Like most cigar lovers, there are about 20 different cigars I’d love to try but can’t quite bring myself to pony up the dough. Well no more, I say. That’s what Gar Fest 2006 is all about.

This year’s event is in Hudson, Ohio, and we’re pulling out all the stops (well, half of them): 10 ultra-primos with an average price per gar of just over $10.00. With prices like these, you can be sure we’ll savor every last draw. Be sure to check out the real-time reviews for each and every gar.

And so, without further ado, here’s the recommended gar list (with prices from www.cigar.com):

1. Opus X Perfecxion X (encedro) (6.25 x 48) = $32.95
2. La Aurora Preferido, Robusto (5×50) = $8.95
3. Fuente Hemmingway Work of Art (4.88 x60) = $11.50
4. La Aroma de Cuba Monarch (6 x 50) = $4.70
5. CAO Criollo Conquistador (6.13 x 52) = $7.25
6. CAO Cx2 Toro (6 x 54) = $10.11
7. Oliva “O” Classic Oasio (6.5 x 52) = $5.76
8. Padron 6000 Torpedo (5.5 x 52) = $7.95
9. Punch Rare Corojo 2006 Magnum (5 x 54) = $5.75
10. La Flor Dominicana Double Ligerio Chiselito (5 x 44) = $6.00

    Price = $100.92 + $5.95 S&H = $106.87

God Bless America.

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Topics Discussed:
Disappointment with ISOM Lanceros
Superior quality of Sol Cubano Toros
Merits and shortcomings of Eve: Online
Cruises to Hawaii vs. Carribean
Upcoming Gar Fest 2006 (June 1-4, 2006)
Leafytimes.com (Posts and creation of top 10 list)
Cleveland Technology Group (upstart)
Purchase of John Deer ride-along mower
Purchase of Lotus Elise/Exige (black)
9/11 Conspiracy Theories
New Bluetooth Headset from Motorola
Simpson quotes
Guild Wars (trek to Hell’s Precipus)
Baseball (Angels/Indians)
Jazz Music (Cannonball Adderly)
LED Rims for Bling Bling Mobiles
Graduation gifts for Sister-L
Problems with combat system in Eve; insurance system
Worst thing about our jobs
Problems with ducks in the garage

Total Gars Smoked:
CAO Criollio Bomba (x2)
Rocky Patel Vintage Toro 1990 (x2)
Cusano 1997 Vintage Robusto (x3)
Fatty Natty (Bankers 5×66) (x1)
Connecticut Shade by Rocky Patel Belicoso (x2)
Arturo Fuente Cheteau Fuente (x2)
Sol Cubano (x2)
ISOM Lancero (x2)
Montecristo White Robusto (x2)
Rocky Patel Vintage Toro 1992 (x2)
Double Cheteau Fuente (x1)
CAO Italia Caio (x1)

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This week’s cigar.com special features a cigar I’m not familar with. They’re offering 2 boxes of 10 Pueblo Dominicanos. The reviews over at Top25cigar.com look pretty good…I’m just too stocked right now to make a mystery purchase. I’ve been burned too many times taking that gamble.

10 Pueblo Dominicano Ambassador (7.5 x 50)
10 Pueblo Dominicano Torpedo (6.25 x 52)

Brother’s Purchased?:
PPG (price per gar): $4.50
Deal Rating: ???
Deal Direct URL: Click Here

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With a price-per-gar (ppg) of just over $2.25, this deal should be a no brainer. But I’ve ordered La Gloria Cubanas from JR before, and they frequently taste bittery and the wrappers always crack. This deal screams “buy me, buy me.” The memories I have of JR’s quality do not. In my book, experience always trumps advertising.

5 x La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda 6.00 x 52 EMS
5 x La Gloria Cubana Churchills 7.00 x 50 EMS
5 x La Gloria Cubana Glorias Extra 6.25 x 46 EMS
5 x La Gloria Cubana Wavell 5.00 x 50 MADURO
5 x El Rico Habano Rico Club 5.25 x 54 MADURO

In the end, this is not a bad deal, even with these shortcomings. I guess what is holding me back is that I know these gars are better than they are when I receive them from JR. And I just can’t bring myself to pay for gars that are worse than the manufacturer intended them to be.

Deal Rating:
Deal Direct URL: Click Here
Brother’s Purchased?:

1 Comment »

This gar is billed as Montecristo’s best regular-production cigar. It is described as creamy, golden and light with flavor worth savoring. In reality, it is a perfect example how the Montecristo name is synonymous with overhyped marketing.

To be fair, the gar does have a silky-smooth Connecticut Shade wrapper. Indeed, it is one of the better looking cigars I’ve ever seen. And it definitely is creamy, in that it’s anything but harsh on the palate. After smoking one, you feel like you could smoke ten more. The trouble is you’d probably have to before you could figure out what its supposed to taste like. It’s a hallow as smoking warm air. The only words that come to mind are “ashy” and “smoky”–hardly words that conjure up any passion or memories.

In the end, at just under $8 a gar, no one I know can afford to get to know this smoke. We’re left to trust the manufacturer that we’re smoking something good. But I don’t buy it. If it were really good, I’d know it for myself.

3 Comments »

A terrific, light-bodied smoke that provides plenty of flavor without being overpowering–a difficult feat for most gars. With a beautiful Connecticut shade wrapper, this gar is sweet with notes of almond and cedar. It is simlar in taste and appearance to a Gurkha Robusto (6 x 50) and has excellent draw and good burn. At $3.50 a gar at cigar.com, it is an excellent value gar. My only complaint is that it burns a little fast and hot toward the end.

2 Comments »

Just shy of a “perfect robusto” (a gar that measures 5 x 50), the Chateau Fuente is a terrific light-bodied smoke.  These gars are impeccably crafted and well balanced.  They have excellent draw, good burn, and are generally easy on the palate.   Woody and earthy in taste, these “encedro” gars tend to be better in their early stages, as they are often bittery toward the end.   Whenever I meet someone who is new to gars and looking for a recommendation, I always point them to the “Single Chateaus.”  And they never dissapoint.  Because they are in such high demand, they are always fresh and “spongy.”  The downside is they can be a little overpowering if not left in a humidor to mature for a few months.

Highly recommended as a “staple” gar.

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