As we say here in Massachusetts: Winnah! or: This post brought to you by Benadryl

I have been very itchy lately, as I am allergic to...something. Could it be work? Ummm...maybe? Anyway, I get through the day thanks to Benadryl. You need to know all that in order for the rest of this silliness to make sense.

Hello, friend

I printed out all the names of folks who entered the October cigar giveaway and was going over to the drawer to get the scissors* to make little strips and put them in a vessel of some sort and get Valentino to pick one. I put the paper down in order to freshen up the Benadryl level in my system. While attempting to pop that little pink bitch out of the hermetically-sealed packaging, it fell out and bounced a few times on the paper, ultimately landing smack dab on one person's name.

Look, I know a sign when I see one. And this was a sign, the little bouncing neon pink pill.

And so, by the Order of Benadryl, the winner of the J Grotto Anniversary cigars is...

Nina Mako!!

Usually, the winners receive cigars stolen directly from the 2,000-count humidor here at Casa Awesome.** BUT! The super kind folks at Mr. J's Havana Shop gave us the cigars to give our winner! Thank you thank you thank you!! So Nina will receive two of these, although I can't remember which two... It'll be a surprise!! For both of us!!

Huzzah! Yay! Wahoo!!!!

What's the Cigar of the Month for November?  Howzabout a couple of these?

Yeah, baby!

*We are very organized here at Casa Awesome and the scissors are always ALWAYS in exactly the same place.

**You might be thinking, Well Valentino would never even know they're missing if you have that many!  You'd be very wrong. He knows what's in there and, if you must know, each cigar is lovingly placed "just so"... so he'd know. 

Call of the Wild (Wild West), Part the Second

When last we left our heroes, they'd made the acquaintance of some real purdy cigars--the CAO BraziliaAmazon Basin in all its 6 x 52 sexiness.

Speaking of sexiness, Hellloooo, you handsome devils!

Speaking of sexiness, Hellloooo, you handsome devils!

And, well, hello, you gorgeous creature! Pssst. Rumor has it you can smoke right through the band.
Valentino didn't get the chance because
I wanted to play with its sproinginess.

After rustling up some delish grub, thanks to our wonderful hosts and all-around good people Christine and Anibal, this happened:

In which the two caballeros become the three amigos! Fire is such a transformative element, don't you think?

In which the two caballeros become the three amigos!
Fire is such a transformative element, don't you think?

I crossed everything, from fingers to signals, and held my breath, hoping this cigar didn't wind up being unloved, especially since we had a canoe's worth coming up the river.

They're here!!

Then I remembered that breath-holding would prove counter productive to my ultimate goal of sucking in all the deliciousness while they did all the work.* I waited expectantly, fingers on iPhone ready to take notes of their every observation--just like a cub reporter following Marshall Bat Masterson around, trying to get a good quote for the newspaper.**

I really worried*** that these cigars might be bat-shit crazy strong, but once the fine gentlemen puffed their smoke in my direction, all worries abated. On first blush, the Brazilia Amazon Basin punches you with strong pepperiness, but after half an inch or so****, it started to smooth out and get creamy.

"Complex," Valentino said.

Caballero #2 nodded and said, "Leather bite."*****

There were certainly undertones of s'mores, although that may have come from the dessert making its way up to my mouth. (I'm a good multi-tasker.)

After the first third, all three amigos agreed that the sweetness increased.  And no, this had nothing to do with the chocolately goodness.  I love these guys, but share dessert?  Hahahaha. Just...no.

Thanks a million to Rolling Stogies (Hi, guys! See you next year!) for their travelling mercantile, which allowed us to own and share this amazeballs cigar. Mike Strategakis, who owns this superfun business (check it out!), reminded us only 2,000 boxes exist in the whole entire world. This forced our usually-slow shopping-hand in the first place.****** (Valentino likes to research before purchasing. I was jumping up and down behind him, shrieking, "They're getting away! Hurry!" At 2:00 a.m. Shut up. I was drunk on lobster tails.)

And then! Last night, while at Habanos, feting a friend's 21st birthday******* (Hi, Hollie!)

 

Wheeeeee!

 

..and simultaneously writing the last blog post, our friend Eric told Valentino that he had a couple of Brazilia Amazon Basins sitting in his humidor at home. He, too, said he was afraid they were going to be super strong and he should probably have an entire Thanksgiving dinner to prepare for the onslaught of the powerful cigar. Ah, the old adage, "Fight fire with turkey..."

But that's the sneaky illusion of the Basin. Even though the Ecuador Sumatra wrapper is darker than a thousand midnights (one of my favorite books!), it still errs on the side of medium-to-full rather than full-frontal. So don't be afraid, Eric et al. Light it up as you watch with a few amigos as the sun set over the chaparral. Or we could meet somewhere air-conditioned, enjoy the CAO Brazilia Amazon Basin, and watch a spaghetti western.




*And they work so very hard for me, these men do.

**"Never run a bluff with a six-gun." - Bat Masterson

***I'm a worrier. What can I say? It's a requirement of my birth order. (First.)

****We're very precise here. You'll just have to deal with it.

 

*****Description, not command, obvs. Not, "Leather, bite." That's a whole other kind of blog.

******Know when to hold 'em and all that.

*******I have socks older than this girl. I'm not even kidding. But still, Happy Birthday!

I hate to say it, but no other title fits*: Boys and their Toys (and room for activities!)

Here's what I've noticed: these guys have partially reverted back to their Matchbox car collecting days. And I don't mean just the Two Caballeros. I mean pretty much alllll the guys (and probably some ladies too, but I don't know many women who smoke cigars).

Even in the facebook groups we belong to exists a constant stream of "Hey! Look what I got!" I'm not saying we're immune to that kind of joviality, as a certain Italian happened to have posted this picture with exactly the same message:

Look! Opus X Lost City and Double Corona!
One of these is getting to be more rare than Ishmael's white whale.
And has a life expectancy of Quint's boat.
(Yes, I am mixing my references. You'll just have to deal with it.)

I met the Two Caballeros and Nathalie at Habanos the other night and some serious cigar trading had already occurred, as well as some wing-eating. That's okay, because my two men, they are kind and generous and brought me some good eats from the Boneyard and all was right with the world.**

Caballero #2 gifted his counterpart with these gems, which they both showed me as I nom-nom-nomed. Their activities*** harkened back to when my son was young and he and his friends would get together and showcase their new treasures. Actually, that still happens now, but with guns and cars rather than $5 toys.

Doc ain't playin' no more. We're talking serious booty.

Well played, but now a retaliation is in order. Eventually someone's going to have to cry "Uncle" or this is going to get really expensive. More expensive. I'm wondering if there's a reset button where they start again with packages of Backwoods purchased at the gas station.

After I had food in me and stopped making the hungry-cranky face, we headed to Broadway Cigars, which is also a cool place to hang out, not just buy cigars that you've been desperately looking for. We met up with Bobby Ianiero, who is one of the big cheeses (cheesi?) but you'd never know by his super cool laid-back awesomeness. We also met JV, who, from what I understand, is the cheesiest of all. (In a good way. In a trying-to-force-a-metaphor way.)



Why do we drive by it Every. Single. Time?
We need to learn to pay more attention...
and not gaze longingly into each others' eyes while driving.

Broadway is BYOB (with a small corkage fee if you're not a member) and OIYOP (no charge, member or not).**** The folks make you feel all settled in and cozy the moment you walk into the large place. Want to sit and read? There's a place for that. Play cards? Yep. Chess? Got it. Private gathering? Roger that--if you're a member. They're also having a super groovy event soon, that I can't attend because I get to teach people how to write. You are lucky. I am not. You should go--and tell Bobby I sent you! (And I'll only charge you one of the cigars you're going to receive at the dinner, sooo...extra lucky you!*****)

Oh yeah, and Matchbox trading also happened there. Bobby gave Valentino these******:

Hello, new friends...

Here's the thing: How do you trade with someone who has all the cigars? I've put on my thinking beanie and so has Valentino. It's like trying to one-up someone who owns a toy store. Because really, we all know it's about one-upsmanship. It's guys we're talking about here.*******

The generosity doesn't stop with cigars, though. Nathalie fulfilled the BYOB and the OIYOP, generously bringing our favorite beverages and ordering a pizza the size of a small nation. And don't worry--we're thinking about how we'll thank her as well... Be prepared, Nathalie...



*Trust me: I tried.

**The thing abut teaching a four hour class that is an hour from home means an entire feeding is missed--and missed dearly.

***This word always reminds me of this, and now that I think about it, the Two Caballeros remind me of them too:

****Order In Your Own Pizza.

*****Finders-keepers fee.

******This is not the first time: Another time we were there, this happened:

*******Don't go getting all crazy-feminist all over my butt. We all know this is true. And I love them for it.