Oh Summer thou are about to depart, and it’s as if we barely know ye. As you may be aware due in no small part to the rapid decline in temperature, the Season of Fall will soon be upon us, along with its trademark chilly days and dreary color schemes it paints nature with. However, before you concern yourself too much with mourning yet another summer’s passing, cheer up, as for all its faults, fall offers you a fairly generous trade-off, basking in radiant sunshine for basing in the sartorial …

As someone who works in the wine and spirit trade, the moments of true excitement, those moments of making a discovery and tasting something new, seem to be more and more rare. It is those types of moments that got us excited about drinking quality products in the first place though, and I find myself continuing to search for the next moment of excitement.
Picture a tasting event, where there are 7 or 8 whiskies lined up on a printed mat, with space for tasting notes or other scribbles. Something, some smell, instantly …

The Hamburger. Hot Dog. Sandwich. The list could go on forever. Our diets are based around this most basic concept of the farmer’s lunch: baked grains with cooked meat, topped with garden vegetables. Simple food made with the best local ingredients.  In one way, shape, or form almost almost all our meals can relate to this idea. Our fast food businesses have bastardized it, food carts have simplified it. Even Michelin star restaurants elaborate on it. It almost always tastes delicious and is very rarely expensive to make.
When summer rolls around usually …

Here in the Pacific Northwest, summer has been late in its arrival.  A wet April transitioned into a worse May, and before I knew it June arrived with my patio yet to be christened with the first cigar of the summer.  You see, though northwest winters are mild, they are wet, causing fellow aficionados to bundle up under covered patios or wait for the occasional warm and dry day. As a result, that first stretch of hot, dry weather is to be cherished.  A Connecticut on the patio with a …

This is the final installment of reviews on Villiger cigars from Villiger Stokkebye International.  For a quick recap on VSI, the company was founded by two families, Villiger and Stokkebye, in 1888 and 1882 respectively.  The families came together to create VSI, and have been offering quality tobacco products in the US for over 30 years.  The 1888 Fuerte is an extension of the 1888 line, and was just recently released in 2011.  It was meant to be a stronger alternative to the original 1888 line for those who wanted …

I recently had the opportunity to watch James Suckling’s “Cigars: The Heart and Soul of Cuba,” a new documentary about the cigar industry in Cuba.  The film starts in Havana, with Suckling enjoying a cigar on a patio overlooking the city, contemplating the value of Cuban cigars.  From there, Suckling travels throughout Cuba, visiting farms in the famous Pinar del Rio province of Cuba and making a special stop at the Robaina farm.  Throughout, he covers not only the Cuban lifestyle, but also the detailed process in which cigars are …