Monday, September 19 2011
…and a very enjoyable evening at Leaf
This past Saturday, I had been anticipating having a cigar at the new
Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant which just opened last month. Oh, I've smoked
cigars in there several times already at work, but I wanted to see what kind of scene was materializing on the weekends.
Of course, I had to choose a cigar to bring with me. Did you ever open your humidor and see a cigar that was practically begging for you to pick it up but you resisted. Such was the case for the Diamond Crown Figurado No.6 that I'd had in my humi for at least 5 years. "Tonight's the night," I said. I stuck it in my sport jacket pocket, turned off the Phillies/St. Louis game, and headed over to 90 Mort Drive in Forks Township (Easton), PA figuring I'd catch the last few frames of the game on the bar TV.
On my way there, I listened to the game on the radio and arrived at
Leaf just after 10:00 PM. The game was in the 8th inning. To my frustration, all they had on the TV was college football. Apparently, Direct TV doesn't get the local Philly channel 17, but thankfully a friend of mine texted me the results of the Phils' 9-2 victory over St. Louis thanks to a Raul Ibañez homer. (Go Phils!)
Meanwhile, I sat at the bar and ordered my usual and perfectly mixed Absolute Citron & Tonic with a wedge of lime (kudos to Matt the bartender - both of them). Several people from Famous Smoke Shop were there including Nikki, the store inventory manager who had just closed the shop. The bar was pretty busy. Most of the patrons had finished dinner, though there were a few couples still sitting at some tables.
I took out my Diamond Crown and lit its perfecto tip. I expected this cigar to have a little more juice; instead, it was very mild and creamy like a Macanudo Cafe. (Maybe I let it mellow in the humi too long?) The base flavors were of sweet cedar and an aroma that was almost more enjoyable than the flavor. That said, as the cigar reached the middle of the bulb it ramped up a bit while remaining impressively smooth and creamy. The ash was also amazingly firm and crept along to well over an inch before gravity overcame it (see photo at left). Once the cigar had reached the narrower midpoint, I was getting more flavor from the wrapper, which had taken on a more herbal character. Eventually, I wound up nubbing it.
Finally, because I had expected a much more complex journey from my No.6, I concluded that it wasn't worth waiting so long to smoke it. That said, the important thing is I enjoyed it. The only thing more enjoyable was the company of the very attractive woman seated next to me. But that's another story for another time.
(_[GK]__{{{~
