Macanudo Vintage 2006 Toro

Yes, this was finally smoked!

Couple of the guys and I were smoking Romeo No.3 at my balcony, and my friend asked me if we could crack open one of the expensive ones to compare.  So I thought, "This is the perfect time for the Macanudo!"

We all shared it, and it was good! I really thought that it was going to be really strong, but it was very smooth, easy to smoke, (Way more than Romeo No.3).  I think I'm gonna try to get another one to add to my collection.

In the end, this was shared between 7 people.  It wasn't cheap, but I really did enjoy sharing this with everyone.  I'm glad that I didn't smoke this all to myself.

Special cigar for special occasion.... Yeah, definitely.

Until next time, see you!

Cohiba Esplendido

Today was a house warming party at my place, and a friend of mine gave this to me as a gift!

Yesterday he asked me what he should bring to the party, so I joked with him that I want "Cohiba Esplendido".  I really was not expecting to actually get it because they are rather pricey.  Out of nowhere, he says to me "Before you get so drunk to remember anything, here" and pulled it out of his pocket.  You have no idea how happy I was!

I originally saw this on the old Japanese drama "Gift" long time ago.  There was a scene where the main character delivered a box of Esplendido to a homeless man, and it looked so awesome.

This is a great addition to my collection.  I am trying to figure out what kind of special occasion I could smoke this at.

One of these days, I would like to get my hands on a box of Esplendido.  It would be so awesome.

Until next time, see you!

Cohiba Siglo II

Tonight, I decided to smoke the Cohiba Siglo II.

First time smoking the Cohiba and I am very satisfied with it. I've watched many YouTube review videos and have heard people talk about the leather flavor, which I didn't know what to think about, but I think I've actually tasted the leather!

It was rather interesting experience for me, and now I would love to start collecting other Cohiba cigars.  I really am curious about the Esplendidos, ever since I saw it on the Japanese drama.

Until next time, see you!

Today's purchase 7/2/2017

Had some extra time so I went to Akamondo for cigar shopping.

Shop

タバコの赤門堂

Today's purchases

Trinidad Reyes

This was recommended to me by the shop owner so I decided to get it.

Cohiba Robusto

I have a feeling that I really am going to enjoy the Siglo II I purchased the previous week, so I decided to add this to my collection.

Punch Punch Punch

I read that this one has little bit of sweet flavor to it, so the curiosity got me to purchase it.

Until next time, see you!

Drew Estate Kahlua Robusto

So here it is.  I had just made some purchases, and I've decided to smoke this one right away.

Now I only am able to compare this with Romeo No.3, Phillies, and Swishers, so please bare with me.

I did like the coffee flavor on the cap.  It actually made me think "I should've bought the whole box because that box was so awesome!".  But when lit it, I didn't really enjoy smoking it too much.  It actually reminded me of Swisher Sweets.  Little did I know that Drew Estate is actually acquired by Swisher's so I guess that makes sense.

Would I buy this again?  I'm definitely not going to go out of my way to get it. Though I wouldn't mind having the box! Yes, it was just that cool!

Drew Estate doesn't even make them anymore anyway.  I think it was some limited time deal they had with Kahlua.

Until next time, see you!

Today's purchase 6/29/2017

Well, I realized that if I am going to start with the cigar hobby, I need to get a humidor.  So I went out shopping!

The shop

ワカハラ シガー・パイプ・各種喫煙具専門店

Today's purchase

Macanudo Vintage 2006 Toro

Well I saw this online and thought to myself, "I want that cigar band!!!". 

So I started doing some research to see if I can purchase them here in Nagoya, and sure enough I found the store, I bought this mainly for the band, but considering that it is a vintage cigar, I am going to save this for a special occasion.

Cohiba Siglo II

Considering I had not smoked Cohiba cigars yet, I figured why not.  I ended up buying 2.

Drew Estate Kahlua Robusto

I was actually getting ready to check out when I saw the box of Kahlua.  It was cheap, and I do enjoy Kahlua drinks so I thought "Eh, why not?  I may not have much expectations, but they don't make them anymore anyway so at least I will be able to say I smoked it."

Zino Mouton Cadet No.3

This actually was given to me by the cigar shop owner as he was very happy to gain a new customer.  I couldn't believe it when he said 「これも何かの縁だと思うので、これを差し上げます」.  I was so happy that even though he told me to go smoke it right away, I am going to save it for a special occasion too.

A humidor

Well, I got it, and will need to season it before I stick the cigars in them.  But I couldn't resist as I was so excited to finally get a humidor, so this is what I did before I start seasoning it.

Yes, I was smiling like a child with a brand new toy when I took this photo.  I had to fight the urge to keep them in the humidor right away.  I really am looking forward to when it is all finished

Until next time, see you!

Romeo Y Julieta / Romeo No.3

This is the first premium cigar I have smoked in my life, and it happened on this very day, June 17th, 2017.

I still don't know what to look for in cigars as I have recently started this new hobby, but I will say that it is really smooth and easy to smoke compared to the low end cigars like Phillies, Swisher Sweets, and such.

What was the occasion?  Well my friend and I hosted a bachelor party for our boss, who is also a good friend of ours as he is getting married to his beautiful fiancee, so I decided "Why not start this on a very special day?".  So I actually purchased 8 of them few days ago, as I had read that this is a good one for the beginners to start out with.

We were pretty drunk, but damn it was good!

Bachelor party was a blast, cigar was good, the crew at the party are awesome, what more could we ask for?

Until next time, see you!

The beginning of the cigar journey

Hello all!

This is where I will be typing up journals about cigars I smoke.

Quick history

My very first cigar was back in high school, which was Phillies Titan.  I bought them because I just wanted to be "cool".  Well I didn't know how to enjoy cigars then, and I didn't even know that difference between the low-end cigars and premium cigars.

About a year ago, I picked up some swishers sweets for the nostalgic reason, and I still didn't know how to enjoy them, and to be honest, they were pretty nasty.  Too sweet, and harsh.

So why start this hobby now?  Well I've just been so curious about premium cigars and wondered why people enjoy them so much.  So I went ahead and picked up some cigarillos to try it out.  They are Cohiba, Montecristo, and Romeo Y Julieta.

I must say, I was quite impressed with the aroma, and didn't realize how good the real tobacco tasted.  Yeah they were pretty strong, but I could see myself really enjoying them

The old man at the cigar shop was nice enough to tell me that these are 3 of the most popular brands, so I went ahead and go with them.  The shop clerk did tell me that cigarillos are going to feel really strong, and the actual cigars are going to be a lot smoother so I think I will slowly making the transition to the cigars as I try to learn and understand the flavor of the tobaccos.

Until next time, see you!