Happy New Year to all our loyal Leafytimes readers!  I’ve already recapped the year in a previous post, so I’ll turn to what lies ahead in the new year.  First, my resolutions: try the 1926 Serie Padrons (easy, as I have a box on the way), the OpusX Forbidden X, the Anejo Shark, the Cohiba Sigulo VI (Cuban)–okay, I’m setting the bar way too low, as I’m already in possession of all these gars. Truth is, I’m not much for resolutions.
2007 is shaping up to be a great year, though. I’ll be getting married in June (which is probably when I’ll try all of the above gars) and will be purchasing a house soon, and hopefully starting a new job (for those of you who have been reading the posts all year, I think we can agree that’s long overdue!).

Gars, gars, gars.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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The Casa Fuente line is sold exclusively at the “Casa de la Fuente” store in Caesar’s Palace. The store has only been open for a little over a year, and I have not had a chance to visit it yet. A few of my friends have, however, and they’ve been kind enough to bring me back some of these gars.

Case in point: A friend brought me a Corona Gorda (5.75 x 46) about four months ago. Last week, another friend gave me a Robusto (5 x 5.25). (No, I’m not trying to insinuate that I’m “Uncle Popular”; I just have some really nice friends.) I have since had both. The Robusto was amazing. As good or better than an Opus X, with tons of flavor and terrific draw. It was particularly strong. Maybe not Opus X strong, but well north of a run-of-the-mill Fuente.

The Corona Gorda was not as good. The draw was tighter and it lacked the depth of the Robusto. Perhaps Robusto size allows additional flavors to come through because the smoke is cooler. Or maybe it was a fluke, or my pallate was too fried (been smoking a lot of gars over the holidays).

In any event, it is worth noting that Casa de la Fuente does not gouge you on the prices. The Robusto is about $20.00. Not bad for an Opus X with a different band. (Incidentially, the store also has Anejos, which are notoriously expensive and difficult to find, at wholesale prices: a No. 77 “Shark” is just $23.00; cigar.com sells them for $34.95 and they almost never have them in stock.)

Long story short: if you have the time and the means, be sure to stop by Casa de la Fuente the next time you’re in Vegas and ask for the house cigar. If you don’t want to wait until then, rumor has it that cigar.com will sell them over the phone (not off the webpage). You will probably pay a hefty premium, however. With gas prices these days, it may be worth it.

Robusto:

Corona Gorda:

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Happy Holidays to all our loyal Leafy Times readers!  This has been a great year for us in gars.  We discovered the Padron 1964s, La Aurora Prefideros, Oliva Serie Os, Casa de la Fuentes, Don Carlos, Cx2s, and Greycliffs, just to name a few.  Plus Hudgar 2006 1.0 and 1.5.  Wonderful things all.

There were down times, too.  Work woes, mostly.  That, and Brother Dicksbain is still suck in Cleveland (though he disagrees with the word “stuck”).  Hopefully 2007 will be better for us professionally, but no worse for us in terms of gars.

On December 24, the brothers will be having their annual Die Hard smoke-a-thon.  This is the sixth or seventh year (not counting last year) that we’ve watched one of the Die Hard movies at Christmas time.  Brother Dicksbain is making an extra-special effort this year to join us via satellite (er, cell phone) from the UK.

Xmas cigars: ordered a box of 1926 Serie Padron #35s to celebrate the new year.  I also have some Cuban Siglo VIs and Casa de la Fuentes on the way.  Bonuses really help stomach the steep prices on these unsurpassed gars.

New Car:  Uncle Moneybag$ test drove the new 2007 BMW 335i Coupe today.  Fantastic car.  Didn’t buy it, but will take another shot at it tomorrow.  Stay tuned.   Die Hard, Gars, Cars–does it get any better ?

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Uncle Moneybag$ is flying solo this week, with Brother Dicksbain on holiday. Had a Casa Torano Toro, a Cx2 Robusto, and an Oliva Serie O Robusto. All very good smokes. Unfortunately, Uncle Moneybag$ is coming down with a cold, just in time for the holiday season. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the annual Die Hard viewing this coming Saturday–this will be the sixth (7th?) year in a row for this holiday tradition.

Topics Discussed:
NONE (see above), though Uncle Moneybag$ still bitched about work out loud to himself.

Cigars Smoked:
Oliva Serie O Robusto
CAO Cx2 Robusto
Torano Casa Torano Toro
Padron 2000 Robusto
CAO Criollo Pato
Macanudo Hyde Park Lords

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Ever since the Serie O series from Oliva received a 92 rating from Cigar Aficionando, it has been a hot brand.  I finally ordered some of these on Brother Dicksbain’s recommendation, and I must admit they do not disappoint.  Creamy, nutty and spicy, these are solid Nicaraguan smokes.  I’m not sure they are worthy of a 92 rating, but at under $5.00 a smoke, they are one of the best value gars out there–even more so than the Padron standard series.

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Smoked a lot of gars this weekend: six both days, probably more for Brothe Dicksbain.  Good conversation.  Need to find Brother Dicksbain a new Bluetooth headset.  Rainy in Southern California (with bouts of sunshine); Snowy and cold in Hudson (what else is new?).  Good brews, too.  All-in-all a solid weekend that went by far too quickly.

Cigars Smoked:
Zino Classic No. 6
Carlos Torano 1916
Carlos Torano Vitruoso
Carlos Torano 1959 Exodus Maudro
Carlos Torano 1959 Sliver Robusto
Carlos Torano Estate Cigar (the best Torano?)
Macanudo Hyde Park Lords
Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Pampalona
CAO Gold 10th Anniversary Perfecto
Topics Discussed:
Work Woes and then some!
Uncle Moneybag$ work shake up, bonus and big hearing
Company of Heros - the mission that can’t be beat
Die Hard for Xmas
Upcoming wedding plans - Casa de la Fuente trip in August?
Hudgar 2007 - The Return - May 2007
Padron 1964 vs. Don Carlos Robusto
GarGlue Revisited
War - What is it Good For?
Space Shuttle Nightime Launch
Mysterious fireworks over Hermosa Beach
JR Cigar 12 Days of Christmas - terrible so far, with full writeup to come!

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A solid, smooth (and dare I say, “sexy?”) Dominican gar from the good folks at Davidoff. This creamy, soon-to-be classic gar is impeccably crafted with good burn and draw. It is particularly long on the palate. Think of it as a Macanudo that won’t let you down. A newcomer that is not to be missed. I particularly like the tubos, which feature a classy, piano-black case.

LT Rating: 7.5 / 10

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About a year ago, this was one of my favorite smokes. Smooth, mild, nutty and full of creamy smoke–or so I thought at the time. I’ve ordered 5 boxes of these since then, and, while I still appreciate them for nostalgic purposes, they just don’t hold my interest anymore. Kind of like Budweiser or Mickey’s. Sure, there’s a time and a place, but that time was a long time ago and that place was on a street named “Spruce” in good-ole P-town. I guess its time to move on from this decidedly average smoke. Too bad. I thought this would be a staple for many years to come. Perhaps its time to try the “gold” line again?

LT Rating: 6.5 / 10

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I’ve been a fan of Perdomo ever since my early obsession with the ISOMs. I’ve thought there was unappreciated magic behind this company and their cigars. It also helped that PR Cigar is Solon, OH carries nearly every single Perdomo cigar out there.

The Lot 23’s are named after one of Perdomo’s farms in Nicaragua. The tobacco was grown in 2000, harvested in 2001, and fermented and aged till this year. It’s obviously a limited run cigar.

Construction is great. The belicoso has a sharp taper to it. No burn or draw issues. Flavor is distinctly Nicaraguan with a robust spice. Hints of cinnamon and grass. Finish is a little bitter but creamy too. This is a complex smoke, which I truly am starting to appreciate in finer cigars. So many cigars are ‘One Note Sambas‘ and the cigars like this Lot 23 that are more like a symphony are really starting to separate themselves from the pack.

Overall, this was a fine stick. For $5, it’s one of the best Perdomo’s they currently offer.

LT Rating: 8.0 / 10

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This cigar was a big let down. Being a HUGE fan of the 1964s (and who isn’t?!), I figured Padron regular series cigars would have to offer at least some of the qualities that the near perfect 1964’s do. So I picked up a 2000, 3000, and 5000 series to try them out.

This cigar had a very rustic, veiny appearance. Thick wrapper. Overall construction was OK. Burn was off from the start and even with several corrections, it never recovered. It also burned way too hot. I even let it sit for several minutes to see if it would cool down, but it never did. And HOT = Bitter and the taste was bitter all the way through. Aroma was so overwhelmed by the bitter taste, it was hard to discern any subtleties.  There were hints of burnt coffee, burnt toast, and burnt nuts.

Overall, very disappointing. I hope I just got a really bad segundo….

LT Rating: 3 / 10

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Great conversation. Heroic smokes. This is what Dominican Mornings are all about. Brother Dicksbain braved the 20 degree weather and smoked some good (and some not-so-good) gars, while Uncle Moneybag$ enjoyed the balmy California weather. It wasn’t too long ago that the situation was reversed, with Uncle Monebag$ jealous of the warm weather enjoyed by Brother Dicksbain while Uncle was living in Boston and Dicksbain in California. Man, how time flies.

Cigars Smoked:

• CAO Cx2 Robusto
• Zino Classic Robusto
• 5 Vegas Gold Toro
• Padron 2000 Robusto (Maduro and Naturale)
• CAO 10th Anniverario Torpedo
• Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Pamplona
• Arturo Fuente Don Carlos (A+ gar!)
• Villar y Villar Super Crapper (JR Halloween Horror officially put to bed!)

Topics Discussed:

• Super-rare Gurkha “Black Dragon” - Complete with Camel-bone box
• Padron 1964 - still the one I long for
• Work woes - Extended Edition
• Xmas Smokes (Cubans for Brother Dicksbain overseas, Box of Padron 1964 for Uncle Moneybag$)
• Uncle Moneybag$ new suit and bag
• Garage overhauls
• Roomba for your lawn???
• Cigar Aficianado - Sold Out!
• “Found Stan” pictures - is a website in order?
• Xmas Trees (both done already - tis the season indeed!)
• Uncle Moneybag$ upcoming house purchase: one of the most rewarding life experiences?
• New James Bond Movie: a must see
• Battlestar: decent season so far
• Company of Heros - destructable environments, solid AI, amazing graphics: where’s the expansion?

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Found this one on sale at my local retailer for just $7.99 (typical price is over $10.00 retail — even cigar.com sells them at $9.17). This is the second one of these I’ve ever had. The first was during Hudgar 2006 (version 1.0). I think I rated it a solid 8 there, but I didn’t really get to enjoy its amazing flavor then, as my palate was toasted by the time I got around to smoking it. In any event, this gar is a must-try; it is far better in construction, burn and taste to the original CAO Cameroon, and the finish is long and smooth. Next to the Don Carlos, this is the best Camaroon I’ve had. Kudos to CAO for another fine blend.

LT Rating: 8.5 / 10

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