I started last week as a digital communications supervisor at Weber Shandwick. My time at Tribune Company was great, but I like a new challenge. I look forward to learning the ropes of the agency world!

Here’s the official announcement from Weber Shandwick.

Here’s a video of the panel livestream. Enjoy:

You can find some photos here.

Brand: Arturo Fuente
Line: Casa Fuente
Vitola: Pyramid #2 (Torpedo - 6.38 x 52)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium

Viva Las Vegas.

I recently took my second trip to Sin City to moderate a panel at CES2009, but before I left, I stopped over at Casa Fuente to try its exclusive Casa Fuente cigar. (Well, there was that, and Pete Rose was signing autographs across the way.)

The Casa Fuente has a sweet-smelling Cameroon wrapper that’s exceptionally smooth, and my sticks had good prelight draws and no soft sports. The Casa Fuente — like most Fuente cigars I’ve enjoyed — is superbly rolled, so the cigars’ caps were superb.

I found the flavor in the first half to be leathery with a sweet, vanilla finish. The second half is leathery and sweet, but it gets a touch peppery.

As far as burn, the Casa Fuente burned a bit unevenly at first, but it evened out about an inch and a half in. It produced solid, light gray ash.

Verdict: Love this Cameroon wrapper on this one, and you will too. It’s a good, consistent smoke.

As far as the proper drink to enjoy this with, I was at the Casa Fuente store around 11am, so I didn’t have a spirit with the cigar the first time around; I just had a couple of Fat Tires. My suggestion is to pair this with something fairly mild so you can savor this consistent, delicious smoke.

At $18-$28 a stick, however, you’d better save this for a special occasion. Weddings, bar mitzvahs — or if you win some money at the blackjack tables.

Brand: Gurkha Cigars
Line: Signature 1887
Vitola: Red Rothchild (Toro); 6 x 55
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Indian, Peruvian
Body: Mild-to-medium
Strength: Medium

I’ve been on a bit of a Gurkha kick lately. Sue me. Things could be much worse.

Anyway, I’ll just get right into the review. The Gurkha Signature Red 1887 and its maduro brother, the Gurkha Signature Black 1887, seem to be tough sticks to find, but I grabbed a couple of the Red at a recent herf, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The Signature 1887 has a good prelight draw and has a slightly sweet, nutty scent. The Connecticut Shade wrapper was smooth and silky without any rough patches or big veins. The cigar, which just looks like it would be spongy, was consistent and firm.

Burn wasn’t an issue with this stick at all, as the Gurkha Signature Red 1887 produced a solid stack of dark-gray ash. However, about a third of the way in, the draw got a bit tight, and the cigar was tough to smoke just until it hit its sweet spot.

I’m happy the draw opened back up. It was, as they say, luxurious. It was toasty and nutty, with hints of sweetness and had a touch of spice on the finish.

Verdict: I think the Gurkha Signature Red 1887 may be one of my new favorites. At $8 a stick, it isn’t a regular smoke, but if you’re one to splurge on a box occasionally, you may want to check this one out.

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

Brand: Gurkha Cigars
Line: Black Dragon
Vitola: Imperial Presidente (Double Corona; 7 x 56)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan, Peruvian
Body: Medium-to-full
Strength: Medium

Gurkha hosted an event a couple of months ago at a local store, so I decided to splurge a bit. What cigar did I pick up? The Black Dragon, of course.

I’m sure you know all about Gurkha’s initial foray with the stick — cough, $115K for 100 cigars — but the company released the not-as-exclusive version of the Black Dragon last year with much fanfare, especially on CigarJack. I figured it was finally time to try it.

What was the occasion, you may ask? I made my own chili — Daniel’s Texas-style New York Chili — for the first time. Ever. This called for a celebration.

The Gurkha Black Dragon is an impressive-looking stogie. The wrapper is pretty smooth, with only a few veins, and slightly oily. It had a good pre-light draw, and a slightly earthy pre-light scent and flavor.

Like Brian Hewitt over at Stogie Review, I experienced some very good, even burns on my Black Dragons, and the cigars produced white, flaky ash. And like Brian, I found the first third — or in my case, half — of the stick to have sweet, creamy flavors with a smooth finish. I also tasted some lingering notes of earth and leather. The flavors intensified more in the second half.

Verdict: The Gurkha Black Dragon Imperial Presidente is a good stick for $7-$8 and a decent cigar for $9-$10. If you can get it for that price range, then it’s worth a try. If not, see if you can get a deal for it online.

(Note: This review originally appeared on CigarJack.)

I figured that if I had never heard of it, you may not have either. So here’s an interview with Mary Nisi, a CHIRP board member.

What are your thoughts on the project? Do you think it’s a good idea? Do you think it will work?

Patrick asked some really good questions, including some from his Twitter followers. Topics discussed include:

- What kinds of Tweets are the most popular?
- How do newsroom staffers feel about social media and the Colonel?
- Why is it important for news organizations to interact with users?

Anyway, please let me know what you think. If I sound like a complete idiot, please let me know. (I mean, I hope I don’t!)

I’ll still post here from time to time, but until I get into a rhythm over there and get it up to speed, you can always follow me on Twitter or read my stuff on CigarJack.

You can listen to it here. Enjoy!