I think the Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Fuente Maduro was the very first hand rolled cigar I had back in 1997 during the tail end of the “cigar boom”. At the time I was not a cigar smoker and I was actually selling cars of all things and could by no means even afford cigars. I was given one of these sticks by some sleezy sales manager and I throughly enjoyed it (The cigar that is, the manager sucked). Over the next few years, whenever the time arose where I’d smoke cigars, this was the bad boy I saught out because it was the only one I knew. Moneybag$ and I had several of these over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Now that I consider myself a cigar smoker after smoking thousands of other sticks, I still appreciate this cigar as one the best out there. It comes wrapped in cedar, which I always use to light the cigar. The wrapper is dark, rough, thick, and very oily. Especially on the maduros.

It’s a complex medium bodied smoke. Very woody, with strong cedar tones. Finishes earthy with hints of almonds and a slight spice. It’s a big smoke with great draw and burn that has a wonderful white ash. Takes a solid hour to finish.

To me, these are simply a classic that should not be missed be even the casual cigar smoker. This is what a great cigar is all about.

Leafy Rating: 8.5/10
Top25Cigar.com Ratings

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Cigar.com One Day Deal

20 Corona Grande (6.5 x 47) Indian Tabac Super Fuerte

Once in a great while a deal comes along that you simply can’t ignore. Sadly, it is only once in a while and today is not that day. While this is not a accessory laden deal we’ve been seeing a lot of lately, it’s for the standard “brick” of cheapo cigars. I’ve had a few of these before. They’re loosely packed, 1-note sambas that aren’t worth it at any PPG.

We need a true premium deal from Cigar.com soon. Some CAOs or Arturo Fuentes. . .

Brother’s Purchased?: /
PPG (price per gar): $1.99
Deal Direct URL: Click Here
Deal Rating: 1.0/10

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For just $59.95 (plus $2.50 S&H), you get 40 Mancinis and a cute box. That alone makes this a great deal. Add to that the free 8-count Mancini sampler, and the price per gar is just over a buck-thirty. That’s $1.30 for a cigar that’s probably a 6.5 on our rating scale. This is an insanely good price. Con-crap-adores (Consuergas) sell for more than that, and these are far better smokes.
The only downside to this deal is that you’re getting 48 Mancini cigars, which means they’re gonna be around for a long time, no matter how many you smoke per day. I imagine these would almost be a chore to smoke after the first 25 or so. If Brother Dicksbain were still in town, I imagine we’d split this powerhouse up and smoke the savings. But he isn’t. And I’m too lazy to deal with shipping.
So, after some consideration, I’m going to pass on this deal. If you’re a heavy daily smoker on a budget, I say go for it. Of course, my name is “Uncle Moneybags,” which, naturally, means I’m loaded. I’m going to hold out for the cigar.com deal tomorrow.

Brother’s Purchased?: /
PPG (price per gar): $1.33
Deal Direct URL: Click Here
Deal Rating: 8/10

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Another fine weekend of gars, games, brews and spirits.

Topics Discussed:
BF:2 rankings (Uncle Moneybags = Full Corporal; Dicksbain = Sergeant)
Trip to Vendomes (Purchased a Padron Magnum; everything else is overpriced) — Crazy Cigar Tuesdays are BACK!
CTG and employment prospects for Dicksbain
Uncle Moneybags - Got any spare work, man?
Upcoming trip to SLO
The good, the bad, and the ugly of neighborhood get togethers
The oldest cigars in the humidors (finally smoked the Royal Jamaica!)
Dominican Mornings ONLY?!?!
Browns (lost)
Angels (still alive, but hopes are fading fast)
Holiday Plans/costumes for upcoming wedding
Uncle Moneybags’ Trip to the Zoo
Gars Smoked:
CAO Gold Robustos (several)
Arturo Fuente Hemmingway Classic
Cusano 18 Robusto (several)
Romeo y Julieta Vintage Robusto
Graycliff Professionale Robusto Vintage 1999
Arturo Fuente Double Cheteau Maduro
Royal Jamaica Gold Toro
Padron Magnum
Arturo Fuente Single Cheteau Natural (several)

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4 Cusano 18 Connecticut Robustos
4 CAO Gold Robustos
4 5 Vegas Gold Robustos
4 Fonseca 50 Robustos

Price: $34.95 + $5.95 S&H = $40.90 / PPG = $2.56

Another excellent deal from cigar.com.  No BS cutters or humijars this time; just classic, great cigars.  The Cusano 18 is among my favorites, as is the CAO Gold.  Haven’t tried the Fonseca 50 or the Cinco Vegas Gold line yet, but I’m looking forward to receiving them this week.

Brothers Purchased?: Yes (Uncle Moneybags tried to purchase two, in fact!)

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Cigar.com One Day Deal

2 x Montecristo White Label Rothchilde (5 x 52)
2 x Montecristo Platinum Robusto (5 x 50)
1 x Cigar.com Purple Label Robusto (5 x 50)
1 x Cigar.com Double Guillotine Cutter
1 x Cigar.com Dual Flame Torch Lighter

Another weekly deal that’s packed with accessories rather than discounted gars. With a whopping PPG of $7.99, this is pretty pricey. While the Montecristo Whites have proven to be great ‘early morning gars’, the Platinum’s are not very good and I wouldn’t expect much from cigar.com’s purple lable gar. The lighter looks like it may be a Colibri, but I’d imagine they would have added that important selling point if it were. The cutter looks like a standard generic double guilltine.

This deal is only good if you need a gift for someone who is interested in cigars or you’re new to cigars and need a cutter/lighter. Otherwise PASS.
Brother’s Purchased?: /
PPG (price per gar): $7.99
Deal Rating: 2.0/10
Deal Direct URL: Click Here

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The Montecristo 70th Anniversary Ceramic Humidor Jar

This ceramic humidor was made to hold 25 Montecristo White cigars, but JR is shipping them with a paltry 20 “classic” Montecristos at regular price and passing the “savings” onto you. Free ceramic jar with regular priced cigars? I’m tired of all of JR’s Chotchsky deals. I want good deals on good gars. You can save the memoirobilia. Horrible.

Brother’s Purchased?: /
PPG (price per gar): $5.87-$3.99, depending on size (comes with free humidor)
Deal Rating: 4.5/10
Deal Direct URL: Click Here

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Another fine round of mornings. Started off with a TTT Trinidad Robusto and Graycliff Vintage 1999 Robusto. Then moved on to a Don Lino Africa Dumas, a CAO Brazillia Gol!, two CAO Golds, a S.T. Dupont, and some CAO Bombas. All-in-all fine smokes, fine weather, fine spirits.

Topics Discussed:
BF2: rankings and unlocks (Uncle Moneybags = Private First Class, Dicksbain = Lance Corporal)
Dark Star One: Uncle Moneybags almost purchased, but decided to wait for a price break
DDR2: Brother Dicksbain orders another stick to accompany his new Raptor HDD (sweet improvements)
Football Season Starts (Browns lost)
New mailbox, planting of trees
Holiday plans
Pat’s wedding
Gars starting with the letters “A, B, or C”
Mother-in-law visits
Figueroa Evening Review Revisited (7-3-06)
What a GREAT wife Dicksbain has!

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Picking up a 10-pack of these for $59 was one of the best deals offered by Cigar.com to date. These normally sell for $15+ a piece. Getting them for south of $6 a stick was a true steal and it’s no wonder they sold out so quickly.

There has always been a mystique that surrounds the Graycliff cigars. They’re we’re founded by the owner, Enrico Garzaroli, of the grand Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. Enrico hired well-known cigar legend Cuban Avelino Lara to create Graycliff’s ultra primo, limited run cigars.

This was my first Graycliff and it did not disappoint. The wrapper was dark and think. The band was as gold as any band I’ve ever seen on a cigar. The construction was very good and differed slightly from any other cigar I’ve smoked. The great band did have a bit of vegetable gum traces from its application. In fact all 10 cigars had this rustic touch. No affect to the flavor of course.

The cigar had great draw, burned nicely, and left a nice firm almost reddish ash. This medium bodied cigar had cinnamon and Cocoa flavors. No real spice, just a nice, mature smoke.

Overall, this was a great cigar and for the price paid, it’s an amazing smoke.
Leafy Rating: 9/10
Top25Cigar.com Ratings

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I purchased one of these cigars today to have as a L-Gar from Port Royal Cigar Shop in Solon, OH. The first one I picked up had a very large beetle hole through it and the proprietor quickly tossed it in the trash and got me a replacement that was in good shape.

I’ve always liked the unique packaging of this gar. Nice gold foil wrapper with dual bands. The cigar itself looked well constructed and had a great thick and dark wrapper.

The cigar burned fine and had consistent draw. No corrections needed to keep this cigar going. This is a medium-full bodied smoke that, despite it’s name, is primarily Nicaraguan (wrapper and binder. The filler is a Jamaican, Honduran, Nicaraguan blend). The taste was peppery spice that finished with wood and paper aromas. A slightly sweet molasses after taste.

Overall I’m a fan of this cigar. I’ve had many and never been nearly as disappointed as some of the other reviews out there. Who knows, one day I may even purchase a box!
Leafy Rating: 7.5/10
Top25Cigar.com Ratings

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