Thank you. It has been a month and half since my brother committed suicide and you have my heartfelt thanks for your support and well wishes. I won’t lie; it has been difficult. I catch myself picking up my iPhone and wanting to send him a text message to see how he is doing, thinking maybe this has been some weird out of body experience and he’d reply. Time heals all wounds and in time, I’ll be okay but I wanted to thank all of you, for again, being my crunch during another tragic life experience. Remember folks, when someone you know is having problems but tells you “don’t worry; it’s ok” it really means you should worry because they are not okay.

Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 – This was my brother’s favorite cigar. Back when he first introduced me to cigars this was his jam! I don’t always dissect a cigar when I smoke it. Sometimes I just sit back, light up and enjoy the memories. Back in December when I recorded an interview with Daniel Marshall, Daniel was very happy with how the video turned out and the story of The Little Robusto Project that he sent me this killer humidor. It is probably the nicest thing that I own. He told me that a special cigar like The Little Robusto deserves a special home. I like to believe the Little Robusto and my brother are in the same place so my plan is for those two cigars to share the same special home.

Davidoff White Edition (2011) – Beautiful cigar! Oily wrapper with a smooth, balanced spicy earthy flavor core. Burned to perfection. Paired immensely well with a little Jameson.

Davidoff Colorado Claro Double R – I gotta tell you. It doesn’t get much closer to perfection than the Colorado Claro. It is just one amazing and special blend. It is next to impossible for me think of any other cigar so artfully constructed, so well balanced and not to mention its ingenious and engaging complexity. Paired with some Old Forester was a nice touch as well.

Illusione Rothchildes – Easily one of the Top 5 new cigars I’ve smoked this year. The flavor profile is like Dion himself. It is a enigma. Simple but complex. Smooth but rough. Sexy but ordinary. Exciting but low key. Like I said, an enigma.

Four Kicks – A pretty good pairing in my opinion. The smokey woodiness of the Four Kick, along with the fruity bite of the peach moonshine. Four Kicks remains my favorite release to date from our friends at Crowned Heads and with IPCPR around the corner, I’m looking forward to see and smoke the J.D. Howard Reserve.

La Aroma De Cuba – The toasty and nutty qualities of the La Aroma De Cuba was a nice match for the nutmeg and cinnamon spice of the apple pie moonshine.

Leccia Tobacco White – Pleasantly surprised. I’m always a bit skeptical with any new release. While I’m not a fan of some of the cheesy marketing logos the Leccia White proved to be an impressive cigar. Loved the dominate rough smokey and smooth coffee notes with the hint of woodiness at the tail end. Cigar felt lite in my hands but the wrapper was smooth and burned extremely well. Nicely done.