If gas and oil prices continue to rise, I believe will will see the end of affordable air travel for the masses. Look at how much money the airlines are losing already. Look how many have gone bankrupt already. Now American is going to start charging for the FIRST checked bag?
If gas prices keep rising, I think you will see ticket prices double. The world will go back to being a larger place, with air travel becoming more of a luxury once again, as it was until about 30 years ago.
I was expecting great things from this cigar, since I love the La Flor Dominicana Ligero so much. I got a single cigar online and found out they don’t make bands for them. This naked stick was very veiny, and there was some damage to the wrapper as well. Add the fact that my humidor shot up to 73% humidity thanks to the new system I put in, and this cigar might have been wasted before I even made a cut. When I did make the cut, the cap came off and the wrapper started to unravel. I managed to light and smoke it down to about two inches, but I really didn’t enjoy this smoke.
Overall, this cigar was MILD! I was expecting a medium bodied stick, but this was just weak. The flavor was mild with no finish or aftertaste to speak of. It burned okay, but didn’t put out much smoke. Of course, this could have been because of the damaged wrapper. I will give this one a try in the future, but not as a single stick from the internet.
I took Beth to this long time, San Jose fixture to celebrate her Birthday last week. Twenty or thirty years ago, Emile’s was known as the best restaurant in San Jose. Since then, it’s seen it’s ups and downs. First thing we noticed was the lovely decor and atmosphere. It’s definitely a nice date place! The menu looked promising, and the waiter promptly opened the bottle of 1992 Chateau Montelena Estate Cab we had brought. The wine was very fruity at first, but soon settled down and was very good, although probably not one of the better years.
Unfortunately, the next time the waiter came around, he bore bad news. They were out of caviar! He said he hoped we hadn’t wanted to order any, and we had to inform him that I was definitely going to get the caviar and egg appetizer. Oh well, I settled for the gnocchi and goat cheese, which was delicious if you made sure to get some baby spinach, goat cheese and a cherry tomato all on the fork with the gnocchi. All together, the four ingredients make a wonderful taste experience. Beth ordered a Filo Flower Pot, or something like that. A filo dough “pot” with goat cheese (different than my goat cheese), greens, sliced pears, roasted walnuts and a Port reduction. Great presentation and a very tasty dish as well.
For our entrees, Beth got a plate with Lamb, Veal, and a beef fillet on a bed of potatoes (mashed, I think) each with its own sauce. Very good! I ordered the Duck a la Orange. The duck was great, but the veggies on the plate were just ok. Not that special.
We ordered the Grand Marnier Soufflé when we ordered our appetizers, but there was still at least a 20 minute delay in getting the Souffle after we were finished with our entrees. Not very good timing.
Overall, a good French restaurant in San Jose, but needs a little work. It was a Thursday night, and there were only about 7 tables going while we were there so maybe there was only a couple of cooks in the kitchen? Cost wasn’t too bad. Less than $200. Corkage was $25 I think. I think we will try a different French restaurant in the area before heading back to Emile’s.
I’ve always liked the name of this little smoke and now I got to try one. It had a velvety, natural wrapper and decent construction, not great. At first light, it threw off a sweet tobacco flavor, with a mild to medium body, leaning more towards the mild side. As I smoked, it became apparent that this is a mild, not very complex cigar with an “airy” almost menthol type of flavor. The ash fell at about an inch and the flavor began to improve slightly, becoming a little richer and toastier.
The flavor didn’t improve much more and the construction became more questionable, as I got not one, but two hot ashes in my lap before I threw this stick into the bowels of the ashtray! Both times the ash was no more than 3/4 of an inch.
Overall, for being so light on flavor, it still had a harsh finish/aftertaste. I will definitely NOT be buying any more of these anytime soon. Maybe it needed some “Lewinski” to flavor it up.
Had to try this one even though it had only been in the humidor for a couple days. This stick had a slightly oily, tawny brown wrapper with some rather prominent veins. It had a nice, sweet pre-light smell to it. After lighting, it reminded me of a Punch, with a nice mild to medium body and sweet smoke with a little spice.
The cigar had a nice burn and a good draw and overall I felt it had nutty flavors. There also seemed to be a little citrus bite, and I began to get maybe a nutmeg flavor. After the first third, I thought I could taste leather and caramel.
Overall, a good smoke, but I thought the finish was a little harsh throughout the whole length of this stick.
Well, the laid back San Jose Sharks managed to win a game against the Dallas Stars. Unfortunately, I had already given up on them because of their lackluster play. Immediately following their loss in Game 3, I took out the clippers and removed my Playoff beard, which had been just as effective as the Sharks powerplay of late.
