While in Sacramento, stuck an extra day due to a cancelled flight, after having to purchase a new ridiculously priced one way ticket on a different airline to get home the next day, after being released from Sutter Medical Center due to a kidney stone that I was still trying to pass and in severe pain, after a Vicadin, I took a ride to their shop. At that point, I truly needed a smoke and some R&R time.

Quant place in Sacramento, currently undergoing very nice remodeling. I met Luis, his dad and Andy. Three great guys from my homeland. I picked up a handful of his new line of more premium cigars and lit one and kicked back with some Cuban coffee (probably the worst thing in the world for my stone but I didn't care at that point). They even offered me a drink as they were sharing either scotch or brandy with all the folks that were there smoking. Unfortunately, I was clear headed enough to recognize that would not mix too well with Vicadin. We shot the breeze for a while talking about our homeland and tobacco.

I was very, very impressed with the cigar/blend. Great Cuban type flavor, as best as can be imitated without Cuban tobacco. I brought one home for dad and he has since smoked it and truly enjoyed it also. Great burn. A bit tight on the draw initially but soon opened up. I think I paid around $7-8 for the sticks but were well worth it.

I truly enjoyed the company and they made me feel as if I have known them for years. If you guys are in the area, give them a try. I am planning on ordering some more smokes from them via mail. I brought back an extra couple for me and I first want to try another one to make sure the Vicadin didn't alter my taste buds too much and fool me.:-)
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Glad you enjoyed yourself, my friend. I'm sorry to hear about your stones giving you problems.
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Thanks Darrell.
Number 16 in as many years.

Made it home OK that day with very little discomfort.
Around midnight, it hit the fan again and was buckled over for about 5 hours.
Since then, all quiet on home front. Not sure if I passed it and missed it or if it broke up into sand.
Either way, all is quiet now and thanks to another stone, got to visit yet another of our country's great hospitals. With my travels and my stones, seems I get to visit many of them.
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Carlos, Sorry to hear you are still having problems with the stones. Would have liked to meet up with you for a smoke, but I had the grandkids all day.

Interesting to hear about the new premium blend. I found most of their other stuff a little mild for my taste, will have to give these a try. :-)
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Sorry to hear about the stone, hope that gets better for you.

Damn, Carlos, if I had known you were around, I'm only 15-20 minutes away, I'd have come up there and had a cigar with you, I drop by Cardenas at least once a month.

The hospitality offered by the Cardenas family is really some of the most stellar there is.

Those pig roast pictures I posted in the China Box thread those were all taken at past pig roasts at Cardenas. Marcelino (Papi) is in a few of them.

PS: "Andy"? Do you mean Armando AKA: "Mandy"? The owner (and Papi's son)? I don't think there is an Andy there (although I don't know the name of the red-headed guy who works there). IIRC, Louis is actually a cousin.
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Sorry we missed you! We have plenty of BABOTL in that area!:-)
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They just recently changed a number of their regular line blends around, I didn't realize that they had also changed their Special Reserve blends.

This all occurred very recently, basically right after the barn herf, as none of the new stuff was on the shelves when I stopped in there right before the barn herf, then when I was next there a few weeks later all the new cigars were in the walk in.
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Adam,
I was really jammed time wise as it was supposed to have been a short trip until the hospital and stone got in the way.
By all accounts, I should not have been there at Cardenas at all. I just needed it after a cancelled flight that came after a hospital ER stay. It was all totally last minute as I was instead supposed to be on my way home had my flight not been cancelled.
In fact, I was on my flight earlier that day and sat at the gate, on the plane, at my seat, for two hours before they cancelled it and asked us to get off the plane.

Must have been Armando. A relatively young guy, light short hair.
How ironic they are the ones from the pig roast and I didn't recall. Would have chatted with them over it. They were super great folks.

The cigar's band looks like that of Davidoff.
Aside from the name on it, says "hecho a mano" on one side and "1938" on the other. The one I smoked looked like a toro.
Will try to post an iPhone photo of it later.
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Just a quick hit and run post here...

These are some photos of Armando from about 5 years ago:
Image
Image



BTW, the white Davidoff-esque band is the normal band, more like the only band. There used to be some red and black versions of it, but haven't seen those in awhile. The cigars in the free-standing cabinet are the Special Reserve bands, they would have a second "Special Reserve" band on them. Unfortunately, the banding on the regular line cigars is not consistant. Some times certian vitolas have bands, other times they don't.
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Are these available online, or by means other than going to Sacramento?
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Absolutely.

http://www.cardenascigars.com/englis...p?lang=English
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That is Armando indeed who I confused for "Andy". That I blame on Vicadin.:-)
Luis told me the ones I took and smoked had just come in. They were totally new and they were blowing out.
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He often goes by "Mandy" and even introduces himself as such, so "Andy" isn't too far off.

Whenever you get the chance to post a photo that would be cool. I'll try and stop by there in the next week and grab a few - maybe even stop by on the way up to Grant's herf this Saturday.

If all else fails, I'll just ask Luis for the plugged cigars that they sold to the doped up Cuban guy from Florida a week ago.:-):-)
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O-U-C-H!!!!!!!!!
:-):-):-)
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:-):-):-)
You have no idea how high as a kite I was. For all I know, I smoked dung!!!

I will shoot a photo in the morning when daylight as very dark now for that iPhone camera.
I lost my flashcard reader and can't shoot it with my digital stuff.
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Carlos, I am about 10 minute drive from Cardenas. Oh well...

Need to stop by and see what they brought in. Last time I grabbed an extra Rothschild Maduro and after sitting in the dry box for 2+ weeks it smoked really well a couple of days ago, need to go grab a few more and let them rest. I think their walk in humidor may be a tad over humidified.

Feel better and stay well.
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Man I would have loved to meet up with folks from the area as I have done in so many other cities.
Problem was the trip was very tight and didn't have evenings to myself at all.
Then came the kidney stone and the trip to ER, coupled with a cancelled flight.
I remembered your post on the Casillas thread and realized my new hotel was only minutes from Cardenas. Wasn't sure how I would last and if I would last at all and as such, I also mapped out my way to nearest ER just in case.
I think I left Cardenas around 5:30 or so as I was so dead tired from the lack of sleep so many nights in a row.
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Hey Brotha,


I was reading an article yesterday in this online publication called "Early to Rise"
where they say in essence "Positive Thinking is Dangerous"... A lot of people
feel as though. If I look at a situation that's bad, and focus on something positive, i can turn it into a positive situation whereas in reality we shouldn't
view the "event" that happens as "negative" in the first place, but rather.

Look at your situation as an opportunity to make things better which is what
you did when you went to Cardena's, Met Andy, and enjoyed a great smoke.

You didn't have to turn you "lemon's into Lemonade"... You just made the
best situation out of the hand that you were dealt!

Hope that made sense!:-)
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