Smoking Through the Seasonal Shift

Will today’s weather be fall-like? Will a piece of summer return? Will we get a taste of winter? Those questions come to mind often during the last quarter of the year in Virginia. I ask myself the same things as spring approaches in March.

That uncertainty signals the yearly changeover of my screened porch a cold-weather smoking space. The cooling fans go away. Floor coverings go down on the decking. I bring out the air purifier and portable heaters. The earlier sunsets require the addition of a few more lamps to brighten the darkness.

AI Imagery

The changeover happens gradually. Even after I switch out the equipment, the porch windows stay in transition for weeks.

One recent evening, I enjoyed a cigar on the porch with most of the windows closed and the ones at either end still open. The air purifier was running, but I didn’t need the heater. In a T-shirt, I was perfectly comfortable.

The next afternoon, I stepped outside to empty the ashtray and felt the difference. It was cooler than it had been the night before, even after sunset. The next evening, I needed to fire up a propane heater to take the edge off.

A day or two later, I’ll likely open more windows and the heater will be inactive. This back-and-forth can last well into November, perhaps even December. Eventually, the porch settles into its fully winterized configuration.

For a while, anyway. As spring approaches, the changeover reverses direction, one uncertain day at a time.

Cheers!

A Taste of Italy: Toscano del Presidente 20th Anniversario

While visiting Bolzano, Italy, last spring, I stopped into a tabaccheria with an especially extensive selection of Toscano cigars. I picked up a box of Toscano del Presidente 20th Anniversario, a special edition commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the original Toscano del Presidente, released in 2006.

The cigar’s description lists premium North American Kentucky tobacco for the wrapper and selected Italian and North American Kentucky tobaccos for the filler. As with all Toscano cigars, there is no binder. The commemorative cigars are aged for 20 months rather than the usual 14. They come in a commemorative box of 20 ammezzato cigars, along with a ceramic tray bearing the anniversary logo.

The cigars and presentation box are sold exclusively in Italy and aren’t available online. The package was a little heavy and awkward in my backpack for the flight home, but its uniqueness made the effort worthwhile.

Recently, I paired one with an espresso for a quick afternoon pick-me-up.

The diminutive cigar offers a peppery, toasted, earthy smoking experience. I didn’t find its profile as rich in woody smokiness as that of most Toscano varieties, but it remained distinctly Toscano-esque. The bitter espresso was the perfect complement.

The small cigar lasted about 35 minutes — much longer than the double espresso. It made for a delightful afternoon repast, with memories of Italy. The only thing missing was a sweet cornetto on the side.

Cheers!

A Rye Old Fashioned, a Favorite Cigar, and a Little Peppermint Bark

On a recent evening, I reached for one of my favorite cigars, the Southern Draw Manzanita, which has made multiple appearances in these Musings. This time, I was enjoying a 5 1/2 × 54 Robusto from a box I picked up last March.

The Manzanita sports a smooth, reddish-brown Habano wrapper over a Habano binder and a blend of Pelo d’Oro, Corojo 99, and Ligero filler leaves. This medium- to full-bodied smoke offers deep notes of earth and leather, complemented by chocolate, nuts, and cedar. A touch of pepper and spice lingers in the background, balancing the earthiness and sweeter notes.

I decided that a sweet rye Old Fashioned would make a nice accompaniment to the evening cigar. I made it with J. H. Bards Virginia Rye and their house Blackstrap Old Fashioned Syrup. A twist of orange zest added a bright, aromatic counterpoint to the dark molasses, keeping the cocktail from becoming too heavy. The recipe is inspired by the version served in the distillery’s tasting room in Blacksburg.

After smoking the cigar for a few minutes, I took my first sip of the Old Fashioned and couldn’t help but smile. The blackstrap molasses syrup provided a dark, robust sweetness that complemented the cigar’s earthy, woody flavors. The Manzanita has enough sweetness of its own that its flavors weren’t lost beneath the cocktail.

About halfway through the cigar, I went inside to mix a second Old Fashioned. That’s when Colleen asked if I’d like a small piece of Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark. Of course, I accepted.

I’m not a huge fan of mint in general, but I do enjoy peppermint bark, especially with bourbon. It’s a tradition in our house for Santa to deliver a couple of boxes of Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark to Colleen each year. She then makes them last until the next holiday season.

The peppermint bark added an unexpected third element to the pairing. The peppermint provided a refreshing contrast to the cigar’s spice, while the chocolate contributed another layer of flavor. Best of all, the mint never overwhelmed the tobacco. The Manzanita’s spice remained firmly in the lead, with the peppermint complementing rather than competing with it.

Settling in for an evening of sipping and smoking, I had no intention of thinking too hard about the experience. I simply wanted to relax and enjoy it without making mental or written notes. But by the time I finished, I was so taken with the combination of flavors that I couldn’t let the experience pass without recording it.

And here we are.

Cheers!

A Hygrometer Too Far

I was chatting with another passionate cigar smoker recently about our hobby and the adjacent obsessions that come along with it. This doesn’t even include the cigars themselves. Many smokers have more cigars in their collections — I  prefer the word selection — than they could possibly smoke in a lifetime. Yet we continually seek out new releases and old favorites.

It’s the supplementary compulsions that lead to an ever-growing selection of lighters, cutters, travel cases, and even ashtrays. It’s all really just part of the fun.

There’s another obsession that gets less attention, but one I’ve found myself falling victim to: the constant monitoring of humidity levels in the humidor.

Questions about proper humidity levels for cigar storage abound on online forums and in cigar lounges. It’s usually one of the first questions beginners ask, and experienced smokers debate the subject regularly. To some extent, it’s a matter of personal preference. Sixty-nine percent relative humidity seems to be a common recommendation, though many prefer something a little lower. I strive for an average reading of around 65–66% myself.

Even after settling on that target, I continue to monitor and double-check. At one point, I had three Govee WiFi hygrometers in the humidor for remote monitoring, all accessible from my phone, along with two or three additional digital devices. All the units were calibrated and recalibrated every few months. These instruments were in addition to the humidor’s built-in display.

After a while, I had to admit that this was getting a little ridiculous.

Humidity levels in my cigar cabinet can vary by a few percentage points from shelf to shelf, and the readings fluctuate slightly as the system works to maintain temperature and humidity. Watching the averages on the remote monitors provides some reassurance that my target is being maintained. But there’s a downside for the humidity-obsessed: digital trackers that measure to a tenth of a percent and react to even the slightest fluctuation. Every little change becomes an event worthy of investigation.

As part of my ongoing recovery from this monitoring obsession, I now have just one remotely monitored hygrometer in the humidor. It also serves as an alarm in case of a major problem, alerting me if the temperature or humidity moves outside my preset ranges.

And there’s still one additional hygrometer in the cabinet, just because.

Two recent developments suggest that this humidity theme isn’t confined to the humidor.

My wife has a tray of small orchids sitting in a window. I happened to notice that her hygrometer was reading 65%. Without any fuss, without any adjustments, and without a single glance at her phone, her orchids seemed perfectly content with the reading.

I found that mildly unfair.

As I write these thoughts, our home’s HVAC system is undergoing its pre-winter checkup. The technician has just discovered that the whole-house humidifier is leaking water.

Apparently, humidity monitoring isn’t an entirely misplaced obsession after all. Of course, I realize that the two situations have very little to do with each other. But I’m willing to take whatever vindication I can get.

Yes, I’m humidity-obsessed. Excuse me while I check the calibration on my hygrometers one more time.

Cheers!

Evening Primrose Meets Starlight Cigar Batch

I’ve had a few Southern Draw Evening Primrose cigars in the humidor for about fifteen months. I smoked a few early on, and then they gradually migrated to the inner reaches of the humidor, where they remained forgotten until I rediscovered them during a recent humidor rearrange.

The Evening Primrose features a nice-looking Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper and an Ecuadorian-grown Sumatra binder. Southern Draw specifies the filler components as 50% Honduran, 25% Nicaraguan, and 25% USA Ligero. My cigars are the 5½ x 54 Robusto vitola.

The cigar delivers a full-flavored, earthy experience, with cocoa and dark chocolate notes throughout. Roasted coffee emerges as the smoke progresses. My notes from earlier smokes indicate a substantial pepper presence. This time, however, the spice was more muted, perhaps due to the extended rest in the humidor. A subtle sweetness balances the darker aspects of the profile.

I paired the evening’s smoke with Starlight Distillery Cigar Batch Bourbon. The farm-to-glass distillery in Borden, Indiana, finishes whiskies aged five to seven years in Brazilian Amburana casks for three to six months. The finishing process contributes distinctive spice and sweetness while allowing the underlying bourbon character to come through.

Each time I pour Starlight Cigar Batch Bourbon, I’m struck by its rich, complex flavors. Vanilla, sweet cream, chocolate, and dark fruit all come into play. At times, I also pick up sweet tobacco, cinnamon, and toasted wood. An added delight is that the same range of aromas greets me each time I raise the glass.

Initially, I wondered whether the cigar would have enough sweetness to keep up with the richness of the bourbon. In the end, the Evening Primrose’s earthy maduro character, roasted notes, and pepper provided an appealing contrast to the cinnamon, vanilla, and dark fruit notes in the Starlight Cigar Batch. Although the cigar and bourbon might seem an unlikely match on paper, they made for an unexpectedly enjoyable pairing.

Sometimes contrasts can be surprisingly compatible. 

Cheers!

Almonds, Oak, and a Cooling Porch

Now that we’re solidly into fall, with winter knocking on the door, cooler evenings on the screened porch are once again becoming the norm. Heading out for an evening sip and smoke, I wondered how comfortable the porch would be.

For this evening’s smoke, I lit up a Guardian of the Farm Apollo Selección de Warped and poured a glass of Maker’s Mark 46.

The Guardian of the Farm Apollo is a Nicaraguan puro developed through a collaboration between Aganorsa Leaf (then Casa Fernandez) and Warped Cigars. Released in 2017, the cigar has earned accolades from aficionados over the years. As far as I can recall, I’d never smoked one, so I was interested in discovering what all the favorable reviews were about.

The cigar measures 6 x 44, making it a lonsdale, or long corona. The cigar is made with a blend of vintage Criollo and Corojo vintage Nicaraguan tobaccos. The wrapper is Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo ’99, with a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 binder and fillers consisting of Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 tobaccos. 

The cigar opens with medium-bodied flavors of almonds and roasted nuts, accompanied by woody cedar notes. Mild baking spices emerge as the smoke progresses, while a subtle sweetness remains consistent throughout.

I selected Maker’s Mark 46 for its caramel sweetness. Bottled at a modest 94 proof, the oak-finished bourbon complemented the cigar’s almond and spice notes without overwhelming its more delicate flavors.

The Guardian of the Farm Apollo Selección de Warped is a flavorful but subtle smoke. Its slender ring gauge contributes to a slow, measured smoking experience, and the cigar burned evenly from start to finish. I was surprised to get an hour and forty-five minutes out of it.

As I enjoyed the cigar and bourbon pairing, I watched the thermometer on the wall slowly creep down to 52°. It was cool, but not uncomfortable. I thought back to smoking on the porch last winter. Once the windows are closed and the heater is brought out, the temperature rarely drops below 65°, even on the coldest winter days.

I suppose it will soon be time to convert the screened porch to its winter configuration.

Cheers!

Smoke, Salt, and Rye

The season for comfortably enjoying the deck is drawing to a close, but it isn’t over just yet. After a few cooler days, a recent pleasant afternoon offered an opportunity to enjoy our aperitivo on the deck. With sunlight dappling through the trees, it was a near-perfect autumn afternoon.

Colleen put together a platter of salami, prosciutto, and crackers while I mixed up a couple of Old Fashioneds. After a quick scan of the humidor, I selected an AJ Fernandez New World Oscuro Toro to accompany the cured meats.

The New World Oscuro features a dark Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper with a thick, leathery appearance. The binder is Nicaraguan leaf from Jalapa, while the fillers come from Estelí, Condega, and Ometepe. The 6½ × 55 Toro is box-pressed and sports a red foot band alongside the familiar New World branding.

After a few minutes of nibbling on the food and sipping my drink, I lit up the New World Oscuro. The cigar comes out of the gate with rich roasted coffee, bitter chocolate, and a substantial dose of spice. Underlying woodiness and sweeter notes soon emerge to balance the blend.

The spicy salami and salty prosciutto paired well with the bold cigar. The salt, natural sweetness, and rich pork flavors softened some of the cigar’s bitter espresso notes without diminishing its richness. The additional saltiness of the crackers contributed another layer to the combination.

The rye-based Old Fashioned brought its own spicy character to the pairing, complementing the cigar’s peppery notes without competing with the rich coffee and chocolate flavors.

Eventually, the sun sank lower in the sky, and the afternoon’s warmth faded, like a curtain falling at the end of the season’s final act. There may yet be some surprisingly warm days to come — it is Virginia, after all — but before long, we’ll be enjoying our afternoon aperitivo break in more sheltered surroundings.

Cheers!

Rain, Bourbon, and a Surpassion Half Track

We spent another weekend in Blacksburg recently, enjoying plenty of good food and drink and, of course, Hokie football. As usual, I packed a few cigars just in case an opportunity arose to enjoy a smoke or two. Although the weather forecast for the weekend kept changing, rain appeared to be a sure thing. But one never knows.

After enjoying an early dinner and some good beers at Eastern Divide Brewing, I headed out to the hotel patio with a glass of Maker’s Mark Bourbon from the hotel bar while the rest of the family rested in their rooms. One last check of the weather app on my phone showed that rain wasn’t expected for another three hours.

I lit one of the Surpassion Half Track cigars I had picked up at the Hogshead Cigar Lounge event last month. I figured the short cigar would provide a pleasant smoke before the rain arrived.

As luck would have it, no sooner had I applied the flame than I felt the first raindrops. I quickly relocated to a table with an umbrella and hoped the rain would be minimal.

The Surpassion Half Track is a limited-edition extension of the company’s King of Battle line. Measuring 4 x 53, it’s a short robusto that uses the same American Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Mexican San Andrés binder, and blend of Dominican and American fillers as the King of Battle. The Half Track is exclusive to Hogshead Cigar Lounge in Fredericksburg.

The cigar starts with a nice blend of espresso and cocoa, accompanied by a dose of black pepper. As the smoke progresses, the fudge-like sweetness and bitter espresso remain in a pleasing balance.

The bourbon selection at the hotel was limited, and I had neglected to bring along a bottle of my own. However, Maker’s Mark proved to be a very satisfactory choice that paired well with the Half Track. The bourbon’s soft vanilla sweetness complemented the dark fudge notes of the cigar, while its mild character allowed the cigar’s flavor profile to remain in the lead.

As I smoked, the rain began to fall harder. The weather forecasters had gotten this one wrong. Fortunately, tucking myself close to the table under the umbrella blocked most of the rain. The occasional mist that blew through was tolerable, and the cigar remained unaffected.

As I approached the end of the surprisingly long smoke, nearly an hour had passed. The rain began coming down more heavily, and I was quite happy to have gotten in an enjoyable, relaxing smoke at the end of a long day of travel and dining.

Cheers!