Project Opus additions

Bought the No 4 and XXX to help fill out the 1 of each size goal. Got the Toast across America from somebody....dont remember who, its in an earlier post. The DC was a prize from a bet on my birthday which has also been posted previously. And the big boy is the 'A' I got from a trade with a local BOTL for a Partagas Culebra!!!!

Da Pipes

Here is the second Meerschaum that I have purchased. I wanted this since I am a fan of the claw and egg design. Only smoked a couple bowls out of this one, as it just isnt one of my favorites and as I rarely smoke my pipes over a cigar its just hard to crack the order. This is an SMS Meerschaum nothing really special about it but as you may be able to see the top of the bowl is beginning to get a nice rosy color to it.


This is my lone briar pipe. It is a Jons Pipe Shop Special from master Former of Denmark. There are 2 stores in the country that I know of that get these special pipes, the Jons Pipe Shop in Clayton, MO and my local in Champaign, IL. To me these are the most beautiful briar pipes on the market, when Former next comes to town I will get some pictures of his namesake lines and post them. But for a fraction of what a Former costs and on my college student budget I am very happy with this pipe.

I do own one more Meerschaum pipe, it is a simple lattice on a half bent. This pipe is currently residing at my B&M so Ill get pictures of it up in the future.

Hope you enjoyed

New Guys

Here are the newest additions to my humidors: From left to right

The Opus X Double Corona was my prize for winning a bet against a hater at the Cardinals game on April 9. I put up a Romeo y Julieta Museum against the DC from 2005 and until the 6th inning I was nervous that I was gonna lose, luckily for me they pulled it out and I won. This one came compliments of a Cubs fan.

The Opus X Reserva d'Chateau was the prize from the other bet I made at the same game against a Red Sox fan. This time I had an Ashton ESG 20yr saulte against an undisclosed Opus. Between the 2 it made a nice birthday addition to my humidor.

The Diamond Crown Maximus Stanford's 90th is what I got in return for an Ashton VSG corona gorda and a La Aurora 100anos preferido.

The Cuaba was a late birthday present from a local BOTL

Got this used humidor from tgherpst on CA, traded him a nice selection of 8 cigars for it (see previous posting). Now all I need to do for it is get it seasoned and pick up a digital hygrometer for the inside of the box. The ultimate plan for this box is to use it for CCs and aging, for the short term however I think I am going to move my NCs into it, with the exception of the Opus, since I only have about 27 CCs which doesnt make much sense in a 300ct humi.
Here is the damaging package I got from CP Staley through the MAW thread on CA. If youre not sure how this pass works, you post a list of cigars you want to try and if someone can take at least 2 sticks then they send you a package and they get to put up their own list. Well CP said he could take care of the PSD5 EL 2008, and an Ashton ESG 22yr Salute. Unfortunately he sent me an email saying he couldnt get that size on the ESG but he had the 21yr instead. Either way just look at the accompaning cigars, an Opus X Taste Across America from what I think was the 2008 release, a cuban Romeo y Julieta Churchill en tubo, a freaking Partagas 150 Signature Series B (I think that is the size), and an Ashton VSG Round Robusto, these sticks are from 1999 the only time the VSG was released as a nonbox press.



The middle one here is the VSG Round!!!
And I thought it appropriate to go back to my B&M and pick up the last of the old VSG Corona Gordas, these are about 5yrs old.

Birthday present to myself and a package from SPS

For my birthday I went to the PIT@STL game with some BOTLs from here in town. Afterward we went to Jons Pipe Shop in Clayton, MO. While my friends all bought much more stuff I was happy to simply replace my other aluminum xikar cutter with this one, the composite just doesnt have the same feel. The La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami is a wonderful blend and the Elegante was deserving in my opinion of the #9 cigar of the year by Cigar Aficianado.

Enjoy the rest of the pictures.








This is what was waiting for me when I woke up yesterday. Yes I slept in, had to recover from the birthday festivities.

Anyway good wake up surprise

Shipping Day

Today I have 3 packages that need to be sent out, all of these are from the CA forums. There is one package that is part of a trade for a humidor from tgherpst in MD, another is to CUsscrstud in MI for his CC wishlist, and the last is for maverickdrinker in ON for the MAW PIF. Hope they get to there respective destinations without any problems

Here are the contents of the packages, the 2 on the left are for the humi, the 3rd from the left is for Aaron, and the last is for Art.

No all I have to do is wait for the humi to get here, and wait for my culebras from SixPack.

Back From Vacation

Here is what I was able to bring back from my cruise. Left to right we have 2 PSD4s, a Bolivar Royal Coronas ( had another of these but it was destroyed by fire), 2 VR Unicos, and San Cristobal de La Habana Mercaderes, and 5 Trinidad Fundadores.

In addition to the BRC that I smoked on the trip there was a 3rd VR but it was smoked as well. The Bolivar that I smoked was very young and had some bitterness to it so this one will have to be aged for awhile to say the least.

In addition to the cigars I brought back I picked up a liter of vanilla extract for my mom, she is a phenomenal baker, and a 250ml bottle for myself. Also I grabbed an 8oz package of jamaica blue mtn coffee for myself.
This is my attempt at being a photograper, here is my cigar ( I believe this to be a DPG My Father Robusto) and my port for the night (Dows late bottle vintage) in the ships cigar lounge.
Here is my free ashtray from my dad, we stopped at his house on the way to Miami for a place to crash. And after "trading" some cigars with the old man I asked if I could have one of his ashtrays yet. In my head I was thinking of the Blue Helix ashtray he has since it was smaller but instead he pulls out this box with the RP Old World Reserve ashtray in it. So now I have an ashtray.

These last 2 pics are some I took since I knew I couldnt afford the actual cigars. The cohiba Gran Reserva were priced at $200USD for the above item.

The only other item I wish I would have gotten a pic of or attempted to buy was the Fesitval Habanos 2009 ashtray which was at the Club Havana in Grand Cayman with the Cohiba GRs, along with some packages of cuban coffee which I didnt try since US customs was able to intimidate me out of trying for.