Remember, Remember

THE season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is well and truly upon us and as misguided adults and pyrotechnic kids spark up fireworks for the next couple of weeks, one can’t but wonder whether Mr Fawkes and his gang might have been onto something all those years ago.

I mean – if ever a gang of parliamentarians required a rocket up their backside, surely it’s this lot?

Apparently that sort of thing doesn’t go on anymore, so we must resort more often to our friendly cigar store to give us respite in these troubled times.

Bonfire night, as we like to remember it, is long associated with chill nights, the excitement of being a kid allowed to stay up and watch fireworks, of sparklers and cups of Bovril and – well, maybe that’s all a tad old fashioned. But the thrill exists we’re sure across the generations and these days we like to feed it not with toffee apples and marshmallows but good, flavourful cigars.

Cuaba is an oft-ignored classic, which, when laid down for a few short years, really comes into its own and is a sweet treat for a chilly November eve outdoors. It’s a novel shape too, which all adds to the theatre of the event. Try the Divinos which is short and flavourful and worthy of closer inspection.

Montecristo is never to be sniffed at and we reckon this time of year as your nose is nipped, the short, sharp tang of a Petit Edmundo is a superb choice for your smoking pleasure. Adds to the whiff of cordite in the air, too…

Perhaps you might even stretch across the genres to a Partagas D5? It’s always been a bit of a mash up between a D4 and a D6 – and to be fair, with a name like D5, what else would you expect? – but in this instance offers enough size/punch ratio to be an almost perfect Bonfire night stick.

The choice, as always, is yours, but we would recommend medium to full body at this time of year; no namby pambies now, it’s full throttle all the way to Christmas. If you’re a sporting man or woman, think carefully about stashing a case of Partagas D6 alongside your rod/guns, for this is a stormer of a short, powerful smoke that will add flavour and intrigue to your day out.

Finally, a word of warning; while you may think shorter days and colder nights may inhibit your cigar pleasure, plan otherwise. In our experience, this time of year lends itself beautifully to a bloody good cigar. Almost in defiance of the season, there’s something magical about a great smoke after a great meal and with the benefit of the ‘beer coat’ one doesn’t necessarily feel the cold that much anyway!

If you’re hosting, make sure the cupboard isn’t bare; if you’re attending, take a few sticks in case the opportunity arises. There’s nothing worse than being in the perfect time and place to enjoy an unexpected cigar – and not being able to indulge.