This is a solid cigar. Well made, and very strong. Flavor is spicy with a sweet aftertaste. Picked up a bundle of these on special from cigar.com. Not bad for a value cigar, but still nothing special, despite the “Miami” name–which is obviously supposed to mimic the Padilla Miami line. Recommended only on special.

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I recently got into “the Sopranos.” After dismissing it as dated and lame for five years, I caught one or two episodes on A&E this year. I decided to purchase the whole first season to avoid the extremely annoying (and long) commecial breaks. By the end of the fifth or six episode, I was hooked, and I bought all six seasons on DVD. During my mo-mega vacation this year, I watched every episode, cigar in hand. Every time Tony Soprano lit up his “macanudo” — which was quite frequently — I would smile, if only because the idea that a mob boss would smoke Macanudos, as opposed to illegally-smuggled Cubans, always seemed laughable to me.

There’s an obvious connection between cigars and the underworld that “the Sopranos” personifies beautifully. Cigar Aficianado recognized this earlier this year when they put the cast from the show on the cover of the June edition. And CAO, with its ever-savvy marketing department, recognized it too when they put out a “Sopranos”-themed cigar. To my knowledge, it’s the only TV-themed cigar ever made, which makes it a novelty, to say the least.

Being a novelty, I avoided it at first, much like the TV show. Then I tried one. It was good. Not just better than your average CAO–which is by all accounts a very good cigar–but arguably better than any other CAO out there. For me, this cigar rivals a Padron 1964. It’s just as flavorful, nutty, spicy, and it’s even more leathery. And, like the Padron 1964, it’s impeccably constructed–an area that has traditionally caused problems for CAO.

Alas, the TV show is over. Aside from waiting for the final eight episodes to come out on DVD, there’s little left of the Sopranos (hell, even the Emmys are over), save for the hope that HBO might put out a movie someday. Until that time, CAO has given the show a good legacy in this fantastic cigar. Yes, it’s expensive (still cheaper than a Vision), but its worth it, in my book. My only real complaint is that the band is difficult to remove–hardly something to “whack” someone over.

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I picked up two of these for my brother and me to smoke during our sister’s wedding extravaganza in San Diego last weekend. After a good Italian meal, and lots of alcohol, these were the perfect gars to have while we celebrated the occasion overlooking the water.

I’ve long been a fan of the Don Carlos line, and these definitely didn’t disappoint. While I overpaid for them due to poor planning ($14.99 at the local cigar shop, instead of $10.99 online), they were still worth it. Between these and the Padron 1964 Exclusivo Maduros we had the next day, my Brother and I agree that the Don Carloses were the better cigar– at least this time around.

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Avo Uvezian, a famed jazz musician and composer, is also a cigar lover. Hence the AVO Uvezian line. This ultra-smooth, silky smoke is made by Davidoff and is among the best cigars I’ve tried this year. Uber-nutty and woody in flavor, it’s long on the palate, with perfect draw and burn. This little guy lasted as long as a Toro or even Presidente for me. If you’ve overlooked this brand, I highly recommend picking up one of these cigars the next time you want something different. While they run for around 10-14 bucks at most cigar stores, you can sometimes find them for less, or just order them online. Cigar.com has then for just $7.80–well worth it for a cigar of this quality.

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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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