Okay, I broke form a little this week and had a #cigarSaturday and a #cigarSunday. I feel totally justified though with completing a major swim race on Saturday and for the total of workouts accomplished last week. So first ill talk about one then t'other.
So as recently blogged about, my 5km swim partner and fellow cigar enthusiast decided that upon completion of our swim we would cap off the experience with a cigar. On my recent trip to Toronto, I purchased 2 of the Flor De Las Antilles by My Fathers Collection, 2013 cigar of the year for us to enjoy.
As we posted up on Dave's deck overlooking beautiful Dartmouth, I was again looking forward to trying out this little beauty. The last time I had it, I was def feeling the effects of some amazing homemade wine, so i wanted to make sure the experience was not overly influenced by that, so sans alcohol for this one.
It has an amazing nose, coffee and leather, lit well and smoked beautifully. Everything I remember about it from the week before was the exact same. Flavor, consistent draw, easy pull, slow burn and kept its ash well. No wonder this was the cigar of the year.
I tried not to talk it up to much to Dave before he tried it, but the look on his face upon lighting it and getting it going said enough.
I still say this is the best cigar i have ever smoked and hold to it. Dave was quick to agree that this is one hell of a cigar.
I didnt even miss having an accompanying scotch or whiskey with it, this cigar can stand alone and not be harsh or overpowering.
As we sat in the afternoon sun, reliving our recent water war stories, enjoying our cigars I couldnt help but wish that I would have bought more of these before leaving Toronto. I am going to have to contact the store owners to see if they will indeed ship to me out East. Yes, they are that good.
So with that lovely experience under my belt, I was pumped to give another cigar a try this week for #cigarSunday. On a recent work trip to Halifax, my wife had a couple hours down time and asked if i wanted anything while she was in the city. Weeeeeeeelllll if you are down on the water front can you check out the cigar store down there. I havent been, but reading online and the reviews are mostly positive. She agreed and scored a MonteCristo no.4 and couple other beauties from Cuba. 
I picked the MonteCristo no.4 for this #cigarSunday and was off to the liquor store to find a match for it. I narrowed down my beverage to 4 different scotches. All lightly coloured as the cigar was a medium to dark color so i wanted something with little to no smoke and wasnt going to compete with too much spice. 
I asked one of the clerks who is knowledgable about scotches to weigh in on my decision and both our number one picks was the 14 year old Arran Single Malt. The liner notes and a quick look online was the selling point to me, but it was good to have some back up to confirm my suspicions.
According to the website, this is a newer product that replaced a 12 year old scotch. It has a 46% drinking strength and hits some spice and citrus notes. It is not a cold chilled scotch so when a touch of water or ice hits the scotch it gets cloudy. That is what is supposed to happen so dont panic. The clerk also notes this is one of his top 5 scotches and it doesnt really get the respect it deserves. 
I was convinced so I picked up a bottle and headed home.
After a quick mow of the yard I was ready to get a #cigarSunday in before the rain started.
I tried the Arran both without ice or water and with. I def like it better without and maybe would add a drop of water next time. The ice really killed the spice flavor that was prominent without.
In terms of the cigar, well ' houston we had a problem'. I am not sure if it was a short cut, in that i didnt cut far enough down on the cigar, or if the cutting end was so stale it wasnt allowing for any smoke to get through, but i thought i was going to hyper ventilate trying to get the thing lit. It tasted okay on the smoke that i could get but holy jebus not what i expected in terms of smoke-ability. I was not impressed, especially for the price.
The end that I cut was rock hard. Even squeezing it and rolling it back and forth between my fingers to loosen up the leaf inside didnt do anything. I got about half way through and gave up trying to get a decent pull from it. To recut it would not have worked either i dont think because the hard rock part extended about half way to the ring and cutting it there were have caused some flaking of the outer wrap.
Overall, it would have been a delightful pairing of cigar and scotch, but really, really, really not impressed with the cigar. Again, not sure if I cut it to thin, or the cigar was just a dud, or the cigar store on the Halifax waterfront sold something it shouldnt have, but i have 2 other Cuban cigars from that store so we shall see.
On the upside, anytime you get to sit on a deck with a drink and cigar in hand should not be taken for granted. Couple tunes to sing and a quick chat with the departed and into the house to start making dinner. Hoping to get my workouts in this week so that a #cigarSaturday on the road can happen next week at a new location.
Until then,
Sean "BigBoyRunning' Ryan
 

Well this is was  #cigarMonday and a week ago today. Unfortunately no #cigarSunday this week because i didnt get all the workouts in that I needed, but it will be more sweet next week after the 5km swim in Dartmouth.
So knowing that we were going to be on the road traveling to Toronto from Nova Scotia on both Saturday and Sunday, I planned to have a rare #cigarMonday as we had arranged a visit to my homeland of Milton ON in the afternoon and we were being hosted that night by one of my oldest friends and his family for a BBQ. 
So doing my research as a good little food, comic book and cigar nerd that I am I found out that one of the highest rated cigar stores in Toronto was about 25 steps from our hotel.
I think i heard angels sing when i found that out.
So after some breakfast and a quick work out Monday morning, I ventured over to the Casablanca Tobacconist. I was greeted heartily by the caretaker and was given the keys to the walk in humidor. 
Again, angels singing, i swear to jebus.
The smell was so awesome!! 
There was so much to look at, I was all over the map, looking at cigars high and low, small ones, long ones, light brown, and so brown they were almost black. Inexpensive and crazy expensive ones. Dude that was in there with me laid down 600.00 for the ones he purchased. 
I had to jump out before I spent our whole travel budget on cohibas. 
I asked for some paper and a pen so that I could go in and start making a list with costs so i could get the most bang for my buck.
As I was going up and down the rows, a little more in control now, I noticed the Flor De Las Antilles by My Fathers Collection.
Beside this box was a hand scratched note ' Cigar of the Year 2013'. It was a lovely looking cigar, exactly the type i like, medium brown in color, 5-6 inches in length and a thicker cigar. I had two in my hand, thinking that maybe my friend would want to have one with me, but put it back because i just couldnt picture him with a cigar in front of his parents who would most likely be having dinner with us tonight. As much fun as it used to be to make him awkward in public ( hehe) I put one back in the case. I would be more then happy to share if he had the desire to try it.
So up to the cash i went with my selection. After a great chat with the owner about my list, and some suggestions and edits, I was out the door with my cigar - about 16.00 with taxes.
We had a very uneventful trip to Milton, until we got to Milton. I left Milton when i was 17 years old and have only been back a few times, most being the couple of years directly after leaving and the last time for my friend Charlie's wedding.
When i left the population was about 29,000. Now it is 125,000.
The town I loved as a kid, the places i had memories of, may still be there in body, but I was having a really hard time finding the spirit of the place. We traveled all over from the hills of Rattlesnake Point and Glen Eden, to my highschool Bishop Redding, elementary school and church Holy Rosary, past my childhood home and haunts, and friends houses long forgot.
What has replaced farmers fields, playgrounds and memories are box stores, massive houses in tightly packed subdivisions. I was beginning to feel so disconnected from a place that was so vibrant in my mind. I was depressed, but I was overwhelmed by how much the place has changed.
We had bopped around town for most of the afternoon and it was time to head to Charlie's house. Now i never asked him before going, but I was so excited to hear his voice on the phone and to hear his parents in the background. Charlie's parents and all of this family that i have had the pleasure to meet along the way are just awesome people. I used to love going to his house when to pick him up either by bike and eventually by car. His mom's pizza is the absolute bomb. I would walk across broken glass for a taste of it, it is just the best.
Family is such an important thing to Charlie and his parents, and that is what they have made me feel like every time I have had the fortune to break bread, or hang out with his parents or cousins, uncles or aunts.
This time would be no different, well a little different as we both have families of our own now. This was going to be the first time that we all were able to get together since we had started our families. My son was really looking forward to this as we also have a strong connection to family and value it above all else, Charlie is his godfather and this was to be the first time they would meet since his baptism. The questions leading up to our meeting from him about 'godfather Charlie' were numerous and never ending. 
How did I meet Charlie?
Why was he picked as godfather?
Does this make me part Italian?
Do I get my musical ability from him?
Hilarious.
So we pulled up, and everyone jumped out of the car before i even had it in park. A little excited you could say.
We walked in and were greeted with great big hugs, a couple high fives from the kids on each side and before you could count to 10 a beer in hand. 
Charlie and Angela's wee ones, G and Sam, quickly shuttled our two into the living room and began playing minecraft on tablets while the adults had the chance to begin sharing some stories and chat about some current events of the day.
I am not going to play by play dinner but there was a ton of food, all crazy delicious but two things I want to highlight.
The bread and the wine.
Before we went in we warned the kids, eat as much as you like, but be careful not to eat to much of one thing and try everything. Also dont say you really 'love something' because the hospitality of Charlie's family is such that you will go home with a plate full. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but i just wanted them to know the rules.
Hilarious because my wife forgot this about 5 minutes into our visit. She mentioned the bread that we had had the last time we had dinner with Charlie and his parents ( about 20+ years ago) and within seconds, a couple sentences in Italian and a passing off of car keys and Charlie's dad vanished. Daphne didnt even notice what happened, it can happen that quick. I knew what happened right away, but didnt say anything, just smiled. This is the Milton I was looking for. 
Okay the wine. Charlie and his dad ( some debate from both of them on who does the most work haha) make wine. Now when i say make wine, i mean make wine, not some store bought kit, these guys are legit. They bring in there grapes, have a grape press in the garage and make enough wine for both families to last a year. They do this every year. There are no preservatives in this wine. It is the best wine i have ever had. The best. It has great legs, a fruity bouquet, hits all the right notes on the mouth and tongue and is incredibly easy to drink. REALLY easy to drink. 
Charlie's dad and I put a good dent in a couple of bottles and along with the fantastic meal had many, many laughs. This is the Milton I was looking for and wanted my kids to experience.
After diner it was time to try a scotch that Charlie had, Aberlour 12 year old double cask. It was right up my ally for scotches, had a slight smokey smell on the nose, but that sweet and spicy taste I love from scotch aged in sherry casks. 
We adjourned into the back yard, i lit up my cigar, Charlie thanked me for not bringing one for him ( am i good or what) and we all continued chatting and laughing while the kids took turns bouncing on the trampoline. 
The cigar was also amazing. If not the best one i have had to date, top two for sure. It has a great medium flavor, lit well and kept a great ash and burn. It was a great fit with the Aberlour as well, and they complimented each other beautifully. The perfect cap on the day, the meal and companionship.
Before we knew it, it was after 11 o'clock at night. Gosh the time flys when you are having fun. After a bunch of pictures, promises not to let such great time gaps keep us apart again, many more hugs we were back on the road heading to Toronto. 
I have said before that I dont need a lot of friends, and am happy to have the ones in my life that I do have, true friends are the ones you have, that you may not see or talk with on a regular basis, but when you do get together it is like no time has passed. Charlie is one such friend of mine.
On reflection on our complete trip, this is the night i was looking forward to the most, and this is the night that i treasure the most. Meeting Charlie's boys, his Angela, her sister and getting to see my friend and his parents was a blessing, and one that we continue to treasure as we get back into our scheduled lives.
Milton may have changed its look, its feel, maybe even its spirit, but it is the people and relationships that make any place feel like home.
Thanks again to our gracious hosts, and offer is always open to return the favor here on the east coast.
Sean "BigBoyRunning" Ryan

This is not going to be a typical #cigarSunday post.
To say there are no words is not enough, to find words is even harder. Toby Emo, friend, brother, outlaw, husband, father is no longer with us.
 I want to barf even writing that. I want to cry every time I think about it, and I really want to find the thing responsible and beat the fuck out of it. 
But there is no thing. 
I want desperately someone or something to hate.  A drunk driver, cancer, something. I know that might sound weird but having this much useless anger and grief bubbling inside and not being able to hate something makes it worse. But it was an accident. A stupid motherfucking accident.
Watching the news and seeing all the useless politicians, criminals, and drains on society still breathing while this man is not, makes me more angry.
Seeing some of the speed in which people were posting on facebook messages of consolation, because i can hear his voice, in his lite American accent ' c'mon, seriously guys' and it makes me more angry. 
Seeing someone post that fucking Fast and Furious 7 ' Ill see  you again' song link nearly fucking put me over the top.
And I am angry at myself. 
For not having a valid passport, for not living closer, for not reaching out more, and for feeling completely helpless while some of the best people I know struggle to make any sense out of this. 
Is there any sense to be made, No, No there isnt.
The only thing that lowers the anger is thinking about how fortunate I was to have the time I had in knowing him and sharing some memories with him and his family.
In knowing what a great friend, loving husband and father, dedicated son, and 100% class act this man was. That he was funny and smart, passionate about his work and life and took every opportunity to enjoy those things everyday.
Very few will understand the picture that goes along with this post, those that do, know the meaning and can hopefully find a smile through the tears. It is so difficult to that while the wound is so raw and fresh and will probably never fully heal. 
I am going to end here, I will ask though that if you read this, please do not comment. 
Just know that his family and friends are hurting, send good thoughts and prayers, better still, go hug someone special and appreciate the time you have with them, and I will do the same.
Sean " BigBoyRunning" Ryan

So this blog post is technically from May 24th as you know by now there were not enough workouts last week to allow for a #cigarSunday this past week. #sadface
I did get enough in though the week before to have a #cigarSunday on the road again in London Ont.
All of the traditions of #cigarSunday were met, there was a new beverage to try with a repeat cigar, there was a pool present for the appropriate photo op, and enough space on my phone to take more then enough selfie's of me smoking a cigar then really anyone should have.
I would love to be the person to find my phone if I ever lose my phone. You would def know this guy is a problem, he likes to take photos of food (part of the decline of humanity), staged pictures of cigars and alcohol( who does that), and many, many, many pictures of himself with every person and/or inanimate object that happens to cross his path(i have a thing for climbing statues), what a weirdo.
You may also ask what is with the masks in the picture, well there was a masquerade ball for Western students, I did not try to crash that party, but perhaps, maybe, my traveling companion, might have tried to take the opportunity to meet some new people. #makingfriends He only met two large tuxedo'd attendees that barred the entrance. Poor fella.
So this week, I brought my cigar with me as an online search showed the closest cigar store to the hotel to be quite a distance away. However the closest purveyor of spirits was not too far, according to google maps. Oh google maps, you are so full of lies.
But you google maps are not the only one at fault here for our approximate 5k walk in multiple directions I also blame our ill informed cab driver that sent us on a wild goose chase in the wrong direction. As a representative of the city that you are driving in you should know the following, and in no particular order:
1. Closest Liquor store
2. Closest pharmacy or shopping market
3. Best restaurants for various types of food
4. Best hang out pub
5. Best late night spot
6. Unique and insightful commentary about local events, weather and politics.
Our cab driver was about 5/6 on the list so it gave us a false sense of security around his directions around the closest LCBO. To be fair there was an LCBO in the direction he sent us, but the distance was WAAAAAY off.
So after about walking a km and half we let 'Siri take the wheel' (this was the first title of that now famous song, but copywrite strikes again) and about faced and walked to another store.
This was not a bad way to spend the day, it was a beautiful sunny day, the six lanes of traffic beside the sidewalk was humming this way and that, we got to meet a couple of characters like the Mac's Milk clerk that was also distance challenged, and the no teeth on a bike guy that ensured us we were getting closer.
Finally we made it. The not so promised land.
I was pretty disappointed with the selection of spirits at this LCBO. The scotch and whiskey section were pretty bare and it took me a long time to pick because the selections were so limited, but I eventually settled on a Gibson Finest Rare Canadian Whiskey.
Price point was decent, color looked great and I cant recall having had Gibson anything before.
Not gonna pretend, we totally called a cab to take us back to the hotel......and it was glorious.
We laughed, we reminisced about on teeth bike guy, and all was forgiven of the uninformed distance cab driver and mac's milk clerk.
One little sleep away from Sunday.
I got my last run for the week in on Sunday morning, had some board meetings in the morning and afternoon, a lovely dinner with some old friends and then later that night it was time for #cigarSunday London style.
Okay that sounds way more hype then what it actually was, which was me smoking my cigar and hiding my beverage, sitting on a rock 10ft from the hotel door in a light drizzle, but I felt like a king.
The cigar was the Romeo Y Julietta Churchill ( 2/3) that i have and it too lived up to the review of the first one. I wont go too much into it but it has a fantastic flavor, burn, and holds its ash quite well. 
The notes on the Gibson are:
Rich golden amber colour; sweet toffee, toasty oak and vanilla with a hint of black licorice; very smooth on the palate with sweet vanilla notes.
I def got the oak, and maybe a hint of vanilla, but did not fine it very smooth with and without ice. It paired okay with the cigar, they didnt fight against each other like i have had with some stronger variations but the Gibsons really didnt hold up. A peaty scotch would have been a better fit or a whiskey with more guts. 
I didnt take the bottle back with me, and it was really the only drink i had out of it all week. Luckily our east coast hospitality came shining through and others enjoyed the Gibsons more then I did. Maybe the 18yr old might have a better flavor, and i will give it a go sometime down the road, but i dont think i will be adding this one to the collection anytime soon.
Kind of a wha-wha review, but i calls em, like i taste em.
Hopefully I will get enough work outs in this week for #cigarSunday, not having one this past Sunday was weird. 
Maybe, just maybe, it will stop raining long enough in Nova Scotia to sit out on the deck without my Mario umbrella and enjoy it.
Viva La Summer
Sean"BigBoyRunning" Ryan