Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 Petit Corona

I have to set the scene for this one. A June night at the ocean, it's been raining all day, the sky is black, the wind is blowing. I'm sitting on the beach(no rain at present).

The cigar of choice is the RP 1992 Petit Corona. It's about 4.5" long and a ring size of about 44. I believe it is from Hondurus.

A great smoke certainly assisted by the environment. What was enjoyable about the cigar was a smooth smoke, a dry peppery flavor and a good thick aroma.

A pipe..

A beautiful small Calabash, Sherlock Holmes style, but oh so much smaller. A nice bowl of danish tobacco. And a beautiful cool breeze evening on the deck of my vacation home in the Outer Banks.

It lit well. Although I did have to relight 2 times, probably an indicator of my inexperience, rather than the breeze or the quality of the tobacco. It was a light and consistent smoke. Good aroma! and a pleasant evening.

I guess I enjoy a pipe. It is certainly a different experience than a cigar. More restrictive, more tools, more work. But still an enjoying experience.

Jesus and a Box of Cuban Cigars

from Pat Morley
Volume 122
March 21, 2005

A friend recently gave me a sealed box of 25 Cohiba cigars with a proper Habana government sticker. Not much of a cigar person, he was led to believe they had been brought into the U. S. legally. Yes, I thought to myself, I’ve heard something about relaxing the laws for imported Cuban cigars.

Oh, how I wanted to believe it was true! Grateful, I accepted the stogies, rushed home, and opened to box to admire the workmanship. Cuban cigars still rule!

Round One: Victory

And then I started hearing the voices. The first voice said, “You can trust your source. Enjoy them. They’re a gift. You deserve them. It’s a blessing.” The second voice said, “Are you sure they’re legal?” I really didn’t want to hear that second voice.

After a long self-debate, I googled the current Cuban embargo laws. They are unchanged. You can bring in $100 worth of Cuban products, including cigars, from a visit To Cuba. That’s it.

So I decided not to partake any of the Cohibas. I had been through this before, and I had concluded the lesson for me was scrupulous obedience. God, once again, gave me victory in a small thing so that I do not disqualify myself for bigger things.

Round Two: Reward

Round One took place four days ago. Round Two took place a few moments ago. I started thinking, “You know, that really was a righteous thing I did by not using those cigars. No one would have known, and anyone who did wouldn’t have cared anyway. God will surely bless me because I was faithful in this small thing.”

And there is the lie. It is the idea that I deserve something for doing what I should have done anyway. In theology it’s called works righteousness. It is the idea that I can accrue merit by doing good deeds. Why should we expect a blessing for merely doing our duty? Jesus put it this way…

“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10).

Let us be cautious to obey Christ because it is our duty, not because it may earn us a reward.

Together in the Battle for Men's Souls,


Pat Morley

The Coffee Vice?

Not sure how to consider this. Maybe it is just a Coffee Obsession - not quite a vice. But I just roasted my 1st batch of Green Beans. They were Columbian Supremo, purchased locally. I roasted them on a cookie sheet over the gas grill. They cooked about 14 minutes altogether. That is a bit longer than most instructions recommend. But I tried to follow the sound and look test. And 14 minutes was what was needed. Then cooling for about 5 minutes. I "cupped" them (Coffee aficianado-speak for 'tried a cup') and I am satisfied.

First of all let me say the roasting and cupping aroma is incredible. I feel like Juan Valdez is going to come up on the deck any minute.

I do believe I have not perfected the technique. There lacks an evenness in the color and the brew is just a bit weaker than I anticipated. I will try a couple different methods and see what I can improve on.

Don KiKi

Limited Reserve, Double Corona
Good cigar, Can't remember where I got it from though... Abt 6" long, 44 ring.
A nice flavor, a bit 'stinky' for passersby,

As I smoked it down past half, it began to burn a bit unevenly, with some of the wrapper remaining intact while the filler burned.

1881 La Flor De La Isabela

Not sure if it was the quality of the cigar or the atmosphere that I was partaking it. But it was a fine smoke. It was not my normal fare - as it was almost Panatela-esque. That is long and thin. Probably 7" long, I'm not sure of the ring size.

I was smoking this on a wonderful Tidewater Virginia Night, at an outdoor concert featuring Brad Paisley & Sara Evans. Good music, good tempature, good libation - basically I had no complaints.

The smoke was great. Very smooth, mild flavor and a rather quick burn, but that could be because of the breeze. I would say all was great until the last 1/3 of the stogie, when a little bitterness crept in, causing an unpleasant flavor and helping me to end the smoke with about 2" left.

It's probably from the Phillipines. Cigar Afic - rated a similar shorter cigar an 84 several yrs ago

Rocky Patel, Vintage 1992

WOW, A heavy duty stogie. About 6" long and it must be a 50 or 52 ring. The band(s) are about 2.5" in length (circumference). It was mild, but definitely a thick smoke. But it was very smooth.

The only negative was because I did not properly humidify it, the wrapper began to crack as it smoked down. Did that deter me? Not at all I was still able to smoke it to within 1.5" of its length.

Montecristo #3 Corona

5.5" 42 ring
The 2nd of those cigars bought in London. Enjoyed on the deck in Williamsburg, VA. I will say my cigar sommelier(not sure of the correct term) friend did me right with these 2 choices: the Hoya & The Monte, were excellent choices.

A very mild cigar, no bite, but a slight peppery flavor. a consistent smoke with good even burn and a long solid ash. I love the long ash!

I hope that any in the neighborhood would say "Wow, that is a nice smelling cigar."

Hoyo de Monterey

It was either a Corona or A Corona Gorda. Obviously from Habana. It was about 6" long and about a 42 ring. This is the one I bought in London. It was possibly the best cigar I've ever had. I (we, there were 2 of us) smoked it to the bottom - that is until I couldn't hold it any more.

So what made it remarkable? Well, the moisture was just right. It lit well and burned well. There was no cracking noise when we cut it. It was smooth on the puffs and the smoke was thick, but it did not "burn" my tongue. The aroma was distinct, and I am sure anyone who walked in to the Pub, did not want to leave, but just enjoy the smell.

The flavor or burn did not change as we smoked it beneath the 1" line. It remained full, no bitterness or bite.

London Cigars

A trip to London cannot be complete without a visit to one of the finer cigar stores like J.J. Fox or H. Upmann or Davidoff. The experience is rich enough. Unlike any experience in USA (at least in my experience). The clerks offer an expertise that is unmatched. You may have to put up with a little arrogance, but after pushing through that you will undoubtedly have a great experience. My most recent visit offered an excellent experience. I went to Davidoff on James St.. I was not left to wander through the Humidor on my own, but was escorted by a young clerk. I explained exactly what I was looking for: 4 cigars, that I could not get in USA, of moderate cost and a medium smoke. I was intending to smoke one ( & share one) that day and smoke another one several days later. He led me past the popular Cohiba rack to the other shelves. He carefully let me look at and choose 4 cigars. After I chose the 2 brands he went back and selected 4 quality singles and wrapped them accordingly. I will say, I might have been a bit skeptical about his selections. But they ended up being the 2 best smokes I've ever had.