I find Cubans smoke best at 65% or less and NCs at 70% or less. I’d go with the 69%, wait a few weeks and test to see if you note an improvement, then adjust from there. On humid days, I stick to robusto or smaller sticks and avoid sticks with really thin wrappers, as I find the wrappers can be prone to splitting.

This one was NC at 72% but I did see I had a spike in humidity cause my packs were quite wet so that didn’t do anything any favors. I think I’ll throw a 65 pack in my travel case and stage some out of my 69% humis (all of them now) for a little bit to help out those that might need it.

Had this one last night and WOW lots of cedar notes coming off this one. It’s been awhile but really liked it! I didn’t have it laying on anything else but I hope the 3 I have left taste just like this.

I wasn’t planning to buy these again anytime soon but maybe I have to reconsider. Maybe they were too fresh and rich awhile back.

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Aren't those sweet tasting?
Had a Baccarat once a long time ago, and didn't enjoy the sweet gum flavor.

Another case in point.
I don't have the luxury of smoking indoors.
We haven't had any significant rainfall here in about a month, but today, it's been on and off stormy, and the mid-July humidity is about to kick in.
I fired up this otherwise enjoyable Joya Cabinetta at
the edge of my open garage. The humidity is around 97%, it's been raining, and thunder has been rumbling all day.
It was a chore keeping this stick burning, and with each frantic puff, the cigar became more and more spongy and soft. The burn was ragged, and I had to puff like a Hoover to keep it going.
I feel like I wasted an otherwise great cigar. The experience was not at all enjoyable.
In the future, I'm going to keep my smokes very much on the dry side when smoking them on a humid day.

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The sweetness tastes natural to me. Usually it doesn’t last too long and is subtle. I enjoy it.

They’re supposed to be but hardly noticeable.

I’m still figuring out cigars but still My favorite stick for the price. Nice medium stick, it’s not eating a chocolate cake bomb or chewing on a saddle. Just enjoyable all around.

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Just got a pair of the same brand

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Here we go again….except it’s from the 69% humi as it’s been since setup. Only had to light once and burn was more even. While I did have it in the garage which was a similar climate as last time I’ll give jrpinball a little credit as it was dryer out. I would imagine that the humi made a bit of the difference at least.

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AVO is a good smoke.

Yep - I'd need some recovery time as well.

Time to see what all the fuss is about….

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Did anyone here grab any of the massive Asylum April Fools 90X9 cigars? They're absolutely ridiculous! I got 2 of them and EJS got a few as well. When EJS picked them up from Tobacco Grove he sent me this text:

"Holy shit those are huge what did you talk me into?"

Lol, he definitely wasn't expecting them to be this large, these cigars are just comically huge!

Here's one next to an Opus Forbidden X, it's some kind of large size, but I don't know which (churchill or double corona or something?). I also found a good photo online that shows it next to another cigar. The Asylum absolutely dwarfs the Opus, a 90 ring gauge is awesome! I don't smoke much anymore, so this thing will probably take me a week to finish, lol.

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If you missed out on them this year, they'll probably release them again next year. There's a massive demand for these monsters and they sell out quickly! I just tried looking for them online so I could post a link to them, but I can't find any that are in stock.

I'll have to post pics of another cigar I have, it's actually larger than this one!

Here's a few photos of the Asylum cigar next to a Tatuaje Frank Redux and some kind of ridiculously massive cigar I bought when I was on deployment with the 15th MEU (shore leave in the Subic Bay, Philippines).

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Those Tatuaje Franks pictured above are nothing to mess around with either. A good 90 minutes if your puffing a lot too.

I think it would only make sense to smoke one of these on April 1st?

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Here is my pig after my hour and 20 minute drive home. Didn’t go out once and had smoke coming off the ash almost the entire time. I had to put it down so I could go eat and finish out my week at work. Hate to relight such a tasty treat. Will have to budget more time for the next one.

This is like smoking an Oatmeal Cream Pie if you ask me.

(FYI I’m parked in all of these pics for those wondering)

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Padron 1964 Maduro with a Negroni after Ethiopian food for dinner = Godzilla, TZ, Shadow i.e., the best it gets

Nicely aged ‘09 Lusi tonight.

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It’s been months since I did the monster mash!

Who can help me name this one?

After this I have 3 darker banded monsters aside from the Franks I’ve lost count on.

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Jekyll.

Easy smoker tonight.

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Smoke Inn has some pigs available (sorry, I got the last of the No. 9s)

https://www.smokeinn.com/Drew-Estate-Limited-Editions/

First 5 minutes was….”this doesn’t taste like a davi….oh THERE it is”

Much more powerful than I was expecting.

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First time trying a Gurkha. Did some online research. Seems like Gurkha is to cigars, what Bose is to loudspeakers. Lots of fans, but lots of detractors.
I thought it was a very good stick.
Very flavorful, but smooth. Earthy, and full bodied. Picked out some dark chocolate and cinnamon notes. Burned perfectly, with a perfect draw and lots of smoke output.
I'd recommend this one.
First cigar I ever had with a barcode on the band!

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I like the royal challenge, ghost and also the…castle something or other. Edit….castle hall

They are priced right for what you get.

They make some high priced ones that are NOT worth the money. A lot of people shy away too because they used to have runs of cigars that were better and their quality went downhill in some areas.

I lost interest in Gurkha too but found a new interest in them on their lower end.

They have some fancy boxes which could be a reason for some of the higher prices.

I think someone posted the Bones once before. I found they had two left so might as well grab them. The dice are generic otherwise would have grabbed them too. I haven’t had much of the newer CAO lineup assuming these are new.

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Didn't care for this one. Dark, ragged ash (seems like that's always a bad thing). Looking at the head after cutting, seemed to have a lot of stems in the filler. Had to correct the burn several times, and had to relight it a couple of times. Got down to the last 2 1/2" or so and it went out again, so I just chucked it.

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As a rule, TV show based cigars are never good… But I did snag a few free XiKar cutters with the SOA logo on them

Got it in a bundle of stuff. Didn't know until doing some research that it had something to do with a TV show, and a motorcycle gang. Bad part is, I have two more of them!

Tonight…and with my latest acquisition in the background (RS).

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First time trying this one. Solid cigar that I’ll have again. Similar to la Gloria Cubana

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Speaking of which....
Excellent morning smoke with coffee.

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Pig pile arrived

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Nice nudes!

3 day weekend for me…. Starting it off with an ‘18 Esplendido and JW Green

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Second time trying an Alec Bradley cigar. The one I had a while back was quite forgettable.
This Tempus robusto was fabulous!

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My go-to blended

Right now

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Keeping things in good shape in my newair 400. I use plain humidifier beads (68%), and set the temp for 68 as well. I place beads on three levels, and monitor with three Govee units (plus a few Boveda Butlers for backup). I circulate the air using USB powered computer fans, connected to an Alexa smart plug. I have them run for ten minutes at the top of every hour. I still have my Cigar Oasis in there, but I mainly use it as a bead reservoir. I removed the green foam and use beads instead. Oh, and I added a battery operated motion sensitive LED strip to light up the thing. Built in light stinks. Had the New Air for several years. I couldn’t control temps in my massive coolidor in this down-south heat.

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