Cigar Name: Uhle’s Honduran Corona

Brand: Uhle’s

Price Point: Budget, $3.25-$4.25

Origin: Honduras

Wrapper: Honduran Connecticut Seed

Shape: Corona

Length: 5.25”

Gauge: 45

Strength: Medium

Flavoring: None

Taste: Dry twigs, oak spice, light earth

Room Note: Light and pleasant

Smoke Time: Somewhat quick

Bottom Line: An excellent value cigar that holds a quality well above its price range. Full-bodied and flavorful, it would serve as an excellent gift or a quick smoke on a cool evening.

During my trip to Uhle’s, I picked up this cigar as an affordable house brand cigar that I could smoke in the lounge while preparing my article. Before I left, I ended up purchasing a few more. You can also purchase these cigars on Uhle’s website.

Cigar Shop Scott commented on my choice, “It’s very easy-going. Nice, good smoke. Corona size is probably our best-seller. It’s nice and crisp. Smoke it at 95° outside, 80% humidity, it’s not gonna make you sweat.” And I must say, his upsell was spot on.

This cigar was surprisingly flavorful for the price and maintained a very nice quality with a solid construction. The smoke was full-bodied with a forestry taste like dry twigs and earth enveloped in a spicy oak. There was a very light sweetness to it that I pegged down as vanilla.

The cigar burned smoothly and evenly throughout my smoke and remained cool, just as Scott had said it would. It didn’t deviate from its flavor for the half an hour I smoked it for and provided a mild nic hit.

I highly recommend trying these cigars. They are a great value and make for an excellent gift – or just keep a few on hand and offer one to a guest to smoke with on a cool summer evening.

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Alcohol Name: Dreaming Tree

Alcohol Type: Pinot noir

Alcohol Content: 13.5%, 27 Proof

Price Point: Low-Mid, $10-$12, available at most retailers

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, red berries

Flavor Profile: Toasted oak, cherry

Bottom Line: This is a surprisingly complex Pinot noir that would be great for pairing but manages to work as a standalone just fine.

Dreaming Tree is a collaboration between California winemaker Sean McKenzie and Dave Matthews. I usually tend to stay away from collaborations like this because they often increase the price of wine without any increase to quality. This wine does not follow that pattern on either account.

For the full body that this wine has, it comes off very smooth and light. The color is a dark ruby red and the nose is filled with caramel, vanilla, and red berries like strawberry and cherry. The flavors are just as pleasant as the nose with notes of juicy cherry and a finish of toasted oak.

I admit that Pinot noir is not normally a wine that I drink without a meal. To me it makes a wonderful pairing wine, but usually falls short alone. Dreaming Tree has opened me up to trying other Pinot noir wines as it is more complex than I expected in the best kind of way.

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Tobacco Name: Butternut Burley

Brand: Scotty’s

Contents: Burley, Cavendish

Availability: Link to Pipes and Cigars

Cut: Ribbon

Strength: Mild

Flavoring: Butter/vanilla

Taste: Smoky wood, butter, vanilla, creamy nut

Room Note: Tolerable

Pipe Used: Mr. Brog “Old Army”

Bottom Line: A pleasant but not quite memorable aromatic. It’s  buttery sweet and smooth with little bite and light flavor. Would be great as a background smoke.

I got my Butternut Burley in a 1 oz. bag simply out of curiosity and wanting to try something new. This tobacco comes in a standard ribbon cut with a few stems present. The ribbons have a slightly sweet and buttery but mostly woody and nutty scent to them.

The ribbons packed easily and lit with little effort. I had a few relights, but I believe that to be my own fault from packing too tightly. This tobacco classified itself as an aromatic, but I found it to be quite light on the aromas. Not that they weren’t there, but it was definitely a lighter flavoring than some of the other in-your-face aromatics I’ve tried.

This smoke opens up with a smooth, mellow flavor that’s woodsy in nature – like a small campfire. As I worked my way through it, the smoke opened up to a sweet and buttery vanilla flavor that had just a hint of creamy nuttiness. It provided a steady smoke that was satisfying but not overpowering. The finish left me with a straightforward tobacco flavor with a hint of the smooth butteriness.

Overall, this was a relaxing and enjoyable smoke, but certainly not my most memorable. It’s the kind of tobacco I would smoke on a summer evening while chatting with a friend. It doesn’t demand my attention, but provides a nice atmosphere and could certainly be an all-day smoke.

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Alcohol Name: Aldi Chianti Adventure Series

Alcohol Type: Chianti

Alcohol Content: 12%, 24 Proof

Price Point: Budget-Friendly, $5.50, available at Aldi stores 

Nose: Red berries, floral notes

Flavor Profile: Dark cherry, blackberry

Bottom Line: For the price, this is one of the safest choices. It is simple in every way and easy to pair with.

When it comes to wine, most people think that Winking Owl is the only brand Aldi has to offer. This is not at all true. Aldi has a line of international wines, among which is a Chianti – an Italian wine. Most of these wines are labeled with a DOC, or DOCG tag. These tags are to verify that the percentages of grapes are from specific areas within Italy. What makes the Chianti from Aldi so appealing is its price. This bottle is usually half the price you would pay for any DOCG Italian wine. 

The profile of this wine is very tame. It comes in at a 12% alcohol content, making it a medium-bodied red. It does not have much to offer in the nose or flavor profile – both of which are simply dark berries. In my tasting, I was mostly able to pick out the cherry. The simplicity of this wine makes it very easy to drink and pair with. 

If you are looking for a safe option or introduction to wine, this is a great bottle. On the other hand, if you are looking for a complex bottle to pick apart and taste, you may want to try something different.

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Tobacco Name: Ohm Menthol

Brand: Ohm

Contents: Burley, Virginia

Cut: Ribbon

Strength: Mild

Flavoring: Menthol

Taste: Menthol, dry twigs, earth, light fruit

Room Note: Tolerable to intolerable

Pipe Used: Danny Boy Pipes Churchwarden “Assassin” 

Bottom Line: This is a budget menthol tobacco that you can find pretty much anywhere. It delivers a light minty flavor, but lacks body and depth. This tobacco can make for a quick, easy smoke.

I love all things mint. Gum, dinner mints, chocolate, toothpaste. All of it. My wife is actually quite baffled by it. So, naturally, I am drawn to menthol tobacco. While looking for a budget choice, I picked up a 6 oz. bag of Ohm Menthol from my local tobacco shop for about $7.

Honestly, I was at first a little turned off by the bulk packaging. The labeling made me believe this was a low quality tobacco, but I tried to not let that cloud my judgement. When I sat down and opened up the bag, the first smell I got was surprisingly not menthol. It was an odd, sickly sweet, fruity smell. This was quickly followed up with a whiff of light menthol.

Already skeptical but trying to keep an open mind, I packed my pipe. The ribbons were fairly consistent and packed nicely – with a few twig pieces here and there. Upon first lighting my pipe, the menthol presented itself as a light mint, which I actually quite enjoyed. The menthol was well-balanced and not harsh or biting. The flavor underneath the menthol was of light, dry twigs with a slight earthiness. There was a faint hint of that sickly sweet fruitiness, but it worked well with the menthol.

Overall, the tobacco lacked any real body or depth. I enjoyed the smoke but was left somewhat unsatisfied. I may return to this one for a quick smoke, but I think my journey to find the ideal menthol tobacco will continue.

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Alcohol Name: Bar Dog

Alcohol Type: Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol Content: 13.5%, 27 Proof

Price Point: Budget, $12-$13, common availability 

Nose: Juicy dark fruit

Flavor Profile: Dark fruit, spices

Bottom Line: This is a young red wine with underdeveloped flavor. The proceeds from the profits made off this wine go toward animal relief, which is an excellent sentiment – but the wine itself is subpar.

Bar Dog is a California wine that is only aged a couple of years making it a very young wine. The price puts this wine at the lower end. The bottle was really the only reason I decided to try this wine, which has a picture of a small dog on it and I thought my wife would enjoy trying it. Another interesting note is that it was the last bottle on the shelf, which made me believe it was a popular wine I had yet to try.

The nose and flavors for this wine were underdeveloped. The nose had some spices and fruit aromas, mostly juicy dark fruit. The flavor is what really stood out to me as being underwhelming. To me this cabernet was very sweet. I could really pick out the blueberry and chocolate finish. 

Personally, I would put this wine in the dessert category. It was not overwhelmingly sweet, but it was not as dry as I prefer my reds. This wine is a nice sentiment but nothing more. The description on the back explains how proceeds go to animal relief, which is a vey charitable act but the truth is the wine is not that high of quality.

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Alcohol Name: Jim Beam Apple

Alcohol type: Apple liqueur infused with straight bourbon whiskey

Alcohol Content: 32.5%, 65 Proof

Price Point: Lower Shelf, $20-$25, found in most liquor stores

Nose: Apple, cinnamon, honey

Flavor Profile: Sweet orchard apple, warm spicy cinnamon, smooth honey

Bottom Line: This is a simple, smooth, apple-flavored whiskey that is sweet from start to finish. The lack of complexity is made up for with honesty and excellent flavor.

I am a big fan of all things fall. That includes apples and apple-flavored things. My wife and I grabbed a bottle of Jim Beam Apple and a bottle of J. Seeds Apple Cider Whiskey when we ran out of our Serpent’s Bite Apple Cider Whiskey and couldn’t find a replacement at our local liquor store. The Jim Beam Apple was about $23 and advertised itself as a sweet, juicy, apple-flavored bourbon. 

I usually enjoy my bourbon neat, but this goes well over ice as well. The nose opens up with exactly what you would expect – apples. You can smell the sweetness; and behind that, the spice of cinnamon and a hint of honey. I let the scent carry me to the local pumpkin farm I would visit as a child every fall. 

The first thing that hit my lips was the sweetness. It was almost too sweet before the cinnamon and alcohol warmed my senses and ebbed the candy-like apple flavor. The hint of honey and overall simplicity of the drink made for one of the smoothest whiskeys I’ve ever had. I compared this whiskey to J. Seeds Apple Cider Whiskey, which had the same alcohol content and, in contrast to Jim Beam, burned the whole way down. There was absolutely no trace of woodiness or graininess to the flavor – just simply apples, cinnamon, and honey. The finish left me with a lasting warmth from the cinnamon spice that reminded me of bonfires on a fall night. My wife then made a mixed drink for me – which she is an absolute wizard at – and concocted an elixer from the Jim Beam Apple, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey. This cocktail was honestly too good and I drank it way too fast. As it is, temptation is the birth of greed.

“Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing! And I have seen it only for an instant in the house of Elrond! Could I not have a sight of it again?”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

If you’re looking for an affordable apple whiskey, this is definitely a solid choice. It’s smooth from start to finish and can be enjoyed by itself or as a mix. The flavor delivers that strong apple profile you’re looking for and tops it off with a spicy warmth that lingers.

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Alcohol Name: Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel

Alcohol Type: Zinfandel

Alcohol Content: 15%, 30 Proof

Price Point: Low-Mid Bracket, $12, order online at Ancient Vines Series

Nose: Top five max

Flavor Profile: Top five max

Bottom Line: A high-quality budget wine that provides berries, spice, and leather. The flavor profiles change from year to year, which can be a fun and engaging experience.

The Ancient Vines wines all come from California. Cline offers many kinds of wine and has membership options as well. Their Zinfandel is the only wine I have seen and tasted in my area, but I am sure they have other options depending on the region. 

To start, this Zinfandel is very bold. It comes off very strong with fifteen percent alcohol, which for a wine is on the higher end. When I did my tasting of this wine, I used a bit of an unconventional method. For my tasting I actually used an entire wine flight board of glasses. I could tell that the flavors and aromas were changing from glass to glass. I could have used a decanter, but I had new and unused glasses to break in.

The nose of this wine got better over the period of my tasting. It was full of berries, spice, and leather with a flavor that was very similar. The vanilla was very apparent due to the use of new and used oak barrels in the aging process. Hints of blueberry were subtle and not overly sweet. The finish was all chocolate and delightful.

I primarily pick up this wine when it is on sale. For the price, I think this is a quality wine. The years of this wine are very important to pay attention to. This tasting was of their 2017. Other years of their Zinfandel have very different profiles. 

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Tobacco Name: Golden Shag

Brand: Uhle’s

Contents: Virginia, Latakia, Perique, and Burley

Cut: Ribbon

Strength: Mild

Flavoring: None

Taste: Medium

Room Note: Pleasant/Tolerable

Pipe Used: Danny Boy Pipes Churchwarden “Assassin” 

Bottom Line: Golden Shag is one of my absolute favorite blends of tobacco. I picked my pouch up at the Renaissance Fair from a booth owned by Danny Boy Pipes. This tobacco provides a very mild and smooth smoke all the way through with little bite. It gives a pleasant room note and could definitely be an all-day smoke.

Contrary to the name, Golden Shag comes in a ribbon cut ready for packing. The aroma from the strands is sweet, savory, and woody. It lights fairly easily, even on a windy day, and the first few puffs provide a bit of heat with the sweetness. The flavor for me, certainly influenced by the name, reminds me of golden toasted vanilla. As I acclimated to the smoke, an oaky black pepper persisted over the sweetness. A slight sourness from the nicotine clung to the flavor throughout the smoke.

My favorite part of this smoke was when I got to the second half of my second bowl. I tend to pack the bottom of my bowl tighter, and I attribute this to really bringing out the flavor of the tobacco. A bold and savory flavor presented itself in an almost nutty note – like chestnut or cashew. As I put my pipe down and let the taste of the tobacco hang in my mouth, the finish was slightly herbal and reminded me of a black tea.

Golden Shag is a pleasant, sweet, and mild smoke that has always delivered an enjoyable experience for me. It lights easily, burns smoothly, and rarely needs a relight.

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Alcohol Type: Straight bourbon whiskey made with Kentucky limestone-filtered water and a high-rye mashbill

Alcohol Content: 45%, 90 Proof

Price Point: Lower Mid-Shelf, $30-$40, found in most liquor stores

Flavor Profile: Heat, vanilla, oak, black Pepper, rye

Nose: Caramel, black pepper, grain, dark fruit

Bottom Line: A straight-forward, no nonsense bourbon that has bold yet simple flavor. This drink will warm you up with a kick of spice and mellow you out with a lasting sweetness. It is a fine choice as a standalone for any relaxing evening.

Bulleit is a Kentucky-based, tawny amber bourbon that can be found in the lower-mid price range. I grabbed mine for $33 but have seen it for as high as $36. Bulleit Distilling Company was formed by Thomas Bulleit in 1987 by reviving his great-great-grandfather’s high-rye bourbon recipe. The company claims to honor the original high-rye mashbill to maintain a unique flavor. I uncorked my bottle of Bulleit on a Sunday evening while winding down as my wife prepared dinner for the both of us. I poured it into a Glencairn and let it sit before nosing it. 

The nose opens up with sweet and heat with fruit and grain undertones. The sweet is a buttery toffee or caramel blending with the biting heat of black pepper. Lingering underneath lies a layer of dark fruit supported by the fullness of the corn and rye.

Honestly, the first sip of this bourbon was my favorite part of the whole experience. All of the layers flooded my senses before settling down and allowing me to pick them apart. The sweetness turns into vanilla in nature and the pepper gave my mouth and nose a sharp heat. The sweetness and the pepper blended wonderfully, one not letting the other get out of hand. Past these flavors lied a distinct oakiness and body of corn and rye. As I acclimated and continued to drink, the liquor became tame and rather simple. The layers of sweet, heat, oak, and grain became familiar and content.

When poured over chilled stainless steel rocks, the sweetness is dialed back and the oakiness is really brought out, giving the drink a bit of extra spice.

The finish left me with a meld of the flavors that lingered. The sweetness and heat prevailed, warming me like a long hug from my grandma. The grain, particularly the corn, left a savory starchiness.

Overall I thoroughly enjoy this drink. It’s certainly not complex, but that’s not always a bad thing. The flavor is strong and pleasant – perfect for a quiet evening by the fireside. My wife, who is not a drinker but is a phenomenal cook, tried a sip and immediately picked up on the oak flavor and attributed the sweetness to molasses. Bulleit may not be a big brand name, but its formidable flavor and honest simplicity are well worth the buy.

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