Reyes Cigars and Stargazing

This morning I got up early.  When I say early, I mean EARLY….as in 3AM.

While this is not unusual (just ask Simon), today I was on a mission.  I wanted to check out the Perseid Meteor Shower.
The Perseids come once a year (is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity being between August 9 and 14), culminating in a 3 day extravaganza that can produce more than 100 meteors an hour. 
As an Amateur Astronomer, this is one of those that I always try to make time for.  I even woke up James, but he only last 30 min (25 min more than I expected) and he really isn’t patient enough to sit that long.
Anyway, standing out in my pasture and watching this event gave me lots of time to reflect and smoke a cigar.  The cigar in question tonight was one of the ones Randy from MySideoftheBar gave me, the Reyes Family Premier Perfecto.
I’ve smoked these sticks a few times, and have been just to lazy/busy to write it up, so here we go.
The wrapper (tobacco from Ecuador Sumatra) showed a little more veins than I was used to, but overall this a very good cigar for an easy smoke.  Easy to light and maintain (I didn’t have to relight once), I found the ash held together well  (although the burn was a little uneven) and temp was moderate to slightly hot throughout.  Loosely wrapped and an easy draw, the initial tastes of this primarily Nicaraguan tobacco were of coffee and earthiness that blended well as the cigar progressed.  A hint of spice and caramel rounded out the cigar and overall smoke time was about 45 minutes….perfect for me hanging outside.  Since these were the prize won by Randy (Remember THIS post?), price point was not an issue…..but you can find them over at Thompson Cigar for approx $120 a box.  Frugal shoppers could watch for sales and further reduce the cost.  At around $6 a stick, this isn’t a bad cigar and I would recommend it…..although not for a daily smoke.  Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 Stars.
The highlight of the evening however was not the meteor shower, nor the cigar…..but just the relaxing element of standing outside with no distractions.
While the meteors were good (about 45 or so….with 10 GOOD ones), watching Orion rise off the horizon was almost awe inspiring.  I think this is the first time I have ever watched him rise in the East, and at first I didn’t realize what I was seeing.  The three stars of his belt rose like a pillar almost straight up, and I realized that they make a perfect pointer to the V of Taurus.  It put things in a new perspective (I’m used to seeing the whole constellation just being “THERE” in the winter time) and was cool to watch.  Throw in Jupiter blazing in the Southern sky, and you have a perfect night all told.
Thanks Randy for the cigar, and I highly recommend everyone take an hour this week….look to the East and watch the stars.
Cheers.