Happy Thanksgiving to all.  I spent yesterday brewing up a 5-gallon batch of India Pale Ale.  It’s fermenting nicely in my basement right now.  This is my 5th batch since getting into the new hobby.

This year I decided to use some of the home brew equipment to deep fry the Thanksgiving turkey.

It was a sunny 39 degree day here in Cleveland, OH.  I had a tough time keeping the oil at 350 degrees, but the turkey still came out amazing after 48 minutes in the hot oil bath.  I smoked 2 cigars during the cooking process; a 5 Vegas Series “A” and a Perdomo Habano Maduro.  Both good smokes to have while tending to the fryer and sipping my homebrew Hop Nog 2008 IPA.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend.  Cheers.

Deep Fried Turkey Rating:
Hop Nog 2008 IPA Rating:
Thanksgiving Cigars:

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With all the talk over the past few weeks and months of CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE I was inspired to mix things up here at Leafytimes.com.

The reason the cigar reviews have been non-existent since Hudgar can be attributed to my new hobby - Home Brewing Beer.  I’ve brewed up 20 gallons so far (India Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, Belgium Triple, Holiday IPA) with no signs of slowing down.  It’s a great hobby that I’m really enjoying every aspect of it.  I had thought of starting a NEW blog, but recently thought that I could easily combine CIGARS and BEER into one.  It’s a natural marriage of the good life.

So hope and change have made there way to LeafyTimes.  Stay tuned for more excitement, hope, change, disappoint, etc.

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We kicked off the 2nd Annual Hudgar on Thursday, August 14. For those of you that don’t follow our wacky blog, Hudgar is our two-man bi-annual cigarfest. We started this 3 years ago when I moved from SoCal to Ohio as an excuse to get nostaglic about the “good old days” of doing nothing more than smoking cigars in the garage.

A quick run down of the 3 day event:

Thursday, August 14 2008

• I flew in the CLE airport from Nashville, TN
  • Drank three Great Lakes Brewing Company Black Out Stouts
  • Waited 3 hours for my brother
  • Played GW with Scott and Gile.
• Brother arrived at gate C10 from LAX at 10:50PM
• Lit up a CAO Gold for the drive home.
• Stopped by a horrible Taco Bell in Twinsburg, OH - Order was all wrong.
• Stopped by my work to get the Logitech Sound System and Indians Tickets.
  
• Drove to the Hudson house
  • Sparked up the Padron 1964 Exclusivo
  • Drank some Lagunitas Maximus IPA
  • Watched South Park, Simpsons, and Family Guy
  • Montecristo 444 Africa capped out the cigars for the night.
  • Went to sleep @ 5AM

Friday, August 15 2008

• Started the morning off with some cigars:
  • I had the Perdomo Lot 23 Churchhill
  • Brother had the Perdomo Exclusivo
• Drove to QDoba for lunch
• Drove to PR Cigar in Solon, OH and purchased several cigars.
• Lit up the Arturo Fuente Best Seller for the drive.
• Drove to Downtown Cleveland
• Tried to drive to Little Italy, it was closed for THE FEAST.
• Drove back to Downtown Cleveland and smoked on the pier by the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.
  • I had the Padron 5000
  • Brother had the CAO Black Gold Maduro
• Ditched the car on the west side of Cleveland.
• Walked to Fat Fish Blue on W 9th Street.
  • Ate lots of Fries and shrimp.
  • Drank Great Lakes Burning River and Fat Fish Brew
• Lit up a severed JR Cigar Macenudo knock off. We split it.
• Walked to “The Prog” (Progressive Field - Home of the Cleveland Indians)
• Watched a great baseball game. Anaheim vs Indians. Indians win 2-3
• Drive home Padron 1964 Exclusivo Maduro
  • Brother had a Macenudo Prince for the drive

  Sparked up Perdomo Habana Series

• Started drinking Stone IPA, Hopping Frog, and more Lagunitas.
• Capped the night off with Montecristo Africa 444s.

Saturday, August 16 2008

• Started the day off strong with the Aston VSG Churchills.
• Got lunch at Mavis Winkles Irish Pub.
• Smoked some more cigars.
  • I had the CAO Brazilla Gol
  • Brother had the Fuente Best Seller
  • Drove to Acme to get more beer and snacks.
• Uncle Moneybags’ Wild Ride on the John Deer (blades off).
• Ordered Zeppes Extra Saucy Extra Large w/ Olives.
• Created Brothers Mii on the Wii.
• Played some GTA and Dead Rising.
• Split the Temple Hall Estates churchill - severed edition.
• Both of us smoked Cohiba Siguelo VI and God of Fire Carlos 2005s.
• More beer, more games, more cigars.
• Capped the night off with a CAO Black and Montecristo 444.

Sunday, August 17 2008

• Drove brother back to CLE airport at 6am.
• Guild Wars
• Final cigar of Hudgar - remote edition - Aston VSG Churchill

It was another great event and I’ll be counting the days until Hudgar III.  I will be posting my full review of the cigars I smoked shortly.

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We had a good weekend.  Lots of Guildwars, plenty of cigars, and good weather for both of us.  We’re both really excited about HudGar2008–now less than two weeks away.  As I write this, I’m already wishing I could do it again.  Something to look forward to in life is important.  Let’s cherish the countdown to that wonderful occasion.

Topics Discussed:
HudGar2008 - further discussion on selections.
Guildwars — Uncle Moneybags doing well, Diks Baina banned (wtf?!?!)
Dinner with Stan
Friends we’ve lost touch with (for one reason or another)
State of the family
Jeep purchase for Dicksbain?
Mysterious monitor disappearance from Spruce place
Uncle Moneybags - on the wagon after HudGar?
The importance of aging cigars
Converting old jazz records into to MP3s
Baseball (Angels kicking ass; Cleveland “rebuilding”)
HudGar2008 entertainment and furniture

Gars Smoked:
Rocky Patel Olde World Toro (overhyped, but still good)
CAO Gold Robusto
Arturo Fuente Single Chateau Fuente
Cohiba Siguelo VI (oh, wait, I’ve said too much)
Rocky Patel Cuban Blend Belicoso
La Flor Dominica Single Liguero (60 x 5.75)
Don Lino Africa

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A few weeks ago when I did the inaugural LGAR post, I reviewed the Macanudo Hyde Park. I wasn’t overly impressed with that cigar and I rated it a 6 / 10. Unfortunately for me, JRCIGAR tossed in a JR Alternative with the shipment to try and lure me into buying their branded sticks. So I fired it up for today’s lunch time break to decide if it was at a 6.

I’ve had a few brushes with the JR Alts before. I’ve never been overly impressed with there taste. There OK for bargain cigars, but don’t fool yourself ever thinking that the JR Alt of a CAO Gold will be able to stand proudly next to the real thing. In fact I believe most of the JR Alts tastes the same, despite JR offering 204 different varities. They’re generally good construction, decent burn, and good draw…but they lack the heart of the their true counterparts. The subtle tasting notes that make a great cigar are always absent. Sure, it’s a flaming stick of tobacco that you paid pennies for, but that doesn’t make it the same. I’ve also noticed that they don’t disclose the origin of the wrapper, binder, or filler…so it’s hard to think of a Pardon alternative that is made in Mexico having the same taste.

Specifically, the JR Alt Macanudo surprised me at first. It wasn’t a bad cigar. It was nothing like the original. It had a really bitter after taste all the way through. It burned very hot no matter how long I let it rest. I made it to the half way point and pitched it. Life is too short for alternatives.

Leafytimes LGAR Rating: 2

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Happy Dominican Mornings.  We had a lot of good smokes this weekend and played Guild Wars at length (special event weekend).  We’re both doing well, generally, but itching for a break — i.e., HudGar2008.  It’s a good thing it’s only a month away.  Too bad work just won’t just step aside until then.

Topics Discussed:
HudGar2008
Guild Wars - Underworld Run (again), and UncleMoneybags’ Tank Build
TeamFortress 2 and Portal - more great games
Garage furniture
Work woes
Spruce days
GW Nightfall purchase?

Gars Smoked:
Aston VSG Carona Gorda (amazing smoke - arguably as good as an OpusX)
Oliva Serie V Double Ligero Belicoso (getting better every month)
CAO Gold Robusto (probably the best value, everyday smoke around)
Arturo Fuente Single Chateau Fuente
Don Lino Africa Dumas (chocolaty and sweet, with earthy overtones, an amazing smoke)

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Dominican Mornings got off to a late start today, but it was fun as always.  We’re both looking forward to HudGar2008.  In the meantime, things are shitty at work, but manageable for now.  Generally we’re doing OK otherwise.  Looking forward to a solid weekend of gaming, with various car and home improvement projects in between.

Topics Discussed:
HudGar 2008 - The Return
Car Battery for Explorer - Dead
Garage improvement projects - Gladiator install during Hudgar?
Dog door installation for Uncle Moneybags’ new dog (he doesn’t like it).
Super expensive vet bullshit - nickle and dime, nickle and dime
BF:2 - still at it
Guild Wars - Four Horsemen, the impossible mission?
Company visiting Dicksbain = no Friday games
Killer deal on 100 Anos La Aurora at Famous-smokes.com this week (missed out)

Plus: Cigar-loving Governor/Moviestar/General Badass Schwarzenegger speaks out against Hollywood’s anti-smoking BS.  At least someone has the balls to say anti-smoking has gone too far….

Gars Smoked:
1964 Maduro Exclusivo
Arturo Fuente Single Chateau
Diablo Picantes

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The Brothers (and presumably Bill Clay) have an annual Christmas tradition where we watch one of the first two Die Hard movies together. We’ve done it for the past 9 years (at least), and it’s always a lot of fun. For years, we have talked about doing a Fourth of July Die Hard viewing to watch Die Hard: With A Vengeance (the third installment), which takes place around the Fourth of July (as opposed to Christmas, like the first two) and co-stars Jeremy “Genuine Class” Irons. This year there’s another Die Hard movie out on DVD: Live Free or Die Hard, released around the Fourth of July 2007 (and which Uncle Moneybags saw in a theater Hawaii on July 3 that year). After some deliberation–and after discovering that Amazon.com had LFoDH for just $7.99–we decided to buy and watch LFoDH. Plan is to start at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Of course, one of the advantages to watching a movie at home is that you can have a nice stoggie while enjoying the show (damn Democrats and their “smoke free this” and “smoke free that“). I’m sure we’ll do a post or two to capture this event and the sweet cigars we smoke. Stay tuned.

Special Note from Brother Dicksbain: Hard to believe it was two years ago during this holiday weekend that we celebrated the first and only Figueroa Evenings.

Update: Well, we watched the movie; it was good; and even better, we smoked the Cuban Cohibas– which lasted an hour and a half each.  God bless America and God bless cigars. Have a great weekend.

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Well, it’s semi-official.  After a two year hiatus (see also here), we’re reconvening in Hudson, Ohio for HudGar 2008.  This year we plan to pull out all the stops for this now-biennial event.  In addition to a hefty supply of our regular staples, we’re considering 4-5 of the following bad boys:

1.  God of Fire Robusto
2.  La Aurora 100 Anos Robusto
3.  CAO Sopranos The Boss
4.  Oliva Special S Torpedo
5.  Fuente Fuente Anejo No. 77 (aka “The Shark“)
6.  Fuente Hemingway “Best Seller”
7.  Padron 1964 Exclusivo
8.  Ashton VSG Belicoso
9.  La Flor Dominica “Mysterio”

Tell us what you think.  What would Jesus smoke (WWJS) if he were at HudGar?

3 Comments »

Hello again.  We’re not having Dominican Mornings this weekend (or the next) because we are both traveling.  Brother Dicksbain is in the UK (for two weeks), and Uncle Moneybags is in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles celebrating his first wedding anniversary (my how time flies).

In the meantime, we both have webcams now (welcome to the party, pal), so we’re now able to have Dominican Mornings live, via telecast (at least between each other).  We did a trial run on Wednesday night and it worked flawlessly.  Given that both brothers are generally technocrats, it’s surprising that it’s taken us this long to adopt this technology.  Nevertheless, you can be sure Dominican Mornings will continue, now that it has been enhanced with video.

Lastly, for those of you looking to try something new, or for those who want to revist an old favorite, please consider this Carlos Torano sampler.

I’ve always been a silent fan of Torano.  I think its easily the best brand of Honduran cigars.  Rich, creamy, complex flavors.  Always something interesting, and plenty to choose from.  I recently ordered the above sampler, and I’ve been nothing but impressed with each cigar.  Each is easily better than the average cigar.  At just three bucks a stick, this deal should not be missed.  (Just for the record, we don’t make any money from our recommendations or reviews, so rest assured we’re not making bogus claims just to earn a fast buck.)

Have a great weekend.  Summer is here.  Light one up, prepare for Fourth of July by ordering a box, sit back, and savor the moments while you can.  One day, you will smoke your last cigar (hopefully by choice and not because you died–or is it the other way around?)  See you next week!

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Werd. Well, we’re officially back. Taking it slow, to be sure, but we’re back. And DMs are back on as well. Nothing much going on this weekend. Weather is good for both of us, and we’re enjoying the weekend as best we can. Brother Dicksbain is playing BF:2 and finally reached First Sergeant. Uncle Moneybags officially retired from that game, but is enjoying Mass Effect (crashy, crashy, however) and his new Dell M1330 laptop (fully loaded). After a successful week at court, Uncle Moneybags deserves a break. But he’s only getting a limited one: win one case, get sacked with another for the weekend. They didn’t put that in the brochure….

Topics Discussed:
New A/C for Brother Dicksbain upstairs.
The Return of Leafytimes.com
Drinking and more drinking (Unclemoneybags currently on hiatus)
New Laptop for Unclemoneybags
Games
Trance (Infected Mushroom)
Father’s Day gifts
Jazz (Gil Evans, Bud Powell)
Work woes
Southern California OS/2 User Group - Should we attend?  Is this a support group for recovering OS/2 Users?

Cigars Smoked:
CAO Gold Robusto (x2)
Romeo y Julieta Bully
Padron 1964 Exclusive Maduro
God of Fire by Carlito

More to come!

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Another fine weekend is here. Weather is good for both of us (for once). We had a good time getting back to our old habits. Meaning we had some good smokes. Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few drinks, have a few laughs.

Topics Discussed:
Mass Effect - The Greatest Game Ever Made
BF:2 - UncleMoneybags retires after discovering padding servers
Indiana Jones - Both going to go see this weekend.
New Dell M1330 Laptop for UncleMoneybags
New Suits for Dicksbain
Updating your suits? Huh?
Dicksbain’s Garage progress/decks - looking good, but more work is needed

Gars Smoked:
Artuero Fuente King “B” - not so good, tight draw, flavor so-so. Great name.

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