YAS!!! Finally its #cigarSunday and a bonus #cigarMonday this week because I banked my #cigarSunday from the previous week. Time to make a dent in my last shipment from Cigar of the Month Club. 
I picked up a bottle of Steinhart Gin on a recent excursion to their distillery down the road from our campus. I was always curious as to how their gin tasted having already tried a couple of their vodka products. They were very gracious to invite us out and show us around the operation. It was a very cool experience. I have been to many different breweries over the years, but never a distillery.
I try hard each year to keep my birthday on the DL, not that I am avoiding my age or anything like that, I just dont get the hoopla. But I bought a bottle of the gin to give myself a little treat as I do enjoy a martini from time to time.
Now everyone should know that I do enjoy the genre of selfie. I like to think that I specialize in cigarSelfies. I am fairly confident in my ability to capture myself with a cigar and its blue grey smoke, swirling around like a halo or crown. From time to time ( always) I post these stunning pics of myself on various social media platforms like FB and Instagram. 
On a fairly recent post I hash tagged #cigarsofinstagram well, I have seen alot of #dogsofinstagram #doorsofinstagram etc etc etc, but no cigars of instagram. I have been getting some positive likes from fellow cigar enthusiasts one specifically was from @cigarnoise so like a good instagramer I threw them a follow. A couple of days later @cigarnoise posted a link to a review and website. So on some additional perusing I found the website and app for Cigar Noise. I downloaded the app and was pretty pumped to see such a diverse community in the intraweb posting pics, and giving reviews of cigars. Mind. Blown. I dont know why these things always suprise me, perhaps I enjoy my bubble so much I dont realize there is actually a world out there haha.
Anywho, I jumped right in this weekend with a couple of posts of my own and got some immediate feedback. My cigar selection was something to be desired but my spirit selection and pairing got some positive feedback. It wasnt negative feedback, just people who have way more cigar knowledge then I do giving me a couple of cents. I love it. I am compiling a shopping list for when I hit the conference trail in a couple weeks for Vancouver, Toronto and Upstate NY to see if I can find some of the 'sticks' ( lingo) that have piqued my interest from the Cigar Noise app. If you happen to be getting into cigars or are looking for some new ones to try i strongly recommend checking out Cigar Noise. 
Okay now for the reviews:
#cigarSunday #cigarBirthday
So I had the Steinhart Gin and paired it with one of my cigar of the month selections the Gurkha Beauty. I made my martini in my classic way, a little olive brine and 3oz of gin in the shaker with lots of ice, pound the piss out of it ( shake it vigorously), strain into a chilled glass with a couple of olives, a healthy squeeze of lime and bob's your uncle. It was delicious, I could have had a few of those for sure. The gin was incredibly clean tasting, sometimes I find with gin that it leaves a botanical after taste, this gin did not do that. It had fantastic citrus notes and really adapted well to my *cough cough* dirty martini.
The cigar on the other hand, it was okay. This is the first time I have had this brand, to be honest it felt like it was packed loose, it lit well, and kept a good burn and ash, but smoked quickly. I wouldnt say the pairing was awful as the cigar had a very mild flavour, which I was a little disappointed with. I think I was thinking it would have a more present flavour. 
Here are the Cigar of the Month notes:
The Gurkha legend originates with colonial soldiers who, at the height of British rule in India, started making their own cigars from local tobacco, some of which was produced in the Portuguese territory of Goa. Expatriates from Britain who were still living in India continued smoking the cigars, but eventually the cigars began to wane into history and legend, as did the rajas’ rule. Today the Gurkha brand stays true to the original essence of those first cigars made so long ago, so the legend will live on. This remains especially true with the Gurkha Beauty. This stunning Dominican handmade was created using an ultra-rare five year aged Connecticut-seed wrapper, and it has a core teeming with Dominican long-fillers and a Dominican binder. Mild-bodied, this stogie features hints of coffee, cream, and leather with a woody and earthy core. Smooth to the nub, enjoy it any time of day with an India Pale Ale.
Mild-bodied part is def on point, very faint notes of cream, but did not get an earthy vibe from this one. Dont know that I would go out of my way for another one.
#cigarMonday
So decided to give another COTMC selection a try, the Fighting Cock and paired it with one of my top 3 fav scotches, my Dalwhinnie 15year old. This was a very complimentary pairing in regards to the flavours from both. The cigar lit well, but the first third burned fast, as it got into the second third it did slow down a little, but the flavour also changed I would say at least 3 times during my smoke. Nothing really bad or anything, but it was like hitting different leaf every third, not sure if that is something anyone else has experienced with this smoke before, but it was a little strange.
Heres what COTMC had for its notes:
Contrary to what some of you might be thinking, we didn't include this cigar in your shipment for the sole purpose of giving you an opportunity to wise crack with your friends (for example, they ask, "whatcha enjoyin' there buddy?" and you reply "oh, just my big ol' Fighting Cock Churchill…") While it's a heck of a lot of fun to see people's reactions when this inevitably happens, this originally Philippines-produced cigar is genuinely tasty, well-worthy of being featured in our club. And its name actually comes from the Philippine national sport of cock-fighting, not some cheesy marketing ploy. Some years ago, however, production was moved to Nicaragua, where the masters at Felipe Gregorio are now responsible for their creation. Always recognized for consistency, every one that our panel members have ever smoked over the years has been very well constructed and wrapped to just the right firmness, offering a nearly perfect draw. We found the churchill to have a wonderful, medium-to-full-body, with a Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder, and Nicaraguan long-fillers that will lead to a complex tobacco taste with unmistakable notes of leather. Look for a complex aroma with some strong spicy and cedar notes, pleasantly balanced by a lightly herbal finish. Consider pairing this one with a Stout.

I did get the herbal finish for the middle third, and that was probably the best section of the cigar when sipping on my scotch. Again, i wouldnt turn one down, but I most likely wouldnt search it out. So cigars were a bit of an interesting adventure this weekend, the booze was way more successful in regards to selection. 
 My next post should be from the other side of the country next week, looking forward to seeing Vancouver in a spring/summer mode and have already researched a couple of shops to visit, so if anyone has any suggestions for one over the other, please shoot them out!

Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan




​

Soooo how about that last week! 
Okay to be honest right now, I am completely at a loss as to what may or may not have happened last week, for no other reason then its Friday, I am way late in posting a blog post and Im old.
So on a quick flip back through my facebook and the pics posted last week it all comes flooding back to me.
Last week was #squadcigarSunday!
What the heck does that mean?
Well a couple of the kind peeps that I worked with last year gifted me some wonderful cigars and booze and I thought I would give the group a little love back and dedicate a #cigarSunday in their honour.
To be clear, these gifts were not expected, but were very much appreciated, AND i appreciated them this Sunday!
The cigar was a Dominican Republic Cohiba Robusto. In a work delicious. Now I know some pure-ests will be all but its not cuban, and all that nonsense. It was awesome, lit well, drew well, had a very mild/medium flavor, almost smoked it to the cap it was so good!
It sports a Mexican binder, a Dominican filler, and a flawless Cameroon wrapper. There was some light vanilla and honey notes that really tied into the Jack Daniels whiskey. Now Im not going to go into much a review of Jack Daniels as there really isnt anything new that I am going to add to the conversation. The pairing came off a little harsh initially but settled down after a couple of ice cubes and a splash of water. 
To add to the delightful experience my wife and former sweetheart joined me in the late setting Nova Scotia sun on the soon to be active pool deck. The breeze was still coming from the north and quite cold, but we got to start thinking ahead to the hopefully warm summer days, BBQs and family trips and visits around the corner. 
It also got me thinking about the squad of students that I had spent the year with at work. 
To try and explain the year long adventure with these 7 people, well I dont know if I have the time, or brain power to really capture the spirit, laughs, tears, successes and challenges that these tremendous humans went through individually and as a group in the last 12 months. It was an extremely successful year in most ways, and our organization will be forever changed from their blood, sweat and tears. 
So to you Troy, Hannah, Alex, Bridget, Hillary, Nick and Emily ( this is their office location order, i dont have favorites) thank you again - this #cigarSunday is for youse! I didnt get to see all of you on grad night, youse humans are great, and I cant wait to see what you do next. Have the best adventures, and always remember.....Fuck you Wendy!
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

Graduation weekend. It is a time of finality and of beginning. A time of letting go of who you were, to start to become who you were meant to be. And, at StFX, a time to have one heck of a final day, night and morning to laugh, cry, hug, cry, dance, cry, eat breakfast sandwiches and cry some more. Some years, you are relieved to see some of the faces go. Hey not everyone is going to get along all the time, out of 4500 people, not all are going to be super awesome humans all the time. #fact
But this year, this year was one of those years where you feel like a lot of very cool, very engaged, very nice, kind, intelligent, exciting, innovate people are leaving campus. I could laundry list a ton of names of those that I was blessed to work with during their academic careers here, but they know who they are so that is good enough. 
That also isnt to say that the groups behind them or in front of them were any less so, but like I said, this group had some pretty amazing people, that will now go off into the world, and hopefully still be those same people that they were here on our campus.
Along with the students, we ( the royal we) are also saying goodbye to a staff member in the very near future.
Our bar manager, Pat Daddy, Uncle Pat, Our Cat Pat, POConn, Dartemus Jones ( wow this guy had a lot of nicknames) has finished up his 3 year tour, and 7 year sentence of time here at StFX.
The very first time we met, I will say it was under mandatory circumstances, and to be honest I am not a 100% sure what the exact reasons were, but from then to know it has been a great pleasure to watch him grow from a first year MacIsaac Arsehole to one of the most dependable, hardworking and dedicated colleagues that I have had the pleasure of working with.
While we have done our ultimate best in finding a successor for the position, it is going to be a little sad to see him go. Not only for what he brought to the job, to the staff and atmosphere of the bar and SU but for the friendship, laughs and sense of ease that we have built up over the last few years. I never had to worry about the bar when Pat was working. For those of you that know me, know that I worry about everything. Many times before Pat came along as manager I would not sleep Wednesdays and Friday nights, just waiting for my phone to ring with some disaster. It did ring a few times, and I would have to tornado myself out of the house and get to the bar to see if I could help manage the situation. 
After Pat was hired, I dont think I got one call for anything like that. Not that i actually slept more, but it freed up some mental space to worry about other things haha.
So this coming week Pat will finish up and head off to Ottawa for another adventure, we still get to have #ONEMORESHOW of our radio program No Shoes, No Pants, No Service ( plug, plug) which has been one of the things that I have enjoyed immensely this year. It was a chance for us to talk about our experiences in the bar business, play some tunes that hipsters would hate, and really just enjoy our very similar sense of humour. 
So Patrice if you are reading this......

I've said all this stuff to you already, so I wont keep going with the mushy stuff, but look forward to a chance down the road to travel with you again, because it was always unpredictable, fun, and usually meant really good naps for me.
Slainte my friend
Oops totally forgot about the actual cigars this week hahaha. #gettingold
So okay, #cigarSunday this week, well because I knew I was working that night for the graduation events, I went with an ice coffee pairing instead of a scotch or whiskey. 
This week's cigar was the last of my first month of Cigar of the Month Cigars - the Caldwell Blind Man's Bluff.
Here are some of the COTMC notes:
Founded by Robert Caldwell in 2014, the Caldwell Cigar Company is bursting onto the boutique cigar scene with its four new cigars that premiered just last year at the IPCPR in July 2015. When starting the company, Robert decided that he was going to do things his way and began scouring the world for the best tobacco leaves which he would test over and over again until getting the exact flavors he was looking for — before testing it again. He is so committed to his product that he keeps production limited to ensure that he is delivering a superior product. Currently, Caldwell Cigar Company is based in the Dominican Republic and has built a new factory aptly named the Caldwell Cigar Factory. The cigar in your shipment today is the only cigar out of the four that is being made at the famed Agroindustrias Laepe S.A. in Honduras, the same factory where Camachos are produced. This handmade starts with an alluring Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that secures a refined Honduran Criollo binder and a feisty blend of long-fillers from the Dominican Republic and Honduras. Tasty notes of bread, cedar, and sweet spice combined with a long and cool finish will have you drooling for another. Enjoy this medium to full smoke with a Highland Whisky.

So compared to last week rough go with the Pancho this one was fantastic. Def milder in flavour and taste, it paired excellently with the Hawaiian medium roast coffee I was using for my iced coffee. It lit well, had an excellent pull, and as the notes say, had a really over the top finish. Will be looking for this one again when I hit up Vancouver and Toronto this summer on the conference trail.

#cigarGradMonday
For the second year in a row, Pat and I and a friend or two, this year Warren, decided to watch the sunrise and enjoy an end of the year cigar. Last year I brought some Presidente length cigars that really didnt go over with folks that dont always smoke cigars. So this year I brought along my box of Guantanamera cigars that my inlaws had brought back from Cuba for me earlier this year. These were the perfect fit, they are a nice mild cigar and are pre cut so those that do not smoke cigars much have to fuss around with the cutter.
It was a little chilly out, but we all enjoyed the mild spice notes from the cigar, the sun as it peaked out to begin a new day, and the half dozen Track grads that were doing drunk running around the football field without pants on.

​All in all a great weekend of festivities, some sad goodbyes, and some great cigars.

Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan