Would you like a Cigar?

[BourbonTrail]

I watch the Derby every year. At 24/1 the Golden Tempo upset probably made some people pretty happy.

One guy behind us must have put a big bet on Golden Tempo, he was ecstatic to the point of hysteria.

 

[Brent in Az]

One guy behind us must have put a big bet on Golden Tempo, he was ecstatic to the point of hysteria.

The first female trainer to win the Derby.

 

[BourbonTrail]

The first female trainer to win the Derby.

Yes, she was crossing through our section on our way out and everyone was cheering for her. José (the Jockey) got a football chant (the olé one but with his name swapped in) from the crowd.

 

[Killingtime]

on guard rooster duty so my kid can catch chickens

 

[Killingtime]

 

[Killingtime]

My father flor de las Antillas

 

[Jaegerstu]

I a sure this question has been asked somewhere in the extended string of the subject of this post but “If you could only take one cigar on your safari what would it be and how many?” Good times

 

[Killingtime]

I a sure this question has been asked somewhere in the extended string of the subject of this post but “If you could only take one cigar on your safari what would it be and how many?” Good times

For me it would be Padron family reserve and I’d bring one for every day I was in the trip.

I want to say padron 50th anniversary and I’d bring 20 of them but I know I’m not paying that for a smoke lol

 

[Sika98k]

I a sure this question has been asked somewhere in the extended string of the subject of this post but “If you could only take one cigar on your safari what would it be and how many?” Good times

Hmmm, so many good cigars to bring. My favorite is Joya de Nicaragua Black in a Robusto. Although I am partial to a Paradiso Leviathan or Papagoyo.
I had an enjoyable AJ Fernandez today

 

[PARA45]

Life is good, my mama spending my inheritance money one cigar at a time

 

[Killingtime]

Life is good, my mama spending my inheritance money one cigar at a time

View attachment 764964

That box is probably the best money spent on this site yet

 

[PARA45]

Smoking an Oliva V Melanio 2025 Edition.

 

[Bejane]

has anyone heard how the supply of Cubans is? In RSA it seems to be very bad. Anyone have any news from Europe or elsewhere?

 

[Frederik]

There are plenty of Nicaraguan, cigars to be found and personally price vs name brand much better buy.

 

[PARA45]

There are plenty of Nicaraguan, cigars to be found and personally price vs name brand much better buy.

100% in agreement on this. Any Padron, Oliva, AJ Fernandez cigars, are much better than any Cuban cigar made today.

 

[Killingtime]

100% in agreement on this. Any Padron, Oliva, AJ Fernandez cigars, are much better than any Cuban cigar made today.

Those aj sampler packs are hard to beat.

 

[Corylax18]

has anyone heard how the supply of Cubans is? In RSA it seems to be very bad. Anyone have any news from Europe or elsewhere?

Its Very Bad.

The country doesn't have electricity. They don't have fuel to run tractors, trucks, etc. No bus service to get workers to/from the factories. They don't have fertilizer, they don't have the material to make boxes or the money to buy more. They don't have international flights to ship out any finished product if by some miracle they are able to produce some.

The country has been a complete mess for decades, but its not even functional now. Garbage piling up in the streets, being burned in protest, no mosquito control, so blood born pathogens are running rampant. Not enough food for people to eat, No clean water, no nothing. And to top it all off, a government that is completely unwilling to make anything better.

So supplies are very low and will remain so for several years at least. Many farmers have stopped farming tobacco altogether, because they cant eat it. Cuban has seen 10's of thousands of acres shifted from tobacco production to subsistence farming over the last 5 years or so.

I started going to Cuba in 2016 and went 2 or 3 times a year, every year up to 2023. I haven't been in the last 2 1/2 years because it just became too difficult to enjoy it. I switch to 100% Cuban cigars after that first trip and stocked up heavily, very heavily, during that time. I'm still sitting on almost 4,000 sticks, so the current supply issues wont affect me for years, but its tough to see people's lively hood destroyed.

I still talk to about a dozen friends down there on a weekly basis. Some in the cigar industry, some in other businesses. All of them agree this is far worse than the "special period" that was experienced after the collapse of the Soviet Union. As an American, its hard for me to fathom how nobody has fought back yet, I just don't understand the apathy and probably never will.

Its a beautiful, amazing country, filled with amazing people. Both of which have been sucked dry by a few horrible people. I disagree with our current president on a lot of things, but I'm really hoping that the decisions he has made on Cuba pay off. I agreed with what Obama did, but it failed, there really isn't any argument against that. It seemed good on paper, but it just didn't work. I'm loath to see another military campaign but Cuba ain't Iran, we could probably send the NYPD in there to clean things up, the national guard could handle it in a week. They're literally towing AA guns around with Oxen down there. Their military is a soviet museum.