The Cigar Life

 Saturday, June 20, 2026 Asylum 13's are my current favorite cigar. Lit one up on this Saturday afternoon.  Smoked it in the yard.  These take a little more than 2 hours.  They're well worth the time commitment.  Listened to my most favorite Sarah Vaughan album while relaxing. 

 Saturday, June 13, 2026 Lit up this afternoon. Big, fat Asylum 13. Which is one of my favorites.  Temperature was in the lower 70s. The humidity was low and it was comfortable enough when the sun was out but then the clouds moved in.  So I went back inside and grabbed my leather jacket. It started to rain so I moved into the garage.  This size Asylum takes about a couple hours to smoke.  Listened to Lush Life - The Music of Billy Strayhorn . By Joe Henderson. 

 Saturday, February 14, 2026 Beautiful day today. Couldn't not have a cigar.  Unseasonably mild.  Picked up a Digger at Stogies on Grand in St. Paul after having lunch with a friend.  Haven't had a Digger in quite a while. They take a while to smoke so they're not the best for bitterly cold days.  On colder days I'll smoke a really small cigar (if at all). Temps in the lower 30s to 40s and I'll light up a medium sized cigar. Mid-40s and above are optimal for a mondo cigar.  In the mood for 90s era Jazz. 

Sunday, May 5, 2024 Absolutely gorgeous day. Seventy-one degrees. Lit up a Macanudo which was beautifully mild. My On the Rocks pre-made Old Fashioned was a perfect compliment.                         A Macanudo was the first premium cigar I ever bought.  I was 18 years old and I believe I made the purchase at a cigar store in Southdale.  Dale sat outside with me for a bit and we got a kick out of the neighbor kids playing on their jungle gym. Listened to Oscar Peterson. 

Tuesday, April 2, 2024 Pre-made On the Rocks brand Old Fashioned with my Romeo y Julieta cigar today.  Lit up in the garage around 4:30.  Rather raw outside for temps in the 40s.  I love pairing cigars with alcohol. A cigar with an Old Fashioned cocktail is one of my favorite combinations. A cigar with bourbon straight-up is quite nice but the addition of sugar or syrup in an Old Fashioned gives the drink notes of caramel and sweetness which goes well with the smoky, rich, and bold flavors of the cigar.  Music provided today by Buddy DeFranco via Apple Music. 

  Saturday, March 16, 2024 Lunch with Noel. Stopped by Stogies on Grand after lunch and pick up a few Olivas and another tin of Macanudos.                        Upon retuning home I headed for the garage... ...lit up...                        ...and stayed in there as it was quite windy today.   Sunny but chilly and, as you can see from the tipped over chair, very windy.  Brought the Bose speaker out for some garage jazz.  Listened to Art Blakey. 

Friday, June 16, 2023 Today's the first day of summer vacation and I'm celebrating with a Hoyo de Monterrey. What a year. It wasn't a bad one but it one of the more challenging one's I've had. I switched grade levels and the post-covid challenges continue to be much greater than I could have ever suspected. All that said, I'm grateful for the break and today is progressing splendidly.  The weather is beautiful. It's a perfect Minneapolis summer day.  And I, of course, listened to lots of music while smoking my cigar.