El Presidente

So what have the "Hands of Time" done/do with the Bolivar Libertador? Have they shown ageing potential? Have you noticed significant improvement and over what time frame? What is the sweet spot for you? This is a series where we take a cigar that examine how it has evolved with a little water under the bridge. Bolivar Libertador is a 2013 LCDH 54 × 164mm (6½″) Double Robusto Release. Now I always thought it was pretty damn good with simply a little time down to acclimatise to your humidor. To me it has always smoked as a "premium" cigar and it sold damn well so we know there are plenty out there. I have smoked them fresh and all the way to just over a decades worth of age. I have found them very very good but with little difference in the smoking experience between a 5 year old example and a 10 year old example. Significant improvement between fresh and 5 years. Everything is rounded out, better balance, flavours (mezzo coffee core/leather) more defined/cleaner. Smooth and rich. What has been your experience with the Bolivar Libertador?

For those having troubles with Outlook today. Microsoft 365 Outlook down: Microsoft breaks silence on outage Here's what Microsoft is saying so far about the Jan. 22 outage. Updated at 6:15 p.m. ET on Jan. 22: Microsoft shared a new update on its recovery efforts Thursday evening. On the Microsoft 365 status page, the company wrote: "We're carefully rebalancing traffic across all affected infrastructure in the region, while monitoring the corresponding health telemetry, to ensure the environment enters into a balanced state as our remediation efforts continue. We’re proceeding as quickly as possible and this incremental approach will also help us identify whether any additional actions may be required to ensure longstanding recovery." Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, are experiencing heavy downtime today. Users have been reporting outages since the afternoon on social media and on Downdetector. "Users may be seeing degraded service functionality or be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services," an update on Microsoft's status page reads. Microsoft has now released a more detailed statement on the issue, letting users know that they are working on fixing the problem and acknowledging which services are facing outages.

What a season Coming into the last two games of the NFL season and the FOH NFL Tipping Competion is down to a two horse race 100 started and we are down to two. Does anyone give Denver a chance this weekend? Your pick for the Super Bowl winner?

USD has fallen 9% in the past 12 months against the basket of other major trading currencies. Perceived international economic/social/political risk is the highest since WWII. Central banks are buying gold aggressively as a reserve asset. Gold has proven itself to be a better (more price consistent) hedge than Crypto. I am not seeing too many downward price pressures on Gold.

Trump seeking ‘regime change’ in Cuba by end of the year: US media report The Wall Street Journal reports the White House is seeking to identify Cuban officials willing to cut a deal as part of a ‘regime change’ bid.

Under S.B. 6129, that same cigar would likely have a taxable sales price of $4.75, which would get taxed at 90 percent, increasing the excise tax paid from 65 cents under the status quo to $4.28. That same cigar would go from a shelf price of $10.15 to $13.78 before sales tax. The more expensive the cigar, the more effect the change would have. For example, a cigar with a $24 MSRP is likely sold for around $24.65 before sales tax, but that would jump to $34.80 if the bill passes. CONTINUED

A sudden algorithm shift is quietly choking cigar media, retailers, and manufacturers, and no one is explaining why. Something strange is happening in the cigar industry and most consumers don’t even realize it yet. Over the past few weeks, cigar manufacturers, retailers, podcasts, lounges, and media outlets have begun receiving unsettling notifications from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The message is blunt: your page will no longer be recommended by Facebook’s algorithm. No warning. No clear violation. No explanation. CONTINUED

I wish you every success Chris! You deserve it. Habanos lawyers have been on the IP warpath for the past 6 years. I don't have a problem with them protecting their IP. FOH had to change from Friends of Habanos to Friends of El Habano after receiving a legal letter 5 years (?) ago. I took it to the higher levels given we are "Habanos Specialists" and have represented/Habanos officially since 2002 (and prior to that as a pirate since 1996). No go. They were adamant. Fair enough and to be honest, it was a god send. Take the licking, move on, be bigger and better.

Another fun cigar deck discussion with the lads....and it was a cracker. God we laughed. My nomination : Steven Seagal No man went so far.... with so little talent. Kudos to him.

This week The Lizards pair the My Father Le Bijou 1922 in Torpedo Box Pressed with Graham's 20 Year Old Tawny Port. The guys reveal the new Cohiba "Excelentes" LE Coming in '26, they share that Gizmo has been named FOH Man of the Year and Senator details his latest trip to Panama. PLUS: More Chen Zhi Chaos, The Pod Debut of Port, Sweden Bans Habanos S.A. & What Does the Future of Cuban Cigars Look Like?

I think that the Monte 1 and the QD Coronas Claro are the only other cigars in the 42 gauge that could challenge in sheer excellence when "on". Mind you, the Cohiba Siglo III would need to be near its best to stave off the challenge. I still feel a great Siglo III has a few more gears.

This series to explore whether a particular cigar is humidor worthy. Cost these days is an issue for many so let's see if we can highlight some absolute standouts. This should particularly assist those new to the cigar world. To be fair, most of the cigars we have featured to date have scored exceptionally well. Surprisingly well! Scoring is: 1-3 (Poor) 4-6 (Average to good) 7-10 (very good to excellent) Use the Poll. You are more than free to comment away! Singer Sade's "Smooth Operator" comes to mind when I think of the Cohiba Siglo III While it is often grouped with Lonsdales, it is technically a Corona Grande..that 10mm makes all the difference. What a cigar. Perhaps the greatest 42 ring gauge smoking experience in the world today. Big call I know but tell me who knocks it off the top spot? Silky smooth, complex, rich, nuanced, honey - citrus goodness. The Siglo III has it all and these days comes a price to match. Cohiba Siglo III ...Let's kick off the discussion