First spring-time 2012 cigar by the fire

Yesterday was the official first day of spring, 2012. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm 60° day. Among other things, I worked on my garden's raised beds for an hour or two and installed a "new" used stove our kitchen with my Dad. I also just had to build a little fire in the backyard fire pit and chill with a beer and cigar for a while. 

The first yard flowers showed up in force on the first day of spring.

While I wouldn't call it a ritual or yearly tradition, each year's first cigar that I enjoy outside by the fire is always a sweet experience. The months of winter and more infrequent opportunities to smoke a cigar during that season make the first spring-time smoke a much welcome event.

My choice for yesterday's smoke was an Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva. It's a solid, reliable and pleasant smoke, relatively mild but with all of the warm aromas and flavor that you want in a good cigar.

This particular Gran Reserva was a smaller ring size than I normally prefer; I think it might have been a 46. But it turned out to be just the right size for the fairly short respite I was looking for at mid-day. The Arturo Fuente website indicates that their Gran Reserva line wrappers are either African Cameroon, Connecticut shade or Ecuadorian sungrown. I don't know what wrapper this one displayed. Regardless, the cigar was expertly constructed and had an extremely smooth draw. The burn was solid and consistent, with a pepper gray ash.

I got my Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva from the good folks at Cigars Direct, an online tobacco retailer where you can purchase a variety of fine name brand products. I have a CigarsDirect link on the right sidebar of this site. Check them out. 

Wishing everyone a fantastic spring!