As the title implies – the achievements section has had a great start, looks like 3 people are currently battling it out for 1st place! This past weekend I got a few submissions for The Chief, Its A Trap and You Guys Really Are Nuts – bringing us to a new leader in our contest who is . . .
When last we heard from the Cigar Noob, she was finally beginning to cut her very first cigar. Yes, after many mishaps, and possibly proof that she may be suffering from mild retardation, the Noob had gotten her hot little hands on a cigar (thanks to the Nut) and was ready to kick her journey off in style. Memory recalls that she had acquired a Jade Series Gurkha…wait, wait…this just in from the Noob…(oh, goodness, you’re kidding, right? No? Noob should be changed to Idiot, I’m not joking) *Cough* Well, lords and ladies, it appears the Noob may have encountered another, shall we say, “pothole” in what is looking like a very long Road to Pro.
When good cigars happen to bad people...for SHAME!
Instead of the previously mentioned Jade Series, due to, ummm, “unforeseeable events”, the Noob is instead cutting into another Gurkha, the Symphony. We promise. This is really happening. Let us pretend that Jade Series was a slip of the tongue (slip of the fingers? (that sounds dirty)) and continue with the story, shall we?
Size: 4.5 x 54
Wrapper: Costa Rica
Binder and Filler: Cuban Seed Corojo and Ecuadorian Ligero
Strength: High Medium to Low Full
Price: $15.00
Behind The Stick:
Many of you who read the site often know that Graycliff cigars are not a regular occurrence on the site ( actually, this is the first review of one! ). These cigars are produced in the cigar haven of the Bahamas, usually are knowingly insanely expensive or have a pre-smoke caveat of ‘is the one of the bad ones?’. Many people have been turned off by them over the years and I must admit I am directly on the fence – I’ve had two different Grayclfif blends in my life – one had this god awful ‘mildew’ taste I could not get rid of and the second one was simply very, very enjoyable – far to extreme to really judge but, at the same time, enough to keep me away from trying more. That being said – due to the cost and my previous issues, I only have a single of this cigar to smoke so keep that in mind – also, thanks to @Keith1911 I want to point out I got this cigar from CI and NOT a local B&M. Just a taste this time.
As the title implies people have already been submitting achievements! In fact, before I even announced that the achievements were back Tony C had submitted an entry for the Mental Illness achievement then less than a week later I have another 2 additions! With the response already seeming to do well, I am going to up the prize – not sure what it will be just yet but I will let you all know! Also, be sure to keep an eye on the Achievement Scoreboard to see who is in the lead!
Without further adieu –
Mental Illness: Pulled out an LP9 that had a Small hole. I couldn’t bring myself to smoke it thinking there was a beetle inside so I tore it apart.
The only thing I found was the hole was only wrapper deep, meaning it wasn’t from a beetle!
-Tony
and then M. Thorne submitted a completed Double Ash and Forgetful achievements as well as gave an idea for a new achievement that will be added!
Forgetful: I started with a Liga No. 9 for this achievement and a little bit in I thought I should try the double ash. It was a cool afternoon but not too bad to enjoy two cigars. I smoked through the band of the No. 9 which wasn’t easy until I discovered a stem and removed it.
Double Ash: I also burned a dirty rat staying with the Liga Privada theme. They paired really well and actually helped me see the nuances of each smoke.
- Thorne
Size: 6 x 54
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder and Filler: Cameroon, Nicaraguan
Strength: Full
Price: Give or take 7 dollars
Behind The Stick:
The Cromagnon Cigar is a collaboration from two men who’s lives have been deeply involved within the cigar industry. Michael Rosales ( on twitter as @smokeadrians ) has produced other very enjoyable and popular cigar blends throughout the years and Skip Martin ( on twitter as @chiefhava ) is not only the twitter ‘cigar heavyweight’ but also ran a successful B&M in Galveston, Texas until a hurricane destroyed the physical location. I must also admit, both these guys impressed the hell out of me. When I was placing my original order Michael had me call him directly and we bullshitted for about a half hour – traded short life stories, goals and generally just chatted – was taken back by it but he is very down to earth. Chief on the other hand, we usually play XBOX Call of Duty at 1 or 2am and although we might take a 2 minute hiatus to talk cigars, most of the time were talking shit, telling jokes or losing matches – sometimes all 3 – but similar to Michael, very down to earth.
The story goes that these two men were hanging out in the ‘Man Cave’ and decided to create a cigar – through testing and boring details ( ha ) they were able to create the cigar I am about to review, although they remained nameless. After some deliberation and brain storming, the ‘Man Cave’ gave light to history and after a few grunts and chest thumps – Cromagnon was born ( maybe not exactly that last part, but makes for a story right? ). Leading with this theme, five different sizes were produced – the Knuckle Dragger ( 4 x 52 ), Anthropology ( 5.75 x 46 ), Mandible ( 5 x 60 ), EMH ( 5 x 56 ) and Cranium ( 6 x 54 ) and range from ~ 6 to 8 dollars depending on size. I purchased the original sampler pack and I plowed right through them. I am reviewing the Cranium, mainly because I smoked all the others and didn’t take pictures before hand ( whoops! ).
Product Information
• Callaway Hyper-Lite 3.0
• Dimensions: 8” top opening, 3 lbs. total weight
• URL with product information: http://www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-US/Products/Accessories/StandBags/Hyper-Lite3.0.html (black with Club Mac logo, Excalibur cigar case/cutter included)
• Includes a black Excalibur 4 finger leather cigar case with an Excalibur cutter
Ps- Consumers can purchase this bag with NO logo or cigar case/cutter for $129
http://shop.callawaygolf.com/spr3195862/spr3195862,default,pd.html
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp/SUBCATEGORY_ID/14134/refScid/1065
