El Baton Cigar Review
Vitola: 6 3/4 x 54 (Double Torpedo)
Strength: Medium to Full Bodied
Average Price: $6 to $8 per stick either online or at a local B&M
Random Brain Activity
Aren't you in for a treat...
21 Apr
2010
Cross posted at The Cigar Spy.
Target Name:
El Baton
Target Vitals:
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Duration: 2:00:00
Background Info:
This cigar was reintroduced to the J.C. Newman (makers of Diamond Crown) family of cigars in 2009. One factory in Nicaragua makes this cigar, and nothing else.
Mission Debrief:
First of all, my apologizes for being away for the past five or so weeks. As many of you know by now, my wife and I had our first child at the end of March and has taken a bit of adjustment to both of our lives. Second, this cigar will always hold a special place with me as this was the cigar I was smoking when I found out that my wife had started having labor contractions. When my wife told me that the process started, I returned to the basement and hastily finished the cigar. Needless to say, I was glad that I bought two of these cigars, if only to give this cigar its full due.
I found zero imperfections with the cigar's veiny Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, nor did I detect any soft or overpacked spots throughout the length of the cigar. Floral scents were present to this cigar pre-burn.
Lighting the cigar with a wooden match and taking the first several balanced and pleasant draws, I found the familiar taste of spice, but subdued to other Nicaraguan cigars that I have smoked in the past. After the initial flavors of spice mellowed after the first ten minutes of the cigar's two hour burn time, hints of leather and slight mocha came to the forefront. After the halfway point of the cigar, the leather moved to the background and the prominent flavor was a smoother mocha that lasted the rest of the cigars lifespan.
The strength of the cigar starts out just above the medium bodied mark and kicks up slightly in the last third but its pleasant enough to where it is not overbearing and bitter.
Overall, the burn on the El Baton was pretty good, although I did have a couple of relights. The color of the ash was the whitest I have seen in quite awhile, but it is a bit on the flaky side, as the armrest of my chair found out (thankfully I was smoking outside).
Final Analysis:
I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar more the second time around, thanks to the fact that my wife wasn't in labor this time around and wasn't rushed to smoke it. This will give you a great blend of flavors and will still appeal to those who prefer a medium bodied smoke. And the price point is fair to what you are getting from the cigar. Buy these with confidence.
6 Apr
2010
Quote from Ayn Rand
"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."
- Ayn Rand
31 Mar
2010
The Antipodes Map
Check this out. As kids, everyone always wondered where you would go if you dug a hole clear through the Earth to the opposite end. Now you know where you'll end up.
18 Mar
2010
Montecristo No. 4 Cigar Review
As always, cross-posted at The Cigar Spy.
Target Name:
Montecristo No. 4
Target Vitals:
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Vitola: 5 1/8 x 44 (Mareva)
Strength: Medium to Full Bodied
Vitola: 5 1/8 x 44 (Mareva)
Strength: Medium to Full Bodied
Duration: 1:32:00
Average Price: $100 to $125 per box of 25
Average Price: $100 to $125 per box of 25
Background Info:
The Montecristo No. 4 is one of the most popular and best-selling Cuban cigars on the market today. Also noted to be a favorite smoke of Che Guevara.
Mission Debrief:
This is a popular cigar in my house in that this is my wife's all-time favorite cigar. As many of you know from following me on Twitter, she is pregnant and has not had a cigar in almost a full year (and as of writing this, still waiting on the kid to arrive even though his due date is today, March 18th). A number of personal friends and family members asked me what would I smoke to commemorate our baby's arrival. It turns out it was my wife who put her foot down and made the decision for the both of us. It made choosing a cigar for interrogation quite easy.
I didn't find any issues or irregularities with all aspects of the physical appearance of the cigar. The cigar itself felt properly packed with zero soft spots found. Sweet, wooden aromas emit from the cigar pre-burn.
Using my Xikar cutter and a wooden match, the first of many draws from the cigar was open with the right amount of resistance. The most noticeable flavor I felt started the cigar was leather. This was the predominant flavor until around the halfway point, where I started to notice hint of nuts and slight cocoa, all very smooth and easy on the palette, while the leather became an afterthought to the other flavors. These flavors stayed to the completion of the cigar, all the while staying pleasant and not gaining bitterness. Expect a shorter finish from this cigar. I didn't think the taste of the cigar stayed with me for more than a couple of hours.
A couple of minor issues did find me when smoking this cigar. The burn was slightly uneven and did require a couple of relights. The ash, while it does stay mostly firm, waiting to long to release the ash will allow it to end up in your lap, or in my case, my shirt and couch cushion.
Final Analysis:
Minor issues aside, this is a fantastic cigar, worthy of its accolades. The price point for this cigar is right on, and depending on where you order from, you can find deals which will put this in the lower range that I have listed above. For those looking for a first time Cuban, don't be afraid to start here as it won't break the bank and shouldn't knock you on your ass. If you like them like my wife and I do, they won't last long in your humidor.
15 Mar
2010
A Well-Known Quote
"I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
-Bilbo Baggins
Right on the money. And applies to exactly what I think of Facebook and why I don't spend much time on it. Props to those at Practical Opacity for reminding me of this great quote. They also happen to write about some things that I agree with. Check them out.
5 Mar
2010
Quick Review on the Apple TV
I was on the fence for quite awhile about the Apple TV but a recent deal on a refurbished 160Gb model was too good to pass up. The Apple TV's main selling point is to allow users to sync their iTunes library for viewing and listening on their TV. Setup was quite simple; all was needed from my end was an HDMI cord, which I had. After connecting the Apple TV to my wireless router, I updated it fully before syncing a good portion of my library. One drawback was that there is no easy way of doing a quick sync, especially if you have a large iTunes library.
Probably the biggest selling point for me was being able to add 3rd party software with ease. Using an ATV USB Creator and an extra USB flash drive, I was able to install drivers and software to add Boxee and XBMC. Boxee allows me to watch an impressive collection of streaming TV shows online (Great selection of South Park, He-Man and even found The Legend of Zelda animated series). While I haven't had a chance of doing anything with XBMC yet, it does allow you to detect a NAS drive or shared external network hard drive on your network and playing back properly formatted video files. So, if you happen to have a strong collection of video files from "other sources" or a growing library of ripped DVD's (in my case - all my own by the way), Apple TV + XBMC can read it.
The only issue I found with adding the 3rd party software was coming upon a black screen after install. After doing a bit of digging, I learned that the newest drivers were needed. After a minute of logging into the Apple TV via SSH, downloading and installing the software as well as a quick reboot, the Apple TV was back to normal, ready to go.
I know that not everyone will find a need for the Apple TV, and that's fine but for my house, I already know that this is a welcomed addition to our Apple family.
Jon Siddle's Posterous
What you have stumbled upon is the random brain activity that takes the form of a guy who does IT/computer work during the day and is a freelance trombonist in the evenings.
You may not understand the brevity of what you could be getting into in reading this blog. Do you really want to listen to the ramblings of someone who has to deal with people's computer/printer/internet problems all day? And everyone knows what they say about trombone players...
You may find the random thoughts venture toward cigar reviews, writing, music, anything and everything Apple, productivity (or the lack thereof), South Park...the list could go on. You've been warned...
You can also find me on Twitter - http://tinyurl.com/6h26gx and on Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/6qrory
