Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 (Toro 6.5"x52)

An Ode to Friday

Oh Friday, oh Friday

your time has come

since Monday dawn

your faced we yearned

Oh Friday, oh Friday

our friends we await

to come and join

at the sound

the ringing dinner bell

Oh Friday, oh Friday

how fast ye fade

the memories made do linger long

in knowledge be of Friday's to come

Poetry is probably not my strong suit. Maybe I'll stick to my day job, of course I ain't making any money doing that either.

Scratch the whole first part of this post, let this be the beginning, kind of like we are starting all over.

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend, un-officially the last weekend of summer, and of course the last 3-day weekend until Columbus Day. Like any good 3-day weekend, no - like any weekend period the opportunity to start it out strong Friday night makes for a great kickoff, and this past Friday night was one to be remembered for a long time.

Friday started like a normal day for me, I had a list of things to get done and a meeting scheduled for 4:30 at a project we are building over in West Nashville. I was honestly dreading the meeting, not because of the content but rather the time and the fact I'd have to drive home in rush hour traffic which would be heavier than normal given the holiday weekend.

Thankfully the meeting was moved up, and our customer who has also become a friend through this project suggested dinner with my wife and kids along with my foreman on that job. The appropriate phone calls were made and the plan set into motion which dictated we all meet up at Logan's Roadhouse at 5:30 for dinner.

We all showed up, thankfully my kids were good and a great dinner was enjoyed by all. I had the Prime Rib medium rare with the loaded mashed potatoes and cinnamon apples, and the others all enjoyed various cuts of steak. As dinner drew to a close my 4-year old son suggested everyone come back to our house as he and I had built a fire earlier in the day that we intended to burn that evening.

Everyone said yes and the caravan proceeded to head east to our house for drinks, cigars and conversation around the outdoor fire pit. My wife opened a bottle of wine for the ladies, and my foreman and I mixed up some Gin & Tonic and selected some cigars to enjoy. He doesn't smoke as much as I do and wanted something on the light side, the Nub Habano was the lightest cigar in the humidor so he went with that while I grabbed the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 (RPV).

We headed outside, the crispness in the air actually made the warmth off the fire enjoyable as the sun set. Drinks flowed freely and the ritual of lighting cigars began. The broadleaf wrapper of the RPV was dark and succulent. After gently toasting the foot I took the first draw and was immersed in a very complex, slightly spicy full bodied smoke.

Dark black cherry overtones on the draw developed into a well defined spice finish, extremely complex but smooth. The RPV actually got stronger as the long 6.5" stick was smoked exhibiting its strongest flavors about an inch and a half into it before settling into a very smooth, very refined but flavorful smoking experience as it reached its "sweet spot."

The crispness of the air combined with the flavor of my drink really worked to bring together a great smoking experience with a great cigar. The RPV was never harsh, and and as the evening progressed conversation went from casual to some pretty serious and topics including difficult times we all have faced and the need to just relax. My foreman was stressed getting to dinner and then the house, but time away from work to just sit and relax really wore away some of the stress of life.

It was interesting to see a friendship develop and throughout the evening as a guy who works for me shared his worries and concerns and opened up about the challenges he is facing. Our customer who slowly slipped her wine while alternating between my son and our 11 month old daughter shared her life experiences all the while offering encouragement to him.

Like the flavor development on the RPV, the conversation got more complex but enjoyable as the evening progressed. Sadly however like all good things, time was quickly drawing the evening to a close, and as the final puffs on our cigars collectively were smoked, the decision to do this again was made.

A handshake on the front end of the evening was followed up with a man hug on the tail end of the evening, a testament perhaps to the ability of cigars to unite and unify.

If you have spent any time here reading my prior posts you know I have become a pretty big fan of the Rocky Patel line of cigars and this Vintage 1990 is no exception. I actually have a wish list made of other cigars he has produced that will grace my humidor in the coming weeks and months.

And although the cigars were extinguished and thrown away, the memories will last a lifetime. If but for a few brief moments the worries of life were put on the back burner, and the enjoyment of good food, good drinks, good cigars and most importantly GOOD FRIENDS made the kickoff to this holiday weekend a night that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Until we smoke again.