The best cigar I have ever smoked -- bar none - is the Cohiba 2004 Sublime EL. Whenever we went back to Ireland to visit Pauline's family, I'd stop at a very reputable shop in Dublin and pick one up. They weren't cheap, but they were worth it. I have never smoked anything like it.

Last week we went to Ireland for Pauline's mom's funeral. She passed away after a long illness, so while it was a sad occasion, it was not unexpected. After the funeral in Dublin I stopped into the shop to pick up a cigar. The fellow there recognized me and we started chatting. I asked how he managed to have them whenever I came in since they were so hard to find. He told me that their store in London has been supplying many of the politicians and royalty with cigars for over 100 years so they typically place very large orders when the EL's are released. They had a few singles left and one full box. I thought for a minute about buying the last box, but at 988 Euros I was reluctant (that's about $1550 American.) Pauline comes up behind me and says "You only live once" and told the guy to go get the last box and told me she would buy them for me. I looked them over for about 1/2 hour before I told him to send them out.

Then she said "Did you get one for tonight?" She told the guy there to wrap up a single for me. We went over to a local pub that had a covered outdoor smoking section and I spent the next few hours with her brother smoking the cigar and drinking Guinness and Midelton rare Irish Whiskey. The whiskey was "brilliant" and the cigar was, well, sublime.

What a woman!