5 Things* about...Why you should like the Love of the Leaf Facebook page

 If you don't like Love of the Leaf on Facebook, you've made us have the sad. You're missing out on so...much...awesome! Keep reading (if you need convincing) and then join us there, at the cool kids hangout! (They let me go there too, so if you're uber-uncool like me, they'll still like you!)

5. Exclusive giveaways
You know we're not above bribery! For example, when we reach 200 likes/followers/stalkers, one lucky subscriber gets this (chosen completely randomly because, if nothing else, we're obsessively fair):

Instagram photo by @jerseyjay. Swiped from here.
(Too lazy to get up and take my own photo.)

Yep. One of you will receive two Drew Estate Undercrown Shade cigars! Like the page and you're in the running! (Chat with previous winners and they'll tell you we have difficulty with directions, always sending more than promised. Damn us!)

4.5. Sales and auctions
Sometimes we manage to lay our hands on cigars and swag that might make some of you swoon. You know. This kind of stuff:

Auction coming soon! For realz!

or this:

Just the hat, ma'am. Or sir.
[Source]

...or who knows what else.  As we've told you before, one of us is known as the Cigar Hunter, able to find and trap even the most elusive of sticks. We want to share the awesomeness with you by offering the stuff for sale or auction. (We're nice like that! But not nice enough to just give it to you!)

4. Your sales and auctions! Yes--your very own!
List cigars you want to sell or auction! Check out the pinned post on the Love of the Leaf Facebook page for guidelines. Keep in mind--this page is for kindness only, so please don't gripe or bitch about prices or anything else.  If you have a problem, please direct your comments towards the person privately or send me or Valentino a message. We'll help resolve any problem! And if we can't, we'll send out the Goon Squad.**

3. Blog posts, which as you know, are always good for a laugh or five. 
No need to track down that day's blog posts or new info on the Love of the Leaf website. The Facebook page will bring it all to you in one shot. Lucky you!

2. Instagram photos documenting cigar shenanigans, featuring all the crazy one picture can hold.
Like this one, a personal fave:

1. Additional bouts of craziness I can't put into words or even anticipate!
Who knows what we're going to get into next! (Although if you want to know where we'll be, in hopes of catching us mid-shenanigan, check out these events...more added frequently!)


*6 really, but we're pretending 5.
**Zillion trillion bonus points plus my undying friendship for getting the reference.

"Fiery Character! Rare Intensity! Complex Satisfaction!" Camacho!

So there we were, rummaging around in the cigar lounge's humidor, seeing what we could find.

We've come across some real treasures during our searches. This past week,* we came across this baby and a bunch of its friends. We bought them...

Man oh man, the aging! The AGING!!
Amazeballs! Camacho!

 

We know, we know. This doesn't look like the Camacho you see in your favorite B&M. You're used to the bright bands screaming CAMACHO! What you see here is old school Camacho.

If you were paying attention, you remember the new Camachos appeared waaaay back in June 2013. Sure, you noticed that new, bold packaging. But what lurked below that boldness is even more important.

 

Here's the dealio with the Corojo:

 

Did you know... Camacho blends the Corojo with all Cuban-seed Corojo tobacco grown in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras and a fifth priming wrapper. But the seeds? Oh, the seeds have a little history themselves, having been smuggled out of Cuba in the ‘60s So yeah, these are pretty darned close to actual Cuban tobacco--without actually smoking a Cuban cigar, naturally. [source]

 

The re-branding's subtle product change brought some sweetness to balance out the Criollo wrapper, although the wrapper and binder retain most elements of the old Havana blend. While still Honduran tobacco, the cigar's filler is now Criollo, rather than Corojo. Apparently, Dominican Piloto Cubano was also added for additional sweeter notes. [source]

 
"Both Camacho Corojo Maduros [old and new versions] have a very similar profile. Both are Cuban-seed Honduran Corojo puros. Both feature the same 5th Priming Honduran Corojo wrapper. Both have Honduran Corojo binders. Both have pure Honduran Corojo fillers. Only the newer blend points out that the filler is a blend of three different primings," according to Isaac Miller on his website Cigars!

 

According to CI, the new Camacho Corojo is "in a nutshell, an everyday treasure that was crafted with the true cigar aficionado in mind. Made with a super high-grade, fifth priming Corojo wrapper leaf and available in maduro, this fine specimen aims to please and succeeds with ease. Beneath the covers, an authentic Corojo binder and bevy of three primings of Corojo long-fillers complete the mix. Smooth, classic, well-aged, and well-constructed, Corojo is everything you need it to be....and more."

The Corojo's new, updated outfit.
[source]

Oh yeah. The new look. Why the new look? "Part of the redesign includes adding the image of a scorpion on Camacho’s boxes and bands, which Austin feels is emblematic of the brand’s heritage as well as its modern-day philosophy of aggressive competition. The bands and boxes have all received a complete makeover featuring bolder logos, scaled-up lettering and more colorful designs." [source]

Obviously, Valentino loved it, as we purchased a shenaniganful.**

So about those smuggled seeds from the Jamastran Valley of Honduras... says the Camacho website, "A rugged area of the country with a similar microclimate to that of Cuba’s famed, Vuelta Abajo region. Over the course of four decades, we learned and perfected growing the original Corojo strain outside of Cuba. Making us the last in the world preserving and in possession of this critical element that made Cuban cigars and Cuban tobacco famous."

No less than a hundred years after starting this blog post, I just went into the humidor to retrieve some of these oldies and goodies. D'oh! Instead, this:

Obviously, I took the picture, as it has that fuzzy, unfocused quality. 
Not unlike me day-to-day.

If you decide I have got to smoke one of these mo-fos, be warned: This is one hell of a full-bodied smoke. Another warning: "Tons of spice on the retrohale*** made me need to call the firetrucks to my nasal cavity," according to Stogies on the Rocks.

 

If you can get your hands on the older Corojos, do it! But if you can lay your mitts on the newer ones...do it! So really, you can't go wrong, as long as you keep some chocolates nearby for when your head starts to explode from the strength. Yay! Win!

 

Camacho is using "Fiery Character! Rare Intensity! Complex Satisfaction!" to describe one of their new line extensions. But really, it also applies to the entire company. Give them a smoke and find out! Go ahead! We'll wait...

 

 

 

 

 

*You would not even BELIEVE how long ago "this past week" was! Like...five months maybe?

 

**I just made that word up.

 

***“Retro-haling is the act of moving smoke from the back of the mouth, up through the sinuses, and exhaling through the nasal passages.” [source]



The Humidor in East Greenwich, RI: Another new favorite place! (How are we ever going to keep up???)

So you guys! I am currently being consumed by the world's most comfortable chair in one of the coolest new (to us) shops we've been in.

First, let me tell you that most pictures in this post are taken from said chair, as I now live in it.
 

You thought I was kidding, didn't you?

This is the East Greenwich, RI location of...

First (again), let me say, we've been hearing pure awesomeness about The Humidor (which also has locations in Cranston, RI and Newport, RI) for ages, but just never got there.*  Then, one day not too long ago, Valentino was chatting with our friend Jarrid (he of Kristoff) (Hi Jarrid!) about the Partagas/Ramon y Ramon 150-year anniversary humidor we have, and how one drawer was missing, which made him have the sad.

Ours is not filled with cigars, however

Will chose a couple of 30-year-old cigars for Valentino.

Jarrid said Jana Polofsky, owner of The Humidor, had one of those. She might let us have the missing drawer. And after a series of text messages, blammo! She said we could have it. Valentino's day?** Made.


Within these humidors (and those in the first picture) lie some gorgeous sticks.

In addition to their fantastic selection, including things that will make you say, "OMG! I've been dying to try that!"  We found and picked up the Alec Bradley Fine and Rare, which was both fine and difficult to find. Well-played Alan Rubin. Well-played.

 

Bravo!

 

Drew Estate is seriously represented in the store as well.  Did you know The Humidor was the first in the country to carry Drew Estate? If it's good enough for Jonathan Drew...just saying.

While we were there, we met Austin Trudeau, a super cool dude, who I was trying to convince to become my BFF, but Will did what Will does and now they are BFFs.

Rats! Foiled again!

When you go to The Humidor--and you WILL go to The Humidor--you should poke around and check out the treasures. They have some cool and unique stuff, like a humidor with the (I believe) second Cigar Aficionado cover.***  And this:





Will would like to have this. 
And he would like to keep it on my desk.

And the people who go to The Humidor? Fantastic! While Valentino and Austin were cigar shenaniganning,**** I had a lovely chat with a couple who hang out there. From the comfort of my chair, of course.

Valentino and his drawer and a nice lady.
Plus! Look at all that cool stuff in the background!

 And and and there's so much room there! And that's super great because they seem to have the most fantastical events there! That's the other reason why I'm mad we didn't know about this place sooner! All the things we've missed! Kristoff events! Camacho events! Drew Estate events! Cigar dinners next door at Siena! D'oh!!



I would like to be sitting on that couch,
but getting out of the chair is quite difficult.



Make sure you like their Facebook page so you can get all the info before the fun happens! The events are much more engaging that way! (They don't have a website, which makes a researcher like me nutty.)

The Humidor's East Greenwich shop is at 5600 Post Road. "We are located right next to Siena in Benny's Plaza. Come on in! Have a smoke and relax in our comfy leather sofas. BYOB! We also have a poker table in the back."  And when you go, tell Austin and Jana we said "Howdy!"--unless we're there; then you should say "Howdy!" to us! And them!

 

Next stop! The Cranston shop! Wahooooo!

*We're creatures of habit. This should not be news to anyone.

 

**Not Valentine's Day.

 

***Full disclosure: We have the humidor with the premier cover.

 

****It's a word now!

Yard Work: Camacho Pre-Embargo 1962 (and kittens)

I love the internet.  This is not a surprise to anyone who has ever met me.  You can get anything on the internet! Anything! Heck, that's even where I got Valentino. (Looking at you, match.com!)

 

So we were on vacation in Pittsburgh, both of us sitting on his dad's front porch. I was checking email on my phone because I'm so very, very important.  Hahaha. I was actually trying to outfunny my son (Hi, Sean!), who was texting me about the supercute feral kittens* in the woods behind his house. I lost that round of funnies, just in case you were curious.

 

But ultimately, we all won, because I saw an email from my friend Sean at Cigar.com (Hi, another Sean!) promoting a five-pack of Camacho Pre-Embargo for some outrageously low price. He described that cigar as "buttery" and if you know anything about me, it's that I love butter even more than the internet.  I bought a five pack of the 6" x 48 Toros, knowing they'd be waiting for Valentino when we returned home. (And purchasing them in secret while he sat next to me was sneaky and fun.)

 

Yesterday, he (Valentino, not either of the Seans) was doing some yard work and decided to fire one up. I was outside of the garage, sanding down some furniture we got at a yard sale. (Good idea but refinishing furniture is waaaay harder than expected.) While ingesting fine dust, I smelled something more delicious waft in my direction.  "Is that good?" I asked, looking for an excuse to stop sanding. "Because it smells great."

 

That brown stuff is actually the neighbor's lawn.
He was coming back from talking to their landscaper, who you should never hire.

Cigars International said about The Camacho Pre-Embargo: "Camacho is synonymous with ‘full.’ Full-bodied, full-flavored, and full of character. Indeed, Camacho blends tend to be powerful yet well-balanced smokes that offer superior flavor and aroma characteristics." I was totally going to say that.

And a nice little reminder of his age as he smoked.

According to The Examiner, ”several transitions…keep the smoker interested.”   The article explains that there’s an “initial taste of fresh earth and leather [that] gives way to a hint of spice as the flame reaches the filler and binder for the first time. More flavors of leather combined with hay and cedar take over for the first-third of the cigar, with hints of black coffee occasionally weaving in and out.” In the second-third, “the flavors of black coffee and leather are replaced with a meatier tobacco taste reminiscent of smoked oak.  This increase in body continues to grow with more coffee and chocolate flavors appearing.” The review notes that as the final third approaches, it gets a bit drier tasting, but the hearty flavors “last until the final third where the cigar settles into a nice balance of earth and leather to finish things out.”

OMG! That's exactly what I was going to say!

Back to Cigars International: "The blend begins with a vintage '99 Jamastran Corojo wrapper draped around a complex filler blend including a significant portion of authentic pre-embargo Cuban tobacco - the very same tobaccos used in Camacho's beloved Liberty series. Medium in body with a rich flavor profile, Camacho's 1962 Pre-Embargo size brings copious amounts of flavor, including wood, leather, nuts, and spices."   Heh heh.  I said "nuts."

If you can get some, I'd say go for it. (Valentino agrees.) One of the recommendations is to smoke it slowly so it doesn't burn hot, but frankly, isn't that the whole point of cigar smoking? The slow burn, the calmness...unless you're looking at your neighbor's lawn that needs some serious work--that's a different kind of slow burn. 

 

* You know you wanted to see the kittens.