Montecristo Cigars

I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of this cigar and I’m sure you’re sick of seeing it in a lot of the photos I take but I try to keep it in focus and change the backgrounds as often as I can……Doing a cigar blog is a lot of fun and I have to admit that I wouldn’t put in the time if I didn’t love the taste of Montes as much as I do……. It is a labor of love and when you find something that gets you as excited as Montecristo cigars get me then the time and effort are inconsequential. …. Some people can talk for days about cars, art, music, food, working with their hands, fishing or almost anything, but every morning I log on to the internet and see what is new in the world of Cuban cigars and who is selling them and at what cost…. Nothing gives me the kind of pleasure I get from sitting back, lighting up a Montecristo and watching the world go by.

Like the song lyrics say, If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.  Well, we have flowers in the picture above but what we also have is a Montecristo and that changes everything……Well, sort of……. This great weather and the upcoming summer season means that there will be more and more outdoor music festivals in many towns and cities across Canada… If you wish you can try your best to relive the ’60s and put a flower or two in your hair and dance across the ground as your favorite band is playing………OR…… you can do what I love and that is to set up a lawn chair, get your cooler out and stock it with refreshing beverages and then clip a Monte and sit back and enjoy the show!

The spring is in full swing in Vancouver and summer is on it’s way…This is my favorite time of year because of the green green leaves, grass and all of the blossoms on our trees in our fair city…Another wonderful opportunity that presents itself is the ability to smoke cigars while sitting on the steps, walking down the street or maybe basking in the sun in the back yard without freezing or getting rained on….The longer days give us the time we need to ponder the day’s events with a drink and a Montecristo cigar without sitting in the dark… I love it !!!

Not long ago Montecristo introduced the “Open” series and new smokers found the beauty of Monte’s natural flavor, more smokers, who don’t usually smoke cigars, gave them a try and with the series’ mellow approach we now have more interest in Cuban’s finest export… This little Petit Edmundo should be the natural choice for those who wish to expand their Montecristo smoking horizons… Montecristo cigars are available in many countries around the world but those who wish to try them should be very careful where they are purchased. Make sure to buy them at La Casa Del Habanos outlets.. Do some research and try not to be tricked into buying knock-off cigars.

I can’t say that I ‘m a great chess player but I’ve had a lot of fun evenings with my friend John, smoking cigars and playing chess and arguing about politics, sports, especially religion and a bit more about religion…. John is very well read and has a lot of opinions concerning many many topics but the guy is a hothead… We light up a cigar, open a beer or maybe some port, we’ll play a game or two and then after he has a few drinks in him the show begins…. All I have to do is start some topic that I know he is passionate about and I can be guaranteed about 3 hours of pure entertainment… I’m sure that through the years many many cigars have been lit and smoked over a chess board, many beverages have been consumed and many fights have broken out… But that’s what life is all about.. Good friends, great cigars, a topic or two and great memories!

I guess we can all gaze into our crystal balls and try to guess the future of cigar prices when Canada raises our sin taxes…. They hit us pretty hard already but I guess its anyone’s guess as to how much more we will be expected to pay if things continue the way they are going…As I look around at Non-Cuban prices on the internet I’m amazed as to how affordable they are compared to Cubans but one puff of a Monte No.2 and it becomes pretty clear as to where the money goes…When the U.S. embargo lifts on Cuban products we can all expect to see a lot more happy American cigar smokers and I’m hoping it won’t take too long…. I love these cigars and I truly hope that our American cousins will be able to enjoy a Cuban smoke whenever he or she wants…. But how expensive will a Montecristo become when we are faced with that day?

I’ve been waiting all year for this day.. Yes, it’s Victoria Day.. The day that Canadians celebrate in memory of Queen Victoria’s birthday. ..The May long week-end is usually spent out of town, either camping at a lake, golfing with friends or simply hanging out in the back yard with a glass of scotch and a Montecristo!!  That’ll be MY plans since I wasn’t around when that dowdy queen was reining over the British Commonwealth and I really don’t care why there is a Canadian holiday, just as long as I get to come up with a good reason to light yet another cigar and kill time!! Also Victoria day is an informal mark of the beginning of summer.. Who cares! Either way, after I finish this entry I’m reaching for my box of matches and am going to kick back!

Finally the sun is staying in the sky a bit longer each day and finally smoking a cigar outdoors is becoming more comfortable as the summer months approach.  I’ve had it with hanging around cold decks, garages and workshops where I smoke cigars in the winter and, although we don’t have terrible winters in the Pacific North-west, we still can feel the damp chill as we happily puff away on cigars in December.  Today we have clouds and a bit of rain, which is great for the lawn, but still not perfect…… But……. Summer is coming and I couldn’t be more excited!!!!!! I still have a lot of Montecristo No. 4’s aging nicely in the humidor and those are so perfect for an early in the day smoke…. Its nice to know that as the warmer evenings approach, the bigger cigars after dinner will be enjoyed without a lot of discomfort!

As I was taking this photograph I wondered if there was any truth in the different cigar quotes that people say about Freud so I took it upon myself to read up on the topic online… Well, it doesn’t appear that he really had a lot to say on the topic other than ” a good cigar is merely a smoke.”  Now thats not a real earth shattering quote coming from anyone, so there’s no point in getting excited about it, if you ask me!!! My take on this is that Freud’s slant on things were sometimes of a sexual nature and I believe that people couldn’t wait to take THEIR ideas of what he MIGHT have said about a cigar and blown it all out of proportion.

Weather today, beautiful!!Plans for the day, continue with gardening and taking care of a few loose ends around the yard…. Sound glamorous ?? Not really…………But this little Montecristo No. 4 I smoked after breakfast made my thankful for all that is good in life and thankful to Montecristo for the care and time put into the growing, tending to, harvesting, curing and finally rolling one of the best cigars in this format….. I sat in the garage after breakfast and, with some great strong coffee (don’t forget the sugar), had a fantastic 45 minutes with this cigar…I’ve previously mentioned that there is a very good reason why this is one of the most popular cigars in the world, it will NEVER let you down.