This is MY cigar

Yes, I own that sweatervest and I wore jeans on the golf course.

Yes. I made a cigar. Well, strictly speaking, I blended it. I am thrilled that it has been a VERY popular item in my local cigar shop. As a cigar aficionado, it is a culmination of something or other. It was all luck to be honest. Luck to get a spot on a trip to Honduras to start.  Here is what I wrote in my diary of that trip:

I had a definite blend in mine. Many worked from the inside out. I went the opposite way. I saw the wrapper I wanted and went from there. I wanted a cigar with a candela wrapper but was also full of flavor and distinct body. The candela wrapper was all the rage in the middle of last century. It was a distinctly green color from the captured chlorophyll because the leaf is picked early. It is seldom seen nowadays with only a few top brand names carrying them. (Fuente makes an 8-5-8 in a candela.) The wrapper was paying homage to my late grandfather who smoked Lord Beaconsfield Rounds, a short filler cigar in a candela (called Double Claro) wrapper. Even this cigar no longer comes in Candela. It is very mild but I find and earthy nuttiness to it. One of my friends compared it to "smoking spinach leaves."
To give my cigar some flavor, I chose to two ligero (full-bodied) fillers and smoothed it out with a seco filler (mild) and chose a viso (medium-bodied) binder to polish it off. My only hope was that this cigar wouldn't taste awful. Many of the guys made their cigars very full bodied, one made it very mild. Their choices included maduro wrappers or even wrappers from Cameroon. (Yes, Tobacco can grow almost everywhere.)
My recipe came as a surprise to everyone including Gustavo, the quality control manager who asked out loud, "Who the hell ordered the candela wrapper?"

I really do not miss the mustache

Not once but TWICE has my local shop sold out of this cigar. What made it even more interesting was that only recently that other cigar companies (outside of the Fuentes) have been pushing Candela wrappers. Only today, a friend looking for a good cigar said, “I’m looking for a ‘Bernard Scally’”. I gave him one of my small stash. Doubt I’ll be doing that anymore since I don’t know when more will come in.

A good day after all

Those who know about my recent trials and tribulations, will appreciate that I scored a minor victory over governmental bureaucracy today. Those who haven't heard, please stayed tuned as I will be providing a full report soon (tentatively titled, "Adventures in Well-Fair").
So after trudging on my way home this morning I received a reply email from Alan Tu, the editor who covers the Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill section of Newsworks. I received a commission to do a business analysis piece which I immediately began work on. To celebrate these minor victories, I decided to also headed to downtown Philadelphia to another tobacconist that I frequent, Holt's.
I knew Holt's would be hosting Rocky & Nish Patel and Nimish Desai of Rocky Patel Cigars as they featured some of their newly released products. Many will know I am a BIG fan of Rocky Patel cigars, I even had the chance to visit his factory in Honduras.
So I indulged myself with a few selections while attempting to keep within a modest budget. I also completed a trifecta. Knowing that Rocky is a fan of Cricket, I presented the trio with a season ball for them to sign. All three fellows were quite impressed.
While at Holt's I was informed that one of my pipes, that I had sent away to be repaired, had finally arrived. There went my modest budget, but sometimes you got to splurge a little. I believe the ladies call this, Retail Therapy; apparently you can never put a price tag on happiness.
I am a huge fan of Rocky's Olde World Reserve in a Corojo wrapper. In fact, I got my father off of the Lord Beaconsfield Rounds that my grandfather smoked with the OWR-C. Admittedly, the Beaconsfield Rounds in a Double Claro wrapper are a sentimental favorite because of the dear departed 'Captain'. (Full disclosure: the first cigar that ever made me feel ill was The Edge Maduro by Rocky Patel, a potent stick especially on an empty stomach.) But for this lunch break, I tried the Vintage 2003 Cameroon, it wasn't too bad actually. I have never been a fan of Cameroon wrappers, I find them too fragile but this held up well and was decently flavorful.
If you've ever met Rocky and the boys, you'll be pleasant shocked by how easygoing and down-to-earth these guys are. They enjoy hearing from their clients and how they can make their product better.
But the greater treasure was still to come; as I quietly enjoyed my cigar debating & planning my next moves, generally enjoying the flow of conversation around plus a few nibbles, I saw a oddly familiar older gentleman some in and talk to Rocky. It was Bernie Parent.
Those unfamiliar with professional hockey should know that Mr. Parent is a Hall of Famer and something of a sports legend, a practical god in the city of Philadelphia. In fact, no one in the Flyers can wear is number 1 jersey because it is retired with the team. Parent played Goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers during their earlier glory days and is quite respected by almost everyone in his sport. As the saying goes, 'Only the Lord Saves more than Bernie Parent.'
I immediately texted some friends of mine who are hockey fans. Both were suitably impressed. My best friend who played Hockey during our high school years declared his jealousy of my situation.
I am not unfamiliar with meeting well known celebrities. Like Rocky, Parent is another very friendly, humble gentleman. It was a pleasure to speak and share some time smoking a cigar with him. I understand why the Flyers organization named Parent as their 'Ambassador of Hockey'. Just so you know I am not BS-ing you, one of Parent's co-authors of "Journey Through Risk and Fear", Dean Smith, took a photo of me with Mr. Parent that you see above.
So not a bad little day after all.