BlankMindBlog

The latter part of April I visited my local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store and picked up an intriguingly named cigar called a Diablo Picante. I thought to myself this sounds like a little hot tamale. It has since been resting in my humidor for the right time to smoke it. Now is that […]

It’s been a couple of weeks since I was out to see mom and dad plus my brother’s wireless router started slowing down again. This time he wanted to install a different brand, one from NetGear, in hopes it would perform better.
My oldest son, Ryan, needed my truck to pick up a new couch […]

I stopped by Aroma’s Cigar Bar last week on Thursday morning after some bank business to quickly pick up a couple more Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Robustos to review. Since I had reviewed them last month before the move and lost the review notes I thought it only fair to smoke a couple of more! […]

In January I placed a hold on the book “Travels with Charley in Search of America” by John Steinbeck with my local library. It had been so long that I had forgotten about it and forgotten the reason that drew me to wanting to read it. However, over the weekend the library left a message […]

Our new home has a wonderful view of the pool and a two acre lake both within 20 feet of our patio door. Today was the first time in a month that I felt comfortable enough to sit and smoke and review a new cigar I picked up a few weeks ago at Tobacco Cove.
There […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date.
Sorry to report that this weekend yielded no new fish stories, I guess I could tell one but it would really […]

Last week (Sunday) I needed to take a trip down to Daytona Beach, Florida, some family business needed attention so I decided to take a C.A.O L‘Anniversaire 1968-1998 Cameroon Toro with me to smoke on the way back. My brother, Robert, went along for the ride even though he had just returned from Atlanta.
Daytona Beach […]

I had the pleasure of smoking this cigar on my parents back porch last weekend. The Savinelli 2004 Special Selection Toro is one of three sizes, the other sizes are a robusto and torpedo, all of them have a torpedo style head.
The Savinelli 2004 Special Selection Toro has the dimensions that I find myself smoking […]

Cigarfan has thrown two stogie family members into the judicial ring to fight their way out of the proverbial paper bag. They appeared before him in his court of personal opinion last week. He has pitted Camacho vs. Camacho, a SLR Maduro and a Coyolar, one against the other to see who will reign in […]

Friday afternoon Tyler called and said he was through with all his tests and could come home early if someone would pick him up. After I picked him up from school we headed down to the Pope Duval Fish Management Area to try out some artificial bait. As we walked along the banks we noticed […]

The book goes into detail on the brand name, shape, shape designation from manufacturer, length, ring gauge, and wrapper type. It does not give any recommendations or ratings on the brands.
I stopped by Tobacco Cove on Tuesday to pick up a few stogies to review and as I was wandering around the humidor Tom handed […]

I brought along a Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Robusto to smoke while I visited my dad and to pick up a stray video game rental that Tyler had since his last weekend with me.
The weather yesterday was Florida’s best, the last day of February and the high was 74º, slight breeze, no humidity, and glorious […]

I spent the better part of the weekend reworking the website by switching from the Relaxation theme to the new Squible theme. I thought it would be quite simple but oh no, not for me. Now don’t get the impression that it was because of the themes themselves, that was not the case, it’s just […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date.
After smoking and reviewing the Quo Vadimus Reserve Robusto almost two weeks ago I was really looking forward to the Quo […]

Sunday evening before I took the kids home, I tossed an El Rey del Mundo Robusto Larga Oscuro in the truck for something to smoke on the way back but I decided to go out to mom and dad’s and wait on their return from a short trip from down state. I let myself into […]

Saturday was a beautiful day, the morning temperature was in the high 60’s and the sky was a deep blue with a few puffy white clouds. We left the house about 9:15am for breakfast at the nearest Huddle House.
We ordered breakfast and as I looked around the diner, I made a startling discovery, I began […]

Some bloggers never rest, not even on the weekend. Cigarfan has posted a review of the Royal Jamaica Gold Belicoso with some history of the original Royal Jamaica cigar and background information on cigar tobacco agriculture in Jamaica.

“This would make an excellent afternoon smoke on the porch with a book or a baseball game in […]

I stopped by Tobacco Cove on my way out to pick up the kids for the weekend and bought a few cigars to smoke and review. I’m listing these in random order. I have already smoked some of these in the past so a review is not that far away.
Gurkha Ancient Warrior Churchill 7″ […]

 
Mark Balentine, owner of Quo Vadimus, Inc. has made a generous offer to BlankMindBlog readers. His offer will include free Priority Mail shipping with every order, 10% discount on all full bundles, and 10% discount on all single sticks.
For information on how to obtain these great deals from Quo Vadimus Inc. click […]

This is a re-review of the Onyx Reserve Toro. I reviewed this cigar on 12/19/2005 and rated it a 4.0. Because of this low score I stated that I would re-review this stick at a later date.
Some time has passed since I last reviewed this cigar so I thought I would give it another chance […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date.
This weekend I decided to smoke a Quo Vadimus Reserve Robusto cigar after a trip to see my son Zack. It […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date.
Patrice and I went over to mom and dad’s for the Super Bowl game on Sunday night. We brought some Buffalo […]

Last Monday I was rummaging through my humidor looking for a cigar to burn on the patio and decided that I would torch the last C.A.O. Gold Corona that I had left from a recent purchase from ABC Fine Wines & Spirits.
The C.A.O. Gold Corona is a well constructed stick, the wrapper is a light […]

I just can’t stop myself from looking for other cigar review blogs. After a few minutes of searching with Technorati, I found another interesting site named Keepers of the Flame. It appears to be a startup from early January and there are several concise, informative reviews already online. The reviews are well written and many […]

A quite night on the patio with Patrice and a Cohiba Extra Vigoroso XV 645 was what was needed after a turbulent day.
An excerpt from the Cohiba Extra Vigoroso XV 645 website gives a hint to the quality of this fine stick:
In response to the rising demand for fuller-flavored cigars, cigar master Daniel Nuñez set […]

I am in the process of downloading a few podcasts from the DogWatch Social Club as I write this post. After reading over the introductions of the participants and the show notes from the website I hope that the podcasts will be as interesting as the name of the website suggests it could be.
From the […]

Matt packed one of his favorite cigars, an El Rey del Mundo Robusto Larga Oscuro, away for 2 1/2 years and found out that the aging process can make a favorite stick into a new found favorite stick. Find out more of what Matt says about his discovery:
“These ERDM’s are one of my most favorite […]

Looks like Cigar Jack is back from a long hiatus, he has posted a “quick cigar review” on the CAO Cx2 cigar. A sneak peek of what Cigar Jack has to say about this stogie,
“I find most CAO cigars to be a bit more robust and this one is no exception. Usually I enjoy Cameroons […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date.
Another quick on the draw email reply snagged a cigar sampler offered from Puros de Armando Ramos, Ltd, on the Cigar […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date.
In December I received an email from the CigarEnvy email discussion list from the Perseo Cigar Company offering to send cigar […]

My quest for good/great cigars for under $3.00 continues and has turned up not only an affordable stick but one that is truly in a class by itself due to its appearance. The Mantequilla Tapa Negra No. 52 has by far the grandest appearance yet in a cigar I have had the pleasure to smoke.

I […]

Jacksonville has been lucky in the sense that we have several good cigar/tobacco retailers in the area. These are the mom and pop stores, not the mall tobacco stores, which every cigar and pipe smoker hopes to have locally. Years ago when I was first testing the waters, moving from pipe smoking to cigar smoking, […]

I want to give everyone a quick update on what to look forward to here on some upcoming cigar reviews. I have several reviews in the works and more to come soon.
The reviews coming up next, in no particular order, include a Cohiba XV 645 and from Paul Magier at Puros de Armando Ramos, […]

Matt has posted a review of the Padilla Cedro and rated it a 71.1. He has adopted a new points rating system that he describes in an earlier post on his site. He writes:
Broke out one of my Cedros earlier then I planned to. Couldn’t wait to try one. I’m still trying to get a […]

I found a podcast that may be of some interest to those of us in love with cigars. The podcast home page can be found at Blowin’ Smoke.
The podcast is produced and recorded by Rob Heming and he describes the podcast from his website as such:
“Blowin’ Smoke is an on-demand herf…a podcast featuring dialog, opinion, […]

This is an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review, basically this is a first impression light up only, and I will try to review this cigar as a normal IMO Cigar Review at a later date, preferably within this month.
Today I had several errands to run, to the store, the library and the bank, so I […]

Before the kids returned to school we took another chance at changing our fishing luck at the Pope Duval Fish Management Area on the west side of Jacksonville. A quick stop at Subway for lunch to go and a 2 liter drink, we were soon headed down to the middle lake for some catching instead […]

I am polishing up another cigar review (CAO Criollo Pato) from the weekend and thought while you wait you can check out Matt’s Cigar Journal for the scoop on the Padron #5000 Maduro. Matt’s review begins,
“This is a gorgeous cigar. The maduro wrapper is a dark leathery brown color. It has a beautiful oily […]

I am back after a New Years long weekend celebration from Inglis, Florida. Patrice and I went down with Carolyn to ring in the New Year with John and Peggy. It never fails when you’re in Inglis all your cares wash and drain away, your body relaxing with each hour that passes while you are […]

Last week I had the kids a few days before Christmas and since Tyler is still infected by the fishing bug and Rachel had a new bike we decided to check out the Pope Duval Fish Management area again. We were there on December 19th and I reviewed and rated the Onyx Reserve Toro a […]

Over the holidays I have had a number of occasions to smoke a few sticks and review a couple of them for the blog. I picked the Occidental Reserve Robusto up at Tobacco Cove a few weeks before Christmas and after some shopping on the day before Christmas Eve I sat down to relax on […]

[richard was listening to: The Cigar Song - Brad Paisley - while writing this post]
I am planning on introducing an additional cigar review here on BlankMindBlog which I will call an IMO “One Off” Cigar Review.
I have been pondering if I should start an IMO“One Off” Cigar Review, mainly because […]

Matt has opened up his humidor for the entire world to see. If you have ever wondered how your inventory stacks up to another fellow leaf worshipper’s humidor then here is your chance to do so.
Matt says,
“It’s been a while since I’ve taken inventory of my humidor so I figure it’s about time to do […]

Jeffery Beckwith has announced another great project over at Cigar Envy. He declares that the Cigar Envy Discussion Forums are open for new members to register and talk about a number of subjects, including cigar passes and general discussions regarding,
“There are forums for member reviews of cigars, cigar accessories, and retailers. There is also a […]

[richard is listening to: Strange How I Miss You - Jimmy Johnson - Blues Guitar Heaven]
Rainy day Mondays always get me down, sounds like a song I used to sing, but that is the way I would describe yesterday. Cold, damp, and untypical for our North Florida winter weather but that is what greeted me […]

Last Sunday Tyler wanted to try out his newly acquired bait casting rod at the Three Lakes or Pope Duval Fish Management Area on the west side of Jacksonville. This area is a beautiful, safe place for you and your family to enjoy. Several of the lakes are stocked with channel catfish, bass and panfish. […]

I live about 20 minutes from St. Augustine, Florida and have had the pleasure of watching, with fascination, as an elderly cigar roller crafted a beautifully shaped cigar. It was a work of art which I took home and smoked after a few months in my humidor but the gentleman seemed to make it look […]

I have never been a fan of flavored cigars. The last “flavored” cigar I smoked was two decades ago in the Swisher Sweets product line. So this will probably be the first and last time you see an IMO Cigar Review on a flavored cigar from this site.
Late last year Patrice and I were in […]

During one of my weekend outings with the kids I decided to smoke and review the Padron 3000 Maduro. You can read about the outing on the post titled Weekend After Thanksgiving.
The weather was overcast and chilly by North Florida standards. While Rachel explored the man-made island in the middle of Lake Oneida with a […]

Need a cigar review fix, while you wait on my Padron 3000 review from a couple of weeks ago.
Please check out this review of the A. Fuente Hemingway Short Story from Matt’s Cigar Journal posted on December 7th. While you’re there check out the rest of his reviews on the other cigars he has […]

The last few days in Jacksonville have been miserable, cold rain and heavy clouds. One day we have a high of 80o and then the next day we see a high of 50o. Typical Florida weather, not sure why I’m complaining, been here all my life and know beyond a doubt that this is the […]

Think about it. What would you include or exclude for the perfect smoke, that cigar that could replace mom, baseball, or apple pie? I asked a question the other day about good/great smokes for under $3.00 on a cigar email list so far I have had one suggestion. I’ll give it more time, of course. […]

For another review check out CigarJacks review of the Puros Indios Cigar. His review starts out with this tantalizing introduction;
“The first thing these cigars impress you with is their size, but don’t be intimidated a kitten lurks in this stick”.
Make his site a regular for up to date information regarding cigar reviews, cigars in the […]

For your reading pleasure and while you wait for my upcoming reviews check out Cigar Envys review of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Quixote.
Jeffery continues to offer indepth reviews covering appearance, taste, construction and prices even listing links to other reviewers of the same stick. His review of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro Quixote begins
“This […]

It’s about time for another cigar review and I have a couple of them down on paper but need to make time to get them into electronic form. So here goes…
I decided to smoke the Camacho Corojo Toro while visiting my mom and dad’s a few weekends ago. I purchased several of these sticks from […]

I really love this time of year. Families get together for food, football, and camaraderie. Time to remember the things that mean the most to you. Tomorrow will be a busy day for me and Patrice. We have plans to visit my mom and dad in the early afternoon. Late afternoon will find us heading […]

I had high expectations for the Carlos Torano Casa Torano Toro after looking over the construction, the wrapper was a beautiful light brown, tannish color with very few veins. A wonderful silky smooth texture and a slight cedar scent made me think this third smoke was to be a notable one.
Late evening with cloudy skies, […]

Jeffery at Cigar Envy has launched a cigar related email discussion list at yahoogroups and membership has reached over 275 users. In addition to providing the information he mentions below, he states, this list will become a “ central list of special offers, promotions and discounts on cigars and cigar accessories from retailers and dealers […]

I made sure the apartment door was locked, and began down the steps, heading for my truck that would take all of us, Patrice, Rachel and Tyler, to Lake Oneida on the UNF campus. The trail around Lake Oneida is wide, well-marked and for the most part is a wooden boardwalk around the lake. The […]

In the last post, I made comment on my cigar smoking taking me to a zen place. It is true that many times when I smoke I choose a quiet place, usually on my patio sitting next to my girlfriend, Patrice. However, after some thought, I realize that there are a number of places that […]

CigarJack has some excellent advice on taking your time when smoking your next stick. I jokingly call my smoking time a zen moment and know exactly what he means when he says:
“Cigars are a gift of time, everything slows down and it is just you and the cigar. Why rush such a precious gift?”
technorati tags: […]

My oldest son, Ryan, faced a situation I could not help him with last week, the outcome was totally out of my hands. Decisions were to be made that I could not influence or change. The details are not important but the setting of how this review developed makes his involvement relevant.
Not sure who came […]

Check out some good advice over at Cigarjack’s on when to and when not to light up. He even has my number one all time fault, the right time
How much time do you have? Make sure to choose the right…

There is a rich nuttiness to this cigar, mingled with coffee, chocolate and woodsy tones and a spicy complexity throughout. A perfect smoke when you’re in the mood for something lighter that isn’t at all bland.

The first poll from blankmindblog.com is over and the results are in. I said “let the readers choose” and 11 readers cast their vote in my first “let the reader choose my next cigar for review poll”. My thanks go out to those readers who voted.

The winner is:

Romeo y Julieta Reserve Belicoso Maduro

I […]

There are less than two hours left in the current poll “Which cigar should I review next?“. I will pull the poll down at midnight Eastern Standard Time. The Romeo y Julieta Reserve Belicoso Maduro is currently in the lead after a total of 11 votes having been cast.
Here is how the poll […]

I have always been a fan of the La Gloria Cubana Wavells. You will usually find a mix of these and the Baccarat Luchadores in the bottom tray of my humidor. So I was familiar with the quality of the La Gloria Cubana cigar line. I was hoping that the Serie R line would provide […]

If you are up for a quickie review of another Punch cigar. Check out CigarJack’s review of the Punch Deluxe Royal Coronation EMS.
Here is an excerpt from his review:
This cigar burned really well, it stayed fairly cool and didn’t require any touchups. I’d say the cigar is mild to medium in […]

I bought the Punch Champion from the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store because the shape was so odd. In addition there was a hand written note advising potential buyers that “Cigar Aficionado” had rated this stick a 91. Actually odd is a misnomer for this beautifully shaped cigar. The ring gauge begins at a […]

As promised I was able to fire up the Don Tomas Cameroon Collection Perfecto No. 2 Saturday afternoon. Just a word about this weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. This is the weekend for the Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs football game, aka World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Woe is me, if you do not have a […]

Yesterday I spent a few minutes going through my humidor and planning out which stick will be reviewed next. I have settled on a Don Tomas Cameroon Perfecto No. 2. The weather here has been great. I will torch this stick this afternoon and try to post the review this weekend. The list below are […]

Ok. The weekend is over. My kids have gone home. Her kid returned to college. The two week old invitation for dinner to my parents and brother for my world famous spaghetti dinner is over. All’s quiet. Been feeling like dirt crap shit for a few days. So bad I haven’t wanted to smoke, that’s […]

Today I put the torch to a H. Upmann 2000 No. 7 Habano cigar I purchased at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits for $3.99 a stick.
Here is an except from the distributors, Altadis, U.S.A., Inc. about the H. Upmann 2000 brand:
“H. Upmann 2000 cigars feature Habana 2000 wrappers, a smooth, reddish-brown leaf created by […]

I will begin posting an informal review of the cigars I smoke during the month. I have been smoking cigars for about 20 years or so. I gave up smoking cigarettes after my first child was born in 1983. I continued smoking a pipe or cigar usually a few times a month.
I now smoke about […]