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Eh the contest has sparked my interest in popping my review cherry 🤩 I hope I don't get minus points as this is a review of a NC cigar but it is a special cigar for me as this was my first cigar that I ever had back in the late 90's - the Butera Fumo Dolce. I had walked into a cigar store who's name I can remember but it was at the corner of the Flat Iron Building in Wicker Park Chicago. The smell was intoxicating and walking into a cigar store for the first time was really intimidating but the gentlemen who helped was very cool but also seemed quite sophisticated to the young 20 year old I was back then. I asked for a recommendation as a cigar beginner and after a quick thought he brought the current hottest "boutique" cigar - the Butera Fumo Dolce. He described it as a delicious mild cigar perfect for me. I remember lighting it for the first time and honestly I didn't light it completely fearing that I would ruin the cigar (the product of reading too many Cigar Aficionado magazines lol!) but what I was left with was a very savory, creamy and buttery taste in my mouth (yeah insert your jokes here lol). Anyway, I vividly recall my thoughts then that if this is what cigars are all about then I am all in! Decades later, I am back to searching for that particular experience by trying as many "creamy" cigars that I can find. I was speaking to Billy at Jack Schwartz here in Chicago about my "quest for the cream" and reminded me about the Butera cigar. He also recalled how buttery they were though his palate has switched to the other side of the menu. I agreed and decided to pick up a few online as there are no retailers in Chicago that had the Butera in-stock even Iwan Ries had no stock. (still here?) So here is my review with pics. Just to note I just picked up a S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 to try my hand with a soft flame (and the famous "ping") to avoid over burning the cigar but guess what - that is just what I did over burned the foot but anyway another learning experience for me. Without further ado here is my review with some pics. 1st: Nice smooth wrapper A very nice sweet bready pre-draw Upon lighting the cigar - I get the savory, buttery and toasty flavors that I was looking for As this is a mild cigar - the retrohale is very easy and produced a slightly musty, earthy, mushroom flavor to the mix 2nd: After a bit the cigar turns into a herbal tea with the savory feeling coming back intermittently There is a copious amount of smoke coming from this smaller guy The is ash is pure white The retrohale strengthens the savoriness as well as adding a hit of raisins 3rd I begin smoking a little too fast and it has introduced some pepper and leather so I slow my row a little. the cigar has begun to acquire a nutty flavor almost I would pistachio After a bit the bitterness of smoking this last 3rd too quickly and so I put the cigar to rest. All in all - a very pleasurable cigar which I will return to smoke again! I would rate this 3/5! Thanks for reading!

Wow! Wow! Wow! Before I get into this review deeply, I now understand why people smoked aged cigars, few notes before we dive in: 1. I had a friend guide me and teach me 2. I found it a religious and sanctimonious experience so for the future I'd probably do it alone , It's a cigar that demands your attention and time, perfect for a quiet evening where the focus is on the smoke itself. The Review: 1st Third of the Cigar (Initial Impression) The Punch Churchill 1998 I had was stored under Ideal conditions, I'm greeted with an easy draw and a burst of earthy tones mixed with a subtle hint of spice. The initial flavors are woodsy and robust, setting the stage for a promising journey. There are hints of Cedar and pepper but only briefly 2nd Third of the Cigar (The Heart) The flavors on the second 3rd evolve gracefully giving way to a more complex blend of leather and a hint of coffee. The smoke becomes creamier, and a sweet, nutty undertone becomes more pronounced, balancing the earlier earthiness perfectly. The burn remains even and consistent. my friend and guide - also took me through the process of teaching on how not to draw too fast or too slow and slowly relish it as I was a newbie to this 3rd Third of the Cigar (Finishing Strong) Entering the Dragon - the Punch Churchill 1998 reveals its full character. Deeper Flavours, notes of earth and leather culminate in a rich, more intense profile. There's a noticeable increase in strength, yet it doesn't overpower the refined blend of flavors. It's a crescendo, but not overwhelming, delivering a satisfying end to this amazing smoke. Tasting Notes & Overall Impression From start to finish, the Punch Churchill 1998 for me was a journey of evolving flavors and complexity. Notes for me: earthy, woody, leather, coffee and nutty sweetness. The balance is impeccable, with each third offering a distinct yet harmonious experience

H.Upmann Half Corona - TOA MAY 22 Paired with: Nespresso Bianco Doppio w/ Milk & Sweet Cream Let me preface this review. This is my second smoked CC (first one = Monte 4), and my first review/writeup, so here it goes.. Construction Notes/ First Draw: Good, smooth, round construction. It peeves me a little when cigars look wonked or pressed to oblivion and lose their symmetry. Looking down the barrel, the leaf looks well distributed and no signs of veins or hard pack. Went with a Vee cut on this one, thinking the size of this cigar would lend well. Draw seemed easy, little resistance, and I picked up something a hay/grass like quality mixed with milk chocolate and hazelnut. Was very excited to get this thing lit. Experience/ Tasting Notes: Being a shorter stick, what I liked and enjoyed was some complexity and evolution with a shorter timed smoking experience. White pepper, cedar front during the beginning light and first couple of draws, opened up and settled into a pleasant granola. Also, is this the Cuban twang, I think, I've been enlightened to? NICE. Unsweetened tea, gingerbread notes (but without the spice) through the first and into the second third. I DO feel that nice nicotine buzz beginning to build up strong in this tight little punch. Shortbread breads and walnut dances around as things start to smooth out through the second third. I am getting baking cacao throughout, though subtle, adding some nice layering and making a thoroughly enjoyable mid smoke. Getting "in the pocket", the cacao ramps up and a slight raisin-y and syrupy texture pulls through and lingers on the finish. I hope I can get this thing down to the nub. Unfortunately, as the cap beings to unravel and cigar begins to burn offsides (likely due to the wind conditions), this thing slowly burns out. Final Impressions/ Rating - 6.3 / 10: Due to a slow start, touch ups along the way and eventual unraveling of the cap, I have to pull my grade down a little, though, with no disappointment. I think the uneven burn contributed to my eventual frustration and eventually the cigar going out before getting to the end. I was left with a few REALLY GOOD draws and a long, lingering satisfaction on my palate. I think I will give these some time to settle more, and revisit another in another 6 months or so...

Cigar - 2008 Cohiba Robusto (Box Code Unknown) I pulled this cigar out of my humidor as I was doing some re-arranging. I recall this was part of a trade I made about two and a half years ago. It's the only one I have, and it's been sitting there for 2.5 years in a random box of singles tucked away in the back of my humidor. Paired with an Old Pulteney 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch. FYI - One of the most perfect Cigar & Scotch pairings I have ever come across. = The key to both is the salt. It really ties in both together harmoniously. The Cigar and Scotch was enjoyed after a wonderful meal that was prepared for me. Garlic and fresh picked rosemary marinated Ribeye Steak, grilled medium rare and served sliced with baked potato, fresh salad, grilled asparagus, and garlic bread. Served with Cabernet and Claret wines. Finished off with a Nespresso Espresso, homemade chocolate chip brownies smothered in Blue Bell Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream. CIGAR: Kept at 65% RH and 65F Dry Boxed for 36 hours prior to smoking Appearance: Just gorgeous, like a well oil seat of a leather saddle. Smell (cold) : Slightly grassy, but more of a musty salted caramel, dusty leather, cedar, salt of the sea smell. The most prominent smell and later taste, Figs, warm figs covered in caramel and dipped in a cappuccino. Draw: Perfect : A little on the tighter side as opposed to the wind tunnel side, but I like that, it was perfect. Burn: Slow and consistent. The burn line traversed the cigar like a perfect invasion of fire burning through, as a brush fire burns down a mountain side. Unilateral and precise. Smoke: Voluptuous! Velvety, Viscous on the palate. Thick and Creamy Leather and Cedar. The smoke temperature was not too hot at all. Perfectly Chewy and encompassing! 1st Third: WOW, straight out of the gate, flavors took no time to get going. Salt of the Sea, creamy caramel, musty leather, cedar and again Figs and dates, that stewed fruit characteristic. Just fantastic. Medium/Full , closer to Full Flavor. 2nd Third: All of the flavors from the first third continue, but a defined and complex presence of vanilla characteristic enrobed the smoke. But not a "familiar" vanilla like taffy, milk, shortbread ect., but what I later described as only Marzipan. The perfect union of those stewed or warmed stone fruit flavors of fig and date and some black cherry mixed with a creamy and salty vanilla. It was Marzipan, that's exactly what it was!!! It was complex, sophisticated, layered, yet unified in its presence with all of the other flavors. Each layer of flavor complimented and "held hands" with the others. The smell of this smoke was intoxicating and down right addicting. At one point I was just sitting there, pulling in the smoke through my nose for 5 minutes straight or so. The coffee/milky latte quality took a back seat during the second third, but was still evident. Final Third: The complex development of flavors of this cigar was magical. The journey of the senses was, no doubt refined and mature. The Final Third was all Marzipan and Creamy Creamy Coffee, Just delicious. I found myself literally chewing and smacking the smoke on my palate. If you can imagine a high grade espresso made into the most perfectly balanced creamy latte, and then a shot of warm Dr. Pepper was added, then it was filtered through a dark chocolate and salted caramel brownie into a mug made of old worn in leather, and the mug had been kept in a Spanish cedar box buried in a field on the salty sea side of Scotland somewhere = That's what the final third tasted like! I can't describe it any better than that. Paired with the scotch is was phenomenal. Absolutely top notch. Refined, sophisticated, balanced, layered, mature, and unified. Classic and Nostalgic! Rating: Appearance: 9/10 Draw: 9/10 Smell: 9/10 Burn: 10/10 1st Third: / 9/10 2nd Third: 10/10 Final Third: 10/10 Smoke Feel/Viscosity/Temp: 10/10 Defined Flavors: 10/10 Complex Development: 10/10 Total: 96/100 (I was being pretty judgmental on Appearance, Draw and Smell. Honestly, the appearance and smell could have been 10/10 any other day, It's probably more fairly a 97.5 cigar) Great weekend at my sisters house!