Decided to try out a new template
Cigar Musings
Musings of a Cigar Smoker
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I am ashamed to admit, that I have never had the pleasure to try a Nat Sherman cigar and I had the opportunity to get my hands one, I grabbed it. I saved it in my humidor for a couple of weeks and I decided tonight is the night to give this cigar a try. I have to admit, I don’t much about Nat Sherman cigars. Living out here on the West Coast, I never found them readily available and if I did, I always thought to myself… Ah next time I will give that cigar a try. I
On this particular cold California night, I had my hot tub steamed up (yes, it is a technical term) and poured a glass of Port. After several failed attempts to keep the cigar lit, I was finally able to get some enjoyment from it; however, it kept going out on me and it kept getting more difficult to keep it lit. It is rarely happens to any of my other cigars but, I believe this particular one had a plug in it. It was a defective. I was getting frustrated and decided to give it up. I am disappointed, I didn’t get to smoke half of it. It was a delicious the little amount I did enjoy from the cigar. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. For the rest of the evening, I just sat in my hot tub and enjoyed my cigar-less Port. Let me know in the comments if this has ever happened to.
Until next time, Smok’em if ya gottem!!!
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Every year around this time I must have a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. I enjoy the minty, marvelous concoction. There are only a few things I like about this time of year. The Shamrock Shake and March Madness, which isn’t happening for a few more weeks. I don’t know why I enjoy the Shamrock Shake so much. Maybe because, it is limited and it brings happiness during the long dreary days of Winter. Even, though here in Southern California our Winters are not as dreary as say in more Northern parts of the Country but, it has been an usually cold, wet Winter in California. The mountain regions are literally buried under snow and unable to get supplies. I hope relief will come soon to those people who are affected by all of this crazy weather.
I know, getting a Shamrock isn’t all that exciting but, what can I say… Hmm… Not much actually. Anyway, I was planning on going to catch a movie and I have to be honest, there is nothing in the theaters right now that catch my interest. I almost purchased tickets to see the latest Ant-Man flick until I realized it is two hours long and after reading some reviews, I decided it isn’t worth it. I am trying to recall the last movie I did see in a theater and it was Top Gun Maverick. Now that was an awesome movie to watch in a theater. It is a movie I would be willing to watch again and again. Not many movies nowadays seem to catch that type of interest in me. Let me know in the comments what is the last movie that you were able to watch in a theater and are they any upcoming movies that you are excited about.
I think tonight I will just sit home, drink some brew while watching the Milwaukee Bucks game and I believe there is a S
That is all I got for now. Until next time, Smokem if ya gottem.
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So, I needed new brake pads anyway and had my mechanic check on the warning light. He determined what the issue was and was able to fix it. As I was paying the mechanic for his services, He advised me to give it a good run over the weekend to make sure the light didn’t come back on and if it did to give him a call on Monday to bring it in.
I had to take my little Mini Cooper in for new brake pads and have engine checked out as that annoying little check engine light came on. A couple of weeks ago, after I filled it up with gas I had an issue with getting it to start. It finally started but, the check engine light came on. I thought maybe I didn’t put the gas cap back on properly and after I made sure it was on properly the light no longer came on, until recently.
I gave the Mini a little run after I picked her up on Friday but, I decided to give it a really good run on Saturday. Saturday was a very nice day, a little break from the all of the cold and rain we have been getting here in California, my Lovely Wife and I decided to go for a drive. After giving the car a good run, I decided it was time for a bit of refreshment and pulled into my favorite winery, Wilson’s Creek. Did I ever mentioned how much I love the winery? Just to be on the safe side, I love Wilson’s Creek. Anyway, after a bit of a refreshment, we decided to go to Old Town Temecula, another one of my favorite destinations. I digress….
We decided on stopping by the Be Good Restaurant for a quick bite to eat. Not looking to have a full meal, just an appetizer, we were thinking of going to dinner elsewhere. I have to recommend the A HA’ Ahi Tuna. It is A HA-mazing!!! See what I did there? Anyway, I highly recommend getting two of them if you are sharing. After the first one, you literally crave more. It is that delicious. Its a, it melts in your mouth and not in your hands kind of experience. My Wife had a margarita, which are delicious; however, I wanted to try their Bloody Mary. Let me tell you, their Bloody Mary’s are phenomenal. Not only are they tasty but, it comes with a huge chunk of bacon. BACON!!!! It comes with BACON!!! Awesome!!!
My Wife recommended we check out the Guadalajara Mexican Grill & Catina, just a hop, skip and jump from where we were at. She was in the mood for live Marachi music. I wasn’t too hungry and ended up eating half of the carnitas fries, washing it down with a Dois Equis. While the Mariachi were playing my Wife’s musical requests, I spotted on the back bar shelf a bottle of Whistlepig Piggy Back 100% Rye and naturally, my curiosity demanded I order a shot to give it a try. WOW! I got a spicy, cinnamon flavor off of it. Very delicious in my humble opinion. Will need to add a bottle to my personal bar.
After a few rounds of singing, laughing and drinking we decided to head home for the remainder of the Evening. It was a very good time.
Until next time, Light’em Up!!!
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Please forgive me for the terrible photo of this cigar, I took it at night just before hitting the hot tub, I don’t know why but, every time I hear the words, “Hot Tub” I think of Eddie Murphy. I love Eddie Murphy, I remember the first time, many decades ago watching one of his comedy specials that a friend of had on a VHS, yes it was that long ago, and it had me laughing for months.
Anyway, this little cigar is the double maduro. I enjoyed this little some with a delicious glass of inexpensive Port that I found at Total Wines and More. The little cigar had plenty of flavor and a bit of a spice to it. Very smooth and consistent, I would give it a mild in strength. I haven’t had a Sancho Panza in a very long time. The first time I tried it was at a little cigar shop in Aliso Viejo and at the time I was in the mood for a Padron. Unfortunately, the little shop didn’t have any Padrons and the retailer recommended I try the Sancho Panza. I wasn’t disappointed then and this little stogie didn’t disappoint me this evening.
Until next time, Light’em Up!!! 🙂
Check out Eddie Murphy in the Hot Tub! Classic!
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Those of us who are living in Southern California are experiencing some crazy winter weather this year. It has been in my humble opinion unusually cold and wet. Which is good, I prefer rain storms as opposed to wild fires any day. I believe we went through too many dry winters over the past several years or so and it is about time we get some good rain. I feel bad for the people who reside in Big Bear and other mountainous (is that even a word?) areas who are trapped under feet of snow. Hopefully, relief will come to them real soon.
This afternoon, in my hometown the wind really picked up and had a Northern Chill in the air. Before I knew it we were being bombarded by hail that all of sudden turned in huge snowflakes. I wish my cheap phone camera was able capture a better view of the action and my videos aren’t any better. The ground did get slightly by the white stuff but, within a few minutes it disappeared. No evidence that it ever happened. I wish it could of stayed a little longer. The last time our town got hit with snow was back in 2014, that year the snow stayed for a couple of days and it was just after Christmas Day and before New Years. People were hitting any little hill covered in snow with sleds.
Until next time, Smok’em if you got’em!
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I love sports, football, baseball and basketball especially college games. I find the college level to be more exciting to watch. Attending college games is more enjoyable than watching on TV because, in the stadium being surrounded by the fans, you just feed off of the energy. I have top say the basketball game between SDSU and New Mexico was an exciting game to watch even while I was watching in on my TV.
During the entire game, it felt like New Mexico had the game in hand. New Mexico played their hearts out and their fans were were cheering, secure in the knowledge their team had won the game. Until the last 4-3 seconds, SDSU scored a three pointer for the win. It was amazing how in those final few seconds the crowd went on full on loud, celebration to absolute quiet. I felt bad for New Mexico, they really did give their all.
Anyway, check out the YouTube vid…
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It looked nice outside today so, I decided to check out the XFL and I was pretty please with the game I watched.
I decided to enjoy the game with a cigar, the Arganese Maduro with the Wilson Creek Decadencia. The Decadencia goes great with just about any cigar or chocolate. That is probably why this Arganese cigar pairs so well with the Decadencia, I was getting a dark chocolate with a coffee taste. I have to admit this is the first time I have tried this cigar and I was really impressed. I highly recommend it.
The XFL game I decided to watch was between St. Louis and San Antonio. I really love the fact that a team after they score can take the ball back at 4th and 15 instead of attempting an onside kick which never seems to work. This allowed for a more exciting game to watch in last two minutes of the game and gave St. Louis an opportunity for the victory. I really hope this ends up in the NFL, in my opinion it makes for an exciting game, especially when there is less than 2 minutes left in a game.
The wind has really picked up with a bit of a chill in the air. I am done with the cigar and the wine bottle is dry, time to head back indoors.
Until next time, Smok’em if you Got’em!!!
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Day 2 and final day (for now) of my little test taste adventure, I decided to compare a cheeseburger from Five Guys and In-N-Out along with comparing French Fries from McDonald’s (my personal favorite) to fries from Burger King.
I noticed my Five Guys Burger came with just cheese and just a slight amount of ketchup (right amount) ketchup while, the In-N-Out came with their sauce, lettuce and tomato. I love lettuce and tomato; however, I wanted a fair comparison so, I removed the lettuce and tomato (will eat that on the side). The 5 Guys burger does come with two meat patties so, it appears like a larger meat patty as opposed to In-N-Out.
In my humble opinion, the Five Guys had a “meatier” taste to it, very delicious. In-N-Out had a bit of tangy, salty delicious taste to it. I find myself liking the Five Guys burger more due to that meatier hamburger taste that seemed to just melt in the mouth.
I also took note when ordering my In-N-Out burger, I wasn’t able to do it on an app like I was with Five Guys; however, In-N-Out is a much busier place and constantly kicking out food left and right. The place is constantly busy, having to stand in a long line to wait to place your order. Let me tell you, it is worth the wait. Their fries alone are amazing. Five Guys, I was able to place my order through an app on my phone and there were maybe 6 customers sitting at different tables and no one standing in line waiting to place an order.
The price for a Five Guy’s cheeseburger is $10.19 (2 meat patties) and the price for the In-N-Out cheeseburger is $3.97. If you are looking for a Great cheeseburger and are on a budget, In-N-Out is the clear winner. Don’t forget their fries. They are Amazing.
Now, comes the Fight of the Fries. I can’t say it was a fair, unbiased battle due to the fact I am personally addicted to McDonald’s Fries. Second only to In-N-Out Fries in my opinion. I must say, the Burger King fries seem to have a more tater taste and yes, that is a technical term in my vocabulary. But, the Burger Kin fires seem to have this different, um… ruffles type texture to it, for the lack of a better term. I don’t really care for it. McDonald’s fries don’t have that texture and just a enough salt that it just tastes better.
The price of McDonald’s small fries came in at $2.69 and Burger King’s are more expensive at $3.90. Budget-wise, I am definitely all over McDees. Keep in mind I am bias on this taste test.
Let me know which do you prefer or if it is from some other joint and why.
In the meantime, Smok’em if you Got’em!
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Chick-fi-A vrs Popeyes For the longest time I have always wanted to do a taste test between the Chick-fil-A and the Popeye’s chicken sandwiches. A few years back, I remember when there was a debate between which was the best chicken sandwich and if memory serves me correctly, it caused an outage of Popeye’s chicken sandwich. Anyway, tonight is the night for me to finally give it a try. Yes, I am always years behind every one else. That is how I roll. When there is a new hot show on TV or streaming, I don’t start watching it. I tend to wait years later to check it out. Well, there are a couple of exceptions but, I digress.
Visually, I compared the sizes of the two sandwiches and from my perspective the Popeye’s sandwich seems larger than Chick-fil-A’s. The Popeye’s piece of chicken seems larger and flakier topped with some type of white sauce and a larger slice of a pickle. Chick-fil-A’s had few smaller slices of pickles with no sauce. The old sniffer tells me the two sandwiches smell amazingly delicious.
With great anticipation I slowly unwrap each sandwich and revelantly place each on its own plate. I take my first bite out of the Chick-fil-A sandwich and I immediately taste the buttery bun with the taste of pickle and crispy piece of chicken. Yummy, very delicious. The second bite is from the Popeye’s sandwich, there isn’t any buttery taste from the bun; however, it is a slight sweetness and the bread is very moist. The chicken seems to have a slight tangy flavor with the taste of the pickle and the sauce which only enhances the flavor. I took a bite of the piece of chicken without the sauce and I seriously think Popeye’s doesn’t need to add any sauce to the sandwich. Very good.I also took note, the Popeye’s sandwich is priced at $9.99 while the Chick-fil-A came in at $5.75. If you want a great chicken sandwich but, are on a budget, go with Chick-fil-A. I feel that you really can’t go wrong on either sandwich when it comes to quality and taste.
I did finish both sandwiches, how could I not, the two are amazing. I did like the Chick-fil-A sandwich a little more than Popeye’s only because, the bun had a nice buttery flavor to it.
Let me know if you did a taste test between the two sandwiches and which do you prefer.
Taste Test Day 2 will be In-N-Out versus 5 Guys burgers. I may add a French Fries test taste as well. Burger King vs. McDonald’s.
Until next time… Smoke’em if you got’em.Fast Food Test Taste – Chick-fil-A vs. Popeye’s
Cigar Musings 