Cigar: Highclere Castle Edwardian Corona

On the nose: This stick has amazing notes of cedar, hay, and dare I say cinnamon?!? Of course, everyone’s nose and palate are different— and my nose is still not fully back from two rounds of the plague of 2020— but these are the prevailing hints I get right now. Maybe some will notice others though. After lighting it and smoking through the first third, the aroma became very creamy and floral, which tied in nicely to the flavor profile.

 

Flavor profile: Throughout this cigar, I encountered notes of walnut, vanilla, white pepper, and leather. Yet, on the retrohale, it was all floral. A welcome experience to say the least. It was a nice balance between sweet and salty.

Body: With a Connecticut wrapper, it was no surprise that this was a very creamy, silky smoke through all but the final third. At that point, it became kind of harsh. Less smoke, more tar.

The strength profile of this cigar is light to medium. Very nice after dinner smoke.

Overall evaluation: 3.8/5- Would certainly smoke again, but would want to pay about $2.00 less per stick.

Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. The Lord will display His glory, the splendor of our God. With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you. And when He comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.

Isaiah 35:1-6

The old hymn What a Day That Will Be starts out:

‘There is coming a day,
When no heartaches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.’

In Isaiah 35, we see this same hopeful longing for Christ’s second coming. Whether you are premil or postmil, or whether you don’t even know what eschatology is— if you are a believer, you hope for this day! This life is hard. It’s full of ups and downs. Full of sorrow and disappointments. And yet, how glorious it will be when we are finally glorified and walking with Christ through the celestial halls of Heaven.

 

Yet, I love where Charles Spurgeon takes this passage in his sermon entitled The Dumb Singing. The Prince of Preachers isn’t putting the emphasis on when Christ returns. Instead, he enlightens us about the glory of Christ’s grace here and now. He says “We find here the blind spoken of, but they are not blind when grace has touched their eyes. We read also of the deaf, but they are not deaf after grace has operated upon them.” As Spurgeon does so eloquently, he goes on to show us how grace makes an immediate impact. “Grace makes a great difference in a man when it enters into him. How vain, then, are the boasts and professions of some persons, who assert themselves to be the children of God, and yet live in sin. Let such know that their pretensions are lies, and that falsehood is the only groundwork they have for their hopes; for wherever the grace of God is, it makes men to differ.”

Bottom line: Men who have seen Grace face to face are changed forever. By their fruits they will be known. You cannot encounter the Son of Man and not be changed. Sure, we’re all flawed, sinful human beings, and we won’t be fully sanctified until the day described above. Yet, there is grace even here and now for those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation!

BRYAN FURLONG

I write about theology, culture, politics, fitness & lifestyle. Reformed Baptist. Conservative. FL. bryanfurlong.com/blog