Sunday, June 28, 2009

Double Dog Rocket Delight

Well for whatever it's worth here's a photo of what I got in the Thompson Powerpack 25.

So I'm going to create a special ranking system that I'm going to copyright and trademark. Anyway the DOG ROCKET METER (TM) is a scale based on -1 to 2.

Very simple actually. A minus one, means it tasted something like rat shit or cow dung. Now I've never actually smoked any cow dung, but I'm sure everyone has had to sweep up somewhere, an atic or a basement and has the basic idea of what -1 tastes like.

Now a zero means that it tastes like tobbacco. Very pure and simple. However, that doesn't mean that "ZERO" is bad, it just means that it tastes like tobbacco. When we get to a 'ONE', now that means, it's something special. Maybe a heavenly flavor or a good kick, or something. Not many things will get a "TWO", because that means I can't afford it or justify the expense, and so am not very likely to review it.

How would I rate the TCC POWERPACK 25 ?

I really had to try the DONNA INNES again first. That and the MIRAFLOR but were mild and non-descript, so that get's them both a 0. As in tastes like tobacco. Probably mild enough to fire up at breakfast if a certain overnight guess isn't leaving.

Now the EROS, does earn a 1 for tasting a little like cream. Now, I'm going to give the CHAVON a 1 also, it might have actually earned a 2, but that might be because I smoked it with some beers, so I don't remember much except that it was good or a good combination.

So that's phase one of the powerpack 25 saga. There will be more eventually, as I plan on sitting around on my fat ass and smoking them all up eventually and seeing if there's any truth to the aging rumour.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

BRAND AMERIKA DOA

FINAL PROOF AMERICA IS INSANE AND NEEDS TO BE INSTITUTIONALIZED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

"Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the “King of Pop” and the biggest celebrity in the world.."


"He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters."


"Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time."


"Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback.."


“It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”


Dear Michael,

Actually, I am sorry to hear of your passing, not so much that I won't be able to make fun of your freaky crap anymore, or that your KARMA caught up with you, but that your life was cut short and you never had the opportunity to do something useful and productive.

Light and Love, God Loves you and your in his embrace now.
PEACE to you Brother.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

What's in your cigarette ?

The reader's digest version answer: "homogenized tobacco product" aka "sheet tobacco".

"What it's not a mix of assorted fix premium tobaccos like it says on the package ?" as some geniuses like to ask.

No Virginia it ain't ! It's a combination of:

* Blended leaf (BL) sheet is a thin, dry sheet cast from a paste made with tobacco.

* Expanded (ES) are rolled, flattened, and shredded leaf stems that are expanded by being soaked in water and rapidly heated. Improved stems (IS) follow the same process but are simply steamed after shredding.

* Reconstituted leaf (RL) sheet: a cardboard plywood-like material made from recycled tobacco , tobacco stems and "class tobacco", that are collected at any stage of tobacco processing. RL is made by extracting the soluble chemicals in the tobacco by-products, processing the leftover tobacco fibres from the extraction into a paper.

A combination of sheet tobacco will be mixed with humectants such as propylene glycol or glycerol, as well as flavoring products and enhancers such as cocoa, licorice, tobacco extracts, and various sugars...

The sheet will then be shredded, along with a specified amount of small laminate, expanded tobacco, BL, RL, ES and IS. A chemical(s) flavor/fragrance, called the "topping" , will then be blended into the tobacco mixture, which replaces lost flavors due to the repeated wetting and drying used in processing the tobacco.

Actually, it's probably the burnt carmel sugars that cause much of the addiction associated with cigarette depravity. And the added ammonia and anti-freeze chemicals that amplify the health hazards of ingesting particulate dust matter.

So the next time you light up a cigarette remember that it's almost the same stuff they use to use for siding those McMansions...

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Pequenos Puros


Havana Classico Pequenos (5.5" x 38), Dom. Rep., Cut Filler-Puro.

Generally, the rule of thumb is if any cigar isn't a CUBAN but has "Havana" in it's name your not suppose to waste your money on it. Basically, it's an advertising gimmick.

Turns out that these actually are all Dominican puros, with the old traditional sloppy foot and are light and loosely rolled.

But, wow, pepper and then something else and then it was all gone. yummy. A little light and scrawny for a 75 cent little cigar, and the loose roll means that they burn fast, but I'm looking forward to these again and again.




Thursday, June 18, 2009

Improvised Humidors for Ciagarillos and Cigars

Since pictures are much easier than a long winded explanation, this is how I'm dealing with waiting on two smallish humidors, one for my lanceroos and one for cigarillos.



The first is a cigar box with a piece of glass to replace the warped wooden sliding top, it includes an old analog hydrometer and a home made 'credo', which is essentially, a piece of moist sponge in a little plastic container.



Next is the same deal, but with a plastic cover. That plastic window material might be easier for some people to work with. In this case just a little piece of sponge in a plastic cup.



The last are a bit on the temporary side. Just some LOCK & LOCK containers holding packages of cigarillos and some lancero cigars till something better comes along or they get burned up in a series of small fires.....

Anyway, beats keeping them in a draw or a shoe box.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Double Dog Rocket of Death

Thompson (TCC) EROS ROBUSTO, Dom. Rep., 5x52, Long Filler, Sumatra Wrapper.

Grin and bear it, I just can't help trashing these TCC House Brand Cigars; but, to be honest these are $1 cigars with LONG FILLER. So that's as much of a free plug Thompson will get out of me...

Because, I ended up with 10 of these mofos because of the old switcheroo, I felt obligated to try one of these first. Of course, I really should have waited another month as these have only been "resting" for 3 weeks and are still as hard as a spike, so it will be another month before I bother seeing if they are able to be "reconstituted" or if they earn a proper burial at sea.

It must have been something about the dual bands. One with 'Hecho a mano', which translates from the spanish as 'handmade' but really means, 'feed into the conveyor belt by hand, with a hand finished wrapper'. Hey, that's okay, because that can actually be better than a real handrolled or 'Totalmente a mano'. But, what's that second band: "Reserva Especiale' all about ?

The point I'm trying to make is that a dry cigar is a hot tasteless cigar. So make sure to age those dog rockets first.

Anyway, this actually did relax me that particular afternoon. The draw was fine, the burn was just a touch irregular but not a problem. And I got a huge 2 inch ash, which contradicts what someone else experienced.

I'm not sure what a 'regular' burn and a 'big long ash' has to do with whether the damn thing tastes like tobbaco or not. Actually, I did notice a nice mild taste which I guess I might be so snutty to pronounce as 'cream'. But that does describe it.

However, I did abandon the thing with 2 inches left.

When I went back 2 hours laters just to get a couple of puffs from the old butt... well eye of newt and tounge of frog...

That was one big mistake. Plenty more of them to try out in time, and if worse comes to worse, I may be able to use them as either spikes or paperweights.

Monday, June 15, 2009

A brief look at the future

After spending, at least $200,000 to "educate these kids"..

"About 42 percent couldn't calculate 8 percent sales tax on a $10 purchase, but that figure is better than last year, when nearly 50 percent could not make that computation. In 2007, nearly 75 percent of those surveyed couldn't compute it."

What's more alarming is the educators and their explanations... these people have PHD's and probably are being paid $150k/yr.

"It's obvious that the students are not comprehending the education they have been taught over the years." hum, blame the victims...

"It's troubling that the students couldn't answer, but it's not surprising. Our students don't know a lot," and no wonder they fear merit pay !!!

"Nearly a quarter of graduating seniors surveyed couldn't name one right guaranteed by the First Amendment." That's a bright spot, because, obviously 25% of the students know better !!!

Okay, "Nearly a quarter of students couldn't compute one-half plus one-fourth." Well I'll grant some people haven't a knack for numbers, but an allegedly competent educator states: "adding fractions is a middle school thing. ... They haven't done that kind of math in so long."

There you go, final indisputable proof that the world is flat and ritalin doesn't work.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Health Care Reform Charade

Well first off if your looking to the Government or the Big Corporations to 'protect' your health, your looking in the wrong place. And you better start developing a PLAN B and take responsibility for your own well-being.

So what does "REFORMING THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM" involve ? First off, the US Gov't is the largest purchaser of health care, actually paying for over 70% of it. So in fact, we do have defacto universal health care. And it already sucks, and will decline further.

Well, the one "CHANGE" you can count on: CUTS and TAX INCREASES.

Frankly, until the rascals do something about air and water pollution, your children are going to suffer irreversible neurological brain damage. It's something that vaccines, ritalin, and asthma medications won't protect them from.

So ask for, fresh air and clean water, not witch doctors and vodoo pills....

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Cleopatra

Well this is another 2-fer day. The politically incorrect story of Cleopatra, as well as a rant and rave about the absolutely divine $1 Thompson (TCC) Cleopatra Needle Lancero.

6 1/2 x 34, Candela leaf wrapper, Short Filler.

I was actually introduced to this extraordinary smoke by sheer luck. There were some of these delightful strumpets in an otherwise ordinary sampler. But, I remember these and discovered that there a bit hard to find. You actually have to run a search on the Thompson website. Odd this is the one house brand the establishment doesn't promote. Of course, the lancero is currently 'hot' for some reason, the flavor of the season in cigar groupie land. But maybe they have plenty of dog rockets to get rid of instead.

It might be too presumptuous to expect you to run out and plunk down the $55 for a box based on my recommendation. But, I really get transported when I smoke one of these.

Okay, well it's non-descript short filler from who knows where in 'central america'. But, this is the first Thompson House brand cigar that I swear by. And as a real bonus these come a little green and sort of box pressed. Actually, I'm going to call these green instead of fresh, not because they are in a green wrapper, but rather because they seemed to have firmed up a touch aging in my humidor and aren't quite as soft now.

Now for the other half of the story. That is the Anthony and Cleopatra story. Actually, it's a real story of chemical warfare, revenge, and the real truth behind the fall of the Roman Empire. And, yes, it all revolves around a tragic love story.

We'll skip over 'The Cleo' as a sex act as you can't prove it by me, but it is suppose to be named after that Queen. Anyway, the Roman General Mark Anthony ended up in Egypt inspecting the empire, and it was a things like that happen but it's bit more than a fling.

Now here the reality starts to differ from the official history, and so I imagine it's more a matter of who's writing the history and what you choose to believe. But then here is where it gets interesting, the first recorded case of chemical warfare and the end of an empire. Eventually, Anthony get's recalled to Rome and unknowingly walks into a succession power play and gets assassinated after his Uncle Julius. Thereafter, Cleopatra disastrously ends up marrying her brother after the death of her husband in an attempt to keep her empire intact. It goes badly and she commits suicide.

Now you might think, that's the end of the story: another inbred ruling class twit meets a bad end. Although, Cleopatra may not have been much to look at, apparently, she was a rather intelligent and rather level headed ruler for the time. So after her death, her slaves looked into the matter and decided a little vengeance was in order. The peculiar thing was that they mixed up a lot of cosmetics and heavily laced them with arsenic. And they did know what they were doing since they turned around and offered it up as tribute to the Romans. The rest is history, albeit forgotten or unmentioned, first off, both men and women of the Roman ruling elite wore copious amounts of makeup including whatever passed for lipstick at the time.

Now the reason that you don't know the truth behind the fall of the Roman Empire is that slaves don't create history, that's for the elite, the leaders the ruling class... so it never happened, officially.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

NATURAL CIGARILLOS from TCC

4 ½-in. x 30, 100% Cuban-seed tobaccos with a Sumatra wrapper, Philippines.

First off these have shot up in price $20 since I bought them, so their hardly in the bargin category anymore. I was pleasantly surprised to see these came from the Phillippines. Years ago, during the cigar boom, the local convenience store carried Phillipino cigars.

The first one I lit up had that distinctive earthy taste. I think a little taste of fungus.

Actually, after a couple of weeks in the homemade glass top cigar box crap-a-dor, which hovers around 60% humidity, these little babies gave up their parentage and turned into a decent smoke.

I know I'm going to be enjoying these little dog rockets for months to come, and they are good, but at the new price and the TLC involved, I'm sure to be looking elsewhere for replacements.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

DIY Mouthwash

Part of DIY Saturday and part what to do about tobacco breath, so today's post is a 2-fer deal.

Outside of the fact that the commercial mouthwashes from the Big Corporations are little more than water, something sugary sweet and an amalgam of noxious chemical waste, it turns out that our old standby favorites, baking soda and salt, not only can make up a cheaper and healthier alternative. But these ingredients are also useful in treating gum disease.

I use an old empty quart mouthwash bottle, and make up an excellent and healthier wash by putting a Tablespoon of salt and a Tablespoon of baking soda and filling with water.

Either, or... if your short on ingredients. Or both as I prefer.

Because I had some, I also add a few drops of Thyme Oil, which is a natural antibiotic. Of course, this is the key ingredient in LAVORIS. However, I also add about 15 drops of Peppermint Oil to give it a normal taste.

I put this in my water pick all the time now. So far none of my teeth have fallen out, and nobody really seems to make comments about tobacco breath. However, I should point out it also depends on what you've been smoking, so your mileage may vary.

Friday, June 5, 2009

DONA INES Lost Lady

DONA INES: robusto, long leaf Dominican filler, Connecticut wrapper.

Well I put these rock hard TCC house brand turds in the humidor a couple of weeks ago, and took off the cellophane last week to speed up softening of the caps. Needless to say, I had a bit of time to kill and decided something besides a cigarillo was in order.

Time will tell if aging and a little TLC will improve the rest of the lot.

Of course, I cut one and, gee it sure looks like short leaf, but, then I'm no EXPERT.

It does have a good draw, and I didn't start out with the best foot. So there was a touch of uneven burning which only required turning the extrusion down. This sort of goes contrary to thinking, but this puts it down where there is more oxygen and increases the burn rate.

The first thing I noticed was a build up of tar and goo. I can't say that as a fact, but it's and indicator of some leaf being rapid cured with sugar. That ain't good; but, I suspect it's all a matter of how many corners the big cigar makers are actually cutting in their cigar making.

With that said, I would have expected it to be hot as this one was still on the dry side, but it wasn't. Not sure what the white, grey and black ash means except possibly a mix of a little of this and a little of that.

And, it did taste like tobacco and nothing else. Mild and some body but nothing else. What can I really say about a $1 cigar (okay, that's a dried out turd in a sampler, it's $2 by the box), other than it was worth a dollar.

Offhand, I guess I got my moneys worth. But I suspect replacing them at $2 a pop might be silly as there are some other name banded stuff available in the price vicinity.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Emperor Has No Class

“One would have hoped that the Obama administration would have taken a different stance than the Bush administration..."

and,

"The 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism charged that recent actions by his administration would enable five of the king's closest relatives to escape accountability for their role in financing and materially supporting the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."

and,

"Threw out the lawsuit on grounds that members of the royal family are exempt from liability in American courts because the Saudi royal family is the sovereign nation of Saudi Arabia."

How did that song go ? "MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND..."

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Where the Stimulus Money really went.....

Today's NY POST had this:

"NYC Prep," which premieres on Bravo June 23, follows five students from prestigious private schools and one from an elite public high school as they groan at length about their riches -- while trying to edge each other out in the social standings."

I don't watch much TV. No way I'm going to sit around and watch stupid "free entertainment" and moronic commercials. Did you know that the average American will spend 2 years of their life watching commercials ? What is 2 years of your life really worth ?

Not that I am against 'escapism' or it's many variants. But, this smacks of: LET THEM EAT CAKE thinking. There's a lot of 'feeling pain' out there on the streets of America: loss of life savings, collapsing home prices, escalating unemployment, skyrocketing taxation....

No doubt this show might have done well in the 'boom years', and it may or may not be a hit here during the 'long recession' . But, American's have long been weaned from ideas of community and have been turned into the uber-capitalist's dream of 'economic-man'. But when the bucks are gone what's to replace: "allegiance to the almighty buck".

It just rubs me the wrong way, and it sounds dangerous. Well, at least dangerous to the elite. I don't think this is really a good time for the ruling class to be doing 'show and tell', or is this going to be a 'kiss and tell' ?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The experts all agree....

Everything that can be invented has been invented.»
Charles H. Duell, an official at the US patent office, 1899.

«Everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.»
Henry Morton, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, on Edison's light bulb, 1880.

«That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced.»
Scientific American, Jan. 2 edition, 1909.

«Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.»
Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, president of the British Royal Society, 1895.

«Radio has no future.»
Lord Kelvin, Scottish mathematician and physicist, former president of the Royal Society, 1897.

«Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality in 10 years.» -– Alex Lewyt, president of vacuum cleaner company Lewyt Corp., in the New York Times in 1955

«There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.»
Albert Einstein, 1932.

«The cinema is little more than a fad. It's canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage." -– Charlie Chaplin, actor, producer, director, and studio founder, 1916.

«It's a great invention but who would want to use it anyway?»
Rutherford B. Hayes, U.S. President, after a demonstration of Alexander Bell's telephone, 1876.

«While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming.»
Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer and inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926.

As you may well know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.»
Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York, 1830.

«Rail travel at high speed is not possible, because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.»
Dr Dionysys Larder (1793-1859), professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, University College London.

«Transmission of documents via telephone wires is possible in principle, but the apparatus required is so expensive that it will never become a practical proposition.»
Dennis Gabor, British physicist and author of Inventing the Future, 1962.

«X-rays will prove to be a hoax.»
Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1883.

«The phonograph has no commercial value at all.»
Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1880s.

«Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever.»
Thomas Edison, American inventor, 1889