. The balanced flavors of creamy sweetness, milk chocolate, cedar, and oak still present themselves well. With half the box gone, it's getting more difficult to light up one, but I know the flavor will change over time, and they are great right now.


The Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye is a VA ABS pick, with a barrel date of June 13, 2016 and a selected date of January 31, 2023. I purchased the bottle in July 2023. The 6 year old rye is bottled at a respectable 115 proof. The nose is deceptively mild with cocoa, vanilla, and citrus. The proof and robust flavor profile truly shines in the sipping. I get a moderate amount of rye spice. Butterscotch, cocoa, along with some cinnamon and nuttiness join in as I roll the rye across my tongue. A spicy heat lingers for a long while in the finish.

The Tabaquero and the high proof Knob Creek Rye made for a flavorsome combination. I was pleased how neither the smoke nor the rye dominated, but instead complimented each other quite well.

Cheers!

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Southern Draw Kudzu Axil Lancero

All the social media things reminded me that Tuesday, February 27 was "National Cigar Day." On February 27th, 1883 Oscar Hammerstein I recieved a patent for an automated cigar rolling machine. While our preference is for hand-rolled cigars, Hammerstien changed the cigar industry with some 80 cigar related patents. As an aside Oscar Hammerstein I was the grandfather of Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II, of the famous Rogers & Hammerstein duo. 

Not that I needed an excuse, I decided to mark the occasion with a cigar after dinner. Circumstances had precluded enjoying a smoke for the last couple of weeks, so it was a double celebration.  I selected a Southern Draw Kudzu Axil Lancero to enjoy on the warm evening.


The Southern Draw Kudzu Axil Lancero is a 6 1/2 x 40 Lancero with a small pigtail cap and closed foot. The dark brown wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro. A Nicaraguan Ometepe binder and Nicaraguan fillers complete the picture. This cigar has been resting in my humidor for five months. 

Upon lighting, a rush of cinnamon and black pepper flashes across my palate. That was not unexpected as I've smoked other Southern Draw Kudzu vitolas in the past, though it was a bit of a shock. As when taking the first sip of a strong whiskey, my taste buds soon acclimated and I settled in for the robust and flavorful smoke. 

As the stick progressed, the spiciness was joined by leather and wood. As the burn moved into the second half of the cigar, a dry oak began to predominate. The spices were also balanced by the addition of a hint of creaminess. The cigar's strength was medium to strong and I concentrated on moderating my smoking speed.

The burn was slow and even, with copious smoke production. After about 75 minutes, I needed to move on to another activity. Disappointingly, I estimated there was probably another 30-40 minutes left on the cigar. I was not expecting to get that long of a smoke. Relunctantly I set the cigar down, telling myself next time I would allow for more smoking time. I do have more of these delicious cigars in my humidor so that's a consolation.

Cheers!

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The Feast of Saint Gabriel Possenti

Today, February 27, is the Feast Day of St. Gabriel Possenti.

Legend holds that Gabriel Possenti was a Catholic seminarian in Isola del Gran Sasso, Italy. In 1860 he is said to have used his skills with the pistol to drive off a band of marauding soldiers who were terrorizing the town. Possenti faced the troublemakers after grabbing revolvers from two soldiers. As they laughed at the young student, he took aim and accurately shot a lizard that was running across the road. Impressed, the soldiers left the town, escorted by the seminarian, who had become the hero of the town.

Like many Saints, there's an unclear line between the facts of the Saint's life and the tradition associated with him. However, this story about Gabriel Possenti has led to him being promoted as the Patron Saint of Handgunners. The St. Gabriel Possenti Society was created for the purpose of promoting the Saint's cause. The society promoted the study of the historical, philosophical and theological bases for the doctrine of self-defense. Sadly, the founder of the group died in 2017 and it appears the organization is no longer active.


A few years ago, our parish was presented with a relic of St. Gabriel Possenti, under the title St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. It was an exciting moment when I saw the blurb announcing the displayed relic in our weekly bulletin. Since then, I've enjoyed sharing the story of Gabriel Possenti with many parishioners. I dare say most of our Catholic friends who also enjoy the shooting sports are now familiar with the Saint and his story.

In another interesting "coincidence," my Virginia Concealed Handgun permit was originally issued on February 27, the Feast Day of the Patron Saint of Handgunners!

St. Gabriel Possenti ora pro nobis!

Today would be a great day to hit the range. If that's not possible, perhaps I'll buy some extra ammo instead, if I can find any for sale at a reasonable price.

Cheers!