File this under cool stuff: CAO has released a “Ying Yang” sampler combining the Black and Black VR lines in a captivating sleeve of cigary-goodness.  While $39.95 (plus $5.95 for shipping) seems a little steep, I have to admit I’m tempted to buy one.

Check it out here.

Still, my favorite CAO sampler is the Soprano sampler, which features cigars shaped like a baseball bat and Champaign bottle (among other cool shapes).

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For those of you who think I believe every cigar is a rave, let this post be a message to you: El Mejors are terrible.  I recently received four El Mejor Expresso maduros in an otherwise outstanding bundle from Cigar International.  They were not only the worst in the bunch; they were the worst cigar I’ve had in a year.

Let’s start with the appearance.  A dark, overly box-pressed spear-shaped log with a dark, bland label.  And it’s all down hill from there.  The burn is uneven.  The draw merely acceptable.  And the flavor?  Blech.  True to its name, it’s like smoking used coffee grounds from five years ago–except that would probably taste better.  Avoid these cigars.  If they are part of a bundle, pretend they aren’t there while considering whether to buy the bundle.  Give them to a drunk friend.  Give them to your worst enemy.  Better yet, throw them away.

You get the idea.  And I’m not alone.

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While perusing the local Tobacco Barn for a smoke this weekend, I decided to forgo purchasing an Artuero Fuente Hemingway Best Seller in favor of a La Flor Dominica Chisel.  I’ve had three or four of the Chisels over the past two years, and while I’ve enjoyed them, they have not been one of my absolute favorites–in part because they are a bit more expensive than your average La Flor, and in part because the “double ligero” wrapper and filler make this cigar super-strong.  I must say, however, that the one I picked up this weekend was an absolute gem.  Nutty and woody in flavor, with licorice and caramel overtones, this cigar was by far the best Chisel I’ve had to date.  Maybe it took a little while for the blend to settle in.  Or maybe the La Flors have finally grown on me.  Either way, you can be sure this cigar will find its way into my hands again.

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The Brothers (and presumably Bill Clay) have an annual Christmas tradition where we watch one of the first two Die Hard movies together. We’ve done it for the past 9 years (at least), and it’s always a lot of fun. For years, we have talked about doing a Fourth of July Die Hard viewing to watch Die Hard: With A Vengeance (the third installment), which takes place around the Fourth of July (as opposed to Christmas, like the first two) and co-stars Jeremy “Genuine Class” Irons. This year there’s another Die Hard movie out on DVD: Live Free or Die Hard, released around the Fourth of July 2007 (and which Uncle Moneybags saw in a theater Hawaii on July 3 that year). After some deliberation–and after discovering that Amazon.com had LFoDH for just $7.99–we decided to buy and watch LFoDH. Plan is to start at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Of course, one of the advantages to watching a movie at home is that you can have a nice stoggie while enjoying the show (damn Democrats and their “smoke free this” and “smoke free that“). I’m sure we’ll do a post or two to capture this event and the sweet cigars we smoke. Stay tuned.

Special Note from Brother Dicksbain: Hard to believe it was two years ago during this holiday weekend that we celebrated the first and only Figueroa Evenings.

Update: Well, we watched the movie; it was good; and even better, we smoked the Cuban Cohibas– which lasted an hour and a half each.  God bless America and God bless cigars. Have a great weekend.

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Well, it’s semi-official.  After a two year hiatus (see also here), we’re reconvening in Hudson, Ohio for HudGar 2008.  This year we plan to pull out all the stops for this now-biennial event.  In addition to a hefty supply of our regular staples, we’re considering 4-5 of the following bad boys:

1.  God of Fire Robusto
2.  La Aurora 100 Anos Robusto
3.  CAO Sopranos The Boss
4.  Oliva Special S Torpedo
5.  Fuente Fuente Anejo No. 77 (aka “The Shark“)
6.  Fuente Hemingway “Best Seller”
7.  Padron 1964 Exclusivo
8.  Ashton VSG Belicoso
9.  La Flor Dominica “Mysterio”

Tell us what you think.  What would Jesus smoke (WWJS) if he were at HudGar?

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I hate gimmicky packaging.  Diablo cigars have it in spades.  Does it follow that I hate Diablo cigars?  Nope.

Consisting of a Dominican & Nicaraguan longfiller blend wrapped in a dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Diablo cigars have been around for a while.  I remember Brother Dicksbain purchased one from Vendome when we first started smoking cigars back in 2005.  I remember him telling me it was just “OK.” With that less-than-stellar review, I never bought one for myself.

Until last week that is, when Famous-smoke.com’s “Monster Deal” featured a box of Diablo Pimientos for just $39.95, including shipping.  I checked out the reviews on top25cigars.com and was surprised to find that these cigars have been ranked rather well.  So I decided to gamble.

I know I tend to overrate cigars (e.g., CAO America), but Diablos are actually fantastic little smokes.  They have a “peppery” aftertaste that is very similar to an OpusX–it’s not as refined as an OpusX and it doesn’t have the same depth.  But the overall taste is in the same family.  Think of it as a cheaper, dumber cousin of the OpusX.  Simply marvelous for $1.60 a stick.

(If they cost $1.60 a stick everyday, I would give them a 9.0).

PS: Speaking of Diablo, word is Blizzard is going to announce Diablo 3 this weekend.  Let’s hope that’s true and that it’s not an MMORPG.

Update:  IT’s TRUE!

See the trailer here.

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I was browsing our site while smoking a CAO Brazilla Gol! this evening, and I realized that we’ve never done a review of this terrific smoke (other than the brief review in the HudGar2006 mega review).  If you like CAO cigars — hell, if you like cigars at all — then in all probability you’ve tried at least one of these sticks.  I’ve been smoking them consistently since 2005.  At first, I wasn’t a huge fan.  They tasted more like burning plastic to me than a noteworthy smoke.  Over time, however, I grew to love these toothy little sticks.

What the Brazillia line lacks in complexity, it more than makes up for in sheer power.  The construction is as good as any other CAO cigar — above average, but far from perfect — and they are one of the less expensive CAOs.  (Next to the CAO Gold, quite possibly the best value cigar ever made, the Brazillias are typically the cheapest CAO at any cigar store).

If for some reason you have avoided these sticks because of the campy packaging, I encourage you not to read a cigar by its band and try one they next time you’re looking for a powerful stick but do not want to pay top dollar for a Litto Gomez or Gurkha Beast.  I suggest the Gol! (a fat robusto), or better yet, the Impanema (roughly a Churchill in size).  These gars are better in longer sizes with slightly smaller ring gauges.

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