Mommy, Where do Liga Privada wrappers come from? Or: Another amazingly fun place and time with amazingly fun people!!

The other day, we went here:

Hahahaha. No, I did not take this picture. [source]

Organized by the nice folks at the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum, we attended the 4th Annual Cigar BBQ where the Two Cabelleros and the Three Musketeers got together for an awesome time! (And me, of course.)

Birds of a feather...oh. Wait. Not a feather among them!

Before we got to the food and cigar portion of the show, we were lucky enough to take a tour of a working tobacco farm. Steve Jarmoc (below) explained the broadleaf and Havana growing process, from seed to sticks. I want to tell you all about that serious coolness soon, but right now let's focus on this event, okay?

See the tobacco over this nice man's head?
Pretty good chance that's going to make Drew Estate cigar wrappers.* Just sayin'...

A little bit creepy and a lotta bit cool.

During the drying process.

Two sides of the same leaf.
So, in turning over a new leaf--you get something completely different! 

Yeah. That happened. Cabellero #2 and his broadleaf chapeau.**

Would you like some T*** and tobacco?

Then we headed back to the museum, where the amazing Karin Mills Tranghese, owner of Cigar Room II generously, generously, generously gave each of the attendees an awesome goodie bag of two cigars, a cutter, and matches. (Naturally, Valentino walked away with mine as well; I guess that's just as well, since he paid for my ticket.)

Karin and the Caballeros.  What a great band name!

Nat Hayden's Real Pit BBQ provided some delicious food, which gave us energy to roam the grounds, checking out the antique farm equipment and cool museum displays--and smoke/second-hand smoke cigars!!

I'd say how sad I am that I have to wait a whole year to hang out with these folks again, but BUT!! A bunch of us are heading to this event:

You should join us!!

*::cough:: Liga Privada ::cough::

**That's French for "fancy-ass hat."

***That's what I call Valentino. Maybe if you're nice, you can, too. It requires a letter of request and three references. Or give him a cigar. A good one.