Thats right everyone, Omar has come up with another way to milk some more content!
I think you all know this.
The poor blog has been rather malnourished as of late, but with the turn of 2022 and the dastardly 2020 and 2021 years behind us, I felt it was paramount to provide the blog with some much needed TLC.
I have now publicly vowed to roll up the proverbial cuffs and start writing like a fucking lunatic.
Remember, I do this for you.
I don’t know about you but I have noticed a shocking increase in the amount of ‘trash’ shows being released. The two trends right now seem to be reality dating shows and modern day fraud series, all cards on the table, this ain’t for me.
With this sad realisation I have had to trudge through my memory banks and remember something I enjoyed at one point in my pre covid life. This proceeded me dedicating the next few 48 hours to the Lord of The Rings trilogy.
Holy shit.
Have you rewatched LOTR recently?
If you haven't, do yourself a massive favour and do it.
The Fellowship Of The Ring was made in 2001… let me say that again,
2001.
I wouldn't bat an eyelid if you told me it was made in 2020, all three movies have aged like a fine wine.
I would say its had been at least 5 or 6 years since I last saw LOTR and what genuinely fascinated me the most was the meaning I was now deriving from previously meaningless scenes.
As a child I guess I thought that running around a forest with swords, axes and lusciously long hair was a badass thing, as a teenager I marvelled at the CGI of Gollum and how LOTR might be one of the few occasions where I prefer the movies to the books. Watching it now in my mid twenties has made a peculiarly legitimate impression on me.
Perhaps its far too presumptuous of me to suggest, but I think we all consider ourselves as fairly sophisticated consumers of media, or am I the only one that suffers from this delusion?
Regardless, as a youth I was always terribly entertained by the crack, bang and whollop of Michael Bay movies, blow some shit up and I'm a happy camper, but now I want, no, I need more!
Character development is really something I find to be integral to truly enjoy and invest in a movie and its script, disastrously this seems to be on the bottom of the list for most producers and screen writers, lets just look at exhibit A, the final season of Game Of Thrones.
Boom.
*Mic Drop*
Anyway, back to the movie, camaraderie is what I took away from this viewing.
Romantic relationships tend to take front and centre in most movies where platonic relationships are always subjugated. What I find charming, unique and compelling is LOTR shows the value of having friends that are dependable and reliable, there are innumerable examples I can draw upon but I think the best would be the connection between Frodo and Sam and the reunion scene at the end of Return Of the King.
As emotionally inept as I might be I must confess, I drew a few tears. The point of which I am now at in my life, the idea of friendship, trust and honour really spoke rather deeply to me.
Have you seen LOTR recently and did you take anything new from it?
What else did I get up to? Well, as most of you know by now I've been on a pretty interesting journey recently with regards to cigars.
Even if you're not interesting in smoking them just as an artisanal product its absolutely bewitching.
In fact, almost as alluring as the academic view of cigars is the community. Never have I ever come across a more genuine, passionate, generous and kind group of people, to be part of this group - in my opinion - completely justifies any interest anyone might have in cigars.
My cigar sensai, Jimmy Mcghee has been a real driving force in advising me in what my next tasting step should be in cigars. Prior to my ‘Jimmy Era’ I had really only tried the Por Larranaga Petite Corona and H Upmann Half Corona, both brilliant smokes and excellent value for money, however, I hadn’t explored the plethora of extraordinary tasting experiences that are available just from Cuba alone.
Typically in these ‘week with Omar’ posts I will be talking about a single cigar I have smoked during that week, never the less, being the inaugural article of this format I might as well spoil you guys.
There are three cigars I would love to bring to your attention in three different categories of strength.
As an honourable mention I will be mentioning another at the end!
The first one is the LCDH Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes, a pretty special cigar both in shape and name! The shape isn’t your typical straight sided cigar (parajo), instead it is beautifully tapered at both ends, this is called a double figurado and from what I understand - although unusual today - the double figurado shape was actually how the majority of cigars were made and sold!
The term breakfast cigar isn’t something I can relate to as I smoke typically once a week and my routine is customarily a cigar after lunch, regardless this is the perfect lazy weekend breakfast cigar in my opinion, lasting about an hour and 15 minutes for me. Its light to medium in flavour intensity but does have an element of complexity, notes of vanilla, cedar, and a ting of spice, a thoroughly enjoyable smoke! The other reason why I think this is an interesting cigar to try is because its one of the most affordable LCDH cigars you can buy!
LCDH Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes Taken on Nikon Z6
Stepping up in strength and notoriety is the famous Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill.
There are a few cigars that are currently battling for my heart, the Ramon Allones Specially Selected, Trinidad Media Luna and the Short Churchill. After smoking a few Short Churchills, I gotta say, I think this is the one for me. A solid medium strength cigar with a very recognisable flavour profile, exquisite coffee, light cedar, and peppery spice notes that undulate in prominence through out the duration of this genuinely rewarding stick.
I recently handed one to a friend for their first smoke and 30 minutes in to it he turned to me and simply said “I understand now”.
Please do yourself a favour and try this, its never let me down and am looking forward to smoking many more!
Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill Taken on Nikon Z6
The final cigar in this list is another that has won my heart, but fuck me dead, its a strong boy.
If you aren't well versed in the world of nicotine tolerance you better eat a satisfying meal and have a sugary drink to hand because this cigar will knock you on your ass.
The Bolivar Belicosos Finos has quickly become my full bodied cigar of choice, if you take the necessary precautions before smoking this cigar then you will be rewarded with an exceptionally smooth, rich, dark chocolate, slightly briney flavour profile.
How unique is that?
Along with the delectable flavours on offer here, the shape (vitola) has quickly become a personal favourite, the Campana or a torpedo fits in the hand perfectly and has an extremely elegant mouthfeel for me. I wouldn’t go for this as a newbie but if you find yourself at a point in your cigar journey and you want something more, reach for this and I guarantee you wont be disappointed.
*Drum roll please*
The honourable mention was an absolute treat I had earlier last week.
I was very lucky to have my first Cohiba, and not just any Cohiba, the fucking king of Churchills, the Esplendidos.
Do stand by for an episode soon with a very special guest who will breakdown the history of Cohiba, but, in a nutshell, these guys are the creme de la creme in Cuba, I can now comprehend why it holds that position.
It was my first Churchill size too and what I can say is it won’t be my bloody last. It was medium strength with the most graceful transition of flavours through out the smoke I have experienced to date. Creamy, sweet, woody, spicy, this stick has it all. Don’t mess around, if you have something to celebrate, the Esplendidos is what you must try!
Cohiba Esplendidos Taken on Nikon Z6
The funny thing is, these blog posts are meant to be a short, easy to consume, bite size format of information but I have just realised its 1,500 words long. I definitely need to work on chatting less shit and being a little more economical and efficient with my communication.
I must say, it was lovely catching up with you guys and stay tuned next week for another week with Omar!
Stay curious!
im a huge lord of the rings fan and I enjoyed your little breakdown of the changing perceptions you have as you age. Im looking forward to the day my son is old enough to watch it for the first time. Ive been smoking cigars on and off for around 10 years now but even for someone as seasoned as I, reading and listening to your content, you make it sound so exciting, you have a talent to transfer your passions to the reader in a very seamless way. I need to get myself one of those esplendidos!
During the height of the lockdown your episodes around cigars really got my attention and has been the driving force behind my love for the stuff. You're totally right that cigars are more then just the cigar, its the ambiance and the company. This is one of the only places I listen to an episode about cigars, light one up then listen to how gold mining works. Thank you for doing what you do!
P.s. did you end up smoking that La Reina with Jimmy? How was it?
Your writing is very nice to read, I think som blogs try to be too personal and conversational while others go the other way too much, yours strikes the balance really well! I actually started smoking cigars after your episode with Eddie Sahakian, I really like the short Churchill too. Could I request that you do a breakdown of the Linea De Oro collection please?
More of this please! I agree with you, the movies were better then the books, they were too dense for me. I do like the look of that lighter and knife, would you recommend that long pointy cigar for a beginner? It looks pretty impressive 😄
I think this new format is a cool idea! Your comments about LOTR are quite interesting, I also find the play on gender to be fascinating, especially for a story this old, instead of your typical maiden in distress and knight in shining armour we have two men in the form of hobbits that help and make up for each others misgivings. Thank you for making me think about this.