I ordered a box of 25 of these last week from Jr Cigar at $49. Having tried the S.T. Duponts from the Dominican Republic and enjoying them in the past, this purchase was pretty easy to make. ST Dupont has recently switched production to Nicaragua for these cigars and thus I expected a stronger, spicier cigar than their obsolete Dominican siblings.

The packaging for the S.T. Duponts is second to none. The box comes wrapped in two cardboard boxes. 1 to protect the cigar box and one to protect the cigar box cover I guess. The cigar box itself is a high gloss black piano lacquer with gold inlay. High quality packaging generally lends itself to good cigar quality, and the ST Duponts don’t disappoint.

This is great medium-bodied cigar all around. The taste is peppery with hints of cloves. The burn is excellent. The construction is wonderful. I’ve now smoked 9 of these and I have ordered another box from JR that arrived yesterday. I think ST Dupont made the right move switching production over to Nicaragua.

Rating: 8/10

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What can I say? I smoked a lot of gars on my week off, including CAOs, Arturo Fuentes, TTT Trinidads, Perdomos, Montecristos, Rocky Patels, Sancho Panzas, S.T. Duponts, Cusanos, just to name a few brands. Truly a great week off. While I don’t have time to review every gar I smoked (estimated at a total of 40), I am going to review the gars purchased specifically for the occassion. In no particular order they are:

1. CAO Italia Gondola (Torpedo) - still a great smoke, but I prefer this blend in the robusto size (Caio). But after smoking approximately 10 of these in the past 5 months, I’m starting to think they could use more depth. Of the five I smoked during this week, the best was the first one I had: as soon as I left work with a whole week off ahead of me.

2. Leon Jimenes Don Fernando (Corona) - this is quite possibly the most over-hyped, over-priced cigar I’ve ever had. I paid an even $10.00 for this thing, and it lasted for only 15 minutes. Still, I spent the better part of the week trying to figure out why it’s so damn expensive. And I still don’t get it. Flavor and burn were good, but not great. In short: Nothing special and criminally expensive. I’ve got to stop listening to the guys at cigar.com

3. Padron 1964 Anniversary Principe (Corona Gorda) - truly a masterpiece. I smoked this one with Brother Dicksbain during HudGar 2006 version 1.5 (Wednesday), while he had an Imperiale. This gar is like eating lobster. Buttery, sweet, full of flavor. I was glad to find these for sale at the Classic Vendome because now I can buy them at will. Prices were good, too: about $12.99 for the Exclusivo.

4. La Aurora 1495 Churchill - good depth and decent flavor, but terrible draw and burn. So bad I had to put this one out early, which was severly dissappointing given that I paid $11.95 for this gar. After smoking this, I came to the conclusion that the Churchill is the worst size for gars.

5. Don Lino Africa Kifaro (Torpedo) - another great smoke in SLO, this gar was like smoking a piece of dark chocolate. Utterly unique, and very spicy, I will definitely be ordering some more of these. Great draw and burn and a good value, too.

6. Pryme (Robusto) - A nice mild-bodied cigar with floral notes and hints of peppermint. I bought one of these on a whim, and I’m glad I did. They are a bit overpriced, probably due to their limited production, but they are worth trying if you can find them. Draw was acceptable after the first third or so.

7. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto - A mammoth-Fuente enjoyed during Dominican Mornings on 8/12/06 in place of the CAO Odyssey (which we never smoked, see below). Fantastic in every respect except for draw. Had to suck the hell out of it to get any smoke. Terrific nutmeg flavor and great burn. A satisfying smoke if you’ve got the time and the muscle for it.

Cigars purchased but NOT smoked:

A. La Aurora 100 Anniversary Robusto - a great looking gar that will only get better with time, and I want to save it for a special occasion. I have a few occasions in mind, and I’m sure it won’t last more than three months.

B. CAO Odyssey Odyssey - Brother Dicksbain and I decided not to smoke these on account of the horrible reviews on top25cigars.com. No one seems to have ever enjoyed this gar. Add to that its high price, and the fact that it looks great just sitting in the humidor, we decided to hang on to them indefinitely.

C. CAO 65th Anniversary Tonto - Another CAO specialty gar that I was looking forward to, but ultimately decided to save because of its poor reviews, yet high-quality appearance. I guess some gars are better to look at than to smoke.
HudGar 2006 version 1.5 / Dominican Mornings:
During my time off, Brother Dicksbain and I spent a lot of time playing Battlefield Vietnam. When we weren’t playing, we discussed (and at times, even debated) just about everything, from Eve Online to housing prices, to relationships, to computer games, to wireless routers, to what we’ve done in the past three years, to the future–and of course, we discussed gars, gars, gars. Some great moments, as always.

Vacation Highlights:
During my time off, I played through “The Bard’s Tale,” which I purchased lawfully from the Classic Fry’s Electronics in Anaheim. I went to the OC twice, the Classic Circle-K and Del Taco, and then to SLO for two days. While in SLO, I went for long walks through campus and downtown, met up with an old friend and smoked some great gars, and hand-waxed my car in Morro Bay (while smoking a Rocky Patel). The rest of the week, I took it easy at home and had a root canal (sucked). I am dreading going back to work tomorrow, but I believe things will be better now that I’ve had a little break. Only time will tell.Viva cigars!

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We had so much fun at Hudgar 2006, that we decided we needed to have another, condensed or “extreme” version of this wonderful event. Today will be marked with smoking some ultra premium cigars, good conversation, and even another Angels vs Indians baseball game to cap it off. We might even get a few rounds of BF:V in.

Here’s the starting lineup:

Dicksbain

1. CAO Odyssey Odyssey, 6.7 X 55
2. Arturo Fuente OpusX XXX, 4.63 X 48
3. Padron 1964 Anniversary Imperial, 6 X 54

Uncle Moneybag$

1. CAO Italia Gondola (Torpedo), 6.25 X 54
2. Leon Jimenes Don Fernando #4, 5.5 X 42
3. Padron 1964 Anniversary Principe, 4.5 X 46
4. La Aurora 1495 Churchill, 7 X 50
5. Don Lino Africa Kifaro, 6.25 X 52
6. Pryme, 5.15 X 52
7. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Don Carlos Double Robusto, 5.75 X 52
8. La Aurora 100 Anniversary Robusto, 5 X 50
9. CAO Odyssey Odyssey, 6.7 X 55
10. CAO 65th Anniversary Tonton, 5 X 50

Uncle Moneybag$ unofficially started Hugar v1.5 on Saturday as he begun his condensed week long “sabbatical” from work. Hence his disportionate number of premium smokes.

Reviews, topics, and fun fun fun to follow!

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Another fine set of mornings/afternoons/evenings. This edition of DM marked the beginning of Uncle Moneybags’ (formerly Brother Delonne) week off. We were generally in good spirits, given the upcoming HudGar2006 1.5, which is this Wednesday. Brother Dicksbain ordered the CAO Oddessey, the Padron 1964 Imperial, and a (gasp) OpusX XXX Perfection. Uncle Moneybags ordered two Padrons(!), an Oddessey, a CAO 65th Anniversary Robusto, a Leon Jimmenez Don Fernando, some CAO Italias, a Pryme Robusto, a La Aurora 1495 Churchill, a La Aurora 100 Anos Robusto, an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Corona (let’s face it, he has a whole week off).  Be sure to stay tunned for the reviews of Hudgar2006 1.5, in color!

As for this weekend:

Cigars Smoked:
CAO Italia Belicoso (x2)
Pryme Robusto
TTT Trinidad Toro
Leon Jimminez Don Fernando
CAO Brazillia
CAO Gold
5 Vegas Belicosoo
CAO Cameroon Belicoso
Carlos Torano Silver Robust
Padron Squared (x2)
Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro
CAO Black Toro
Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Churchill

Topics Discussed:
HudGar2006 1.5
Is Coca-cola Flammable?
Brother Delonne’s official name change to “Uncle Moneybags”
BF:1942, Vietnam
Bard’s Tale purchase (ok so far)
Fable (not available at Fry’s anymore)
KOTOR: is Darth Revan supposed to be an evil dude?
Car wash, busted 300 mirror (ouch!)
The Red Door (Brother Dicksbains’ weekend project, looks great)
Dancing with Kadafi (and other fine music by Infected Mushroom)
Real estate market (highs and lows, mostly highs)
Best size for gars: Robusto, Belicoso
Vacation plans (Uncle Moneybags goes back to SLO, again!)
Vendome revisted (has 1964 Padron available at good prices!)
Classic Del Taco and Circle K (oh, how I missed thee!)
Spruce place revisted (great drive-by this weekend, looks the same as a year ago, except there’s now a plant there; must have been what made it go up 30,000 in value)
(note: we did NOT discuss work woes!)

Finally, I’d like to mention that this month marks the third anniversary of Uncle Moneybags’ triumphant return to SoCal from the East Coast. It’s been a rough ride, but I’m glad I came back. Brother Dicksbain is a huge part of that. Unfortunately, this month also marks the first anniversary of Brother Dicksbain’s departure from SoCal for Cleveland. It just hasn’t been the same since he left. If I could stand the cold, I might just move. I’m just glad that we have gars, Dominican Mornings and games still, and I want to say “thank you” for the many memories and guidance over the past three years.

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