I've recently returned to the US after a 10 yr. stint in Mexico, where, due to taxation, ISOM's are imported rather than Dom's or CA's, and those were my everyday smoke. I'd been away from cigars for a couple of years due to the fact that I relocated to western MX where very little was available other than fakes and domestic MX's, so I was back to Marlboros. Well, a few weeks ago, I chanced into a restaurant in Austin that had a cigar lounge, and bang! I'm back into big smokes! Started looking around the 'net and found this board and started reading quietly, so as to learn about "domestic" smokes. The info was almost overwhelming, but the one thing I noticed, was everybody here seems to think quite highly of these things called "Bucs". Had to search a few threads to fine the full name, but I did, and just tonight went to my favorite tobacconist to see if there were any available. She (Yes, she, and much better looking than that "hoax" thread that started a year or so ago and continues to this day...) had three "flavors" in stock, the "El Capitan" in both maduro and natural; and the Texas Star. Grabbed 3 of each plus about 6 fist-fulls of some others that I'm learning to love (Anniversary sale everything 25% off!!!) then headed off to my favorite eatery which happens to contain what I think must be the only cigar lounge in no-smoking Austin... Have to admit that I was a bit leery of the Bucs, so I burned a Trinidad Toro with drinks before dining, and with much apprehension ( I hate a bad cigar experience after a fine meal) decided on one of the Buc's in the natural wrapper to finish off the day... Excuuuuse me, but Holy Shinola what a smoke! IMHO, if you could smoke butter it might, if you're lucky, be this sumptuous! She ashed at about two and a half inches the first time and almost to the band the second! I smoked her down past the nub to what , in my earlier days, I would have referred to as a "roach"! Thank you, thank you, thank you guys for putting me on to these! Sorry if I got a bit windy, but the single malt, wine, Cognac, great gar thing sort of brings out my "talkative" side!
Chris (aka cigman)