Trinidad Robustos Extra (cigar review) Box Date Aug.2011

                  I bought these cigars in Havana about a year ago. It's amazing, for me, that I haven't smoked one yet, especially since I've known how good they looked all this time. They really did look quite inviting but I wanted to add at least a year of age onto them before trying one. I know a lot of people that are very disappointed with the discontinuation of this cigar in 2012 and after trying one from this box of 12 I'm going to hold on to these as long as I can and maybe look for a few more. I picked a great day to smoke one...a BBQ at a friend's house with perfect weather, I had a 2004 Shiraz from Argentina with it.
                  This stick was hard to the touch, veinless, almost bumpy but smooth. It had a good draw once lit, with flavours of wood and a little pepper on the tongue.....very smooth, a little mild. The burn was almost straight and by the time I got to the first quarter the ash fell on it's own.
                  Past the first quarter and I'm picking up tea, leather and wood. The burn is still almost bang on and this is still a very smooth cigar. It tried to pick up strength but mellowed again, definitely a mild smoke. The ash fell on it's own again nearing the halfway mark and the burn was just a tad off. I touched it up with my torch halfway through the 3rd quarter and shortly after that the ash fell on it's own again. This cigar doesn't seem to be able to hold an ash for very long.
                  It started to turn on me at the last quarter and was burning hotter through the middle but it all went away shortly after that. It did get a little stronger however. It was still tasting great and I had difficulty putting it down but did so knowing I had a few more sitting in my humidor.
                  I thought this would be a more complicated cigar, maybe stronger....but it surprised me. The flavour profile didn't change much throughout the smoke and for my taste it was a little mild but I enjoyed it immensely. If I get another opportunity to buy more.....I will. For now, the box I have is going to back of my humidor for safe keeping....maybe if I don't see it I won't be tempted to smoke them quickly. They're quite pricey but you can tell this is a classy, well made cigar and worth the money. If it's in your budget, you have to try one.

El Templete (Restaurant Review) Havana May 2013

                As far as I'm concerned, this is the best restaurant for seafood in Havana. It might be a bit pricey but in my opinion good value for your money. I hadn't been there in about a year and was sorry for that. I had forgotten how good it was. I must come more often in the future. The drinks were also a bit pricey (still less than half what I would pay at home) but the wine list wasn't too bad. I found a decent Spanish Rose by Torres in the mid $20's range that we were happy with....so much that we had a second bottle. The decor has never really appealed to me. Considering how good the food is, the furnishings are a little outdated. Small price to pay for the best seafood in the city. The location makes up for it, right at the end of the Malecon facing the harbour. 
                This was going to be the last meal I was to have in a restaurant before leaving to go home. I ordered way too much food but I knew that. I wanted to try a few dishes I hadn't tried in the past. I had the Scallop and Steamed Clams to start and my companion had the Albacor Stuffed Pimientos. The Scallop was not at all what I expected. The presentation was beautiful, a single plump scallop sitting on the half shell, done simply in garlic and olive oil. It needed a bit of salt but otherwise it was tender and sweet. The bowl of clams were done in garlic, white wine and olive oil, just the way I would have them at home. Tasty and no sand....sand is always a fear of mine when I have clams. The Pimientos my companion ordered were surprising good. The Albacor was fished fresh that day  for the restaurant (they have their own people who fish for them every day) and mashed up very fine after being cooked, just like she likes it. She enjoyed it tremendously. As a main course I had what I usually have, the Tuna. It was a decent sized loin cooked perfectly for me, a little pink in the middle, served with (canned) white asparagus and the plate dotted with squid ink. My companion had the Whole Snapper, butterflied and deboned....both dishes were done with garlic and olive oil, exactly how I would do it and hers served with few potatoes and vegetables. We shared a mixed salad that was almost a Nicoise with tuna, olives, tomato and hard boiled egg with greens. Way too much food. Finished with a Creme Brulee, very nice, an espresso and a Havana Club Barrel Proof Rum.
                 The service was great as always and Alejandro, the sommelier, was knowledgeable and pleasure to talk to. I had the opportunity to meet the chef, Williams Fernandez, who has been with the restaurant awhile. A tall man who appears to be a little shy. I'll try to get his story one day. It was a great experience that cost me $128cuc but should in no way be an example of what it should cost here. Without going overboard, dinner or lunch for 2 with wine and tip should be around $70-80cuc. It may seem like a lot but as I said, great value. If it's in your budget, I recommend you give it a try, a consistently good restaurant.
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Avenida del Puerto #12-14 esq/ Narciso Lopez
Habana Vieja behind Plaza de Armas
Phone  7 866 8807
Hours Daily noon-midnight

Scallop

Stuffed Pimientos

Red Snapper

Tuna

Williams Fernandez the chef

Alejandro the wine guy

Robaina Museum (Pinar del Rio) at the Robaina Plantation

              It's been a few years now since Alejandro Robaina passed away and he is missed by everyone who knew him. He was a remarkable human being who loved his farm, a simple man, salt of the earth. He was the ambassador for Cuban Cigars and traveled all over the world with his grandson Hirochi promoting it. But no matter in which beautiful far away country he was in, he was always concerned about his fields and wanted to come home to look after his farm. Alejandro always had one of the best producing farms in the country and almost always the best wrapper. A brand new house was built years ago next to his existing one. It was built with the intention of moving Alejandro out of his old, ill equipped home and into a more comfortable, modern, air-conditioned one. When it finally was complete, Alejandro never moved in. He preferred to stay in the old one....that was his home. That was Alejandro, he didn't care about the flashy stuff. The house became an entertainment space or somewhere to go to get out of the heat. I'm happy to have some fond memories of a few gatherings in that space.
              Today, the building has been converted into a museum in memory of Alejandro. They couldn't get him to move in while he was alive but had no problem doing so now. The house is filled with all sorts of paraphernalia, plaques, awards, paintings (of him, gifted by artists), statuettes, photos taken at different stages in  his life, humidors and even his vintage Victorola Record Player.
              There is a bust of Alejandro in the garden behind the old house. It's where Hirochi says they will bring Alejandro's bones and make this his final resting spot. That's exactly where he should be, overlooking the land he loved so much.




Vegas Robaina
Cuchillas de Barbacoa
San Luis, Pinar del Rio, Cuba

The Pictures below were taken years ago while Alejandro was still alive

Soon to be Alejandro's final resting place