Tag: Beirut

July 22, 2023: Tomorrow, I’ll be in Athens

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Cats chilling
in the shade of an avocado tree.
Birds chirping.

A hue of yellow everywhere the sun touches.
A breeze like the hot air that comes out of generators.

I’m in my study
trying to write on a Saturday that should have been
a Sunday.

Hungover.

Last night – what was I doing last night?
It was my friend’s birthday, and I was partying like
I was still in my twenties.

The beers.
The shots.

Heavy Metal songs.  

My neck is sore from all the headbanging.

The smell of smoke and debauchery lingers on
last night’s pair of jeans.

I message my friend to make sure he reached home safely last night,
to make sure he’s still alive.
He’s good. “It was fun.”

I’m on painkillers now, having coffee,
thinking of my upcoming trip and the things I need to do
before heading to the airport tomorrow.

I still need to pack.

Tomorrow, I’ll be in Athens.
Can’t wait.
I need a break from Beirut.

Affordable Cuban Cigars in Lebanon, Jose L. Piedra Jose L. Piedra Petit Cazadores with Lebanese Mezza.

Have a Cigar: Jose L. Piedra Petit Cazadores

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Name: Jose L. Piedra Petit Cazadores

Country: Cuba

Shape: Parejo

Size: (4 1/8 inches x 43)

Strength: Medium

Small, inexpensive, and unpretentious. This is a cigar that pairs well with arak and Lebanese mezza.

The Jose L. Piedra Petit Cazadores is a medium-bodied cigar that burns gently and, for its size, produces a generous amount of smoke.

Overall, I’d say it’s a good second cigar. It’s neither complex nor big enough to be the star of the night. But it’s good enough to be the stick that you light before the end of the night.

Flor de Oliva Original Churchill and a Xikar cutter and lighter

Have a Cigar: Flor de Oliva Original Churchill

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Name: Flor de Oliva Original Churchill

Country: Nicaragua

Shape: Parejo

Size: Churchill (7 inches x 50)

Strength: Medium

I’ve tried the Flor de Oliva before, but it was the Toro vitola. This one was a Churchill. Its size was bigger; therefore, I liked it better.

The Flor de Oliva Original Churchill is a medium-bodied cigar. It has a good draw, and it burns evenly. Its smoke rises like a coquettish belly dancer and quickly disappears. Every draw is a bouquet of Nicaraguan notes. It is an easy cigar to smoke, not too complex. Overall, there’s nothing to complain about.

I paired it with arak and smoked it while enjoying delicious Lebanese mezza.

From all of the Oliva cigars that I have tried so far, I still think the best is the Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado. But I would gladly smoke another Flor de Oliva again.