We’re nice… until it’s time to not be nice.
Oh boy… tonight’s show is a fun one! Way back in 2017, we tackled the original classic Road House and not only was it an epic episode but our beloved Yak Boy almost lost his life during the taping of it. Turned out he was just passed out drunk and not dead. Thankfully. So will anybody lose consciousness and topple off their seat tonight? You’ll have to click the links at the bottom of this page to find out. LET’S PARTY!!!!!
THE CIGAR – BLACKENED S84 SHADE TO BLACK by DREW ESTATE
Size: 6 x 52 (toro)
Wrapper: Connecticut Ecuador
Binder: Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan Maduro & Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro
Price: $10.50 (and while these were submitted to us for review by Drew Estate, you can go right now to Famous Smoke Shop grab a box on sale and then on top of that use promo code TNCC20 to get an additional $20 off!)
Following the resounding success of Drew Estate’s partnership with BLACKENED Whiskey on BLACKENED Cigars “M81 Maduro to the Core” in 2022, Drew Estate announces the new, Connecticut Shade wrapped brand release and shipping of BLACKENED “S84 Shade to Black.” The cigars are a passion project between Rob Dietrich, the Master Distiller & Blender of BLACKENED Whiskey; James Hetfield, Metallica co-founder, singer and guitarist; and Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate.
Hetfield and Dietrich worked closely with Drew, a friend of Dietrich’s for over a decade, to create the perfect blend for the cigar. The “BLACKENED S84 Shade to Black” takes aficionados on a nuanced journey with its deliciously smooth and inviting blend. James Hetfield of Metallica shares his excitement stating, “‘Shade to Black’ is more than just a cigar for us, it’s a celebration of passion and a tribute to the craftsman who strives for excellence in their lives.”
The aroma emitting off of the Connecticut Ecuadorian wrapper is hay-heavy and there’s equal parts earthiness and sweetness on the cold draw. There’s a gentle touch of spice delivered through the nose upon toasting the foot . And that white pepper zing is complimented by, wait for it, a “chicken fried steak gravy” note on the draw. According to Tut, that is. Nobody else, NOBODY ELSE, picked up on the chicken fried steak gravy note whatsoever or any Salisbury steak gravy or au jus… I think it’s safe to say that there’s a distinct possibility that Tut was eating a chicken fried steak out of the Zoom camera’s range while smoking the Blackened S84.
Yaks and I both did detect cedar and leather flavors pouring in via the draw which were balanced nicely by the retrohale’s consistent, approachable spice. Further along, my fellow cigar “experts” both reported a “toasted marshmallow” note lingering on the Blackened S84’s finish joined by “just a touch of graham cracker”. As far as I could tell from watching my computer screen, neither Yaks nor Tut was sitting next to a campfire surrounded by Cub Scouts at any point during the show. If I had witnessed that, rest assured, I would have notified the proper authorities immediately. There’s a salt and must combination that develops on the retrohale in the second half that very much reminds us of the original Blackened M81’s profile and that’s not a bad thing at all. And, perhaps, I did pick up a sugar cookie sensation towards the end but I’d never say that out loud…
TNCC FINAL SCORE = 92
The Blackened S84 Shade to Black displays a far more welcoming, overall lighter profile than its big brother the Blackened M81. Featuring excellent construction from start to finish and a plethora of enjoyable, harmonious flavors, you’d be doing yourself a high disservice by not seeking this cigar out and destroying it ASAP. Tut said that it’s his favorite new cigar so far this year and that it reminded him of why he loves cigars. That’s high praise!
THE BEERS
Once again folks, usually (before the mini apocalypse was thrust upon all of us in 2020) we would carefully – some of you have said “expertly” – pair our evening’s beer with the cigar and movie and we’d all sit around the table and drink that same beer and compare notes. But since the whole COVID-19 shitshow went down, each member of the TNCC is now solely responsible for risking their lives out in the wild and acquiring their own beers for each episode… usually with very interesting results.
CADE’S BEER – FRESH KICKS HAZY IPA by REAL ALE BREWING COMPANY
This highly aromatic 6.6%, 40 IBU beer is one tasty sonofabitch! After watching tonight’s “film”, 2024’s Road House, I needed to find my fresh kicks in beer form due to the movie being completely devoid of any fresh roundhouse kicks… or anything else fresh for that matter. But I digress. One of the better hazies that I’ve drank in quite a while, the Fresh Kicks features tropical flavors that paired very well with our cigar. Oops, I did it again.
CADE’S PAIRING GRADE = A++
THE DOCTOR’S HOOTCH – PROPER TWELVE IRISH WHISKEY
We all know that The Doctor has struggled over the years with his beverage pairing choices. Whereas the rest of the TNCC crew (especially me) puts a great deal of thought in to tying our booze selection to our premium cigar and accompanying film… that’s not so much the case with our beloved Doctor. Until tonight! By purchasing a bottle of Proper Twelve whiskey, a brand founded by the star of tonight’s “film” Conor McGregor, Doc has not hit his first homerun – it’s a grand fucking slam! And he said this single malt was quite enjoyable over ice and at a nice price point to boot. It’s not too soon to tell you that all of this newfound enthusiasm and effort by the good Doctor makes me a very proud podcasting host!
THE DOCTOR’S PAIRING GRADE = C-
TUT’S BEER – SECRET BEACH IPA by MEANWHILE BREWING
The brewers describe this beer as having flavors of “marmalade, blueberries, and the devil’s lettuce” but, thankfully, Tut didn’t experience any of those flavors. Probably because of the giant bites of chicken fried steak he was sneaking off-camera… Nonetheless, Tut did like this 6.2% 55 IBU offering but he reported that he had to give some intentional space between sips and puffs to avoid its hoppy impact on his cigar. And yes, sigh, our “film” tonight takes place in Florida where there are some beaches. Tut, you could take some pairing lessons from The Doctor. Just saying…
TUT’S PAIRING GRADE = C+
YAK BOY’S BEER – THE ASTERISK IMPERIAL IPA by MELVIN BREWING
Yaks felt that our “film” tonight needed an asterisk placed after the title so he paired it with an asterisk beer. Clever boy! This 9% ABV powerhouse clocks in at 80 IBUs, however Yaks claimed that number was perhaps around 20 IBUs too high. Citrus forward and just slightly sweet, he also reported that his beer paired extremely well with his cigar. For those keeping score, that’s four adult beverages that were all winners tonight! Holy Shit!
YAK’S PAIRING GRADE = C*
THE FIRE PIT
We cover a wide array of topics during tonight’s Fire pit session including but not limited to:
Indian Jones & The Dial of Destiny (Disney+)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (cable TV)
Damsel (Netflix)
The Black Dragon (Epic Comics)
Anyone But You (VOD)
Ricky Stanicky (Amazon Prime)
THE FILM – ROAD HOUSE (2024)
The movie was written by some people that don’t have a goddamn clue about writing screenplays and directed by a guy named Doug Liman who should absolutely know better as he’s directed some actual real films and television over the years such as Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity, The OC, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Jumper, Edge of Tomorrow… For the first time in the almost 10 years of doing this podcast, 165 episodes!, I did not watch our featured film twice in order to take proper notes to help us navigate our way through the story and provide some structure for our legendary analytical discussion. And it’s not because I was lazy, or ran out of time, or because I was busy consoling Tut over his outbreak of pigeon herpes… it’s because I just couldn’t bring myself to sit down for another 2 hours+ and give this piece-of-shit any more of my time time. And, keep in mind, I watched John Travolta’s Gotti film twice and that Bruce Willis space movie twice for this godforsaken podcast! So that should tell y’all something.
Look, there’s some things in life that I’ll just never understand, things that I’ll never be able to grasp or comprehend no matter how hard I try: Geometry, the popularity of that Big Bang Theory TV show, wheat ales, and how the fuck Jake Gyllenhaal became a movie star.
I’m not mad that they remade Road House, I’ll always have the original to watch whenever I want. I’m mad because the people who made this heaping mountain of crap clearly weren’t fans of the original film and they clearly thought they knew how to do it better. The end result was that they did everything wrong, wasting everyone who pushes the play button’s precious time. I’ll happily watch High Noon On Makeout Planet ten more fucking times rather than ever giving this abomination of cinema another ounce of my energy. Director Doug Liman recently said this about his 2024 reimagining, “The movie is fantastic, maybe my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down and possibly have the audience dancing in their seats during the end credits.” Which leads me to believe that someone out in Hollyweird should do a wellness check on Doug Liman as quickly as possible…
THE NUB
Sayonara Motherfuckers!
Y’all need to remember that real gangsta-ass podcasters don’t flex nuts ‘cause real gangsta-ass podcasters know they got ’em. Having said that, please leave us comments on the YouTube episode page and subscribe while you’re there, provide us with a review on iTunes, or be a real stud and do both! All these seemingly small gestures would be greatly appreciated as they let us know exactly what you’re thinking about this sweat-soaked tidal wave of hardbodied insanity we like to call The Tuesday Night Cigar Club.
Below is tonight’s full episode for both your viewing and listening pleasure. Thank you for checking out The Tuesday Night Cigar Club and we’ll see you next time when we review another cigar, adult beverage, and film. May the wings of liberty never lose a feather…
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