[DJ's left nut]

Went to a little shop in the Dominican Republic last fall and had an incredible experience just learning better how to smoke the damn things.

Went over the proper way to 'retrohale' the drag for just an incredible amount of flavor. We experimented with various sidecars and without question, without exception, the answer was dark black coffee as the best complement to a good cigar.

Different leaves, styles, shapes, which part of the plant the respective component parts of the cigar come from. How best to light them, how best to 'clean' them (i.e. you put a flame on the end and blow out to clear it and improve your drag; usually once or maybe twice per cigar). Best ways to cut them to keep them from unwrapping - stuff that is about half intuitive (but good to understand the 'why' of) and half stuff that really is enlightening.

I always enjoyed cigars well enough, but this took all that to the next level and made me really appreciate them the way I started appreciating scotch after several years of drinking it. Now it's really not that hard for me to determine a real preference.

So hey, if any of you go to Punta Cana, stop by Vivaldi Cigars. I promise that as you're pulling up to this dude's apartment he's not actually going to cut your liver out. And his dog is super friendly. And that guy will just hang out and talk cigars with you for 5 hours and let you smoke his stuff. Really fascinating Dutch expat that is friendly as all hell and really knows what he's talking about. We ended up dropping a couple hundred bucks on cigars before we left but they're damn good. My Don Lucas Dominicans are good but these are definitely better.