Tag: Beirut

Review of Muse Le Rouge 2019, a Lebanese red wine from the Bekaa Valley.

Lebanese Wines: Muse Le Rouge 2019

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Name: Muse Le Rouge 2019
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Syrah, Cabernet-Sauvignon
Year: 2019
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: March 18, 2024

Full-bodied red wine. Medium tannins. Black fruits, plum, blackberry. Some oak and tiny hints of licorice. Successfully paired with steak. I’d like to drink this while smoking a full-bodied maduro Nicaraguan cigar one day. Maybe next time I will. I’d give this wine a 79/100.

The taste of a muse’s kiss in my mouth,
a goddess lying naked on my tongue
making love to the stanzas
I’m about to recite.

Words dipped in wine,
words flowing, coming
from the heart, the soul,
from places as dark as cellars.

The smell of home,
the underground pubs where I spent
my early twenties,
smoking cigarettes,
sipping full-bodied wines
before and after making memories.

The memories aged like wine.
(Some of the girls I kissed didn’t.)
Bottles of good times
uncorked and emptied,
every drop of passion drunk,
every love song sung,
every fire finally extinguished.

And here I am,
a bearded man looking back
one last time
before I stride forward
and never look back again.

Adventura The Navigator Cigar Review in Lebanon

Have a Cigar: ADVentura The Navigator Cabral

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Name: Adventura The Navigator Cabral
Country: Dominican Republic
Shape: Parejo
Size: Toro (6 inches x 54)
Strength: Medium

Branding: It’s a cigar with a very basic look. I can’t explain it, but I usually don’t like a cigar band that has a lot of white in it. Besides, compared to The King’s Gold band, this one is bland — weak. The King’s Gold, for instance, gives the vibe of being the adventurer’s stick. But The Navigator doesn’t look like a navigator’s go-to cigar.

Construction: Great. Solid. No weak spots.

Pre-light: Promising draw. The smell of freshly baked brownies and the leather jacket of a woman you’re willing to be lured by.

Cut: Straight cut.

Burn: It burned well and at a nice pace.

Duration: 75 minutes.

Draw: Excellent draw.

Smoke: Great smoke.

Ash: Good.

Flavor: Cocoa, leather, cashew, pink peppercorn, cappuccino.

Adventura The Royal Return King's Gold Toro cigar review in Lebanon by Chris Khatsch

Have a Cigar: ADVentura The Royal Return King’s Gold Toro

Chris Khatsch2 Comments

Name: Adventura The Royal Return King’s Gold Toro
Country: Dominican Republic
Shape: Parejo
Size: Toro (6 inches x 54)
Strength: Medium to Full

I paired this excellent stick with excellent wines while enjoying good music and good company. It went best with the second bottle we opened, the cabernet-sauvignon.

Branding: Manly. Adventurous. The band reminded me of gold coins stored in the treasure chests. I liked the feel of it. And for some reason, Indiana Jones movies came to mind.

Construction: Good. No complaints.

Pre-light: Cocoa filled in rum barrels. Grilled green peppers. Marshmallows in a rainforest. Love in the backseat of an SUV.

Cut: Straight cut.

Burn: It burned nicely and evenly. I only had to adjust it once.

Duration: 90 minutes. The cigar burned at medium speed.

Draw: Near-perfect draw.

Smoke: Generous smoke. But not as thick as steam locomotive smoke.

Ash: Average.

Flavor: Cocoa, earth, wood, capsicum.