Reflections of 2009

The year of 2009 was long and yet, short at the same time. As days seemed to drag, weeks flew by. Holidays, parties, and weddings came and went. Cigars burned down to the nub on a weekly basis. Yes, 2009 was indeed a good and interesting year.

In the last week of 2008, I proposed to the most amazing woman, Kris. For reasons still not understood, she said yes and early this spring I will start the rest of my life with her. It's at this opportunity, which I wish to thank her so far for her support and contribution to this blog. She has edited most of the posts, thus far, correcting my grammatical inventions, er errors. For a gal who doesn't know a robusto from a toro, or could tell the difference between a maduro wrapper and a Connecticut shade, she has supported my endeavor here from day one.

This is only the beginning guys and gals. I plan to continue this venture as long as cigars remain legal. Although these days it seems that it is more of a possibility, I don't honestly foresee the end result coming to that. But you really never know.

Some other thanks need to go out to my initial followers and supporters. I'd like to single out "Too Tall" for inspiring me to start this blog and being genuinely excited whenever I tell him about a new post.

Tonight, I smoked an Excelsior petite figurado given to me by one of my clients. The guy said he had this bundle of them aging in the back if his humidor for about 10 years! I told him that sounded awful and tried to give it back, but he forced it on me. Note: sarcasm. What is not sarcastic is how toothy this wrapper was, it basically was a 3-D topographical map of the Swiss Alps. The Excelsior was initially marketed by the Te-Amo brand to be their premium flagship. Filled with Mexican and Dominican long fillers and wrapped in a San Andrean grown Connecticut wrapper, Te-Amo may have been on to something here. Either way, the pre-lit smell and draw had a surprising dark raisin and spice to it that even Kris found interesting. The ash was a camouflage gray and silver that held its density even in the ash tray. The first few puffs retained the dark sweetness and had some mixed leather and earth. As I worked my way down the cigar, the burn was amazingly even considering this guy (yeah, me) did the worst light job on it in history. The peppered spice picked up in the middle and remained throughout, along with the dark sweetness. The finish was nice, not too long lingering, and retained that sweetness and a new component: pronounced nuttiness.

Stay tuned guys and gals, 2010 is going to be a great one. In the next couple of days, I will produce my first top ten list. The title of this list will be: THE TOP TEN THINGS NOT TO DO WITH YOUR CIGAR EXPERIENCE!

Get excited. As always guys and gals, there is nothing wrong with being the best.


Regards,
Bear