My Father No. 1 Robusto

On a whim, I decided to try a new stick....My Father No. 1.  My Father cigars were introduced in 2008 by Jaime Garcia, son of the renowned Don Jose "Pepin" Garcia, at Jaime's My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.  I have to say I was wowed by this stick.  It is a medium-full bodied stick with hints of cocoa, coffee and pepper on your tongue.  The smoke is rich and creamy with a long, smooth finish.  The construction was flawless with a tight triple cap and nearly invisible seems with a perfect draw.  These sticks may retail for about $10 but they are well worth it!

Cigar Aficionado's Top Cigars

In 2011, one of the top cigars of the year was the Warlock Robusto. I assumed that if it is one of CA's top 25, its going to be a good cigar.  So I bought a few and let them age in the humi.  Over a couple months I smoked them and no matter what, I was not impressed.  I tried them on a clean palate, with various liquors and even a Coke.  Now, they were not bad but I could not see how this stick rated the top 25.

This year, the number 3 stick was the ROMEO by Romeo y Julieta.  Once again I picked some up and gave them a try.  Again, I end up with the question "How the heck did this stick make number 3???" While well constructed, the sticks themselves were rather firm, had a bit of a tight draw, did not produce a lot of smoke, had s short finish and the flavor was nothing to write home about. There was some pepper and cedar to it but nothing overly complex.

While I have enjoyed cigars for some time, I have never really delved into the industry and what goes on behind the scenes, but I have to wonder how some sticks that are damn good don't even get reviewed and sticks like this are rated so high.  I just don't get it. It can't be the quality of the cigar that gets it on the list...I do wonder, though, as the same company (Altadis) is behind both cigars.

Gurkah Ghost Review

Gurkha Cigars touts themselves as the "Rolls Royce" of cigars and among cigar enthusiasts, the name Gurkha garners only two reactions...smiles or sneers; however, that is a story for another day. From the Gurkha Blog...

The Ghost blend showcases a dark Brazilian, Arapiraka Maduro wrapper, complemented by an aged Dominican Criollo 98’ binder and carefully selected Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Ghost is a rich, medium bodied cigar with a multi-layered flavor profile providing sweet and earthy undertones tones with lingering flavors of cocoa and cinnamon. Available sizes: 5 x 52 Shadow, 6 x 54 Asura, 6 x 52 Angel and 6 x 60 Exorcist. 

I was finally able to find the Ghost at Stogies in Franklin, Tennessee. My wife (being the great woman that she is) stopped by and grabbed an Exorcist and Asura for me.  After letting them age in the humi for a while, I decided to dive in and give them a try.

I started with the Exorcist and am initially impressed with the construction of these cigars.  They have almost invisible seems and barely noticeable veins on the dark brown wrapper.  They have a slight give when gently squeezed that seems consistent along the length of the cigar.  After toasting the foot, I take my first draw and am really impressed with an almost perfect draw...not too tight and not too loose.  There is a peppery feel on the tongue and some hints of cocoa in the really long finish. Oh, and the smoke output...wow!  This thing was putting out more smoke than the fireplace was.

 As the first third wound down, the flavors had developed into a nice medium-full body with a really creamy smoke.  I notice a nutty flavor with a little bit of pepper on my tongue and a really long finish.  The smoke output really blows me away. The flavors remain consistent until I am past the halfway point when the Ghost kicks into full gear.  The flavors remain consistent, but become more full/intense and I started getting that feeling only a strong cigar gives you...I become a little light headed and if it was not for the fact that I was outside in the cold, I probably would have started to sweat a bit.  This was absolutely AWESOME!  I loved the kick into high gear.

Finally, with about less than in inch left, it started getting soft and a little too tart for my taste, so it was time to end it.  It took about 1:15 to smoke the Exorcist.  Two days later I smoked the Asura and had pretty much the same experience but the Asura only lasted about 45 minutes.  For the price, I can say that I will try more of these and they may even become a mainstay in the humi.

Halo 4 Thoughts

My wife and I are Halo junkies and waited with baited breath for Halo 4.  After playing since November 6 I feel I have enough experience to voice my thoughts.  Suffice to say, I am disappointed.

Campaign:  It is long, I will grant that.  It did feel a little disjointed and the story hard to follow at times.  Visually, very well done. The graphics are awesome.

Music:  WTF?  It does not feel like Halo at all.  Oh, there are a few points where Marty O'Donnell's stuff is used and you say to yourself, "Oh yeah...I am playing Halo."  Neil Davidge's stuff feels like it should be in some cheesy 80's low budget sci-fi movie.  It does not fit. This is the first Halo soundtrack we have not purchased.

On-Line:  Come on 343!  Get it together!  The lag and server issues are horrible!  I can't tell you how many times we have been playing and ended up quiting Wargames to play the campaign again. At first I thought is was my set-up so I had Comcast come out and check everything...the tech even looked over my router and said everything is fine. Oh, and the glitches....god, the glitches.  Just search Google for "Halo 4 glitches." Too many to go into here.

Art:  Again, WTF?  Supposedly it is 4 years after Halo 3, but the tech and designs seem to have evolved way beyond that.  And who designed these new Spartan armors?  If I had to guess, they had someone who is in love with Michael Bay's Transformers Movies.  Just the other night my son pointed out that one guy on my team was Megatron. From the mouth of babes....

So, these are just some of my thoughts. In my perfect world, 343 would get Marty O back, really address on-line issues (perhaps, an open-beta?), and reign in their redesign of the Haloverse. Lets see what Halo 5 has to offer...

My New Haunt...CigarBar Nolesnville

On a whim Jess and I decided to hit the CigarBar of Nolensville...and what a great decision! The atmosphere was awesome! If  I could design my own man-cave, it would look like this. The owner and bartender were both great to talk to and very friendly.  Many of the people there would strike up a random conversation with each other...focusing on everything from sports to cigars.  I loved the walk-in humidor, although the selection is modest...but growing.  We had a few beers and cigars then decided we were hungry.  You can order food from the neighboring Mexican place or Chinese place and it will be delivered...or from the Cigar Bar's menu.  Jess had the pork chop which was thick and juicy and damned flavorful...and I hate pork.  My burger was pretty good for the $4 price tag...and the sides were generous and tasty.

But, the atmosphere is what I cannot say enough about. It is warm and relaxing...and classy and refined.  The one we have hit in the 'Boro is more like a college hang-out with the color changing lights and lava lamps.  Its not bad, just not my scene.  Below are some pics of the CigarBar of Nolensville.  I encourage you to check it out and support this fantastic small business.

Bad Service Warning: Robert's Discount Automotive

Normally, I don't want to talk bad about a business but I want to make people aware of Robert's Discount Automotive in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I took my Mustang in for a break job and they did it at a fair price. Soon after, I started getting a vibration so I took it back. They said it was a tire problem. I took the car to the tire shop and they said the tires were fine. After a month of back-and-forth I took the car to the Ford dealer. Their service department said the brakes were shot. So, my father-in-law and I put on pads and rotors and all is well.

During the same time frame, my wife's Altima need a new catalytic converter so I took it to Robert's as well (I had yet to figure out they had messed up my break job). They repaired it for about $1000. Fifteen months later, the Altima's "check-engine" light comes on. We take it to the dealer and they point out all kinds of things Roberts did wrong that has caused the exhaust system to fail. Robert's failed to properly install the part (was supposed to be a floating attachment, Robert's did a fixed attachment), the Oxygen sensor was bent, and there were no heat shields installed as there should have been.

I have contacted Robert’s (and the BBB) but they are being defensive and stubborn. It looks like I am going to have to pay another $1500 for the repair done 15 months ago.

To conclude, Robert's had botched two repairs on two different cars. I know everyone makes a mistake, but this is more than that. I would strongly urge people to avoid this particular business.

MECH FOR SALE!

The Puma has been recast by BamBam productions.  It is available in a limited run.  Cost of $75 plus shipping.

Tell your friends!