The Story
A Road Chaser
by Conviction
I'm ThatCigarDude — a retired cigar bar owner, former motorcycle shop proprietor, and full-time road chaser based in central Florida. I spent years behind the counter at Belicoso Cigars & Cafe and building custom bikes at Guilty Customs Motorcycles.
Now I chase the horizon. I review cigars and whiskey, along with road trips and cigar shops I visit with the same deliberate attention I once gave to finding the right cigar or custom build. Every review is honest. Every ride is earned.
Ash & Asphalt is what happens when two slow burns collide — the ember of a fine cigar and the heat of asphalt under a Florida sun.
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"Shut Up. Smoke Cigars. Ride."
The Smoke
Ash & Opinion
From Connecticut shade-grown to Nicaraguan maduro, every stick gets the same honest treatment. Burn, draw, construction, flavor profile — no fluff, just the truth about what's in your hand.
"A good cigar is a slow conversation with yourself."View on Instagram
The Pour
Whiskey Opinions
Bourbon, Scotch, rye, Texas whiskey — if it's worth pouring, it's worth reviewing. Nose, palate, finish, and the all-important question: does it pair with a cigar?
"The best whiskey is the one in your glass right now."View on Instagram
The Ride
The Open Road
Motorcycles aren't transportation — they're a philosophy. Road dispatches, ride reports, and the kind of freedom you can only find at 70 mph on an empty Texas highway.
"The road doesn't care who you were. Only where you're going."View on Instagram
The Philosophy
"If it burns slow or moves fast,
I'm probably into it."
— I'mThatCigarDude, Central Florida · @ashandasphalt
Honest Takes
Recent Opinions
Padron 1964 Anniversary
One of the finest Nicaraguan smokes I've had the pleasure of reviewing. The maduro wrapper delivers chocolate and leather with a draw so effortless it borders on unfair.
Pairs with: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
Garrison Brothers Small Batch
Texas bourbon done right. Honey, vanilla, and a long warm finish that reminds you exactly where you are. This is the state in a glass.
Pairs with: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Arturo Fuente Opus X
The benchmark. Full-bodied, complex, and consistent. If you haven't smoked an Opus X on a long stretch of Texas highway, you haven't lived.
Pairs with: Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
Visual Tour
Gallery
A curated collection of moments from the road, the bar, and everything in between. Click any image to explore.
General
30 seconds inside a proper humidor walk-in. This is why the internet can't replace a real shop. No music. Just ambient sound — the hum of the humidifier/air scrubber, the smell you wish you could send through a screen. This is what you're missing if you only buy online. Ash & Asphalt. Tag someone who needs to walk through a humidor this week.
Cigars
Before the World Woke Up Up at 4:30. Blue Origin was launching the New Glenn from the Cape and I wanted to be there when it happened. Hour and a half in the dark. Roads empty the way they only are on a Sunday before anyone else has committed to the day. A young man was fishing next to the bridge in Titusville with his girlfriend. Local. We started talking. He’d been here before — for the NASA moon rocket. Said his father watched the original launch on a black-and-white television. I told him
Cigars
Most cigar reviews tell you what’s in the box. This one’s about what’s in the air. I picked up an H99 in Williams, Arizona. Sixty miles from the South Rim. The guy behind the counter didn’t say a word. Just slid it across the glass like he’d done it a thousand times. I waited. There’s a pullout on East Rim Drive about twelve miles from Grand Canyon Village. No tour buses. No Instagram moment. Just rock and a view that goes on until your brain stops trying to measure it. That’s where I lit it. Th
Cigars
St. Augustine doesn’t care what year it is. Leaf and Bean by Island Jim’s fits right in. The smell finds you before the door closes. Dark tobacco. Cedar. Something worn-in that doesn’t have a name. You slow down without deciding to. There are places built to sell cigars and places built by people who can’t imagine doing anything else. You know which one you’re in inside of sixty seconds. Spent an afternoon there. Didn’t apologize for it once. @islandjimscigars — St. Augustine, FL Ash & Asph
Whiskey
Double Oak Bourbon finished with sherry oak staves. Paired with a Connecticut robusto.
Cigar
Jefferson's Reserve Very Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Very Small Batch. The cigar earns it.
Road
Classic Sky Chief pump. Central Florida road stop.
Live Feed
Latest on Instagram
Follow along for daily cigar opinions, whiskey tastings, and road dispatches from central Florida.
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Journey
The best opinions, road dispatches, and cigar pairings happen in real time. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for daily content — and join a community of people who appreciate the slow burn and the open road.
The Legacy
Built on Two Businesses,
Driven by Passion
Former Venture
Belicoso Cigars & Cafe
A central Florida cigar bar and cafe where the ritual of a fine smoke met community, conversation, and craft.
Former Venture
Guilty Customs Motorcycles
Custom motorcycle builds for riders who demand something more than what rolls off the factory floor.
Get in Touch
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& Collaborations
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