A Beautiful Blade

Hey Y'all,

Sorry about not posting in a while. I was sick for a few days so I didn't get a chance to write anything up.

Today I want to talk about a very special knife in my collection. My uncle had this one special made for me before he passed. It is a skinning knife with a wooden handle and Damascus blade.

The Damascus blade is made by taking two different kinds of metals, such as steel and nickel, and melting them together. They are then folded and melted multiple times until the blacksmith gets the look like you see above. The end result is always different and always beautiful. I have used this knife a few times when I went duck hunting and it is razor sharp and works perfectly.

I went to visit my uncle the year before he passed. He was doing better, able to actually walk around and talk to us like he used to. He told me about a knife maker that he knew that did excellent work. He reached into the end table he was sitting next to and pulled out this knife. He began telling me about how the maker had went about creating this blade. He then told me that this one had been special made, for me. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited to have a knife that no one else would. I thanked him over and over and left that day with a one of a kind gift from a one of a kind person. I have carried this knife with me multiple times but the day I found out my uncle died, it went into my table. It stays there now, where people can see it and admire its beauty. I will never forget where this one came from. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed seeing this knife.

Let me know if you have a knife or cigar that you want reviewed and I will do my best. Take care and smoke on.

-Chief

My First Cigar Hangout

Today was a first for me when it comes to cigars. I have been talking to a guy on reddit about meeting at a cigar lounge near where I live. He was down visiting family and wanted to spend some time at a local lounge. I agreed to meet him and it was settled. The day came and I made the drive up to the lounge. Now for someone who, growing up, had social anxiety and doesn't like to be around people much less people he doesn't know, this was nerveracking. I have never liked meeting new people, but this was different, this was cigars.

I made it to the lounge, Las Cruces Cigar Company, and walked inside. This shop was great. They had plush leather arm chairs with ash trays between them. The lounge area was covered in cigar memorabilia. The walk in humidor had a very nice selection and great prices. The gentleman working there was extremely helpful and seemed genuinely happy when I said I was going to stay and smoke there. He offered me a seat and a free bottle of water and I got to smoking. I picked out a Nica Rustica and fired it up. Fantastic cigar. We all sat around talking for hours, not caring about the outside world. After an hour or so I realized, I wasn't nervous anymore. I was calm and acting like I knew these guys for years. It was weird, but great at the same time.

The man I went to meet up with was talking to me and right after I had sat down to smoke he pulls out a ziplock bag. He had brought cigars for me just because he wanted to. I was shocked. The quality of the cigars in this bag is astonishing. We kept talking and swaping stories back and forth. The company was terrific. After my friend finished his smoke, his uncle and him left for the night. After that, it was me, the shop worker, and one other customer. We continued to smoke and talk well into the evening, filling the air with every puff. Discussions were had, disagreements were made. My first time at a cigar lounge was a success. I plan on getting more involved with the social aspect of cigars as I continue to grow in this hobby. I urge every cigar smoker out there to do the same. If you have never went out and sat down at lounge with a good smoke and friendly people, make time to try it. It might be stressful at first but you won't regret it. I met some great people tonight. I look forward to the next time.

If you live in the Las Cruces area, go check out Las Cruces Cigar Company. They will be happy to have you. Take care and smoke on.

-Chief

A Knife With A Bloody History

You probably read that title and thought I was going to talk about a knife that had taken an unspeakable amount of lives. In truth, the knife I want to show you today is a special one. During the civil war, when a soldier was wonded and the wound needed to be bled, the doctor would grab this tool.

Looks kind of weird right? The doctor would place the end 

with the point onto the wound that needed bled, then hit it with a small hammer. All of the bad blood would then leave the the injury. 

This is another blade that I received from my Uncle. It is not what people think of when I say I have a medical tool in my knife collection. The crazy thing about it is, when it is closed, it looks completely innocent.

It is small enough to be in a medical bag or pocket and hardly even noticed. There really is no telling how much blood this has seen; however, hopefully this knife was able to save a few lives instead of taking them. I love to show this tool to people and see their reaction when I tell them what it was used for. Most people think it is just a novelty or something different. No one really thinks about it being used to help people. 

Now thankfully we don't really do this anymore, and if we do I don't know about it. This is still sharp even after all these years. Just thinking about sitting there and having this placed on say, your knee, and then someone hitting it with a hammer. Sounds terrible. 

I know this post was kind of short and next time I will do my best to make it longer. If you have any suggestions on cigars that need to be reviewed or knifes that interest you, please let me know and I will try to get that done. Thank you for reading. Take care and smoke on.

-Chief

Jericho Hill: A Review by Chief

So to start off this is a fairly new cigar that was released in 2014 by Crowned Heads. The Jericho Hill.

Wrapper: San Andres

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Average Price: $10

Size: 4 1/2 in by 42 RG






Doing some research on how the Jericho Hill name came to be I found that it was apparently inspired by none other than Johnny Cash. He performed live at Folsom prison and the name came from the arresting sherrif who captures Willy Lee in the song. There is some backstory on the name which is interesting because I have always been a fan of Johnny Cash and it is very cool in my opinion that Johnny Cash influenced the name of this Cigar.

So lets get into the review.

Looking at the Cigar: The wrapper is beautiful. There are no visible veins and the construction is perfect. No wrapper damage and a nice toothiness.

The Band: I love this band. It is so simple yet very elegant. It is a gold color with black and the words Jericho Hill are seperated by a shield. I love the simplicity of this band very much.







Dry Puff: I notice tobacco with a hint of chocolate on the dry puff. If you smell the wrapper it is very noticeabley chocolate.

I used a punch to cut this cigar. It made for a perfect draw. Not to loose but just enough resistance to make it very enjoyable. I then toasted with a dual flame butane lighter and lit.

Beginning the Smoke: The first few puffs are when you really begin to notice the chocolate flavors. The flavors along with it are spice mainly and cream. There are hints of floral notes and wood. About half an inch in and the flavors have remained relativly the same with chocolate and spice being the major notes.

Almost an inch in and the ash seems to have a little bit of trouble holding on. The flavors have remained the same with sweet chocolate and spice and hints of floral and wood. The cigar is very creamy making it an easy smoke. I went ahead and knocked the ash off at this point so that it didn't fall in my lap like the ash seems to always do. I know some of you probably know my pain in that aspect.

Continuing on, a flavor that has been here from the beginning is chocolate. It seems to be the most prominant followed by the spice. Now in my opinion this workes very well together. The spice and chocolate are underlined by the notes of wood and floral. The creaminess is still present and seems to be mingling with the chocolate and spice. Very well I might add.

I am almost to the band at this point and the flavors have stayed pretty much the same with chocolate and spice taking turns at who is going to be most prominant. It isn't something that really affects the overall enjoyment of the cigar and I feel it adds to the cigar. At this point I have had no problems from this cigar when it comes to construction. No breaks or unravelling which is a big plus.

I went ahead and took the band off at this point because it was getting a little to close. The band came off very cleanly and to me that is very enjoyable.

Moving on. The flavors have not changed with the exception of the switching between chocolate and spice. The woodiness and floral notes have stepped up a little but have not overcome the other flavors. Still a very smooth and creamy smoke.

So getting down to about half an inch left of the cigar and I have noticed that the chocolate has now given way to the spice with it now being the main flavor. Which is by no means a bad thing. I really enjoy a good spicy cigar. The chocolate is still present just not as strong as it once was.

Getting to the end and the flavors have not changed much throughout. It did get a little strong close to the end which happens to a lot of cigars I have found. Again, not a bad thing.

I have really enjoyed this cigar and look forward to smoking more. If you have not tried the Jericho Hill yet I suggest giving it a shot. If you enjoy Crowned Heads or San Andres wrappers I really think you will love this cigar. It is very enjoyable and well made.





Some ending notes here. The pictures I have on here did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I am going to work on getting better at pictures as well as the reviews. If you have any suggestions or concerns please feel free to let me know. If you don't like the way I have done this review let me know. I am new to the written review side of cigars so any advice will be welcome. I will continue to try to get better and might even change up the look of the reviews and how I do them. I hope y'all enjoyed this and I look forward to the next time. Take care and keep smokin.

-Chief

Humidor vs Wineador

If you are a cigar smoker you more than likely know about the classic desktop humidors. They can range anywhere from a small 10 count to a massive 1000 count, and they look very good.

If you are really into cigars then you probably have heard or own a Wineador. A wineador is a wine cooler that has been converted into a humidor to store your cigars.

For most people, the wineador is a great option because along with the humidity control you also will get temperature control. Perfect for places that might get very hot or really cold. They also look fantastic. You can find premade ones at home depot or you can make one yourself. There are some great resources on how to get a new wineador set up. Basically what you will need is a wine cooler, obvisously, and something to keep your cigars in. Whether it is old cigar boxes or shelves made to fit. Once you get the wine cooler you will need to clean it out to get rid of the plastic smell. You can look up easy ways to get rid of the smell online.

I personally love the look of the wineador but I also have 3 smaller desktop humidors. They both have their great things about them. The desktops give you the classic cigar enthusiast look and are somewhat satisfying when you open them up and see all of your cigars there.

The wineador is a great addition in my opinion because of the temperature control. being able to set a temp and know that it will stay there no matter what is comforting when it comes to taking care of your precious cigars.

So if you are considering delving into the world of cigars and you aren't sure what would be best for you, I would suggest first trying different cigars and making sure you enjoy this hobby before spending the money on any kind of humidor. They can be very expensive and if you end up not enjoying cigars then it can be a waste of money.

Take a look around at some different sites before settling on a humidor as well. One I have come to really like is cheaphumidors.com. They have an excellent selection and great prices.

So do some looking and even if you are a newbie or a veteran there is always something to discover and learn about cigars. I hope you enjoyed this and maybe found some useful information. Take care.

-Chief

Introduction

Hello all who might possibly be reading this.

I am here to write about two of my favorite things. Knives and Cigars. Now you might be thinking to yourself, that is a weird combo, and you are right. Knives aren't something you think about when you think of smoking a cigar. Usually, what pops into a person's head when they hear cigar is a room filled with smoke. Now for the more experienced smokers, you might think of the hundreds of different types of cigars, the flavors that are associated with them, the cutters, lighters and all of the wonderful aspects of cigars. Some of you might even think of the times when, in a pinch, you have used a knife to cut the cap of that cigar you want to smoke.

In this blog I want to talk about different knives that have caught my eye and do a little review of some cigars and talk about them as much as I can. Now I am by no means an expert and if you read a review that I have done, please don't think it is written in stone. What I have come to learn is that everyone's tastes are different. Opinions exist and they are ever present in the world of cigars. I honestly love to write, always have, and I am wanting to share my passion for cigars and knives with others who might share that feeling. So please, feel free to comment on something you read. Tell me I was wrong in a review or that you disagree. I am hoping to share what little I know and that others will share what they know as well.

This is going to be my intro post. I will tell you a little about me and what you should expect from this blog.

First I have been smoking cigars for a little over a year now. I started out with Swisher Sweets that my Dad bought in a hurry the day my son was born. I had no idea the world of cigars is as massive as it is. For a while I stuck to the Swishers, not wanting to branch out past my comfort zone. Then one day, I decided to dive in. I bought a humidor and a sampler from a website and started trying as many different cigars as I could. I eventually bought a couple more humidors and try to keep them stocked as much as I can. Cigars are an expensive hobby. I finally found a nice place to socialize and talk cigars with other cigar nuts. That place is the friendly subreddit of /r/cigars. This site has taught me everything I know about cigars and because of them I have been able to try some cigars that I never thought I would see. I am now the proud owner of what is known as a Winedor and three desktop humidors. As much as I know and have learned, I still consider myself a newbie and have so much more to learn.

Second, the knives. Ohhh the knives. Since I was about eight years old I have been fascinated by knives. My Great Uncle, who passed away last year taught me everything I know about knives. He had a collection that would make knife collectors drool. I would go to visit him about twice a year, I lived twelve hours away from him, and everytime he would show me different knives and tell me their backstory. Everytime I saw him, he would give me one of those knives. In this blog I will be talking about and posting a picture or two of one of those knives. You can expect mainly older knives, ranging from the civil war to WWII. Knives are something I know a little about and love talking about.

So what can you really expect from this blog? Well, basically, a bunch of rambling about different knives and cigars. I will do my best to keep it interesting and make it worth your time. I hope you come with me on this journey and again feel free to comment. I am known as Chief on /r/cigars so that is what I will go by here. Thank you for reading and I will  post again soon. Take care.

-Chief