The 2 Caballeros ride again--right to the EPC 5th Anniversary! (Or: Pretty close to starting this post in one year and ending it in another)

n.b.*: I started this post in September--September!--and am now just getting back to it. (Yes, I know we're now finishing up December.) Just ignore the references to school starting. Or hop in the time machine and read it in real-time.  Your choice.

Don't you hate it when life gets in the way and there's nothing you can do to move that damn blockade that's keeping you from having fun?

Yeah, that happened. I've been caught up with work** and adjusting to a new schedule. Valentino's been doing his consulting thing, telling people what they need to do.***

Anyway, on Thursday (a million years ago), we threw caution to the wind...

[source]

...and went to our local hangout, Habanos. And! We met up with Caballero #2, who we hadn't seen in ages!

Naturally, when we arrived, the cigar trading began almost instantly. Cabellero #2 had four sticks laid out where we'd sit:

But can we just say, "Dammit! Trumped!" Valentino had already planned his swap, like a kid deciding which Matchbox car to share with a friend. But he didn't realize his well-thought-out decision would be overwhelmed by the sheer number gifted to him.

But we're still proud of his choice!

The other day****, we'd picked up a few EP Carillo 5th Anniversary... at Mr. J's Havana. (You know we walked out with way more than that, right?)

 

Released this past fall--right before we bought them!--remember fall, lo all those months ago?--the cigar does exactly what it says, celebrates five years from when Ernesto Perez-Carillo left General Cigars to start making his own delicious cigars. Remember how much we--I--liked the EPC Cigar Now Known as Chocolate Cake? It was definitely box-worthy!

Well this delight is also fantabulous. It has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Ecuadorian Corojo '99 binder, and Nicaraguan filler and a one-size-fits-all vitola,***** the double robusto at 6 1/2 x 54.

[source]

 

Here's a funny thing: as I said, I'm writing this in the car and our hero just asked, "What are you doing?" 

I had to admit, "Writing a blog post I started in September about the EPC 5th anniversary."

"That was a really good cigar. It was creamy and kind of sweet." Luckily he said nothing about my mad procrastination skills.

I nod, even though he can't see me, and I do remember that cigar and that night at Habanos when both kind gentlemen lit up together, so I got a stereo-sensory blast of the goodness. Let's just be super thankful that on occasion I remember that I'm forgetful and actually type notes and AND put the name of the cigar the notes are about. (Sometimes I don't. This makes me have the sad and the major frustration.)



Sad Panda did not take notes. [source]

But this time, Caballero #2 describes a pepperiness but my sensors are all about picking up the subtle sweet creaminess.  Valentino mentions a hint of coffee. This is what I love about cigars (besides all the other things I love about cigars): we're all sharing the same thing and yet getting a different experience, based on who we are. 

That's why when newcomers to the cigar world ask, "What's the best cigar?" They rarely get a straight, definitive answer. 

Valentino loves (irony--read: hates) when folks respond to a question with another question. And yet that's really the only appropriate response in this situation. "What flavor profile do you like?" "What cigars have you tried and liked? Not liked?" "Do you like strong or milder cigars?"  The questions can go on and on, because there is no one best cigar. Just like not everyone likes the same foods, so too the cigar. Strength, size, shape, ring gauge...all those things make up the answer to what the question should be: "What's the best cigar for me?"

Well, for some of you, the EPC 5th Anniversary, which ranked quite high in all three of our palettes, is the answer to that question. You should give it a try and see if you're one of them!

Look for this band! [source]

*nota bene--Latin for "note well." I love Latin. I know it's a dead language and all, but I would love to resurrect it, a la Frankenstein's monster.

**Actual conversation--Student: Do you have our papers? Me: Shush. You're disturbing class.

***Two things just occurred to me: 1. Our jobs aren't that far apart after all and 2.Urgh. I shouldn't write late at night because I forgot what #2 was going to be.

****Let's do the Time Warp again. You're welcome, by the way...
 

*****You remember that vitola is the fancy way to say size, right? I know, I know. Why not just say what you mean and move on? And generally I'm right there with you, but specialized language within a group gives a shared sense of belonging. Oh crap.  Why am I giving you a rhetoric lesson? I've been done with school three days. Let it go, Penny!******

 

******If you're expecting me to give you a rendition of "Let it Go," you have a long wait. That song goes right through my spine, and not in a good way.