After a day filled with phone calls and decisions on whether to and when to put up shutters, when to close stores so that all employees can get home safely, and certainly watching too much of the weather channel, I finally found time to relax. I was recently given a new Rocky Patel Gladiator (RPG) cigar, so I decided it was a great time to smoke and enjoy this monstrous stick. Never mind that Tropical Storm Isaac was just a stone's throw away from Ft. Myers.

I set up camp on the vacated (all the furniture was put in the garage for safety) lanai. I set up my captain chair and invited my best friend Liza , the family Labrador, to join me. She was more than happy to get out of the house, not to mention a chance to play in the rain! Anyone with a Labrador knows they love water.

Sitting on the lanai and watching the trees blow and the rain fall was a great setting to light up the RPG. With a ring gauge of 60 and a length of 6 inches, I knew I would be sitting and enjoying this for a while. Upon lighting it up I could tell right away this was going to be an enjoyable smoke. The first taste was soft and velvety yet had a lasting, smooth taste. As the time passed and the rains went from light to heavy and the wind gusted, the cigar burnt nice and even.

In a world where we are always rating and grading products, it is just nice to sit back and enjoy. No need to write a long description and try to describe all the flavor profiles. Just a time to sit, relax and enjoy watching mother nature work and enjoy in the RPG what mother nature, a good farmer and a very good cigar maker produced.

Yeah, Liza and I enjoyed the peace and calming effect of the rain falling, the wind blowing and great cigar that burnt for well over an hour!

Enjoy.

 Mike McBride

Guest blogger Mike McBride is a regional manager for ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in southwest Florida.