I'm sure most of you have heard of the Digger Challenge, which is to smoke an LFD Digger (forearm-sized double ligero churchill) in 45 minutes. I'm not sure if other conditions are stipulated, such as "and not barf," and I don't know what the standard prize is - free LFD for life? Date with Kate Upton? I don't really care bcs I'm not about to take that challenge.



But I am intrigued at the whole prospect, the same way I'm intrigued by self-flagellating religious zealots or people who pull trucks with various bodily appendages. My own Digger Challenge is, can I smoke one at all, and if so, how long would it take?

So I lit it up and started the iphone stopwatch.

First impressions - whoever succeeds at this challenge must be quite gifted in the sucking department. It's a pretty solid stick, and the draw is very tight - I'm growing a new set of tonsils. Flavor's pretty good - sweet, dark maduro flavor with some nuttiness and citrus undertones.

As I write, I'm at the 1:20 mark and less than halfway thru it. Flavor hasn't really changed much approaching the midpoint. Cheeks and tongue are getting a little fatigued, but the draw is a little easier now.