My brother and I are gamers. Sure, we’re quickly becoming old skewl gamers. But I prefer to call us “original gamers”. We grew up on Mario Bros and Saturdays spent at the arcades (particularly Camelot in Anaheim, CA) with a pocket of quarters playing Gauntlet and Xenophobe. This past week, I’ve played (and completed) a phenomenal game called Bioshock. If you haven’t heard here, here, here, here, here, or here, it’s going to be the ‘Game of the Year’. And I completely agree. It’s the best game I’ve played since Knights of the Old Republic.

Bioshock contains lots of tobacco references. There are billboards advertising cigarettes, there are boxes of Habana Especial cigars throughout, and I even found two walk-in humidors (see pics below). And like many games before it, you can smoke cigarettes…for a price. You’ll take a hit in the health bar. I calculated that if you smoked about 20 cigarettes you would keel over and die. I just don’t get this. At first, I think it’s cool that you can even commit in-game smoking. It’s almost cute that you lose a little health when doing it. But I must ask, what message is the gaming industry trying to send us? I can take 21,214 bullets to the face, but a few smokes will kill me? I can fall 9 stories and walk away without a scratch. But a cigar will kill me? If I smoke, as long as a first aid kit is handy, I can cure cancer?

I’ve never seen any other group in the entertainment industry treat smoking this way. When Bruce Willis lights a cigarette at Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard, he doesn’t start coughing uncontrollably and die. The terrorist don’t win because he finds a pack of Marlboros. When shot, he bleeds.

I’m not a crazy nut who wants to change the gaming industry. I’ve just always found it ironic that a few cigarettes can kill you, but you can survive grenades, flamethrowers, and hundreds of enemies in games. The way things are headed, I imagine smoking will be banned from video games soon anyway. Which will be another rant…

For now, enjoy these shots I took of the tobacco goodness from the fantastic Bioshock:

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This is a super premium sampler at nice price.  Everyone of these sticks is a 9+:

Sampler Includes 10 Cigars:
1 - Tatuaje Cojonu 2003
1 - Troya Clasico XVIII Robusto
1 - Don Pepin Garcia Black Robusto
1 - Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas Torpedo
1 - 601 Blue Toro Maduro
1 - La Aurora 100 Años Robusto
1 - La Aurora Robusto
1 - Leon Jimenes Robusto
1 - Padilla Miami 8/11 Robusto
1 - Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ Selectos

Direct Deal Link

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While I support fighting for your rights to have a fine cigar, this guy [allegedly] took it way too far!

AP 8/20/07 - SAN ANTONIO, TX) - A San Antonio police officer has been suspended indefinitely after an internal affairs investigation into allegations he used a racial slur and beat a woman who asked him to put out his cigar at a community pool.

Detective Keith Alfaro has until Friday to set up a meeting with Police Chief William McManus to appeal the “contemplated indefinite suspension,” said police Sgt. Gabe Trevino. Trevino said the action is tantamount to a firing.

Tamara Vaughan, 18, said Alfaro, who was off-duty, hit her 25 times, choking her with his forearm, injuring her jaw and bruising her arm during the July 22 incident.

Alfaro was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and evading and resisting arrest.

An attorney for Alfaro had no comment. A call to another of Alfaro’s attorneys was not immediately returned Monday.

The incident is being investigated by Bexar County because it happened outside city limits.

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A dismal effort by the Brothers this weekend. We missed Saturday DMs altogether, and Sunday DMs were plagued by work woes. Still, we managed to get in a little BF2 in between.

Topics Discussed:

Work Woes (Back with a Vengance);
Eve: Online - the greatest, most pointless game ever?
Fable 2: looks good;
XBOX 360 gets an HDMI port (non-Elite edition) finally;
BF2: “free” 2,000 points from EA due to stats server malfunction;
Uncle Moneybags mounts another TV to the wall;
Simpsons Movie - Dicksbain waiting for the DVD?
Die Hard: “Asian Dawn, what the fuck?”
Flooding in Uncle Moneybags’ guest bathroom - the friends who spilled too much water?
Gars for Sister’s Wedding
Working the Fair and Miller Lite
Uncle Moneybags - Snagged for weekend work both days!

Gars Smoked:

Romeo y Julieta Bully
Romeo y Julieta Reserva Maduro Robusto
Romeo y Julieta Vintage Robusto
Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto
5×54 5 Vegas Gold
5×54 5 Vegas Classic
Sancho Panza Barcelona
CAO Brazllia Gol!
CAO Black VR Maduro Toro

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While my brother opted for the 2005 Robusto made by Carlitos, I went with the more senior Don Carlos edition. We purchased these at Casa Fuente in Vegas about 2 months ago for a staggering $35 a piece ($45 if the new tax passes…). They’ve been resting in the humidor for about two months waiting to be smoked. We decided to just go for it and smoke them this weekend without waiting for a monumental occasion.

Apperence was nearly flawless; only a slight hole was visible on the dark sumatra wrapper. Presentation is top notch. They come in little coffins and if you’re lucky enough to purchase a box, it’s a humidor box.

Aroma is distinctly Fuente. Cedar, oak, and almond were the predominant tones. It was very similar to an Opus X, but with a little more spice to the complexity.

This was a fantastic cigar. If it was $12, I give it a perfect 10 score. Unfortunately, it was priced far higher and thus I have to knock it down to a mortal level. Still, if you see one of these for purchase, don’t hesitate. If you can find or afford a box of these, you are truly a God of something.

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Topics Discussed:

Old games and music therefrom! Snafu, Burgertime.
God of Fire – great smokes, but strong as hell.
Foxit Reader – great pdf viewer
Rehersal Dinner Opus Xs
Cigar smoking sitting down vs. standing
BF2: Brother Dicksbain’s pursuit for 8,000 (acheived!); Uncle Moneybags’ 750 point weekend!
Half Life 2: The Revenge of Motion Sickness; Great Story, though
Lunch at the gas station in Irvine – Dos Amigos Forever!
Top 10 Gaming Controller of All Time (Nintendo MAX, Small XBOX Controller, Gravis PC Gaming Pad, Sony Dual Analog
StarCraft2 – Preordered by Dicksbain
Brother Dicksbain on the Wagon – Uncle Moneybags Still drinking!
Freelancer and Diablo on laptops
Work Woes? Nahhhh….

Gars Smoked:

God of Fire Robusto 2005 Don Carlos
God of Fire Robusto 2005 Carlito
5 Vegas 5×54 Gold and Classic (x2)
Sol Cubano Maduro Toro
Perdomo Cameroon Corona
Gurkha Regeant Toro
Montecristo No. 2 Habana (still the greatest smoke ever)
Casa Fuente ???

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This is an impeccably-made cigar, with perfect draw and burn. The flavor is second to its construction, however: it’s a bit to sweet for my palate to make it perfect. Damn good, though. I can’t say it was worth the $35 I paid for it, but I would definitely smoke it again. Not until I’ve tried the Don Carlos version, however.

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Back in March 2005, I ordered my first box of cigars: the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Barcelonas. Sure, the box smelled of paint thinner, but this was an entire box of cigars: think of the money I’d save. At the time, I thought they were great. I remember smoking these in Brother Dicksbain’s garage at the Spruce Place. Good times. While my palate has since moved on, they still hold a special place in my heart. Grassy in tone, with average burn, and decent draw, they are perfect “filler” gars (aka drinking gars).

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Back in June, Brother Dicksbain and I lawfully purchased God of Fire Robustos at Casa Fuente during the Uncle Moneybags Mo-Money Bachelor Party/Gar Festival.  Good times.  We didn’t get a chance to smoke them during the wedding festivities, so we’ve hung onto them for a special occasion. While there’s nothing particularly “special” about this weekend, we’ve decided to smoke them on Saturday morning anyway–if only to “celebrate” that you don’t need a reason to have a super-premium smoke. We’ll be doing a review, for sure. Brother Dicksbain went with Don Carlos’ God of Fire creation, whereas I went with the Carlito (which has a toothy Cameroon wrapper instead of a Sumatran wrapper).  This will be the first of either kind for the brothers.

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Tinderbox has a great special on the La Flor Dominicana Mysterio Sampler. I’m a huge fan of everything La Flor. If you liked the “chisel”, you’ll love these.

The Mysterio Sampler represents the impeccable quality and experienced craftsmanship of La Flor Dominicana. The unique shape and construction of the Mysterio has broken new ground in the industry. Dominican fillers and a Sumatra binder blend to create a flavorful smoke that is only enriched by its unique wrappers. A Connecticut Broad Leaf maduro wrapper caps both ends, and a spicy natural Nicaraguan wrapper encases the rest of the medium to full bodied Mysterio.

Purchase Here

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It’s been all over the news and on every blog with the exception of ours…till now. If you’ve been out enjoying the summer with some fine stogies, there’s a chance (slim) that you haven’t heard; Under nearly identical bills making their way through the U.S. House and Senate, the federal tax on the highest-priced premium cigars could jump as much as 20,000 percent.

The federal government currently taxes cigars at 4.5 cents each. Under the new bills, the tax rate will jump to 53 percent of the manufacturer’s price, up to a cap of $10 — a jump of 20,000 percent from 4.5 cents.

To put this in real terms, a box of 25 Perdomo ESVs at $11 a stick would take on a $5.83 tax, making them almost $17.  The box which would have cost you $287 will now cost $420.  That does not include state, county, and city taxes which could easily bring the total close to $500.

This is a cause worth fighting:

Contact your house representatives or state senators.

You have 3 options.  1) Take action. 2) Quit smoking. 3) Get a 2nd Job to pay the tax.

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