Tag Archives: holt’s cigar

Ashton Cabinet

Thanks to Holt’s Cigar Company for sponsoring Simple Guy Stuff. Enter the promo code SIMPLE at check out and receive a complimentary 10% discount on your purchase! Discount is available online only. Certain exclusions apply. Offer expires January 31, 2018 – cannot be combined with other coupon codes. Limit one discount per customer.

Father’s Day Gift Guide, presented by Holt’s Cigar

father's day gifts

Every year, I like to go on the hunt for awesome and unique Father’s Day gift ideas for readers. This year, Holt’s Cigar is presenting an awesome collection of really cool stuff for readers of both Simple Guy Stuff and our sister site Simple Cocktails. I’m excited to present this year’s list:

new mexico books

Local literature: $20-50. I have been a New Mexico native most of my life and my state pride has grown gradually. This year, I got my hands on 2 newer books published here that and distinctly New Mexican. Look into My Eyes: Nuevomexicanos por Vida, ’81-’83 (buy at Amazon) is a photo book from a very specific snapshot of time in New Mexico’s history: 1981 to 1983 and it’s an amazing mashup of hispanic and 1980s culture. ¡Órale! Lowrider: Custom Made in New Mexico (buy at Amazon) is another one of those precious snapshots of our local culture in beautiful color with great historical context of the significance of “dropping” your Chevy Impala.

fidget spinners

Fidget spinners: $20-70. Clearly this is a fad on one saw coming, but you can now find plastic 3-pointed spinners in just about every gas station or roadside stand in this country. I wanted to illustrate what a more “fatherly” spinner looks like, so I got some spinners from UltraSpinners and Syner-EDC. UltraSpinners have a variety of spinners ranging from $20 to $150, but I stuck with their Ergo line, which has 3 options in materials and weight. The Ergo Aluminum is $20 and a lightweight but “grown-up” alternative to plastic spinners. Ergo Omega and Alpha are both brass, for $55 and $60 respectively, and only differ in weight and thickness. I also picked up a Triple Mini Spinner from Syner-EDC (pictured bottom) for $40, which offers customizable bearing caps is various materials.

monowear apple watch band

Apple Watch Band: $85. Monowear makes a new and apparently very-popular Apple Watch band out of perforated leather that’s classy. They match the hardware to the watch color (a must in my book) and the band’s available in chestnut, black and grey (I got grey). As a daily Apple Watch wearer, I always love having more options to accessorize and match my tech with my clothes for the day.

bicycle cocktail and beer cards

Playing Cards: $5 a deck. I picked up Cocktail Party, Craft Beer, and Craft Brewers decks from Bicycle – it’s a fun way to jazz up your poker games with some “fatherly” knowledge of cocktail recipes and craft beer. Plus they cost next-to-nothing!

balvenie caribberan cask 14

Scotch Whisky: $85. Scotch is particularly suited for gifts because if often comes in a gift-worthy sleeve. For this Father’s Day, I picked up The Balvenie 14-year-old Caribbean Cask, a spicy, vanilla-forward sipper that pairs beautifully with the next gift idea…..

cigars - holt's

Cigars: $5 and up. From Holt’s Cigar Company, our sponsor for this Gift Guide, we’ve got a great selection of smokes in our humidor (stay tuned for upcoming pairings at Simple Guy Stuff). For Father’s Day, Holt’s recommends the Royal Flush Super Sampler, one of many great options in their Father’s Day Cigar Deals category. Special thanks to Holt’s for their sponsorship of Simple Cocktails and Simple Guy Stuff!

Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (VSG)

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Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (or VSG) is a central blend in the acclaimed Ashton portfolio. For more than 30 years, the Ashton brand has been a favorite among lovers of premium, handcrafted cigars. VSG debuted in 1999 and is renowned for a smooth, but potent profile of aged Dominican tobaccos beneath a succulent Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf. Holt’s Cigar Company hosts a phenomenal selection of cigars online, perfect for any cigar lover looking to purchase and taste every available variety of Ashton VSG.

As I fired up the blend, an enticing profile of cedar, espresso and dark chocolate showered my palate with creamy Dominican spices and a luscious complexity. Ashton cigars are blended and handcrafted by the legendary Fuente family in the Dominican Republic. The family’s patient aging of select tobaccos truly distinguishes VSG with iconic flavor.

I was particularly drawn to the cigar’s format, a VSG Illusion, which is 6 ½ (inches) by a 44-ring-gauge (thickness). The long, somewhat slender shape provides ample room for savoring a wealth of tasteful transitions, from the beginning puffs down to the nub.

I paired my cigar with a “new” rum from Bacardi: Havana Club Añejo. Although Havana Club has been around for quite some time when you consider its historic Cuban origins, Bacardi has introduced the blend to the U.S. by distilling it in Puerto Rico to work around the ongoing Cuban trade embargo.

The rum’s natural sweetness merged elegantly with VSG’s creamy spices and bold, woody aromas. I highly recommend that fans of rum and cigars indulge in the luxurious combination presented by Bacardi and Ashton, a pair of classic, world-renowned brands. A supremely satisfying experience awaits!

Thanks to Holt’s Cigar Company for sponsoring Simple Guy Stuff. Enter the promo code SIMPLE at check out and receive a complimentary 10% discount on your purchase! Discount is available online only. Certain exclusions apply. Offer expires January 31, 2018 – cannot be combined with other coupon codes. Limit one discount per customer.