Simon Bolivar's End of Year Round Up

[Simon Bolivar]

I have to say I haven't been posting much in the last six months, particularly have been missing to record the cigars smoked. I have been so busy I come home with some shots on my camera & one thing after another has distracted me for posting them. It occured to me that there are several things I promised to post that I never did & I want to make a series of posts over the next few days to bring you up to speed. Hopefully you'll find most of them interesting but if you're like my wife & think one picture of a beer & a cigar is much like another, then feel free to skip this thread.

Just to start the ball rolling with the best first (whilst I have your attention) here's the pics from my Nov Auction winnings & a few extra smokes I aquired over the last couple of months; which for logistical reasons I have only just managed to bring home & stick into the rather full Boli Cave. Infact I had to decant three boxes that weren't empty into my drawer for singles to make the room. I don't normally do this until I am down to 3-4 sticks but I already have the Cave: two humis & a coolidor in my tiny study & I really didn't want to have to bring the reserve coolidor up from the cellar & get the grief from the wife, that I wasn't merely replacing smokes but still building the collection - as if.
Cigar Colletion.2013.12.17.SAM_4019.jpgBoli.CX.70s.2013.12.17.SAM_3998.jpgBoli.CX.70s.2013.12.17.SAM_3999.jpgBoli.CX.70s.2013.12.17.SAM_4000.jpgBoli.CX.70s.2013.12.17.SAM_4001.jpgThe star lot was the cab of 50 Boli Coronas Extra from the '70s. This went for well above the estimate but hopefully they'll be worth it. At a glance they looked the business, just a couple of slight nicks due to all the travelling they made over the last 40yrs but they stilll smell fantastic & I really meant to bring one out with me for Christmas Day. Guess I'll have to be patient & make one my first cigar of the New Year, down the local cafe. The other boxes are RA Small Club Coronas, RG Panatela Extra, Por Larranaga Petit Corona cab x 50, some Boli 5th Ave (very interesting story behind these cigars check it out on Mitch's & Christoph's Hamburg site). I got them of our very own Stevieboy as a steal; well compared with the going rate for singles on Mitch's UK site ?42.99! thanks mate, I do appreciate it & after all if they don't do it for you what else can you do? Almost forgot the El Rey de Mundo Demi Tasse 1990, the labels as as stained by oils as my previous boxes from this vintage but hopefully they'll taste just as good. And last but not least, a Not so Secret Santa from an old friend, cheers Brian, I'll think of you as I start puffing on yours, hope you enjoy the selection I sent you.

Biphasic De-Fibrillator	FRED	Mess
Biphasic De-Fibrillator	Powerheart AED	S/Bay
Biphasic De-Fibrillator	Powerheart AED	Switch Room
Biphasic De-Fibrillator/ ECG	Life Pak 12	Sickbay

Boli.CX.70s.2013.12.17.SAM_4002.jpg

[sheppsea]

Simon Bolivar's End of Year Round Up

Interesting read as ever Simon!

Those Bolivars look amazing - congratulations on that particularly special purchase

[Maxsi]

As always 'pure class' from a classy guy.

Looking forward to the coming posts.

[ValeTudoGuy]

Nice stuff as ever!
Simon If you ever find yourself in the north of England with a few hours spare give me a shout, I would love to have a herf with you sometime!
I like that you take pride in your pursuit of cigar nirvana, and with regards to beer it would seem your a man cut from a similar mould to myself!

Heck come for a weekend and I will sort out a brewery trip to a Top class northern brewery and we can get a few more BOTL in on it!

[Simon Bolivar]

Cheers guys, glad you're enjoying the story so far.
Let's just have a look at the NSS. Long time ago, lost in the blue haze of our fiine Havanas (I can say that coz this is in the Cuban lounge), on another site; we used to have a Secret Santa every year. It was a wonderful institution & was the highlight of the club year. In fact I quickly realised I had to reign my enthusiasim in as the family were begining to think I was more excited about my SS parcel than their gifts, oops

Of course we had our problems, like any Secret Santa, some just don't play the game. Some just sent out some cheap NC's (not so easy these days when prices are more comparable, at least with the better NC's) in order to get some really excellent vintage Havanas that some members would send out. I was very lucky & had some real gems. The first one was from a BOTL called Woolly Will & he sent me a bottle of rasin beer from a Liverpool brewery & the following fine smokes: Vegueros Esp No2, Cohiba Lancerous '00, Boli BF '01, Dippy No2, SP Belicosis '05 & the creme da la Creme Party Series D No1 '04. I waited until my following brithday to smoke that one & it blew me away, what a gem. So much so I broufght a box at one of Mitch's auctions few yrs later. The excitment of these cigars was that you got to try sticks you'd never had before, sticks that often sold as singles (singles selection used to be smaller than today) & really expand your knowledge & taste for the fine puro.

These days I find it easier & safer to just do this with one or two trusted friends, this saves the disappointment some had when their parcel never arrived & the other guy was never heard of again. I wouldn't suggest setting this up large scale again but if you make contacts on here & start small you might be pleasantly surprised.Bomb.Reillyson.2013.12.17.SAM_4023.jpg So from the left: Don Deigo Dominican 01/01, Hoyo Epi No2 10/02, Custom Rolled LDDH Varadao '11, Trini T Robusto 10/10, Behike 52 '10 & Cohba Robusto 10/10. Here's two previous examples this one from 2009Bomb.Reilyson.2009.12.20.117.jpg & this one 2011Bomb.Reilson.2011.12.25.SAM_3365.jpg. The Cubita coffee was excellent, have brought a few packs of my own since, great way to enjoy a morning smoke.

[Sean]

Great read as always mate

[Simon Bolivar]

Cheers VTG, I am occasionally stuck in the North on a course ect so will remember your kind offer.
I have just added a couple more pics to my post above so you can check that out if you wish.

[Simon-JG-hr]

Wonderful posts as ever Simon - always nice to see some good cigar porn (and it doesn't get much better than a 50 cab of Boli CEs... Habanos' worst deletion decision ever?)

[searsa1]

Wonderful posts as ever Simon - always nice to see some good cigar porn (and it doesn't get much better than a 50 cab of Boli CEs... Habanos' worst deletion decision ever?)

+1 On the Boli CE comment

[Simon Bolivar]

Cheers Simon, Could be Habanos's worst decision but have been so many deletions it's a tough choice!

[peanutpete]

as always a great read,still waiting for a review of the boli CE

[ValeTudoGuy]

I think I need to track down some Cubita Coffee, I have been told that a Boli PC is a good match to a strong coffee!

[SmokeyDave]

Another great post Simon, nice pictures as well.

You lucky devil getting those Boli CE's, I've only tried one from 1998 which was superb so would be inetresting to hear your thoughts on ones so much older.

You could be in luck with a real treat in the Behike 52, of all the ones I've had the pleasure to smoke, the original release Behike have been far superior to later ones.

[Simon Bolivar]

Peanutpete, you'll have to be patient I didn't manage to bring one out with me but hope to be smoking one mid January, with my Belgian mate in Ostend, we are due to go there for a weekend with the wives. Guess we should be able to get a few hrs alone whilst they exercise the plastic.

VTG sure you'll find a suitable Boli mate, I'd suggest trying it after a full meal though, it's not called Full bodied for nothing

Smokey Dave, Yep I have one from '98 too & nothing older so like you say it will be interesting. I would have brought a pair of singles to try them out first but not an option on an auction item so took the gamble. Hoping the 70's CX's weren't known for plugging like they were more recently? Behike, very expensive but wonderful to receive as a gift. Had one out here last Christmas I was duty, looking fwd to trying one at home with some decent whiskey.

[butternutsquashpie]

This is awesome Simon! Read this a few days ago but had no means to look at the pictures. They're much better with the pictures
Glad you got something from the auction too! At least they're not all split footed like most aged sticks have been. But all have to be enjoyable eh

What's your technique for bringing them back 20+YO sticks? Do you normally put em away from a year or five to let them stabilise if need be?