Name: Couvent Rouge 2016
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo
Year: 2016
Country: Lebanon
Region: Beqaa Valley
Date Consumed: January 11, 2024
Nice wine. Medium-bodied with strawberry and cherry notes. Easy to drink. Good for casual gatherings. Goes well with snacks. I’d give this one a 70/100. It’s an okay wine, but it’s definitely not one of the top wines out there.
Name: Château Ksara Reserve du Couvent 2021
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2021
Country: Lebanon
Region: Beqaa Valley
Date Consumed: January 11, 2024
One of the go-to wines of Lebanon, the Reserve du Couvent is a medium-bodied wine that you can enjoy almost anywhere and anytime.
Over the years, I’ve paired it with almost everything. It pairs best with red sauce pasta, grilled pork, rotisserie chicken, and all sorts of cheese.
It had been a while since I last had a glass of Reserve du Couvent. But when I had it last night, I remembered why it can be loved so easily. It doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle of wine for the wine to be good. There are great, affordable wines out there, and this is one of them.
It’s that time of the year again, gentlemen. So, here are the Top 10 cigars I smoked in 2023:
LFD is one of my favorite brands out there, and La Nox was one of the top cigars I smoked this year. I paired it with different whiskies, and I was satisfied with all the pairings. My preference: I would smoke this cigar on a cold day and pair it with a peated whisky like Laphroaig 10.
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9. Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro
The Serie V Melanio line is top-notch. I smoked this Double Toro at Whisky Live Beirut 2023, and I paired it with many whiskies. The one that went with it best was the Chivas 13 Tequila Cask. But don’t take my word for it. I could have been drunk.
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8. PDR A. Flores 1975 Gran Reserva Maduro Toro
I burned this one outdoors. I smoked it while grilling. I had Johnnie Walker Black Label with it. And I was in great company. As the saying goes, “Enjoying cigars isn’t just about smoking cigars.” The whole set up made it a wonderful experience.
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7. Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 55 Pyramid
I don’t smoke a lot of Arturo Fuente cigars, but when I do, I enjoy them very much. For some reason, I’ve always loved pairing my Arturo Fuente cigars with coffee, especially espresso. But I’ve successfully paired some with whiskies as well as rums.
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6. Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez Torpedo
One of the best cigars I smoked this year happened to be at one of the best weddings I’ve attended in my life. It is safe to say that I got wasted soon after I lit the cigar. The wedding took place in Armenia; naturally, my best pairing option was vodka. So much vodka was consumed that night. Getting drunk, however, did not stand in the way of me smoking the Ramon Allones until my fingers burned.
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The No. 9 is my favorite Liga Privada cigar, and I like to pair it with espresso and sparkling water. It is a near-perfect cigar, faultless and beautiful.
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The wife and I relaxing by the pool. The sun is shining, I’m reading an excellent book, and smoking a great cigar. The Rocky Patel Disciple Sixty left a good impression on me. I loved it.
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Strong, powerful, and affordable. Very generous smoke. Just like I like them. This cigar is not for the weak. I smoked quite a few of them throughout the year, most of them at the cigar lounge.
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2. AJ Fernandez New World Navegante Robusto
This came out of a friend’s humidor. After a wonderful dinner, my friend opened his humidor, picked this cigar, and gave it to me. “If I know you, I know you’ll love this cigar,” he said. And he was right. My preference: I would pair the New World with full-bodied wines and Irish whiskies like Jameson, Teeling, and Bushmills.
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I only smoked one EP Carrillo Pledge Sojourn this year, and it was the best cigar I smoked in 2023.
You’re here, and you haven’t heard of my book? Buy it from Amazon: A Poet’s Cigar Journal and Ten Poems
Bored Absurdist 