Maker's Mark French Toast and a Hand-rolled Cheroot.

Normally, I don't drink bourbon so early in the morning, but as a Wisconsin girl I have had my occasional bloody Mary's while going out to breakfast or brunch. So I figured one bourbon this morning would not be so bad. As I promised, I am following up on my Kentucky trip with posts about the specific bourbons I purchased there. This morning was the perfect opportunity, since it was supposed to finally be warm.

A cheroot to pair with a sweet Kentucky Bourbon

When I went out on my porch at about 8:30am, it was 61 degF but it had been raining all morning, and nothing complements cigars and drinks on my porch better than a fire. So with the damp, drizzle-on-drizzle-off conditions this morning, it took me a half-hour to finally get the fire going. Eventually at 9 am, I was able to assemble my drinks, lighter, cutter, and cigar to partake in a wonderful experience.

Darn fire finally going in the rainy morning

The first bourbon I bought was the Maker's Mark Private Reserve French Toast. You can only get this stuff at the distillery in Kentucky. I figured I could not go wrong with a French Toast flavored bourbon in the morning with a cup of coffee and a cigar. This bourbon tastes like how it sounds, with hints of sweet syrup and cinnamon, which paired well with my highlander grog coffee and cigar.

Maker's Mark Private Reserve French Toast

As for the cigar, I was inspired by Clint Eastwood. My husband and I recently watched "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and then my son and I watched, "A Fistfull of Dollars." Although they say Eastwood hated cigars, he makes them look so damn good! I researched online what smaller cigars he smoked in those "Man With No Name" Spaghetti Westerns, and they were supposedly cheap machine-rolled Toscanos or other similar brands. Well, I did not want to pair this awesome bourbon with machine-rolled cigars, so I did further homework online and found Handmade Cheroots from Cigar Daily, which were a little bigger than what Eastwood smoked, but they piqued my interest. The reviews on the website were lukewarm. Some said things like, "they did not taste that great, but you get what you pay for." Others thought they were decent cigars for a great value. I paid $9.99 for a ten pack, so they were pretty cheap, and I was a little nervous that they would not be any good. But you only live once, right?

What the hell? Why not?

I have to say, as soon as I started to toast the end the cheroot smelled really good. And then that bite on that first draw was a bold tobacco taste, with a distinct and subtle sweetness. This means it paired really well with the French toast Maker's Mark and highlander grog coffee! It drizzled on outside, but my fire was hot enough at that point to keep burning, and I was a happy cigar smoker. It has been a while since I posted about a budget cigar (see my post from October 2022 about the Baccarat Repeater), and even though this post is about the Maker's Mark French toast bourbon, this cheroot really stole the show!

The Handmade Cheroot - pretty good, actually!

I highly recommend the Handmade Cheroot, and I highly recommend the Maker's Mark Distillery if you're on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Stay tuned for more about the other bourbons I bought in Kentucky.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Location 2 - Louisville

As promised, this post is the "Part II," or Location 2, of my Kentucky Bourbon Trail trip, focusing on the Lousiville Experience. If you read the previous post, you are already aware that these write-ups are not in chronological order, but rather framed by location. Last time I outlined Location 1, the Bardstown Region: on Day 1, I toured Maker's Mark and enjoyed a cigar outside the Talbott Inn. Then on Day 2, I chronicled my tour of Woodford Reserve and later the Volstead Bourbon Lounge, where I paired a Cohiba Weller with Elkwood 11 Year Reserve.

This post will take us back to the middle of Day 2, with my late afternoon-early evening in Louisville. Then it will take us to Days 3 & 4 for my full adventures within, and eventual departure from, Louisville and ultimately the conclusion of my Kentucky trip.

Departure from Woodford, Daddy Crow's and Havana Jack's

The first segment of Day 2, Monday, ended in Versailles, Kentucky, when I left the Woodford Reserve Distillery and traveled west-northwest to Louisville, with my main goal being a tour at the Angel's Envy distillery in downtown. This was probably the most poorly planned part of my trip: I got to Louisville with well over two hours to kill before the Angel Envy's tour. I planned, and really enjoyed, a late lunch at Daddy Crow's Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar, where I banished my hunger with a most delicious helping of Kentucky's comfort food - country fried pork chops! (Highly recommended!) However, there was no way lunch was gonna fill all that time. My cigar-smoking time in Louisville was not scheduled until Day 3, Tuesday (outlined below). But sometimes instilling a splash of chaos to any lesson, ritual, or dance, allows Heaven and the Universe to guide you! I walked out of Daddy Crow's, fully satiated, and headed toward Angel's Envy wondering what I was gonna do for an hour and a half. And then there it was, completely by coincidence: a cigar bar that did not come up on any of my internet searches while planning my trip: Havana Jacks.

Smoking a candela at Havana Jack's, Louisville, KY

Havana Jack's Cigar Factory was located a few blocks right in between Daddy Crow's and Angel's Envy on Main Street in Louisville. It is owned by Jack, a charming young man. He sells a variety of good cigars, but specializes in blended candelas. With seed from Cuban tobacco, these cigars are a blend of tobacco grown in Kentucky descended from those seeds, and other tobaccos imported from Latin America. The candelas are harvested early, before the tobacco is ripe, which makes them green in color, and much more mild in flavor than standard cigars. (I did not know this until he educated me!). So I stayed and smoked one, along side sipping some bourbon, Monk's Road Single Barrel. 

The candela was very mild and very smooth. If you are new to cigar smoking, I recommend them. If you are gonna smoke four or five sticks in one night, I recommend them. Havana Jack's in Louisville has a website if you want to check them out and order some.

As for the bourbon Jack served me, apparently this whiskey originated historically partly on purpose and partly by chance. The Dant family, who founded Monk's Road, lacked the money to make a traditional copper still in the 1830s, so they hollowed out a big log and distilled their bourbon in it. When descendants of the Dants revived the company in 2021, calling it Logstill Distillery, they no longer use log stills. However, they are built on the old Cold Spring Distillery site, which has access to spring water coming from limestone rock beneath the ground. Now, while all the distilleries I toured discussed the importance of limestone infused spring water to bourbon production, I have to assert that Monk's Road was the most "earthy" tasting bourbon I have ever sampled. And this flavor is explained, by various online sources, by the limestone. I highly recommend trying Monk's Road Single Barrel Bourbon.

Finally to Angel's Envy

After bidding Jack goodbye, I walked a few blocks into the Angel's Envy downtown distillery. Compared to Makers and Woodford, which were full-process tours, this experience at Angel's Envy was intended specifically as a "flavor tour." This session only paid superficial mind to the entire distilling process, and rather focused on the aging and flavoring of the bourbon. The tour is called, "The Art of the Single Barrel." The guide had us sample the product at various stages. We sipped the port wine used to flavor the inside of the barrels. Then we sampled the clear grain alcohol that came from the stills, and after that we sampled the unfiltered bourbon straight from a barrel. And finally, at the end, we did a standard tasting just like the other tours offered. I bought one bottle of single barrel for myself, and another for my brother-in-law. (It was his birthday while I was down in Kentucky). I will let you know how this pairs with cigars later on when I open it. At the conclusion of Angel's Envy, I traveled back to Bardstown for my final night there.

Ready to sample unfiltered bourbon, straight from a barrel. Angel's Envy, Louisville

Hiking, the Bourbon Barrel Inn, and the Louisville Cigar Company

On Day 3, Tuesday, I awoke, ate breakfast, and checked out of the Talbott Inn. I spent the morning hiking 7.5 miles in the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, a beautiful wooded area in the Clermont area of Kentucky. If you like to incorporate exercise and nature into your bourbon and cigar lifestyle, then this is a great interlude. After I finished the hike, I had some time to kill and I was very hungry so I stopped at Zaxby's Chicken in Shelbysville. I was told by a girlfriend in Wisconsin to sample it, even though it was a fast food joint, as it was a common Southern experience. It was comfort food that was tasty and filled my tummy.

After lunch I made my way north to the Bourbon Barrel Inn Bed and Breakfast in the historic neighborhood of Louisville known as "Old Millionares Row." This place was amazing! It was a beautiful renovated mansion from the Victorian Age. The owners Brian and Rich came out and greeted me at the front door and showed me around. They invited me to their cocktail hour with great bourbons, other spirits, and homemade appetizers - all on the house! After I cleaned up (I had been hiking, remember), they entertained me with great conversation in an adorable sitting room with a beautiful wood minibar. They shared two amazing Kentucky Bourbons with me - and for now, I am keeping these a surprise for my readers, should they venture to Louisville to visit these guys. You will have to trust me that their selection of spirits was impressive! Later they offered guidance and advice to help me navigate my way to the Louisville Cigar Company via the city's rideshare options. The next morning (Day 4), they made a delicious breakfast and bid me farewell as I resumed my Kentucky travels. I will visit these guys again - they know how to run a bed and breakfast! I felt like part of the family!

Eggs Benedict at the Bourbon Barrel Inn, Louisville

After cocktail hour at the Bourbon Barrel Inn concluded, I traveled to the Louisville Cigar Company and Speakeasy on Baxter Avenue. This was the "main event" of my trip, if I had to pick one. The establishment was divided into three areas: 1) the humidor, where I purchased a huge LFD Double Ligero 700 Natural; 2) the speakeasy, where I ordered a double Michter's Small Batch Straight Bourbon; and 3) the cigar lounges, three of them, where I found a seat facing a big window overlooking Baxter Avenue. Here I felt like a queen. I have had LFD Double Ligeros before, and I chose one at this moment for a reason: this cigar is just about the boldest smoking experience I could possibly imagine. After sampling plenty of bourbon at the bed and breakfast already, I needed something strong to pair with the Michter's. This was the climax of my spring break, finally landing at the Louisville Cigar Company. The buzz of the bourbon(s!) and the Double Ligero hit me with an intense, yet gentle, state of contentment and well-being. The smoke carried me well over an hour until closing time, and its kick is known for putting a lot of aficionados over the edge, so to speak, with sweats or jitters. For me, this manifested as a sudden, ravenous appetite. This was all part of the plan, because a short walk away was Molly Malone's Irish Pub and Restaurant. They had late night dining, so I stepped right over and had a corned beef sandwich and chips (fries), a crazy encore to St. Patrick's Day as I now approached Easter! After my appetite was satisfied, I returned to the bed and breakfast and fell asleep with smile on my face. Check out this cigar company and Baxter Avenue!

The potent LFD Double Ligero 700 Natural

Honorable Mention: Big Red Stables

On Day 4, I checked out of the Bourbon Barrel Inn after the amazing breakfast I mentioned above. Before heading home, I drove to the Harrodsburg region of Kentucky, about an hour southeast of Louisville. I wanted to go horseback riding, and although this does not pertain to bourbon or cigars in the least, I wanted to give this experience an "honorable mention." The Big Red Stables, owned by Emily and Drew, is a 110 acre ranch that offered a personal 90 minute tour of its scenic ranch on horseback. This was not a mundane trail ride, like you might get at some of the bigger, corporate stables, where the horses walk along like drones. Drew took me out and we rode throughout the ranch, across pastures, along wooded areas, and even along a creek, with water splashing like a Western movie. He was a good coach and impressed upon me the importance of always "standing in the stirrups" because the horses did not have blinders on them and were easily startled. (I believe my athletic background as a track and field athlete helped me with this too). The ride was exciting, yet serene and relaxing. I want to go back to Kentucky for the bourbon and cigars, but I will certainly ride with Drew again, too, at the Big Red Stables.

Riding the filly, Taylor, at Big Red Stables, Harrodsburg, KY

Conclusion

After I dismounted and settled up with Drew (his ranch is family-owned and "cash-only" for the ride), I got in my car and I headed home! I hope you enjoyed the summaries of my wonderful experiences in Kentucky as part of my own self-planned bourbon and cigar trip. I will expand on the bottles of bourbon I purchased while on this trip in later posts. So stand by!

Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Location 1 - In and Around Bardstown

I suspect everyone close to me was getting tired of hearing it: I am going on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail! Well, I am back from Kentucky! Having concluded two stays, one in Bardstown and the other in Louisville, I feel like I had a very satisfying and balanced trip. This cigar blog will look at my bourbon tasting and cigar smoking in two parts, based on two locations: Bardstown and its "outer bourbon region," and Louisville. 

Milwaukee Departure, Maker's Mark, and Bardstown:

I left Sunday morning by about 6:45 am and cruised through Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana without incident. I snacked in the car and stopped twice to use the rest room and get gas. The plan was to drive directly to a tour at the Maker's Mark Distillery, and then after that to check into my hotel in Bardstown. On the way to Maker's, I drove through Bardstown and proceeded about thirty minutes south/southeast of Bardstown, in the vicinity of Laretto, Kentucky. The Maker's Mark Distillery was literally in the middle of nowhere, only accessible via narrow and winding roads without shoulders. These roads would pass for bicycle paths in the Milwaukee area, but they had posted speed limits from 35 to 55 mph. I was not used to driving like that. When I got to the distillery, I was still surprised how small it was, despite the fact that my mind should have been primed by the remote area.

The tour was interesting. Much of the work was still done by hand, from dipping the trademark red wax seals to handcranking the printing press for making the labels. The tasting at the end was very good, as I sampled four types of whiskey, and finally purchased two bottles. I will say more about all the whiskey I bought on this trip in later posts: I was surrounded by so much bourbon, so if I was gonna get the chance to smoke a stick in Kentucky, I was gonna pair it with other bourbons that I could find there. I will pair the whiskey I bought with cigars back home and share out later.

Maker's Mark Distillery

After Maker's Mark, I returned to Bardstown and checked into the Talbott Inn and Gift Shop. This hotel got its start as an inn in 1779 and has a restaurant, tavern, and gift shop attached to it. Sunday is a quiet place for Bardstown as most businesses, including all the other restaurants, were closed. Talbott's restaurant was the only one open, so naturally it was packed with tourists and locals alike. I waited patiently and ate a Kentucky combination plate: three sliders - one was fried green tomato, another pulled pork, and the third was ham and swiss cheese. Very tasty.

 Otherwise, there was only one liquor store in town that sold good cigars, and it was also closed on Sundays; so I prevailed upon a cigar I brought from home, a My Father Flora de las Antillas Toro. I snuck outside a side door facing the eastern sky and a waxing moon. I had already had plenty of bourbon at Maker's Mark so I just sipped on water as I enjoyed the mild, creamy flavor of this My Father. The Talbott is on a main street in Bardstown, and this eastern side door opened up around the corner at the beginning of a residential area. I don't like to be that annoying cigar smoker who disturbs people who prefer a smoke-free space, but the door was far enough away from the neighborhood homes, and there was no traffic in and out of this side door.

Enjoying a My Father outside the Talbott Inn, Bardstown, KY

Then I thought I was busted! An older couple rounded the corner, and the woman said to me, loudly, "That's you!" Her neck craned and nose sniffed the air.

I sprung up from the stoop to move away, waving away my cigar smoke. "I am so sorry," I said.

"No, no," she said. "If it is pipe or cigar smoke, I love it."

"That's a My Father," said the husband. "Did you get that in town, here?"

"No," I said with a sigh of relief. "I brought it from home."

They were from Delaware, and after brief small talk about the closed liquor store, both he and I expressed the intent to check out the store's humidor before leaving town. They excused themselves, and then I finished the My Father and turned in for the first night.

Woodford, Louisville, and back to Bardstown

On  Monday, Day 2, I awoke bright and early. I exercised and ate breakfast at the inn. Then I drove an hour west-northwest to Versailles, Kentucky. The roads were narrow with high speed limits, but the Woodford Reserve Distillery was located in the middle of Kentucky ranch country. The roads were only a little bit wider than the ones leading to Maker's Mark. The scenery was filled with lush pastures populated by beautiful horses that were grazing, walking and trotting.

Although Woodford Reserve was founded in the 1990s, the distillery is on a site that had been in the distilling business since the early 1800s. Many of the facilities are new, but some of the old buildings from the 1800s were still in use. Therefore, the site was very beautiful and historically rustic. The operation here was again smaller than I expected. (By contrast, Jim Beam, which I did not tour, but drove by, looked like a small city). The Woodford tasting was also delicious at the end, and I bought one bottle. Again I will write more about these purchases in later posts! 

A Cohiba Weller with Elkwood Reserve Bourbon; Volstead Lounge in Bardstown

Later on Day 2, I went to Louisville for a while, ate a late lunch, found a cigar bar, and toured another distillery, but those will be featured in the next post about Louisville. Later when I finished in Louisville on Day 2, I returned to the Talbott Inn in Bardstown. I took a break and then walked over to the liquor store which had an impressive humidor. I bought a Cohiba Weller, a little pricier, but I was in bourbon country, and this cigar's tobacco was aged in bourbon barrels. Then I went to the Volstead Bourbon Lounge, a tavern with an intentionally cramped and covert feel, like a speakeasy. They also had seats outside on their storefront, so I ordered a Bluegrass Elkwood Eleven Year Reserve to pair with my Cohiba. Now I know many of you are wondering if I asked the bartender if they had Weller Bourbon, which would have made sense. I didn't! When my eyes caught that Elkwood 11, I jumped at it!

I sat out front, and lit up the cigar. It's initial lighting bite was spicy; I could definitely taste the hint of spice and liquor on it from the bourbon barrel aging process. And then when paired with the Elkwood, it gave me fine buzz that carried me from the Kentucky twilight, through dusk, and well into the dark night. It is a robusto size, if I remember right, and it smoked for a good 80-90 minutes. I walked back to my hotel and ate some sandwiches I brought along from Wisconsin. It was 10pm by this time and all the dining in Bardstown was already closed. 

Cohiba Weller - hints of bourbon and spice.

That was my trip to Kentucky, summarized for the Bardstown region. Coming soon - the Louisville experience!

Smoking and meeting new people: even an introvert likes it.

 Rushing this blog out on the eve of my big trip

It's Saturday evening. Tomorrow I leave for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail bright and early. I packed and ran errands to prepare for the trip. I cleaned the house (because hubby and son won't clean it while I am gone). Finally I sat on my porch with a roaring fire in the pit, puffed on an Alec Bradley Texas Lancero, and sipped mocha decaf coffee with Irish Whiskey. And I typed this blog.

Enjoying a Lancero while writing this post

This week - smoking with company

While I will definitely follow up with some posts about my trip to Kentucky, this week I wanted to discuss smoking with people, and particularly meeting new people. As an introvert who expends most of her "social energy" with other people's kids teaching high school, I generally prefer to smoke alone and meditate and decompress after a long week at school, or even mid-week after a long day. And this is really only partially true, for I have made connections in the various smoking establishments I frequent: Bob and Joe at Shakers; Paul and Jen, and Jarrod and Nikki at Metro, and a few others. These are connections, however, made up of people who own and/or work in those places. I also smoke with my sister and brother-in-law, who have joined me at Shakers and at Metro. Otherwise, I have very rarely talked to other patrons. And then this past week it happened, on Sunday at Metro.

Spiking the coffee with Irish Whiskey since I'll be hitting bourbon all next week.

Sunday with Arturo Fuente, and three lovely people.

Teachers get the "Sunday Scaries" with the best of them. Last week I got my exercise and chores done, so I headed to Metro in Germantown to have a smoke, a Jack Daniels, and a quiet mediative session before returning home to make dinner. When I got there, I was reminded that Metro has new seats, and everyone is talking about them. On the east end of the lounge they are arranged in fours, with two seats facing each other. You have no choice but to look other cigar connoissuers in the eye! When I first sat down at around 1 pm, the seat next to me was empty but across from me were two men, one older and one younger. They were together and likely a father-son duo. They talked intently to each other, and the body language communicated that this was their one-on-one time, so I puffed on my Arturo Fuente Untold Story while I typed an itinerary for my Kentucky trip. I know that makes me sound like a nerd, but my bourbon and cigar tour was self-planned, so I had to coordinate tour times, check-in and check-out times, and driving times across Kentucky's bourbon country. 

Metro - Jack Daniels and Arturo Fuente

Eventually father and son left, and they were quickly replaced by three others, a brother and sister, and a lady who was their cousin. They were about 10-15 years younger than I, maybe in their forties. (I am 58). They lit up their smokes and sipped cocktails. I had at least half of my Fuente to smoke as I finished my itinerary, and as soon as I closed the doc on my laptop, the cousin asked me how long I had been smoking cigars. (Shit - I really had to think about it, lol.) Thirty years, I finally, said. The cousin commented that I must have started really young. And that was it. We engaged in at least two hours of conversation. First, I explained that, on my radar, cigar smoking was not a thing when I was young. Rather it seemed to become a thing in the 1990s when I was in my mid to late twenties, with cigar bars popping up in the Milwaukee area.

Secondly, and thirdly, and so on, I found out they were all professionally employed, and the brother had a side business selling cigars. They all had adult kids, as do I. We discussed how diverse the crowds were at all the cigar bars in and around town. The brother commented about how cigar smokers made up a subculture that crossed all demographics of people. And then the conversation became more familiar, talking about parenting, extended families, divorces, the tragedy and emotions involved with losing loved ones, and finally about getting older. Finally, I looked at the clock, and it was after 4 pm and I had to head home to start dinner!

Arturo Fuente Untold Story

At the very least, this was a good warm up to being more social with fellow patrons as I head to Kentucky by myself. However, for my future as a cigar buff, will it change me? I think mostly no - I will likely smoke alone and meditate a lot. But I will be more open to it. And sooner or later I will run into the brother, sister and cousin, and I will definitely sit by them and catch up! It was really meaningful. 

So that is all for this week's blog post. Stand by for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and its nearby cigar bars!

Cigar of the Day salvaged on a Snow Day

 I smoked a lot of decent cigars this week, but as a teacher and cigar connoisseur, nothing beats a snow day. Well, only if you smoke a stick during what would normally be the regular school day. I have had snow days when it was just too nasty to smoke one on the porch, and the roads were too hazardous to drive to a cigar lounge (if they were even open).

Well, the nasty weather started this past Sunday, but preceding the snow storm was the rain. The day was cold and windy, with sideways rain at about 37 degF. I did go out on my porch like a fool and smoked a Rocky Patel, The Edge Maduro, and it was adventurous to say the least. I will confess it was entirely out of vanity and for attention, because I posted it in my various social media groups and threads. The internet indulged me, calling me "boss lady," and "hardcore," and even "Supergirl," for smoking in those conditions. The Edge Maduro is a regular go-to of mine: woodsy, spicy, and great tasting, even though it was hard to focus on the flavor. I was lucky to persist out there in my cowboy hat, and layers and layers of warm clothing, like back in my track and field coaching career, when I stood outside in that shit while the poor kids competed. Brrr.

Later on, since I am in a bowling league that competes alternate Sunday nights, I went in and bowled. Several teams called in and forfeited because the rain was predicted to switch to nasty snow. Somehow the excitement of it all aroused my performance level, because I bowled well above my average. Then the notice came on my phone in the form of an email blast - no school on Monday due to the weather. Sure enough, it was snowing by the time I was driving home from bowling. Snow Day! For teachers and students this is a happy time. However, I had to contain my joy. The other bowlers were pissed off that there was a winter storm so close to St. Patrick's Day. I stayed out of there way by not dancing to the tune of my snow day, as they complained about Wisconsin weather patterns. They were not in the mood to hear celebrations that I would be off work the next day.

My "pre-snow day smoke" on the porch with Rocky Patel

Monday morning I awoke, started coffee, and shoveled. Then on social media I conformed and fit in by bitching about Wisconsin and how crappy it was "to get all this snow in March," blah, blah, blah...even though I was like a kid, elated to have the day off. I went out and shoveled a second time. It was coming down and it was cold and windy as heck. I was not performing any encore cigar smoking on the porch, that was for sure. So I decided to roll with the weather. I put on snowshoes, hiked through deep snow for two miles, burned a lot of calories, and broke a sweat in the frigid winds. I started to come to terms with the fact that this leisurely snow day was not going to lend itself to enjoying a stick. Oh well, I thought, it was still a blizzard out there.

Actually I own several pairs of snowshoes

And then it happened. I got home from snowshoeing, and the snow stopped, and the sun came out. The plows came through. My son emerged from his bedroom cave, and he shoveled what would be our third and final wave of snow removal. After I got out of the shower and cleaned up, it was 1pm, and the roads looked passable. Online websites incidated that cigar shops were open. So I headed out into the winter wonderland.

I landed at Havana Lounge in West Allis. I had not been there since the summer, and I don't really go there that often. I think it is a great place, but it is just out of my way in terms of where I live and where I travel to work or to visit family. They were open the earliest. The small parking lot was full - so obviously the snow did not stop other connoisseurs either. The plows in West Allis had not hit the side streets nearby so I parked a few blocks away, on the other side of Greenfield Avenue. No problem. I snowshoed. This was not far for me.

March 16th looked like January 16th

The spacious cigar lounge has two rooms and a bar. Several men were there ahead of me enjoying their smokes. A few were working on computers. (I laughed inwardly - wondering if they were "working virtually from home" due to the weather?). The owner was working the bar and humidor. I don't know her name, but she was very friendly and helpful. She remarked about how some of her staff could not make it in due to the snow. I ordered a Makers Mark on the rocks and a 6 X 60 Asylum 13 Ogre, with a barber pole wrapper. It lit up and the initial bite was not as intense or bold as the regular Asylum 13; it had the woodsy flavor of the regular, but also a hint of cream from the green half of the wrapper. It was 2pm by this time - and I was smoking during what would be my normal school day! When I was a kid, I would be sledding and playing in the snow, but as a grown woman I did my adulting by shoveling snow, and got my exercise in by snowshoeing, and got my playtime in by enjoying this Ogre. The greenish strip of the wrapper was also keeping with the green Irish feel of St. Patrick's Day.

Asylum 13 Ogre

I am glad the snow day allowed this time at Havana for me. I will have to head back there again soon, even if I have to drive out of my way. A very memorable snow day to be sure!

Pairing the Ogre with Makers Mark

 

The Humidor and the Gurkha Cigar that Survived the Dry Cold Winter!

Being a cigar blogger does not mean I know what I am doing. I do have a small humidor in my home and for the most part I am pretty happy with it. This past winter, however, I noticed that I had some trouble regulating it, especially during the frigid spells we had. I am curious if other cigar connoisseurs with humidors experienced the same issue I had over the winter: unlike summer, when I found maintaining a 69% reading on my humidity gauge was no problem, the winter brought significant fluctuations up and down. Even with a humidifier running, the house got dried out and my humidor dropped close to 60% - a lot! And I was constantly filling the reservoir with humidor solution, especially when the furnace was running extra hard during the coldest nights. I did some investigating online, and one possible explanation was that my humidor, made out of wood, warped over time, and was no longer sealed. This would result in the solution evaporating faster. Maybe that was the reason?

My simple humidor setup

 Finally, I tried something else. I started buying those big Boveda 69% humidity packs and that actually helped quite a bit. I held 69% a lot longer with those. At any rate, I shook my head many times all winter and cursed myself silently for being such a bad cigar mom to my smokes.

Well, now it is March and spring is around the corner, and last Friday we had a beautiful day. The Milwaukee area hit 70deg F. When I drove home from school, I had a hankering for a big cigar on my porch, and the whole way home I was wondering about the two Gurkha Cellar Reserves I bought last summer, one aged at 15 years and another aged at 21. And then I wondered if I ruined them over the winter with my humidor fluctuations. I had half a mind to stop at Total Wine and just buy a fresh Churchill or gordo, but I resisted - I had to see if those two good cigars survived.

Friday night sushi and coffee.

I did stop to buy some sushi on the way home. When I arrived, I started a fire out by the porch, poured some Sagamore Rye Whiskey, made coffee, and ate. By the time I finished my supper, the fire was blazing and the weather was still warm and pleasant. Now it was time to see how the cigars were. I grabbed the 15 year Gurhka.

Gurkha Cellar Reserved, Aged 15 years, with Sagamore Rye Whiskey

When I lit it up, it was actually was really, really good! The initial bite was a burning wood sensation, like having a great smelling campfire in my mouth. And the rest of the smoke kept me happy with a solid, stable woodsy flavor. The rye whiskey had a hint of clove which went well with the wood flavor of the cigar. It was a good experience, making me yearn for summer more than ever - and either the cigar proved to be more resilient with my humidor fluctuations, or proved that maybe I did okay managing the humidor through the dry months? Perhaps I need a new humidor, or maybe it is just a fact of life for cigar smokers during Wisconsin winters in a dry house? I suppose I should reach out to my cigar smoking acquaintances around town and ask.

A smooth woodsy smoke. Great for a spring day!

Either way - that 21 year Gurkha is ready for the next warm day. That makes me smile. 

Shakers Premiers its Women's Only Wine Tasting Event

 Introduction:

You all know that bourbon and whiskey are my passion, but I do like wine, especially with good food. I have seen wine nights and wine events from afar, gazing across the room while smoking a cigar and sipping whiskey. In fact, I had never taken part in a wine tasting ever, anywhere, let alone a cigar bar. So this past Wednesday evening I thought I would attend the Shakers first "Women's Only Wine Tasting Session." The owner Bob also gave me a nudge.  Twice. I made recent stops at Shakers to eat their delicious Cajun Mac N Cheese, drink a Ghost Ale, and enjoy a whiskey and cigar for dessert. Both times he handed me the flyer. I finally had Joe sign me up and made it in before it would eventually sell out.

Reception and Proseco:

I arrived and checked in. The staff provided me with a raffle ticket and seated me at an empty table. (I forgot to pay attention but there were maybe 4 tables, each with seating for seven??) The information on the flyer did not mention cigars, so I was not expecting any to be provided like Shaker's does at other events. However, I was hoping that I would be able to buy a stick and smoke one anyway, but when they seated me, there were no ashtrays on the tables. But the seating was beautiful! The tables where donned with winter-white linen and glistening wine glasses. None of the ladies already seated, nor those who came in after me, were smoking. Oh well. Psychologists call it normative social influence - conforming in order to fit in and maintain social approval. I did not smoke during this event. That is not to say I didn't have a wonderful time!  Soon my table filled up with other ladies. There was a rep there from Trinchero Wine & Spirits, and they started everyone off with a glass of sweet and crisp Avissi Proseco. It was refreshing and sweet, and I quickly forgot that I was not going to be lighting up for a while.

A lovely white linen event

First course:

Three lovely servers with wide smiles waited on us. They poured us each a glass of Bieler Pere & Fils Rose. This paired really well with the salad they brought out: three robust and spicy shrimp, with small slices of jalapeno over field greens. Yum! After a sip of the rose, each bite of that salad hit your mouth with the same kick! I love spicy food so this was excellent and I was happy. It was a tasty start to a delicious night.

Second course:

The servers next brought out Cerreto Blange, another crisp and fizzy white, which the rep explained cleared the palette. This removed the fireworks in my mouth from that first spicy course, and prepared me for the main entree. This was chicken breast with a red bell pepper stuffed with a goat cheese blended with seasonings, all with a side of shredded carrots. It was all delicious, but I really liked the stuffed pepper! Meanwhile seated at my table were the rep and her sister and her cousin, and two ladies who were kindred spirits of mine in that they both came from the south side of Milwaukee, as did I. The conversation moved beyond the initial introductions and was now prolilfic, warm and genuine. I was at a great table. We talked about spouses and a little bit about wine geography. This was lucky for me because I am a bourbon girl so I don't know much about wine, but I did teach high school geography for eight years so I was able to chime in as a contextual resource to the winery locations!

I bought a tasty trio of wines.

Third course:

Trinchero Ersol Pinot Noir preceded dessert. It was my favorite wine of the night. I imagine it stands alone really well as an after-work drink for a lot of women, but it was an excellent partner to Shakers amazing dessert. The servers had to navigate carefully, as they gracefully delivered the sweet treats lying within a hollowed-out half pineapple on its side, crown and all. The visual presentation was capitivating as the servers set this down before us without swatting anyone with those tall crowns protruding over the sides of the dishes! Inside the pineapple was ice cream, fruit, and some kind of cheese and/or gravy. All of that with the pinot noir made for a satisfying conclusion to the meal. And again the company was great, as the conversation now branched off from wine and geography to children and pets.

Adorable ghost candle I took home as a gift!

Aftermath: wines for sale & the raffle

I bought one bottle each of the rose, blange, and pinot noir - each was discounted as part of the event. They also raffled off a few bottles of wine and a few Shakers Ghost Tours. I didn't win any raffle prizes, but the night was a winner. There was also a few gifts for the guests, too, including a Shaker's teeshirt and a ghost candle. (From what I heard one of the servers makes those candles herself, from beeswax. I didn't get all the information about it, but I intend to follow up in a future blog post!)

I did meander over to the bar after the wine session ended and sat by Joe, who is a friendly, informative, and consistent presence at Shakers. I don't know how to label his status there, but he has status. He socializes and smokes good cigars, but he also sells them behind the humidor, and he is the one who actually signed me up for the wine tasting event a couple weeks earlier. I smoked two great cigars and chatted with him before I went home, but I will have to catch you guys up and review those later. This post was about the wine provided by the Trinchero Family and about the delicious food provided by Shaker's! When I started this blog I never imagined I would be reviewing food and wine! Thank you, Shaker's!

I promise next time I will review the cigars

One post a week - and today it started at Metro Cigars in Germantown

 Now that I am back on the blog, I have set a reasonable, attainable goal. I will smoke at least one cigar a week, and write one post per week. I feel pretty good about this.

I didn't waste any time. I left home this late Sunday morning and went to one of my favorite places - Metro in Germantown. They open at 11 am on Sunday. There is no more football and the Olympics are over, so this left me with a good quiet Sunday to break the ice.

When I got there, Nicole was tending bar. Although I had not been keeping up with this blog, I have been to Metro, but only during the week. She only works weekends so it's been awhile since we saw each other. She was glad to see me, and I was glad to see her. I will have to swing by on more weekends! She is very warm and fun.

 So today I chose an Alec Bradley Black Market Gordo, and I ordered Jack Daniels on the rocks. I know, I know: it is not my typical bourbon but this cigar lounge just vibes "Jack Daniels" to me. It is only at Metro that a Jack Daniels is my drink of choice. At Shakers I will do bourbon or scotch or port. But Metro is Jack Daniels. Go figure.

The Black Market Gordo lit well with a match, and the initial surge of flavor was creamy rather than that bold maduro kick you sometimes can get with other dark cigars. It is actually fairly mild, like a hot chocolate. Well, more like a dark chocolate, because it is spicy more than sweet. I will definitely try it again. I highly recommend it.  At Metro it is 13 dollars and some change and well worth it.

The crowd looked like a typical Sunday outing. It was mostly men, off work for the day. The clouds of smoke helped the quieter patrons meditate, while the drink and tobacco facilitated philosophical and political discussions with the more talkative ones. But nothing was toxic. It was all thoughtful and intelligent. That is why I like it at Metro. If you have never been there, I suggest you try it!

Okay. That was the first review in three years. I think this blog shall be sustainable. Later in the week, I have an event at Shaker's Cigar Bar. My next blog post will be all about that!  Thanks and it is good to be back.

I am back - and the "trail" is why!

 I launched this blog over three years ago and posted a lot in late 2022 and early 2023! My last post was exactly three years ago today, March 1, 2023, and then life happened, and school happened, and I got so darn busy. And I lost it. I lost the persistence to keep this thing going.

And in the years since then, I still went to cigar bars, and the staff at my favorite haunts commented how they read my blog, and I felt kind of bad about not keeping up with it. Well now I am back, and let me explain why:

I am retiring from the teaching profession at the end of this school year, in June. And I have one last spring break before my income is reduced and more "fixed." So I wondered about taking a trip. I considered Europe. I have never been to Europe, and people always tell me how much I would like it. I started shopping around online and saw that I could afford a trip to France, or Croatia, or anywhere really - I looked at places in Latin America, Asia, and Australia. However when I got to the airline tickets and saw the time dedicated to flights, I just couldn't do it. For a trip to France, we were looking at 19 hours, 16 hours, 17 hours, and that was only the flight there, and  so there'd be another long flight home. I did not want to spend almost two full days just traveling via airports, terminals and in the air. I hate flying anyway. I am not afraid of flying on a plane, but I hate the whole process: arriving at the airport early, going through security, occasionally getting searched, sitting packed like a sardine on an airplane, and dealing with the delays. Nope. Maybe I won't ever go to Europe or anywhere far away and exotic. I think I am really okay with that.

Then I started thinking about this large country I live in, and that despite the political division that dominates the news and social media, I imagine that most people are very decent, and that the Ameican landscape is utterly beautiful. I would love to drive somewhere instead. And that is when it hit me: bourbon and cigars! The Kentucky Bourbon Trail! My hairstylist of all people suggested it to me years ago, since he knows I love bourbon and cigars. So I went online and planned a trip! So at the end of March I am driving to Bardstown, Kentucky and I am touring several distilleries and checking out several cigar bars. I might even fit in a horseback trail ride to boot. Yay!

And then it occurred to me. The blog. Oh yeah. People actually read it. I have to step up my game! I cannot go to the whiskey trail in Kentucky and pair all that amazing booze with cigars and not write about it!  SO I AM BACK! 

Zoom Conferences and a Creamy Cigar!

March 1st was parent-teacher conferences, so we went in to teach for a half-day until an 11:15 am dismissal. Parents signed up online for conference blocks on Zoom, and our principal let us go to do the conferences from home. My first parent to sign up was at 1 pm, so I stopped at Total Wine on the way home and grabbed a big cigar, the CAO 770 Flathead, which was seven inches long with a ring gauge of 70.

CAO Flathead 770 - one of Total Wine's top sellers.

After eating lunch and completing the first conference by 1:15pm, I didn't have another parent signed up until 4:15 pm, so I had three hours to grade papers and chill out at home. I had intended to smoke the CAO 770 at a cigar bar later in the week, but the weather was pretty nice, about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and sunny. So I lit a fire in the fire pit, brewed some coffee, and graded papers and smoked that stick outside. It felt like a day off, almost.

Working virtually from home!

I lit the cigar, and the draw was really nice, and the first word that came to mind when the flavor hit me was "velvet," but I was confused. I didn't know why my mind associated the flavor of the CAO Flathead with velvet, but I knew it must have meant something. It also tasted a little like the fire outside, so there was a smoky wood flavor. When I looked up a review online the first review said that the CAO Flathead  was "creamy," so that made sense. You all know I am not terribly experienced, yet, so I didn't have the word "creamy" in my vocabulary for cigar smoking, but the flavor was new and novel to me, so my brain retrieved the word "velvet," and I wondered maybe it was because I love red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? It didn't really taste like red velvet cake but the draw and taste was creamy, like cream cheese frosting with smoke flavor. (Strange concept, I know. Warning: do not try to smoke cream cheese in your smoke house!) 

I thought the CAO 770 was velvety, lol!

It was a great smoke. The velvet flavor went great with coffee, and it kept me company for two hours outside as I killed time before my 4:15pm conference. I recommend the CAO Flathead 770 without reservation. However, it is a big one so make sure you have a good block of time to savor it!

CAO Brazilia Gol

 It was a Friday night in March following a really long week at school. I was stressed out and had purchased a new cigar from Total Wine earlier in the week. I was looking for an opportunity to smoke it, but I had evening plans with other (non-cigar) people, so I was on my way home after those plans at about 11 pm. I was inclined to just go home and go to bed, but why? I needed some solitary self-care and I had the perfect fix: a CAO Brasilia Gol, ranked by Total Wine as the month's #4 selling cigar.

I elected to go Shaker's Cigar Bar in the Walker's Point neighborhood. It’s a traditional saloon built in 1894, with a well-known reputation for being haunted. When the owner sees me, he always nods and smiles and says, "Welcome, home." It is not my main go-to for cigars, but I do frequent the place quite a bit.

CAO Brasilia: strokes your palette.

I ordered a Glenfiddich 12 double scotch and lit up the Brasilia. And WOW!  The flavor was intense, but so delicious, and at first it does not overpower your palette. But it really stimulates it! The sweet, spicy, and tangy flavor was accompanied by a nutty taste. It paired well with the scotch, too. As I told my Facebook cigar friends, the Brasilia doesn't hit your palette, but rather strokes it. And it brought me back down to an unwound, healthy state-of-mind, and the stress of the week merely "went up in smoke," as I felt good again.

However, the longer I smoked the CAO Brasilia, the stronger and more powerful it got. Sometimes I can get carried away and smoke a cigar too fast, and as a new connoisseur, I have to work on slowing down. This was not the case with the Brasilia. I had to slow down, as it got stronger and stronger and I found myself taking several breaks. Remember this if you try this cigar. It is tantalizing at first, and while the flavor remains stable and tasty, the initial pop transforms into a volcano. Plan at least 60 to 90 minutes for this one!

This smoke brought me out of my work-week funk.

The cigar is easily a 91-93, and with the scotch and the vintage Victorian setting of Shakers, it was definitely a 95 for the overall experience.

(I will have to dedicate a post to Shaker's at some point too!)