A Champagne Birthday

Are any of you familiar with the concept of a Champagne Birthday? I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t, I only just discovered it this past December. It’s the same concept as a Grand or Golden Birthday, which is that you give special occasion to the birthday number that corresponds with the day of your birth. For example, if born on the 5th of the month, your Champagne Birthday occurs when you turn five. I certainly feel like anyone born on the first gets screwed in this deal, but it’s nonetheless an interesting way to add some significance.

It was April 29, 2014, and it just so happened that this year I was turning 29. I already had a lot to celebrate: the new house, a baby on the way, and life was going genuinely well. I spent the day with Dana, who a few weeks earlier had helped me pick out a fashionable set of frames for my new glasses. This was a big deal for me, as it was my first updated pair in four years, a fact that included plenty of scolding from my optometrist. We then trekked over to our mechanic, Cliff, who had just finished tuning up my car, a 2004 Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang.

The glasses and car were important because I needed a safe, reliable car and a fresh set of eyes for that afternoon’s entertainment: Dana’s ultrasound. The April 29th ultrasound had been circled on my calendar for weeks, because at this point in the pregnancy the technician would be able to tell whether or not we were having a boy or girl. Dana and I were well prepared with names for either, and we were looking forward to being able to refer to our baby in a far more personal manner.

To this point, getting a clear read on this baby had been nearly impossible. Much like he is today, Beny in utero was a rambunctious ball of motion. His constant rotations and predisposition towards exploring his surroundings frustrated doctors trying to catch his heart rate or gauge his size. His camera shyness was becoming a thing of legend, and unsurprisingly he was still at it during the appointment on my birthday.

Twisting, turning, and refusing to give us the angle we needed, we left the ultrasound knowing that he was 8.7 inches long and weighed 10 oz. The staff gave us the news that they were leaning towards boy, but we didn’t have unequivocal proof just as yet. Still, our baby was growing well, had a strong heartbeat, and was highly energetic. I was thrilled!

We had dinner at Pam and John’s that evening where Dana revealed her birthday present, a gorgeous three-burner grill that I had been eyeballing since the winter. She also had another surprise up her sleeve; that weekend she had Eric, Arielle and Andrew come up to celebrate in style. No, not with champagne, but cigars.

While certainly not in season, I nonetheless couldn’t resist having my favorite cigar line for my birthday, and aging in my humidor I had the limited release CAO La Traviata Evil Snowman. The Evil Snowman, as you might guess, was a special edition of the La Traviata Maduro released in November 2013. With only 21,000 sticks being produced, I felt very lucky to have snagged one. The Evil Snowman is a bolder, spicier version of the traditional La Traviata line, and it certainly delivered one hell of a smoke.

Packed into it’s 6 ½”, 52 gauge frame is a tantalizing blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican Piloto Cubano logn fillers bound in Honduran leaf. The wrapper is the aged Connecticut Broadleaf that has become the signature of the Maduro La Traviata varieties. The spice is instantly recognizable at the first puff and lingers throughout an ever-evolving symphony of flavors. Earthy-chocolate and a juicy wood sensation (think smoking woods like apple or cherry) rise and fall in intensity but always are accompanied by the peppery overtone. It was a flavor reminiscent of Lindt Dark Chocolate with Chili bars, or Mexican hot chocolate. Being also a connoisseur of hot sauces, the chili spice was prominent and unmistakable. A medium-full bodied smoke, this was exactly my kind of cigar.

It’s hard to convey how wonderful my 29th birthday was. At my core I am a person who loves the simple pleasures in life; time with family, the comforts of home, the little things that make a day that much brighter. As I wrote to my friends and family that birthday, “A new pair of glasses and some repairs to the car bring peace of mind and better clarity of life. Suddenly the peripherals aren’t so vague and the road continues, focused and ever straighter. A new grill means more than just a few steaks, it’s renewed chances to break bread with and enjoy the company of friends. It was a day of accomplishment, a day of fulfillment, and it was splendid.” Another wonderful day in a life of Good Smoke.

Your’s Truly,

W.S. Cruzgriffith

Good Smoke Presents the Famous Smoke of the Month

Welcome back to Good Smoke my brothers and sisters (and cousins) of the leaf. I would like to invite you to a new edition to the blog, the Famous Smoke of the Month! Our friends over at Famous Smoke Shop of Easton, PA have graciously collaborated on a three-part series of reviews. Up first, the Romeo y Julieta House of Montague Toro.

Naturally, as I am a good Cuban boy and the Romeo y Julieta line has a heritage rooted in the island nation, this story begins on Independence Day at an apple farm in New Hampshire. You heard me. This 4th of July, Dana, Beny and I found ourselves trekking out to Future Apples Orchard, the home of Deej’s parents and our regular getaway for visiting our New England friends.

I was armed with two of the House of Montagues in the hopes that smoking them jointly with Deej would lead to a more complete profile of the cigar. Surprisingly, Deej was a little hesitant. Ever blunt in his diagnoses, he asked, “Aren’t these a gas station cigar?” Now, before you set the web page on fire, let me elaborate on what he was talking about.

Like many of the old Cuban lines, Romeo y Julieta is distributed by Altadis U.S.A. It’s hard to go into any cigar shop and not see a plethora of Altadis brands; Montecristo, H. Upmann, Trinidad, Te-Amo and Warlock just to name a few. While such widespread availability keeps the Altadis lines within reach of a huge market, history has shown us that such overproduction can lead to quality issues, which had been the case for years. Only recently, with lines like RoMeo by Romeo y Julieta, Monte by Montecristo, and the Te-Amo Revolution has the American distributor seen any real accolades for their various brands.

Those appearances in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 were great, but they were a long time coming and it left a number of smokers skeptical. I assured Deej that the times had changed and the cigar was more than worth a shot.

If you haven’t heard about this particular Romeo y Julieta line before, don’t worry, you’re not alone. An exclusive line made for Famous Smoke, the House of Montague is one of two Romeo and Juliet-themed blends, the other being the House of Capulet. The Montague features a delicious blend of Brazilian, Dominican, and Nicaraguan long fillers bound in a Dominican Olor leaf. The wrapper is an aged maduro Arapiraca Brazilian leaf, which was lightly veiny and sweet on the lips. My sticks were toros, measuring in at a stately 6” and a 52 ring gauge.

A sniff at the foot and a cold draw gave impressions of cedary-earth and a chocolatey note similar to baker’s cocoa. We lit up without any trouble, were greeted with an even, slightly firm draw, and quickly started our analysis of the smoke. I certainly had some expectations of what the flavor profile would be based on the description provided by Famous Smoke and other reviews, but nothing prepared me for the first third of the cigar. Floral notes, almost like lilac or lavender, came out prominently with some of the sweeter flavors of cocoa and cedar. As the cigar progressed into the middle third, the floral overtones took a back seat to toasted walnuts, a Kahlua creaminess, and cinnamon spice. The final third opened up more into leathery earthen notes, but still kept the toasted nuts and spice.

The construction of the House of Montague was flawless, as I was able to enjoy this cigar without a single touch up or uneven burn. I had read a lot about the stability of the ash, and that aspect certainly lived up to its billing as I maybe had to ash the cigar three times. While billed as a medium-bodied smoke, I would say that this Romeo y Julieta line is more towards the mild end of the spectrum, which makes it a perfect introductory stick. More experienced smokers may still enjoy the complexity of flavor, much like a fan of big-bodied red wines should try a rose every now and again.

I liked the House of Montague, and at around $6.00 a stick at Famous Smoke it’s a tremendous value cigar. This is going to be a big year for the brand on Good Smoke, as stories including the Reserva Real, 1875, and even the Cuban Edicion Limitada are yet to come.

This 4th of July weekend provided a surprising number of firsts for our friends and family. My son cut his very first tooth after his first time swimming. Deej had his first Romeo y Julieta, which seemed to have sold him on the line. As for me, I got the opportunity to put together this first joint project with friends of the blog, Famous Smoke.

Stay tuned for the next Famous Smoke of the Month, and as always keep your eyes peeled for the next story of a life writ in Good Smoke.

Your’s Truly,

W.S. Cruzgriffith