This is the light puzzle to get to where the bosses are. When you enter the room, you have to watch which order the lights go out. Then, you have to re-activate them in the reverse order. A simple task for any experienced gamer, but such a cool addition to your typical MMO.

Last night, I went into the Rift with my kin. It was my first time in there! I also got my first piece of Rift gear, some boots. Unfortunately, I think my current boots that I picked up in Moria are better, but still! I got Rift boots!

I’m really enjoying these high-level instances and raids. I should have known that I would enjoy this–I mean, it’s exactly the kind of team farming that I love. I can see myself quickly becoming very hardcore about this. I wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

My favourite thing to do in-game!

What the hell is in this drink?!

Not… feeling… so good…

Here, he shows off his new armour by posing in the manly flowerbeds.

(Look close…. Christmas tree in the background… haven’t gotten rid of them all just yet!!)

Holy f&%# that’s a lot of root thingies!

Okay, I lie. I’ll give you an inside peek into a segment that I plan on having in each episode.

If you listen to many of the Virginworlds podcasts, you know that many of them have a “What I’m playing” segment. Well, being as I am, I opted to be decidedly different.

My show has a “What I’m smoking” segment.

I’ll not describe the best way to choose a smoke, or get good deals, or how to handle or smoke your cigar. If you like using your teeth to tear the cap, lighting up with a Bic, and puffing away twenty times a second, that’s your business. Cigar smoking is all about the experience, whether you fly solo or group up with friends. My opinion on it is much like mine on gaming: Whatever playstyle makes you happy, that’s what you oughta do. (Of course, I don’t recommend PvP burning other people with a lit cigar or flicking ashes on them. That could get ugly.)

In general though, I use a standard guillotine cutter and wooden matches. I used to use a punch several years ago, but I found that the guillotine was much more versatile if you smoke different sizes and different shaped caps.

Last Monday, my selection was an Onyx Reserve No. 2 Belicoso. At least, that’s what I think it was. I’m so bad with remembering what the exact name of it was when I walk into a B&M with a bag in hand. I’ll try to get better at that, I swear. But anyways, it looked to be about 6″ in length with a 50-52 ring gauge.

Origin: Dominican Repbulic
Length: 6.13
Ring: 52

“Onyx Reserve is a full bodied, box-pressed cigar with an oily, blackened Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. A combination of Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian tobaccos provide the body of this rich cigar. The Nicaraguan binder adds to its mouth-watering aroma. These cigars were given the stunning rating of ’94′ by Cigar Insider. Onyx Reserve will satisfy even the most experienced smoker.”

All right. So I figured, Hey, this oughta be good, since I remember I’ve enjoyed this smoke in the past. I’ve never had this particular size, though I do remember a robusto size being tolerably strong and satisfying. So I gave this one a go.

Appearance-wise, this cigar is lovely. The coloration was dark and even, and even the lines where central vein had been didn’t detract from the appearance. The cap cut cleanly and I didn’t think about it again, which means it didn’t cause any problems and did its job well.

The aroma was of a deep earthiness, like rich woodsy soil.

Once lit, it burned very evenly and cleanly, with an ash that held firmly until tapped off. At one point, I was running my mouth (because I was sitting by myself recording), and the cigar began to go out. I drew on it a couple times, and only one side lit up, but even then, it did not require me to touch it up. As I continued to smoke, the burn evened itself out, to a point where you’d never even have noticed that I’d nearly let it go out.

The draw is not memorable at all, so I guess that’s a good thing: it wasn’t too stiff or too light, never too difficult and never too hot. Quite consistent throughout.

The flavor was also very consistent. I had a taste of a cooking spice that I can’t quite lay my finger on, and that same, earthy-woodsy flavor… and nothing else. It never changed. The consistency was almost a bit boring, because nothing new hit the palate. I would have been fine with this, except that the flavors were a tad too mild for my tastes.

A few inches to the end, I started having trouble keeping it lit, and had to re-light it a couple of times. This could be because I was starting to concentrate less on the smoke, and more on the editing that I was doing on my laptop. But as such, the flavors began to get harsh and bitter, so that and the burn I guess were telling me that it was time to lay the cigar to rest. I thought that it chose its time to go out far before it should have, though.

I guess my tastes have changed over the years, because I remember that I really liked this cigar before. Maybe the smaller size was more to my liking, but this ho-hum one left me a bit disappointed–not that it was bad in any way, but I was just expecting more.

Overall, it’s a very good cigar. It won’t give you any problems, and you’ll know what to expect all the way through it. If you prefer a more mild flavor, then I think you’ll quite enjoy this one.