Smoking a New World cigar at Ardoum Winery

Have a Cigar: AJ Fernandez New World Virrey Toro Gordo

Name: AJ Fernandez New World Virrey Toro Gordo

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Box-Pressed

Size: (6 inches x 58)

Strength: Full

The New World cigar is not new to me. I was introduced to it a few months ago, and I’ve grown to love it. It’s a full-bodied cigar that is near perfect. It has no weaknesses. Great draw, great notes, even burn, and lots of beautiful smoke. There’s nothing to complain about. Sometimes, when I’m smoking, I ask myself, “What would make this cigar better?” But nothing can make the New World Virrey better simply because it’s already amazing. It’s something to fall in love with.

Smoking a Liga Privada 10 Aniversario at Mareva Beirut

Have a Cigar: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario

Name: Liga Privada 10 Aniversario

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Parejo

Size: Toro (6 inches x 52)

Strength: Medium to Full

What can we pair cigars with? For starters, you can pair your cigar with all sorts of beverages: coffee, rum, champagne, and whisky are but a few examples. You can also pair your cigar with food. I know a lot of people who enjoy their cigars with desserts, chocolates, and even red meat. But have you ever met a man who paired his cigar with another cigar? Very likely, your answer will be no. But I’ve been down that path on many occasions, my friend. I promise you this: One can get drunk enough to smoke two cigars simultaneously. I even have pictures of it. However, that’s not the reason why I’m writing this down today. There’s another thing you can pair your cigar with. That thing is music.

I smoked the Liga Privada 10 Aniversario at a cigar lounge surrounded by friends. It’s an excellent cigar. With it, I had espresso and sparkling water. But all the time I was smoking it, I was thinking of only one thing. I wanted to be alone, listening to Arctic Monkeys’ “Sculpture of Anything Goes.” I wanted the smoke flowing from my lips to turn into… song. I longed for the solitude a song provides.

PDR A. Flores Gran Reserva Maduro Toro at Swings, Lebanon

Have a Cigar: PDR A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro

Name: PDR A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro

Country: Dominican Republic

Shape: Parejo

Size: Toro (6 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium

The A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro is a good-looking, medium-bodied cigar that burns with strong notes of cocoa and almonds. It’s a well-built cigar with a maduro wrapper that is soft and shiny. Its smoke is thick and creamy. Overall, it is an excellent cigar.

I smoked it outdoors after a good meal on a Sunday afternoon and paired it with a 12-year-old Scotch.

The cigar burned calmly as if time was abundant, as if tomorrow wasn’t announced yet. Time burned, but it burned slowly. I was with my wife and friends. We were having a very good time, and we were going to have a very good night.