In case you didn't believe the mule story

Hadley returns

There was a mule that trotted the globe. From the deep dykes of Holland to the golden strip of Vegas. There he discovered new pastures of grass in which he decided to bring some samples home. Thus, a humidor that I have been the caretaker of is now very much full. This mule's instructions were to enjoy these with all heretics that trot my way. Come and get'em!  

Twilit Intrigue - Diplomaticos no.4

Twilit as in twilight-ed. To celebrate wellington anniversary, and the remarkably still and clear evening that it has brought, I have sat down with one of the most intriguing cigars in my humidor. The last of its kind, that i have been saving to see how age would treat it. Absent wife, who is out gallivanting somewhere with a friend, I sat down to a rather pleasantly un-vegan meal with a bottle of otherwise prohibited pinot noir. A nice bitey, peppery, fruit and thymey, long lasting Central Otago pinot, which also happened to be a Peter Anderson-reject. It put me in the mood for a zesty tannin-full cigar, and the Dip 4 seemed to fit the bill. So i fired away on the deck after unleashing Paco de Lucia's Sirocco on the sound system.

Paco dentro de mi suenos ahumados

The two go together, Paco and Diplomatico that is, and not just because they rhyme (!). Both are rather stimulating and intriguing - food for the brain as well as the soul. El viejo Diplomatico ha comenzado con un aroma agradable, a biting, peppery, rich and intriguing mixture that really asks questions of your palate. It has all of the tannin and cedar zing that i remember, a quite unique flavourprint... there is no sweetness really, just a beautiful dry zest (white pepper to be precise) and the slightest hint of citrus, followed by a slightly sawdust and mushroom melange. Halfway through, it softens slightly, with more hay filling out the body. This really is one of those cigars that deserves regular retrohaling in order to get the most out of all of these peppers and spices. Onto Zyryab now, the next in the Paco canon... and the very last of the puro. The hay has a bit of a roasted barley (?) quality to it now, which clues me in to a drink match - a bitey young mild scotch (Tomatin 10 y.o. c/o my in-laws). It is almost extinction time now ... the roast is getting smoky and the cup bitter, like the last dregs of an espresso... we are rattling the dags here, but i will keep going for the sake of science. A lot of capsicum and ash in this last inch. E' la hora de la "cancion de amor", amor perdido, pero no olvidado... adios, pequenito corona!