Just like last year, selecting a winner for Day 2 of the Stogie Review 12 Days of Christmas was very difficult. Brian, Jerry, Mike, and I exchanged messages trying to select a winner. As it turned out, all of us had a different favorite, which made picking a winner all the more difficult.

The winner of a 4 Cigar Angelenos Sampler and Cutter, courtesy of Prometheus, sheds a little light on Santas reindeer. To our surprise, we actually had the pleasure of seeing Santa’s preferred cigar earlier in the year. Perhaps the very stick we witnessed was slated to travel to the north pole?

Greetings guys…

Here is my submission for your Christmas contest. Hope you enjoy!

I think it’s important to first point out that Santa’s reindeer are unlike any other reindeer known to man. Aside from their ability to fly, little is documented about their sheer strength. One might think pulling a jolly fat-man and a sleigh is hard, but to these antlered brutes, they barely notice the weight. Tales told around snow-covered bars and pubs, often with bellies full of clear liquid, indicate these animals can easily carry loads 100’s of times heavier than body weight. Couple this with the length of a single journey around the globe, Santa should certainly enjoy a stick commensurate with his important task. For these reasons, I think Santa would toast the foot of a Gran Habano Gigante. No other rolled bunches of tobacco leaves can provide Santa with a full night of smoking pleasure, as seen by its nearly 19 foot length. While never officially documented, there are rumors that Guillermo Rico has been providing Santa with this cigar for several decades; and possibly his company, as far back as the early 1900’s. Evidence points to this, as Guillermo has been quoted as saying, “When I close the door at night, I am still refreshed, never tired, although my staff and I work very hard. I do not see myself ever retiring.” (http://ghcigars.com/gr-tabacaleras-unidas/) This seems awfully familiar to another person who never seems to tire and loves what he does (hint: think fat man in red).

The evidence seems to suggest, as least to us mere mortals, that not only does Saint Nicholas have the ability to enjoy a cigar, thanks to his hearty reindeer, but that the Gran Habano Gigante is the most likely smoke to last the whole night through.