I had a busy week at work. A little background: In August I started a job as a warehouse manager for a company that delivers durable medical equipment directly to veterans. This was a new location for the company, which contracts with the Veterans Administration. The warehouse was just a big empty space, which the VAs (we work with three of them, whose inventories need to be kept separated), so everything was s
tacked on the floor. I asked for pallet racks when I started, and the GM took it under consideration. After a few months, the VAs piled in the inventory, and I quickly ran out of room. I am a staff of one, by the way. So a few weeks ago I, once again, made an argument for pallet racks, which included three written estimates for local companies to
come in and install what I wanted. The GM ended up getting a great deal on a warehouse full of used racking, and sending me a load last week. So I spent the week moving stuff around and putting up ten foot high by 12 foot long pallet racks (some of it by myself). Now I have a warehouse that actually looks like a warehouse, is functional and efficient, not a pile of pallets that I have to move to get to things, and gets clogged every time I get another truck load of new stuff in. It made me a happy boy. This explains why I kinda phoned in my Wednesday post. At 57 years old, putting up pallet rack all week, as well as doing all the other stuff I usually do during the day, whipped me. So I went out and bought myself a few new (to me) cigars to smoke.
I never claimed to be a hand model.
Oddly, or maybe not, my local shop didn’t have anything new to speak of. So I looked for cigars I hadn’t smoked yet. It’s getting harder to find those. They had some Black Label Trading Company selections, and since I had just posted about the new Morphine release, I grabbed a Morphine Lancero, along with a Dissident Bloc 7 x 43. I got home and decided to take the dogs for a walk with the Dissident. Since my son moved home with his dog, a young mixed breed with a dachshund head, cute dog, Macha has been refusing to take walks for the most part. I think the younger dog wears her out playing during the day. I was quickly reminded how great Macha is on leash! This little dog is all over the place, I’m constantly untangling leashes, getting pulled in opposite directions…nightmare. All the while juggling this really nice Dissident Bloc 7 x 43 BP. The cigar is made at Oveja Negra, is box pressed with and Ecuador maduro wrapper, Ecuador binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. I rather wisel let this cigar go out about halfway through the walk when I went to relight it for the third time, so as to finish it in the peace of the porch without distraction. It had some earthy coffee notes, but, for the most part, was a really good tasting, medium bodied cigar. I loved the size, it was easy to deal with given my handful of dogs, and when I got to sit and relax, it smoked well and elt right. Like any smaller ring cigar, it needs to be smoked slower so as not to overheat and turn hot and bitter.
Like I said, I also picked up a Morphine. I usually buy cigars in twos, but I’m being budget conscious this time of year, and the shop where I got these is two miles from home, and they had plenty. I knew If I needed more I could get more in a hurry if need be. I’m going to assume tha
t this Black Label Trading Company Morphine Lancero is from the 2019 release. I am guessing this because The 2020 release was just announced, and Steve at the shop said he didn’t have anything new. This was a 7″ x 38 lancero with a San Andrés wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler. Again, small ring gauges need to be smoked slowly. Wrapper to binder ratio affecting flavor is a myth, it’s the heat from smoking faster that make
s it seem like it has a stronger or sharper flavor. Slow down when smoking smaller ring cigars. If you don’t believe me, ask Saka, he’s the one who I learned it from, argue with him (I dare ya). This Morphine Lancero is right in my wheelhouse. It’s a espresso with spice, although I did have to relight it a few times. Perhaps I smoked it too slowly. It was rich with some sweet earthiness and I dug it. Is it ironic to use “earthiness” and “dug” in the same sentence? I will probably have to stop in the Frazer CigarCigars shop and snag a few more of these to toss in the L
ancero tray for future consumption, and I’ll keep an eye out for the new ones. Do any of those knowledgeable in the ways of BLTC know if they put the year on these annual releases?
You should notice that CigarCraig.com is now a “secure” site. No transactions take place, nor do I ever collect any personal information, but, for everyone’s peace of mind (and Google’s search algorithms I guess), I got rid of the whole “not secure” business in the address bar, and the lock should be there. That’s all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
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I have been interested in smoking the La Aurora ADN Dominicano since it came out, and I saw them in the local shop last week and picked one up. It also should be common knowledge that I have a long standing affinity for the La Aurora brand. This goes back to the first box of cigars I bought back in 1996, and I bought it largely because my daughter’s name is Aurora, and she might still have the box, and I might still have one of those Bristol Especiales in the humidor someplace. It’s pretty old. The ADN (DNA in English), uses tobacco cured with the Andullo method, which involves tying the tobacco in ropes and wrapping it in palm leaves and pressing. There’s a detailed explanation here. This is a method that’s been used in the DR for many years. The cigar I picked up was a Churchill, 7″ x 47, which is a great size. I love a traditional Churchill. As much as I have an affinity for La Aurora, I’m about 50/50 on liking the cigars, some I like, some not so much. This one I really liked. It has a nice sweet flavor, along with some earthiness. It burned really well, and was quite enjoyable! This was one of the better La Aurora cigars I can remember smoking. 
