Last night I went over to Mission Pipe for the cigar tasting. I was joined by my friends Allen and JP. We were handed a new cigar I had not heard of before called Oliva. The pyramid shape was given a 94 in Cigar Afficionado and the double corona was given a 93. I picked up 4 cigars for the coming holiday to share with family (2 pyramids, 1 perfecto and 1 double corona = $39.00).

The cigar had a very nice draw and most people I saw did not have any bad rolls. This has not topped my favorite Avo cigar but it will do in a pinch.

I picked up a three pack of Cohiba Rubustos from Pfifen Huber near Marienplatz in München. I really like these cigars. Maybe next time I will try a different brand. The pack of 3 cost me 47 euros.

Mission Pipe in Pleasanton is having another cigar tasting on March 28th at 5:00pm. Drop by to try a very good cigar manufacturer. I will have comments after the tasting.

The cigar they handed out was very good. I bought three of differing sizes and shapes. Nice wrapper and tobak blend.

I went over to Mission Pipe in Pleasanton for their cigar tasting. Tonight was Tatuaje (pronounced tah-tu-wah-hay). This cigar was very peppery and had a hard draw. There were more than 4 people (about 10%) who had bad rolls (the cigar burned up one side). I will not buy this brand unless the top-of-the-line is better.

I went to Mission Pipe for a new pipe tobacco. I decided to get Butera's Kingfisher. I normally smoke MacBaren's Navy Flake but I thought I should try something different. Kingfisher is a virginia, burley and perique mixture. I am not overly impressed by this tobacco. The burley gives this tobacco some good flavor, but it doesn't suit me.

So far in 2006, I have been introduced to two new cigars. I got to try each of these at the Mission Pipe and Tobacco's cigar tasting nights. In March, they had Ancient Warrior which is a fairly good smoke. In April, it was Gran Habano. This is a better smoke and cheaper too. I bought four of each and placed them into my Humi. My favorite is still the Avo Signature series.

I tested the Avo signature (light brown/tan cigar band) cigar at Mission Pipe and fell in love with this brand. What an excellent cigar.

In Dec 2005, I was also introduced to Cuesta Rey Sun Grown wrapper cigars. These are also favorites.

I finally had a real Cuban Cigar. I was so lucky to be in London in October (2003). My friend Dave and I made our way over to London's famous smoke shop -- Davidoff of London. Davidoff's can be found right near Saint James Palace. I grabbed a Partagas and a Hoyo de Monterey. The wrapper leaf had nice flecks of green in it. The smoke was beyond compare. The ash was fine and white, the touch was firm and the draw was excellent. Strong is the word when it comes to flavor. I have been waiting a long time for this, and I was not dissapointed.

I traveled to my parent's house where I purchased a couple of nice cigars to share with my dad and brother. I picked out two La Gloria Cubana maduros, one for my dad and the other for my brother and Hoja Cubana (pyrimid shape) XXO for me. They were all very good.