July Herf

For the July Herf, Jason brought the Alec Bradley Black Market.  It's one of my top 5 cigars, but I've already gushed enough about this one.  Suffice to say, it's a good 'un.

Partagas (original, red-label).  I remember smoking this one back in my 20s and as much as I love the Partagas Black Label, I figured it was time to revisit this one.  It had a smooth but noticeable flavor that I could match up somewhat with the Black Label.  I got it at a single from Up In Smoke and it felt a little fresh, likely due to a quickly rotating stock.  It would have benefited from a month or so in the humidor.

Punch Uppercut.  I've become a fan of the original Punch and the Uppercut takes it up a notch.  The same woody flavor with a bit of spicy-sweetness but bumped up a level. I'm not sure if it's a replacement for the original, but it would serve as an occasional substitute for the original.

Gurkha Black Beauty.  Wasn't bad.  Not as good as the Status Maduro, Spec Ops, but in that same flavor range.  I nabbed a couple of these from Jape, so we'll see how well it ages and give it a full accounting in a couple weeks.

I've also revisited a few sticks that I've enjoyed in the past.  The Gran Habano Corojo #5 is still a great smoke at a great price.  I'll be supplying a batch of the robusto size for the next Herf.  The Gurkha Status Maduro and Spec Ops I mentioned a couple of posts back are even better (into the realm of the Finger Burner) after a month or so in the humidor.