This week I had a "Job Justification" Day on Wednesday. I had to present my reasons why the company should keep me employed. I was given a 50 slide template to fill out with my sales numbers, trending reports, best practices, etc. I had to present to a team of 50 individuals comprised of a couple of Vice Presidents and some Directors. My fellow peers were nervous and started pulling out their lip balm for a day's worth of ass kissing. Instead of pulling out my lip balm, I went to my local B&M and fired up a Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series Belicoso Extra. This was the perfect preparation for the facade upper management calls Business Reviews.

The Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series is also called the 15th Anniversary in celebration of their cigar line. I never heard or smoked one of these cigars before, so it was the perfect distraction before heading into the corporate gauntlet. The Gourmet Series Belicoso Extra is constructed of 5-year aged Dominican fillers and binder. It is then finished with a dark, oily Nicaraguan Colorado wrapper. The combination of tobaccos produced hints of leather and cedar. The taste was very pleasant on the palate, but was somewhat disappointing. They market the cigar as a full-bodied smoke, but was extremely light. The Belicoso Extra lit easily and had a firm draw. It maintained and even burn that last until the flame went out half way through the smoke. It required re-lighting on a couple of occasions and almost became a challenge to finish. This was not my expectation before firing up the Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series Belicoso Extra. For almost $11 a stick, I wanted more and it did not deliver. These smokes run $225 for a box of 25. The Paul Garmirian was a disappointment, so save your hard earned money for something else.

In conclusion, my review went well. I got to keep my job for at least another month or two before the next "Job Justification" Day. Next time, I may try lip balm before another Paul Garmirian Gourmet Series of disappointment.

MonkeyDan Rating: 81