u/cigar_fossil

Dallas couldn't wait to get outside this morning. Long weekends do something to him. He was at the door before I even grab my coffee.

I wanted to smoke something I hadn't tried before. So I grabbed the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Barbershop, their newest release. Box-pressed, Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, all-Nicaraguan tobacco underneath. It just came out in June, so this is still early days for the cigar.

The concept behind it fits the afternoon perfectly. West Tampa built this one around the idea that barbershops and cigar lounges do the same thing: they bring people together. Somewhere to slow down, have a real conversation, not rush out the door.

Dallas held his spot for the whole smoke. Long weekend approved. Dallas Approved.

Thought it was going to be another rainy one. The weather cleared up for a perfect 4th of July,so far. Dallas took his regular spot, and I settled in for a great smoke. First time I tried this one. It did not disappoint.

Today I brought the Padron 1926 Serie out to mark the occasion. Dallas had no opinion on the brand heritage or the serial number on the band. He did have an opinion on the afternoon.

The cigar was everything it's supposed to be. Construction held up start to finish, cocoa and cedar in the first third, leather through the middle, pepper on the finish. Full body, full strength, the kind of smoke you want on a quiet day when you just want to kick back and relax.

Dallas gave it his full attention too. From three feet away. For the entire smoke.

Ten sessions. Ten days. One very consistent golden retriever.

Dallas Approved.

Dallas had a great morning at the dog park.

He ran. He socialized. He sniffed approximately everything.

And then he spotted the wetland at the edge of the field, made direct eye contact with me, and jumped straight in.

This photo was taken immediately after. Note the complete absence of guilt. Note the tongue. Note the confidence of a dog who made exactly the right decision and knows it.

This is Sabian.

Every day, without fail, he'd follow me out onto the deck. I'd light up a cigar. He'd get a bully stick. We'd sit there together, just doing our thing.

I was writing cigar reviews at the time. In my head, he was writing bully stick reviews. .

He's been gone a few years now. I've got a new deck buddy named Dallas these days, but Sabian was the original. The one who started the whole deck session tradition.

Dallas and I went to the porch but it rained and Dallas ended up inside. He still received his cookie.

Alec Bradley DND has Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Dominican Criollo binder, Dominican and Mexican filler.

I picked up earth, cedar, mild pepper. There was a coffee and nuttiness at the finish. Medium body nice draw and well-built the whole way through.

Dallas pressed his face against the rain-soaked window and watched me smoke it from start to finish.

Nine sessions. Zero missed. The window absolutely counts.

Dallas Approved

The porch had different plans today.

Beautiful start, then the sky went sideways. I wasn't going inside.

From the Porch: Oz Family Firsat, smoked through a storm I did not see coming. Worth every inch.

Happy Canada Day to all the BOTL from the north.

Zino Davidoff had a philosophy he lived by: smoke less, but better.

I think about that sometimes when I pull something out of the humidor that doesn't get talked about as much.

The Zino Nicaragua is part of the Davidoff family, named after the man himself. Light Ecuadorian wrapper, mild to medium body, the kind of cigar that quietly delivers a good 60 to 90 minutes on the porch.

Cream and cedar up front. There was earth and pepper showing up with leather at the finish. Nothing complicated.

The flowers in the background weren't planned. Just relaxing on the porch taking it easy during the country's holiday.

Smoke less, but better. Today felt like exactly that.

I'm happy to provide detailed notes or just a sentence about how much I liked or disliked a cigar. Ive been smoking for 40 years and enjoy providing additional information in the group similar to this post.

Sometimes you smoke something because it looks cool and you are curiouss then you end up staying because it actually delivers.

That's the Cavalier Genève for me today. Sweet hay and cedar early, citrus and vanilla coming through as it went, a little earth rounding things out. Light pepper here and there.

Smooth the whole way.

Good afternoon. Good cigar.

No long review. Just a great cigar and a good today.

The LFD Andalusian Bull is one of those cigars that has a reputation and fully earns it.

The shape is the first thing you notice. It's wider at the bottom and tapers toward the top which sounds weird but it actually makes it really comfortable to smoke. Lights easy despite the size.

Flavorwise it's not complicated in a bad way. Cedar and leather up front, a little pepper, some caramel coming through in the middle to smooth things out. There's a spice in there that's hard to put your finger on but it works.

It smokes slow. An hour and a half easy. On the right afternoon that's not a problem at all.

Today was the right afternoon.

Part one: First is the tupperdor cycle. Two tupperdors always seasoning at 84% RH. Every week cigars move into the freshly seasoned ones. Empty tupperdors go back to re-season immediately. Full cycle through the whole collection takes about three months. Every cigar consistently seasoned the whole way through because the shuffle never stops.

Part two: Airing and health check. Every remaining tupperdor gets opened. Cigars breathe for a few minutes. I rotate them physically within the container, top shelf to bottom shelf, just moving their position around. Check the temperature. Confirm the RH. Quick look at the overall condition of everything inside. Seal it back up and move to the next one.

I do five containers at a time rather than trying to power through the whole thing at once. Keeps it from feeling like a chore and means I'm actually focused on each container instead of rushing.

The filing cabinet setup holds everything organized by blend. Labeled tupperdors, five per drawer. Right now that means Tatuaje, AR Black Market, Bolivar, West Tampa Circle of Life, and a solid Oliva collection all working through the rotation.

It's maybe thirty minutes on rotation day. I look forward to this routine every Sunday.

No long review. No tasting notes breakdown. Just a Dallas who took one look at the Drew Estate Liga Privada UF-13 and said expressed what needed to be expressed.

He wasn't wrong.

I had the same reaction off camera. His was just better documented.

Perfect weekend cigar. Perfect weekend dog. That's the whole post.

Dallas Approved.

Six people. Vegas. Cigars on the table. Whiskey in hand...Well for me Coke Zero.

Zero business discussed. Zero agendas. Just a group of people who like each other deciding that the rest of the night belonged to the conversation and nothing else.

The cigar community does this better than almost any other group I've been part of. There's something about lighting one up together that signals to everyone at the table that the hustle is on pause for a while.

It's awesome to be part of this community. I wish more groups were like this. Forget business and just each other's company.

Was in Tampa recently for event and one of the highlights of the whole trip had nothing to do with the event itself.

We got access to the aging room at J.C. Newman Cigar Company in Ybor City and this is the photo I came away with.

That face says everything.

J.C. Newman has been family owned since 1895. Four generations. The El Reloj factory on 7th Avenue has been running since 1910 and is the last operating cigar factory in a city that once had over 150 of them. At its peak Ybor City was the cigar capital of the world. Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants built this neighborhood from the ground up and the cigar industry was the engine behind all of it.

Most of that era is gone. J.C. Newman held on.

Here's the thing though. You do not need to be a cigar smoker to appreciate this place. The factory tour covers the full history of Ybor City, the cigar industry, the immigrant communities that built it, and what it took for one family to keep it alive for 130 years. It's a genuinely great Tampa afternoon whether you smoke or not.

Factory tours are available and worth every minute. If you're local and haven't been, go. If you're visiting Tampa, put it on the list before anything else.

Take another close look at this image. Something about this picture feels "off". It should just take a second. This is part of why I am writing this post today. Just like the photo, fake cigars can look great at first but might have another hand hiding in the review.

I am not an opponent of AI; in fact I rely on it daily for certain tasks at work. There are however many individuals and companies posting cigar related content (reviews, descriptions, etc.) which has been entirely created via AI. All I'm asking is that you let people know. It's almost 100% detectable.

The key is to recognize the characteristics of both. Real cigar enthusiasts create content with "texture" and detail regarding their experiences. In contrast, AI-generated cigar content typically reads as being overly smooth, self-assured and missing specifics in minor but important ways that may confuse members who are looking for accurate information and are familiar with the subject.

This image looks correct at first view but at second glance you can spot the issue. This is the same with the new AI assisted cigar sommeliers.

I just want to know if someone has experienced the cigar or is it AI.

The cigar was the West Tampa Tobacco Circle of Life. Oscuro wrapper from Ecuador, Sumatra binder, Nicaraguan filler from three regions plus Dominican Corojo 99.

The first time I experienced this cigar was when the general manager at JR Cigar handed me one after I bought a couple cases. He mentioned that I would enjoy it based on my previous purchases. I settled in and had an amazing experience.

Profile runs from earth and leather in the first half to dark chocolate, espresso, and coffee building through the middle and final thirds. It's not subtle and doesn't pretend to be.

Dallas assessed it from approximately three feet away and held that position until I finished. I guess it's just a golden retriever doing what he does best, which is show up and stay.

Question: Do you find the Circle of Life needs some humidor time to open up or do you prefer it relatively fresh?

Dallas Approved!

I've seen that face before. It's the face of someone doing the math on how many cigars are in the room and losing count immediately.

J.C. Newman has been family-owned since 1895, four generations deep. The factory, El Reloj, has been running since 1910. Tampa once had over 150 cigar factories. This is the last one still producing.

There's something about seeing it in person that no amount of reading about it prepares you for. The scale of it. The patience built into every shelf.

He went quiet for a good few minutes. Best possible response.