Been a busy couple weeks. Two really great events in Maryland where I got to interview Ernesto Perez Carrillo at Davidus Cigars (Gaithersburg) and my yearly interview with Pete Johnson at W.Curtis Draper. Lots of smoking at both events. Then to top it off, I’m back in Atlanta and got to spend time with Brian Hewitt and the gang at Buckhead Cigar. If you ever hangout with the Buckhead gang, be prepared to eat and smoke. Two things that I enjoy doing but the ATL boys take it to a whole new level. Brian Hewitt will agree with me that the meal we had at Kevin Rathbun Steak was a EPIC meal! Take it from me, be sure to order the thick cut bacon as an appetizer. Totally worth it and if you want to be like Brian Hewitt, save the excess sauce and pour it on your wagyu burger…the key lime cheesecake is pretty phenomenal as well. No onto the Week In Smoke – TGT Edition:

The La Flor Dominicana Air Bender has always been hit or miss with me. It really depends on the vitola. The Villano (lancero) and the Chisel sizes never fail to disappoint with me.

Old school Padilla Miami 8&11 was such a great cigar that was rolled by Don Pepin Garcia. So good that I must have invested in a lot of them as I always seem to stumble upon one when I browse the selection in my humidors.

One of the Pete Johnson lines that doesn’t get its fair share of attention is the La Riqueza line. The La Riqueza Cabinet No. 5 is a great short smoke. Not as easy on the wallet as the Havana VI Verocu No. 5 but still a great cigar with great flavors.

I have no idea how I acquired this La Aurora 1495 Series. Its definitely not a regular production cigar but I can’t recall how I came into possession of one of these. Awkward to smoke because of its ring gauge but smooth, well balanced and impecable construction nonetheless.

The Tatuaje 7th Reserva is quickly becoming one of my go to cigars and I envision a box of them to be in my future very soon. A consistent and delightful cigar smoking experience.

Can you tell that this stretch of This Week in Smoke was during the Tatuaje event? The Tatuaje Cojonu 2003 is my favorite year of all the Cojonu Series. The 2006 fell flat on me and while the 2009 was an improvement, it can’t touch the 2003. Its unfortunate that these are becoming harder and harder to find.

I won this cigar from SR’s own Mike during a Super Bowl bet. The EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural 2009 takes you by surprise. Appearances can be deceiving as the 2009 packs a punch that doesn’t fade with age.

The La Aurora Cien Anos Lancero is in my opinion one of the best lanceros ever produced. Well balanced, medium body with a delicate peppery finish.

The Cameroon Cabinet line by La Flor Dominicana is one of my favorite blends. Usually I prefer the No. 5 (Robusto) but the No. 1 (Lonsdale) isn’t bad at all. Not as balanced as the No. 5 some of the qualities that I love in the Robusto fail to appear in the No. 1 size. Still enjoyable. Really want to track down a handful of the hard to find lanceros and the Chisel which is found in the Chisel Sampler Pack.

I rarely get to smoke anything from our friend Sean Williams. The Primer Mundo line is just hard to find in my area. I had to dig into Brian Hewitt’s stash to try this Rosado Oscuro Figurado. Had some burn issues and trouble keeping it lit but its definitely a blend I wish was more accessible to me as I really dig it’s unique dark nutty flavor profile.

During the Tatuaje event, AJ Fernandez and his San Lotano line came up in our off camera discussions. Pete seems to enjoy the Maduro the most saying it had some unique qualities to it. I’ll politely disagree with Pete, as will many, and proclaim that the San Lotano Habano is hands down the best in the series. A nice balance of power and flavors that don’t get old or boring. Bravo AJ!

Another cigar that is growing harder and harder to find is the EP Carrillo Short Run 2010. The Short Run is a rich, complex smoke whose hefty dark coffee, dark chocolate and nutty flavor profile really begs to be savored. If you see them in your travels, grab em.

I’m not a member of Studio Tabac’s Consumer Advisory Board or whatever nor am I the biggest cheerleader when it comes to anything with the Cain…until now. I was really surprised at the balance of the Cain Daytona. They really seem to have put an emphasis on having the flavors shine and having the power take a back seat. A must try in my opinion. If you wrote the Cain series off like I had done; the Daytona will surprise you.

I don’t know why but Alec Bradley cigars always seem to fall off my radar until I pick one up on a whim. Once I start smoking one I’m always asking myself why I don’t smoke more of his cigars. Thats exactly the experience I had with the Alec Bradley Tempus. Rich, complex flavors with just enough power to make for a great combination.

Lots of La Flor Dominicana cigars in this episode of the Week in Smoke. After binging on pizza I was looking for a heavy cigar and so I sparked up a La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro. Things start out flawless and enjoyable. Something happened around the halfway point and things went flat. Very abnormal for anything from Litto to do that but I found myself uninterested and putting it down sooner than I had anticipated.

I debated including the Quesada Tributo. Nothing against Quesada but this was the last cigar of a very active evening and in all honesty, my palate was friend. I decided to include it as a reminder to myself to go back and give the Tributo a fair chance with a fresher palate.