Tag: Beirut

Smoking an Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro cigar at Whisky Live Beirut.

Have a Cigar: Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro

Chris Khatsch3 Comments

Name: Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro
Country: Nicaragua
Shape: Box-Pressed
Size: Double Toro (6 inches x 60)
Strength: Medium to Full

I remember smoking my first Melanio, and I remember it like it was yesterday. What a cigar! It really deserved its place in my Top 10 of 2022.

As for this one, the big and beautiful Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro, what can I say about it? It is as good as any Melanio I have ever smoked.

Even burn, great draw, creamy smoke, and a harmony of notes. It’s a masterpiece produced to be burned.

Moreover, as I was at Whisky Live Beirut when I was smoking it, I also got the chance to pair it with amazing whiskies: Teeling Blackpitts, Talisker and Mortlach from Diageo’s Special Releases, Super Nikka, and Chivas Extra 13 Tequila Cask Selection.

What more can a dilettante ask for?

Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas El Embargo Cigar Review

Have a Cigar: Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas El Embargo

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas El Embargo
Country: Nicaragua
Shape: Parejo
Size: Gordo (6 inches x 60)
Strength: Medium to Full

A cigar on a Sunday evening to conclude a long week.
A big cigar for a big week.

It’s the first time I try the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas El Embargo, and now I like it very much. It’s bold, spicy, and complex. But we’re not dealing with the Gordian Knot here. Its complexity is ready to be deciphered.

I paired it with espresso and sparkling water. But if I hadn’t had arak with lunch, I would have gone with a good single malt. Maybe next time I will.

Lebanese Red Wines: Noe

Lebanese Wines: Noé 2012

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Noé 2012
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache
Year: 2012
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: November 19, 2023

I got this bottle from Ardoum Winery. The winemaker explained that they would never make the Noé again because the grapes they used to make the blend weren’t from their own vineyards. From now on, the winemaker explained, they would focus on producing wines made with their own grapes, and they’d be calling them Ardoum. Therefore, it can be said that this was the first and last time I would uncork a bottle of Noé.

The 11-year-old wine slid into my glass, blood-red. I took a sip, worrying that it had passed its prime, but it was still good. I could definitely taste the years. Ferric notes lingered on my tongue for a long moment after I swallowed my first sip. I took a second sip to study its structure, and then a third sip to say goodbye.