Cuba...

... a random atmospheric video that attempts to capture the mood of the place. The early titles are corny but the imagery is great.

Be prepared for any situation this summer

Rafael Gonzalez Perlas - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

You've got to watch out for these Short Stubby fellas

The pearl in the name would suggest delicate finery, and the lovely colorado maduro shade of wrapper with a nice oily sheen on it might fool you into believing that but... the short stout stubby format is perhaps a better indicator of what's to come.

This is another youthful lil' fella with a Napoleon-style short-man syndrome a la Partagas Short. It will sit you down and shut you up, hopefully with a smile on your face. 

Light it up, take a puff, and as my son would say... "wasssupafamanga!"

It powers into its work instantly, with plenty of cedar, a bit of meaty leather, and a noticeable coffee flavour - the aroma of freshly ground beans or strong espresso. The last cigar i remember with this type of coffee was one of Joel's Cohiba Siglo Is on the shore of lake Wakatipu. The back of the cedar develops a touch of drying pepper. This Perla is clearly of the same lineage as its elder brother the Corona Extra - not as much meat and mushrooms, but these are still present in the background. Plenty of tannins that build up at the end.

Some drink matches for this ... one of those cigars that seems to cope well even with black coffee (very well actually!). A thick caramely malt like Dalmore cigar malt (Greg's mate Harry brought that along to our last heretics trip), or a decently sherried one like an Aberlour might do ... at a stretch its meatiness might enhance a Talisker 10. I'd love to try it with a milky kahlua dessert cocktail...

... Another cigar doco

This doco has the added merit of lasting about as long as your average cigar... so light up and enjoy!