Movie Recommendation: Taken

Taken (2009)
This movie got a lot of hype when it came out, and now I wonder why I waited so long to see it. Taken was a tight, high-action film with very good directing, excellent acting, and a mostly great script. Yes, there are a few plot holes--I could not understand why a bunch of Eastern European thugs did not suspect Liam Neeson as a French cop with a Scottish/American accent, for example--but just sit back and enjoy. On second thought, don't sit back--you will be at the edge of your seat. The action starts fairly early after a modicum of exposition, and it just doesn't stop until the last few minutes of the film. It never would work without some great actors, though:

Liam Neeson--Who seriously would have bought him as a hardcore action hero ten years after his somnambulant performance in Star Wars Episode I? I had my doubts, but he pulled it off very well. He's a serious actor with serious skills most of the time, but this time around he successfully filled the action-hero role.

Maggie Grace--After getting used to her on Lost as the bratty 20-something (late teens? who knows?), I was surprised to realize this was her as a 16-year-old in this film. She was about 23 or 24 when they filmed this, but she had the exuberance and joy of a younger person when required--I seriously thought it must have been her little sister at the beginning.

If you have not seen this one, you owe it to yourself. There are rumors of a sequel in the works and I can only hope it is as good as this one. Definitely a purchase-worthy film.

Cigar Review: Oliva Serie O

Toro, 6" x 50 ring gauge, approx. $6
Although they currently have a great reputation in the industry, the Oliva Cigar Company is really a new-comer. The Serie O was their original offering in 2001 and was not even called the Serie O until 2006. It was created by "growing the same Habano seed in diverse regions of Nicaragua," namely Esteli, Condega and the Jalapa Valley. The wrapper of today's sample stick is a sun-grown leaf, but Oliva also offers the O in a maduro.

The color of this cigar was a nice medium-brown with just a hint of red. There were a few medium-to-large veins visible and it was quite oily. The wrapper had some barnyard aromas of hay and manure, while the foot had more of the same, but was stronger on the hay and alfalfa, with perhaps a touch of cocoa, too. The prelight draw was excellent and there were flavors of dried fruit and cocoa along with a nice spicy tingle on the lips.

Initial puffs featured flavors of leather and black pepper, along with a strong pepper blast when I blew the smoke out of my nose. As I smoked the first third, I got a steady medium-roast coffee flavor with plenty of black pepper, especially on the finish. The smoke was mostly smooth with just a little harsh edge at the top of the throat. There were occasional hints of roasted nuts and the cigar parked itself in the high-end of the medium-bodied category.

The second third featured more coffee and plenty of pepper in the beginning; the pepper spice faded as the second third progressed and was replaced by a leathery/earthy flavor with just a touch of sweetness.

The final third was quite earthy, with leather and roasted nuts playing strong supporting roles. All in all, this is a fine cigar that does not bring any surprises to the party or break any new ground--it's a good solid, enjoyable smoked with great construction that required no touch-ups. It satisfies as a medium-bodied smoke with a relatively short finish. It has just enough flavor and personality to be a great middle of the afternoon cigar and Oliva's very reasonable pricing structure makes it easy to consider for purchase.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 6/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10

Quote of the Week

From John Galt's looong speech in Atlas Shrugged (by Ayn Rand):

"The man who refuses to judge, who neither agrees nor disagrees, who declares that there are no absolutes and believes that he escaped responsibility, is the man responsible for all the blood that is now spilled in the world. Reality is an absolutely, existence is an absolute, a speck of dust is an absolute and so is a human life. Whether you live or die is an absolute. Whether you have a piece of bread or not, is an absolute. Whether you eat your bread or see it vanish into a looter's stomach, is an absolute.

"There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for the truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway. In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit. In that transfusion of blood which drains the good to feed the evil, the compromiser is the transmitting rubber tube."

Cigar Review: EO Cubao Maduro

No. 5, 6.125" x 50 ring gauge, approx. $8.50
The Cubao has been around for a couple years or so--I cannot tell you an exact time as that information is difficult to find online. I was introduced to the original stick by my friend, Keith, in the middle of last year and I was very impressed. I smoked a few of these and rated them a 9 out of 10, so I was thrilled to hear that EO was adding a maduro variety to their line-up. As before, this stogie was blended by Don Pepin Garcia and manufactured in his factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. It has Nicaraguan filler and uses as Ecuadorian broadleaf maduro leaf for the wrapper.

The Cubao Maduro was dark, evenly colored and somewhat oily. There were some fairly large veins and a bit of toothiness, but you really had to look hard as the darkness of the wrapper hides these things very well. The stick was not too firm to the touch. The aroma from the body was sweet tobacco and barnyard and from the foot there was compost, wet earth, and chocolate. The cold draw was excellent and I got prelight flavors of cocoa, coffee, and dried fruit.

There was an immediacy to the fullness of this cigar--three puffs in and the smoke was thick and strong. Initially, I got flavors of black pepper and leather, with undercurrents of cocoa and coffee. The remainder of the first third was earthy and full with smoky black coffee, leather, and beefy flavors along with some pepper hits every now and then.

The second third continued much the same: earthy and meaty with some maduro sweetness mixed in there to balance it out. The construction was very good--the burn line did go crooked, but burned evenly nonetheless: evenly crooked! The draw was nothing short of fantastic.

Calling a cigar "smoky" may seem redundant, however the final third definitely was that: smoky in the way that a dark roast coffee or a single-malt scotch might be described as smoky. There was still a deep earthiness and the body was full with coffee notes a'plenty. Bottom line for me: this was a great smoke and I enjoyed it more than the regular version. This puts me in the minority for this stick: most reviews that I have seen have expressed disappointment with the maduro variety after enjoying the regular version. To me, though, the Cubao Maduro is full-bodied and full-flavored, with a great deal of complexity. It is also a fairly strong cigar that should not be smoked on an empty stomach or by the novice or occasional smoker. I declare this one another home run for the team of Espinoza, Ortega, and Garcia.

Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10

Book Recommendation: Under The Dome

Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King

Stephen King's latest 1000+ page doorstop is about a small town in Maine (big surprise, I know) that is one day suddenly encased in an invisible "dome." It is a story he has been working on for about 30 years, was originally set in an apartment building and was called The Cannibals. That title probably would not have stuck as there is no actual consuming of human flesh going on, but the concept is valid: trapped in a tight area for a short amount of time, people take sides, turn on each other and start to eat each other alive. Not physical cannibalism...more of a social/spiritual type.

The book is, in part, about mob mentality and how people act as part of a mob to do things they would not when by themselves, but there is much more. King himself is left-leaning in his politics (another big surprise, I'm sure) and describes the main villain in this book as a "Dick Cheney" type who is technically the second in command, but really runs the show (while the "George W. Bush" type is dull, distracted, and somewhat stupid). Knowing this before I stepped into King's world this time, I was on my guard for a propaganda rag. Turns out, though, that King was wrong...yes, Stephen King was wrong about his own creation!

Big Jim Rennie, the villain, is the absolute embodiment of the Rahm Emanuel (Obama's chief of staff) quote "Never let a crisis go to waste." He is all about manipulating events to consolidate power and then go in front of everyone and twist them with his flowery, convincing speeches. He has made himself a very wealthy man through the manipulation and suffering of others. Basically, Big Jim turns out to be an amalgamation of Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and George Soros. Turns out King was writing about the current administration and their puppet masters without even knowing it!

Overall, this was a great book and I highly recommend it. There are the typical King touches, both good and bad: town in Maine, lots of blood and guts, overuse of profanity and vulgarity--which is basically to say: "If you already like Stephen King, you'll enjoy this book. If you are not a fan, this probably is not the book that will turn you into one." I would not rate this book in the top 5 King books of all time, but neither is it in the bottom 5. A good solid book that sucked me in and pulled me along for about 6 days until I finished all of the nearly 1,100 pages.

Movie Recommendation: A History of Violence

A History of Violence (2005)
This movie's theatrical release came on the heels of Viggo Mortensen's successful run in the Lord of the Rings movies and that could be one reason why it was so poorly received, earning just $31 million in domestic box-office--not even enough to cover the estimated $32 million budget. It's too bad, as this is actually a pretty good movie.

Mortensen plays Tom Stall, the proprietor of a small diner in a non-descript midwest farm community. He's happily married with two kids and a quiet life, and then one evening his world goes to hell. Two psychopaths burst into his diner threatening robbery, rape and murder and his reaction surprises everyone, including himself. He dispatches both of them with a fury and quickness that no one can quite believe, becoming a local--then national--hero in the process. The national part gets the attention of some mob tough guys from the East Coast who come to visit him and see him in person. They are convinced he is someone else--someone who exited the mob years ago. Are they right? Watch the movie...

The acting is top-notch in this film, from Mortensen, to Maria Bello playing his wife to Ed Harris and William Hurt playing mob men. The directing is also excellent and a bit surprising. You might remember David Cronenberg from such films as Naked Lunch, The Fly, and Videodrome, but you might be surprised to see that he can so effectively direct a straight-ahead drama with no horror or drug-induced special effects necessary. Very good film and very much worth your rental fee.

Cigar Review: Gurkha Dragon Fire

4.5" x 52 ring gauge, approx. $9
Gurkha is possibly the most inscrutable and annoying cigar company in existence. For proof, I present the Dragonfire, as the company's website calls it, or the Black Dragon Dragon Fire, as is denoted on the label affixed to the cellophane. According to the website, this stick features Cameroon filler and binder (a rarity) and a Nicaraguan wrapper. The wrapper is described as maduro on some websites and it is definitely dark enough to be so, but the company does not declare it to be. Furthermore, the company website does declare that this is a box-pressed cigar, although the picture next to those words shows very clearly a box of round cigars and the cigar I held in my hand while writing these words was definitely round. To make matters even worse, the band on the cigar is mostly red with an orange and red dragon and only the word "Dragon" inscribed on it. Since Gurkha also markets a "Red Dragon" cigar, I'm sure you can see how this gets more confusing by the minute. The only thing I can find that everyone is in total agreement on is that this cigar has a shaggy foot. Inscrutable. Annoying. Possibly irresponsible with their information. It's this kind of nonsense that drives people like Doc Stogie to post online petitions so people can lobby the cigar industry for a better standardization of marketing information. I just wish Gurkha could siphon off just a few dollars of their obviously large marketing budget to get the basic facts straight on their website.

After pulling off the cell, I carefully removed the black satin ribbon at the foot and the cedar that concealed the bottom half of the stick (something else not shown correctly in the company website photo). The wrapper was a dark chocolate brown with a few medium-sized veins. It seemed a bit sloppy around the shaggy foot, but that may just go with the territory--hard to say, as I can't even remember the last time I had a "shaggy" stick. The aroma from the body was hay and leather; from the foot I got chocolate and pepper spice. It did not feel terribly tightly packed with tobacco and was generally just a little spongy along the length. Prelight draw was quite loose and had flavors of sweet hay and just a little cocoa.

Are you supposed to smoke the shaggy end where there is no wrapper? I did. It began like a very nice mild cigar--sweet cream, caramel, and hay--very interesting flavor. Almost instantly when the flavor changed when the wrapper started to burn, though--a rounder, fuller flavor with some chocolate and coffee notes. These blended very well with the creamy notes of the filler and binder. After just a few minutes of smoking, I was very impressed by the complexity of this blend. Halfway through the first third, some pepper joined the party and coffee became a much stronger component while the chocolate sweetness became more of a subdued supporting player.

While in the second third, it occurred to me that this was a very entertaining smoke--the coffee dipped a bit, allowing more sweet cocoa and hay to come through, then the pepper ramped up a bit. I honestly could not remember a Gurkha I have enjoyed more; the interplay between the Cameroon filler and Nicaraguan maduro wrapper is unique and something quite special.

I still found it interesting in the final third--there was more pepper again and an increase in the cocoa flavor as the body ramped up a bit. This stick turned out to be a big surprise for me: it was, by far, the best Gurkha I can remember--complex, medium-to-full in body, long finish and a great flavor profile. The use of Cameroon tobacco in the filler/binder blend is somewhat unusual and I honestly don't know why: the Dragonfire shows just how good it can be. The burn remained even throughout and if the draw was too loose, I did not even notice--I was too pleased with the flavors for it to really matter. For a Gurkha, this stick has a pretty decent price, too.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 9/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10

Cigar Pet Peeves: Cellophane Wrappers, or Lack Thereof

In the last year and a half or so since I really started getting really serious about this blog, I have reviewed well over a hundred cigars. These have ranged from cheap cigars (my "Cigars for the Recession" series) to mega-expensive sticks (Padron No. 45 and LFD El Museo among the most expensive), from brand-new, fresh from the store to slightly aged (a year or so). I have reviewed mild sticks, medium-bodied stogies, and butt-kicking full-bodied cigars. All this to say, I think I have enough evidence (anecdotal as it is) to support the argument I am about to make: it sucks when manufacturers neglect to put cellophane wrappers on cigars!

I have thought long and hard about this. I understand the reasons (at least some of them) that companies don't use cellos, but I reject those reasons and I will try to explain why. I believe all cigars should be shipped in cellophane for two reasons: first, it provides an extra layer of protection against damage; and, second, it hold in and intensifies the aromas of the cigar until you are ready to enjoy it.

Damage. I can't say how long it has been going on; probably for decades really, but I really started to notice it a lot more as I reviewed more and more cigars over the past year. The cigars that shipped "naked" had a much higher instance of cracked wrappers before I ever lit them up. Where is the damage occurring? Who knows? The cigars are handled when being put in the box. They ship from some foreign country (Nicaraguan, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic being the most frequent) to America on a plane, get shipped around the country in big semis before getting to a cigar shop (B&M or online) in a UPS or FedEx delivery vehicle. During this shipment process they are bounced and jarred, shaken and stirred. Then your local B&M manager opens the box and puts it on the shelf, where the sticks are handled and inspected by dozens of people who walk through every day before you get there. You pick one up, inspect it for flaws and take it to the front counter...where the proprietor handles it again, puts it in a bag with your other purchases, and send you on your way. You drive it home and it bounces around in a zipper bag with all your other purchases, cello-ed or not. Then you handle it again when you get home, putting it down to rest in your humidor. Then you handle it against several times over the next month or two before you smoke it (or maybe you smoke it the next week). The point being, that your cigars are treated roughly and handled tons of times before you get to the point of smoking them. Every time they are handled there is potential for damage. Every time you handle the cigars around a naked stick in your humidor, there is potential for damage. Wrappers are generally the thinnest, most delicate tobacco used in a cigar, but with a cellophane wrapper they at least stand a chance of getting from "seed to soul" without getting split, cracked, and destroyed.

Aroma. One of the most pleasant things in the world is to pull a cigar out of the cellophane and have the sweet smell of tobacco, coffee, dark chocolate, compost, earth, manure...whatever!...hit your sinuses with a punch before you ever bring the stick close to your nose. Smoking cigars is a sensual experience, by which I mean that it should involve all your senses: sight, taste, touch and smell (hearing, not so much...if you can hear your cigar crackling, that's a bad thing! Maybe the hearing is involved in the conversation with friends around the cigar-smoking table.). Those cigars that I review that do not have cellophane wrappers almost invariably suffer in the "prelight" category, especially if they end up sitting in my humidor for longer than a couple weeks, because the aromas just kind of "drift away." This happens in cheapies and expensive smokes, and for no other reason than that there is nothing to hold in those molecules that trigger the smell sense. I have noticed quite a few times of late that a cigar's wrapper may have a "very faint barnyard aroma" or a "hint of chocolate" but nothing intense...these are invariably naked cigars.

So, you might say...these problems won't be as much of a problem if you just buy a box of those sticks. You may be right to some degree. When bought by the box and kept in that box until smoked, cigars have the chance to marry flavors properly, and the box will afford some protection against damage and aroma loss. But I can almost promise you that after you've smoked half the sticks in a box, the other half will start to lose their aroma because there is so much more open space in the box than at the beginning. Furthermore, as you handle the sticks in that open box, you again risk wrapper damage. Buying by the box also brings up two issues I have trouble dealing with: space and cost. I have 3 humidors and they are almost constantly most of the way full. Most of the time, I simply don't have the room for a full box of 20 cigars. If I do have room, I usually don't have the space to actually put the box in a humidor, but have to take all the sticks out and spread them around in the various open areas. I also just cannot afford to drop a bill or two every month on a box of cigars. Some people can...more power to you. I spend $150 to $200 on smokes--less when I have to. My budget is somewhat constrained, but not as constrained as some people I know. It takes a very special cigar for me to even consider buying a box--and it takes one that is affordable enough to smoke on a regular basis. I recently bought a box of CAO Gold Vintage: 10 sticks for less than $80. I consider them better than most other mild cigars on the market and they are less than half the cost of a similar-sized Davidoff. Great deal on a great cigar. I am planning on buying a box of CAO La Traviata at some point in the near future: 20 sticks for less than $100; great cigar that I can enjoy at virtually anytime. What I won't even consider buying are smokes like Padron No. 45: $200+ for 10 sticks; very good cigar, but not even the best in their lineup. Or EP Carrillo Edicion Inaugural: $130 or so for 10 sticks; okay cigar, but not worth my consideration if they were $8 a stick (just my opinion). I would venture to say that my situation of lack of room and lack of coin is shared by a majority of cigar smokers: we buy what we can afford and what we have room to store for a relatively short time.

What would I propose as a solution? I know there are people who dislike cellophane wrappers. I know there are those who buy boxes and remove all the cellos before putting the cigars in their humidors. What I want is choice. If manufacturers just used cellophane from the factory, they would ensure that the cigars get in the hands of the smokers with minimal risk of damage and minimal loss of aroma. That would make smokers like me happy. Those who want can just take the cellos off. Why don't I just keep some cellos around to put naked cigars in? I might just start doing that. Or at least keep some zipper bags to put them in and protect them while they are in my humidor.

Obama's Nuclear Ambitions

Reuters news agency is reporting today that President Obama is pushing forward with plans to build two new nuclear reactors in some hopes of jump-starting the nuclear power industry in the United States. This after 3 decades of no new nuke plants being built. I have a couple common-sense observations about this:

First, this is a complete reversal from 2008-campaign-Obama who would not give the time of day to the concept of expanding nuclear power. While this earns him tentative kudos from the conservative side of the political aisle, these kudos can only be tentative because there is no real evidence that he has changed his mind. It may also earn him scorn from the leftist side of the aisle for back-tracking on what has been a long-standing issue for progressives, but somehow I don't think that will be the case, because of my second observation...

Second, I think this is an easy promise for him to make right now. He stated in the State of the Union address and now with this latest proposal that he would authorize loans for the expansion of nuclear power. Seems to me, though, that the actual power to make these loans and make good on the President's words lies with the House of Representatives and Senate. If they don't vote to approve the spending for these loans, the loans will not get made...and I am betting that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will work as hard as they can (along with fellow "progressives") to kill these loans. Therefore, Obama can promise one thing with the knowledge that there is not a snowball's chance in hell that it will actually happen. He can be on both sides of the issue at once: like John Kerry!

This may come back to bite him in a year or two, though. If my prediction above comes true (his promises vs. Congress' denial) and the Republicans gain back a majority in the House (and maybe Senate) this November, they may push through the funding for those loans next year and force Obama's hand on the issue. If that's the case, I predict we will see his true colors shine at that time when he whips out his veto pen.

Cigar Review: Cubana Real Semilla

6.75" x 52 ring gauge, $???
Where do I even start with this cigar? I received it as part of my CBC/Burns membership renewal package in November. A week or two later I asked Matt about it and he said it was a pre-release from Esteban Carrera. Of course, I did not have it to show it at the time, so I cannot be sure we were talking about the same cigar. The bottom line is this: I cannot find any information about this cigar on any site. It may or may not be an Esteban Carrera and there is no telling what pedigree the tobacco of this cigar holds. I also have never smoked an Esteban Carrera cigar (to my memory) so I have nothing to compare it to in that way. What this amount to is the closest you will ever see to a "mystery cigar" or "blind tasting" on this blog. Since I don't have a price, I cannot award points for "value" as I normally do; instead, I will award 1 point if I would definitely buy it again at any reasonable price; .5 point if I might buy it again, but only at a low-to-medium price point; and 0 points if I would not consider a purchase.

The wrapper of this Cubana Real Semilla (CRS) was a dark milk chocolate brown with a little mottling. There were a couple flaws--probably not big enough to harm the smoking experience, but noticeable to the eye. The leaf was somewhat oily and had a fair amount of sandpapery toothiness as well. The aroma from the wrapper is a classic humidor smell--a little leather and some barnyard--the foot had chocolatey aromas, but also some barnyard manure, too. The prelight draw was very good with just the right amount of resistance. The flavors were chocolately sweetness, coffee, and black pepper.

After lighting, the first flavors I got were earth, strong black coffee and black pepper. The first third was intriguing and fairly complex all by itself. The black pepper spice was a constant underneath all the other flavors: the aforementioned earth and coffee, as well as roasted nuts, leather and a vague flavor that I usually associate with Mexican tobacco. Judging by the overall flavor mix, I doubt there is a great deal of Mexican leaf used, but it also would not surprise me to learn that the wrapper or binder was from the San Andres Valley. The smoked started out medium-to-full.

The second third were earthy and leathery for the most part, with the pepper diminishing gradually. That peculiar "Mexican tobacco" flavor went away for the most part, too. There was also some coffee bitterness and just a touch of sweetness, but not enough to properly balance out the bitter. The burn line started to go astray by the end of the second third, but it was not too bad and I decided to let it correct itself if possible.

And in the last third, the burn did right itself. The flavors of leather and earth continued to dominate along with some coffee and roasted nuts underneath. Overall, not a bad smoke in most areas, but the flavor that I characterized as Mexican tobacco did come back in the end and it got in the way of my enjoyment of the rest of the flavors. For that reason, I cannot see myself buying any of these in the future. It remained in the medium-to-full range for body and did not have a great deal of nicotine strength, even with its fairly long size. Your experience may be different, but this is not a cigar I can recommend.

Body: 7/10
Strength: 5/10
Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: 0/1
Total: 6.5/10

Question for you...

Now that global warming has been exposed as a huge fraud, can I ask for a few things? Can I have my incandescent light bulbs back? You know, bulbs that come on all the way when you flick a switch instead of taking 2 minutes to warm up. Bulbs that don't get dim on the front porch when the mercury drops below 25 degrees. Bulbs that actually fit into the legacy light fixtures we have around the house. Bulbs that don't cost an arm and a leg.

While we're at it, can we just stop any further talk of "Cap and Trade"? Since it was designed to control carbon dioxide and stop global warming, it's really just an anachronism now.

Can we roll back the CAFE standards on cars to a more sensible levels, at least to the level they were in the 1990s before global warming became such a fashionable issue to latch onto? This would reduce car prices and spurring the auto industry to grow again, dragging the general economy along with it.

I'm guessing the answer to these questions will be a resounding "NO" from Algore, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, and the rest of the liberal establishment. Since that's a fairly sure thing, can we at least ask them to just drop the pretense? Since the research that showed global warming was going to fry the planet any day now was all done in suspect manners, can the people who foisted this fraud on us please stop claiming their aim is to save the planet? Just admit that what you were really after was control and power. That's really all you're after now, too. If you just admit it, I'm sure that some people would respect that and keep voting your sorry asses into office. I could be wrong about that, though...

Book Recommendation: Breathless

Breathless by Dean Koontz
This book is not destined to fall into the category of books I like to call "Koontz Klassics," but it is very good nonetheless. The book is a multi-thread narrative; there are at least eight different plotlines going on at one point. Most of the way through the book, there seems to be little, if any, relationship among all the stories being told. Suffice to say that the plots to converge in the end and there is what I consider a satisfying conclusion.

The biggest problem with the book is its length. At only about 330 pages, there is not a huge amount of room to fully flesh out the characters. Koontz does a remarkable job of bringing each person to life in a limited amount of space, but as I began to care about these people, I wished that there was more time to spend with them. I have complained about authors dragging out novels too long in other cases (Koontz's False Memory being my favorite example), but this one was honestly too concise and left me wanting more.

Among the more inspiring aspects for me in Breathless were the blatant digs Koontz takes at leftist, authoritarian government types and at pseudo-scientists who claim "the science is settled" in some particular area. It is nice to know that the left does not control all media and that someone whose brain rests on the right (in both sense of the word) side of the fence, both politically and spiritually, can be so popular with the reading public.

I cannot recommend this book at the full-price of the hardcover novel ($28.00), but I was able to pick it up on Amazon for $14 and found it well worth that price.

Quote of the Week

"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for any one? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted--and you create a nation of law-breakers--and then you cash in on guilt."

Dr. Floyd Ferris, a government "scientist," explaining the ways of life to Hank Rearden, industrialist, in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, published in 1957.

Movie Recommendation: Inglorious Basterds

Inglorious Basterds (2009)
I have an on-again/off-again love of the movies of Quentin Tarantino. While Pulp Fiction was all kinds of brilliant, I really disliked Reservoir Dogs. Jackie Brown was mostly forgettable and I never got around to seeing Kill Bill (although it's still on my list of movies to see...by the time I get around to it Vol. 3 will probably be out!). So it is with limited prior experience that I declare this latest product of Tarantino's demented mind to be absolutely fantastic.

Basterds is an alternate-reality romp through Nazi-infested Europe, particularly France, with a group of bloodthirsty American Jews recruited to do one thing: "Kill Nazis." Brad Pitt's Lt. Aldo Raines (a character from East TN...maybe that's why I like him so much) leads the group ambushing and scalping Nazis through the landscape of WWII. They come across a possible plan to kill Hitler and some of the other bigwigs in the party and much fun and violence ensues.

This is not a movie for the squeamish, but it is loads of fun. One minor quibble: I know this probably reflects my "American superiority complex" or some-such, but I do wish he had forgone subtitles throughout the majority of the movie and simply had people speaking in accents to denote that they were speaking a different language. I find it hard to concentrate on facial expressions and the other things going on in-frame while reading subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Again, minor quibble, and one that would probably not hold up under repeated watching (as I learned the dialog better).

Great film...especially the souvenirs Lt. Raines gives to the SS troops that survive his ambushes.

New Batch of Potential Bumper Stickers

I know...these are hardly politically correct. These days pretty much any dissent from the "ruling party" is considered racist by some people. But, you know what: I won't let a bunch of small-minded f'ing retards (Rahm Emanuel's description) tell me what to think...

If you don't agree with these sentiments...well, that's your right. You can disagree...after all, I never tried to silence the speech of those who called George W. Bush an idiot or "Hitler." But if you do disagree, just be thankful that you still live in a country where you are free to voice your disagreement without fear of going to jail. Unlike Iran, North Korea, China, Venezuela and Cuba, you won't go to jail for speaking out against the federal government...or even calling them childish names (to be clear, calling Nancy Pelosi "the wicked witch" is both childish and mostly true; calling Pelosi and Obama "commies" is a slight exaggeration, but still mostly true). Have a great day!

Cigar Review: Alec Bradley, Vice Press

6T4, 5" x 64 ring gauge, $7.85
The Alec Bradley company has been nothing if not prolific in the last few months. Since the IPCPR, they have introduced four new lines, including today's featured stick: the Vice Press. The company's website describes this as a "medium-bodied blend using tobacco from the finest growing regions of Central America." It features filler from Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico, a Costa Rican binder, and a Nicaraguan wrapper.

This was a fairly rustic box-pressed stick. The wrapper was quite dark and mottled with black in places; the cap was applied a little haphazardly; and the box press shape was anything but even and squared--the top two edges seemed square but the bottom two were quite rounded. The wrapper was smooth and velvety to the touch and had a bit of a barnyard aroma, while the aroma from the foot had more cocoa. The cold draw seemed just a little tight, but not tight enough to cause problems--we'll see. In prelight there were flavors of chocolate and...well, little else that I could identify. It was a good flavor but not very distinct.

The initial puffs produced plenty of smoke and flavors of sweet tobacco and a little autumn spice. Not much else was detectable for a few minutes. During the rest of the first third, I got a little coffee, a little nuttiness, and an overall "pleasant" flavor, but it just did not do much for me. The experience reminded me of something a friends once said about Old Spice cologne: cheap and inoffensive. Except that this was not exactly a cheap cigar: for nearly $8 I expected more. The burn line started going crooked soon after initial torching and I had to touch it up in a big way before the first third was over.

And touch it up again just as the second third was starting. The burnt ash on the end of the stick was bumpy, misshapen, and downright ugly. All of which would not matter a bit if the flavor was good. There were some spice hints--nutmeg and cinnamon, I think--and more coffee and nuts, but nothing else. So far the body is strictly in the medium range.

By the middle of the last third, I was ready to just give up because the flavor was still just not making me happy. The only thing I can think of to say after it's all said and done is that the flavor just seemed "flat." It had some nice flavor note possibilities but they just seemed dead and never got very pronounced. The ash flaked all over the place near the end, leaving me wearing much of the cigar, and the burn line never did go straight, even after multiple "helping hands." I found this offering from Alec Bradley to be quite bland and disappointing. Of the 4 new sticks (Family Blend, SCR, Prensado and Vice Press), only the SCR and Family Blend will be ones I revisit.

Body: 5/10
Strength: 4/10
Complexity: 4/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: .5/2
Flavor: 2.5/5
Value: 0/1
Total: 4.5/10

Music Recommendation: Mystery Highway

Mystery Highway by Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill (2009)

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I have very eclectic tastes in music, but that one of my all-time favorites artists is Phil Keaggy. Keaggy has released about 55 albums over the course of his 4 decade career, both solo and in various combinations with others. I have most of them. I do not attend many concerts, but I have made time and traveled long distances to see Keaggy play 4 times in the last 6 or 7 years. I own 5 DVDs of Phil playing live, including the one with Randy Stonehill. I also like Randy Stonehill; he is very talented and the live DVD of him shows that he is an absolute nut. When I met Phil last November in Nashville, he assured me that Randy is the same personally as he is on stage.

With that all said, my expectations were high for their second collaborative effort, Mystery Highway. Unfortunately, the album does not meet up to my expectations. Their first album together was 1988's Sunday's Child album and it was almost flawless: a nostalgic album with sounds of the '60s where Keaggy and Stonehill got their biggest influences, and plenty of great original songs, including the classic title track.

The borrowed sounds are still here on this album; sometimes they work and sometimes they seem forced. With all the combined talent of Keaggy and Stonehill, there is just a dearth of "classic" songs here. They seem to fall mainly in 3 categories: Great songs ("Who's Your Driver," "Rockin' in a Hard Place," "Picture Postcard Perfect Day," "We'll Meet Again," and Mark Heard's "Love Is Not the Only Thing"), "Eh" songs ("Backwards On Her Bike," "Mystery Highway," "Soul Girl," "Irresistible Future"), and Throwaways that are either silly or gimmicky--good for a couple listens but not something that you'll want to hear 10 years from now ("Rockman" is Randy's silly rap experiment; "Dreamspeak" is a complete rip-off/tribute of Cream's "Strange Brew"). Unfortunately, the re-recording of "Sunday's Child" falls in this latter category; while nice to have a different look at the song, it is not as good as the original. It belongs as a "bonus track" but they list it as one of the main selling points of this album.

With all that said, it is important to state that I don't dislike this album; I was simply disappointed by it because I feel it could have been so much better. I give it a solid...
B-

Cigar Review: Garcia & Garcia, My Father

No. 2 Belicoso, 5.5" x 54 ring gauge, approx. $11
Since I last reviewed a My Father cigar, the company making them has changed names from Garcia & Garcia to "My Father Cigars," a result of a lawsuit from Altadis, but their website still is a mass of "Coming Soon" notifications. These regular My Father cigars are, like the Cedros Deluxe variety, composed of Nicaraguan filler and binder and a rare, sungrown Ecuadorian Habano-Rosado Hybrid. As stated in my previous review of the Cedros, I wanted to find out how the lack of cedar wrap affects the flavor, which was heavier on woody flavor than I prefer.

The wrapper was slightly bumpy and a little oily. There were no flaws, tears, cracks or discoloration. The aroma from the body is cocoa and a little barnyard; from the foot there was a strong chocolate aroma. I still think the My Father band is one of the nicest around--very well-designed and attractive. The color of the wrapper is a nice medium-brown, like a light milk chocolate. The prelight draw was very easy and the flavors were great: chocolate, coffee, and a spicy tingle on the lips.

After lighting, there was an initial burst of cedar and black pepper. There was a lot of cedar in the retrohale, too. So far, even without the cedar wrap, there was a lot of cedar flavor in this stick--at least so far. One of my first observations was that there was a lot of smoke and that is was thick and creamy. The pepper spice builds quickly from next to nothing to a fairly high level, although not painful. Through the first third, there was a lot of cedar, but not as much as with the Cedros Deluxe. There was also some roasted nut flavor and at this point it was a very nice medium-to-full bodied smoke.

The second third saw the introduction of black coffee and leather notes, while there was still some cedar and quite a bit of pepper. The smoke continued to be oily and mouth-coating, resulting in a very long finish. The construction was superb: a straight burn despite the breeze and a very good draw (which is not always a given in a torpedo-shaped stick).

The last third saw a steady buildup of pepper again, along with coffee notes and touches of chocolatey sweetness. Overall, an excellent cigar with only one real flaw: price. At $11 or more per stick, it is just hard to justify buying the My Father cigar very often. I did enjoy this one a lot more than the Cedros Deluxe version, though, so I now understand what all the hype has been about.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 9/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9.5/10

Movie Recommendation: Drag Me To Hell

Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Much was made of this film as it was Sam Raimi's return to the genre that started him out. After years making superhero (Spider-Man) and western (The Quick and the Dead) films, Raimi turned his eye back to slapstick horror, which had made him famous with Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness. So, was this return worth the while?

Definitely maybe. There were some wonderful and fun moments in this film. The story was interesting and the acting was mostly great (with the notable exception of main star Alison Lohman, who just simply did not seem scared enough at what was happening around her). I enjoyed the over-the-top Raimi touches like the gross blood-letting and other bodily fluids that are meant more to amuse than to frighten.

The ending left the door open for a sequel and I think that is where we will find out if this film is really worth the ride. What? You say if it can't stand on its own then it is definitely not worth it? That's a good argument and one that I would normally make, but I saw the first Evil Dead film and it really wasn't that good. After Raimi hit his stride (and gathered some extra money) and sequel/remake, Evil Dead 2, was much better. If this movie generates a sequel I think it could end up being a classic. If not, it is a fairly amusing aside from the movies that keep Raimi rolling in the dough. Definitely worth a rental; may be worth owning if the genre is that important to you.

e-Book Pricing

The news in the world of electronic books this week has been dominated by the defection of book publishers from the scheme set up by Amazon with the Kindle device. From one story I read, apparently Amazon has been purchasing e-books from publishers at a rate of about $15 per book, then selling them at $10 to the public. Most people on the left side of the political aisle call this kind of practice "dumping" and accuse big companies of doing it to get people to buy their product so they can raise the price at some future time. I think it speaks more to the fact that Amazon has probably been charging far too much for the Kindle device to make up for the money they lose on book sales.

With Apple's announced iPad and the iBookstore that will follow, publishers have taken the opportunity to get away from Amazon's pricing scheme and follow the one that Apple has decided to follow--something they are calling "agency pricing." The bookstore sells the book for a set price and the publisher gets a percentage. The publisher also gets to set the prices.

Some are blaming Apple for this--mostly those with a vested interest in Kindle already--but I would direct your attention to the book publishers. They are the ones setting the prices, not Apple. Personally, I find $9 for a paperback novel these days to be somewhat outrageous, but that's inflation (I used to pay $5 not so long ago, though). To pay the same or slightly more ($10) for essentially a paperback without the paper and with no residual value...I find that slightly ridiculous. I would expect to pay $7 or 8 for the equivalent of a paperback novel. Publishers will try to get more for books that are currently in hardcover, but that analogy breaks down even more: hardcover books have residual value and can be re-sold (so do paperbacks, although not as much value). If you get tired of an e-book, are you legally allowed to sell it to someone else? In the case of digital music you are not, so I assume the case is the same with e-books.

I want an iPad. Sooner or later, I will have one. But as much as I do want one, I probably will not purchase many (if any) books for the prices they are planning to charge. Plainly, it's just not worth it. I think it might be time for the book-reading public (those few of us that actually exist) to boycott e-books until such time as the publishers decide to value their electronic ink less.

Liberals on an Escalator

This is what happens when liberals get stuck on an escalator...too much taught dependency and too little thinking for themselves...

Cigar Review: La Flor Dominicana, Double Ligero (DL-700)

DL-700, 6.5" x 60 ring gauge, $8.85
It has been a while since I visited anything from the La Flor Dominicana line. I got a little burned out on LFDs when compiling the smokes and reviews for October 2009's La Flor Dominicana month here on the Tiki Bar Online. For this review, I tackled the big beast of the Double Ligero line, though: the DL-700. With a length and ring gauge to intimidate almost any man, packed with strong ligero tobacco, this cigar is definitely "large and in charge." Like the rest of the DL line, it features Dominican filler and binder, wrapped in an Ecuadorian sungrown leaf.

The wrapper on this stick was oily and velvety to the touch. It had a very nice appearance without too much mottling; there were a couple dings on the wrapper, but otherwise is was perfect. The aroma from the body of the cigar was a barnyard mix of hay and manure; the foot had some of the same aroma, along with some leather and cocoa. The prelight draw was excellent and there was flavors of milk chocolate, chili pepper, and leather. My Lotus triple-flame lighter did an admirable job in lighting this monster, although this is one of those sticks that practically begs for the Rocky Patel 5-flame torch.

Initial puffs were smooth and somewhat sweet. There was a flavor of cedar and the smoke was ultra-cool, which is an advantage to smoking such a large stick. The first third showed of lots of cedar and roasted nuts, the latter especially present in the retrohale. After about an inch and a half, some spice was introduced--a subtle chili pepper spice with a lingering mouth burn. There was also some subtle cocoa and chocolatey sweetness. The smoke was at times very thick and hung close around the head unless the breeze picked up a little.

The second third started with cedar and had a delightful amount of spice throughout--just enough, really. Toward the end of the third, there were some very nice coffee notes, along with hints of cocoa and a nice underlying sweetness. Constructions was very good so far--a couple touch-ups were required, but the draw was flawless and the burn remarkably even. This last is remarkable because, in my experience, LFD's Ligero and Double Ligero cigars rarely burn all that evenly.

Shortly into the last third, the body and strength ramped up rapidly. Up until this point, the cigar had been a medium-to-full bodied stick, but it quickly went to the upper end of the scale. There was more coffee along with roasted nuts; the cocoa that had been subtle but pervasive before was much more prevalent as well. At this point, the DL-700 was almost an entirely different cigar from earlier. It was a nice, leisurely smoke until the last third, when it became a powerhouse. Ultimately, this was a great study in complexity and change. It had all the punch of a DL-Chisel with less spice and was, in the end, a very satisfying smoke, although not my favorite vitola (the Chisel, I think, still holds that distinction). Several minor touch-ups were required, but that was the only construction issue. This is definitely not a stick for the novice, but experienced smokers looking for a full-bodied, full-flavored, full-strength cigar will enjoy this one.

Body: 9/10
Strength: 9/10
Complexity: 9/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10

Taxachusetts Cigar News

Massachusetts governor, Devil...I mean, Duval, sorry...Patrick has proposed raising the excise tax on to a whopping 110 percent. There are other tax increases being eyed, too, all in an effort to close a $3 billion budget shortfall. Besides the utter and demonstrable wrongheadedness in raising taxes to this point (you tax things you want to discourage: high income taxes discourage achievement; high gas taxes discourage driving; high tobacco taxes discourage smoking), it makes me wonder if the governor has actually ever looked at a map.

Seriously, his state is not all that big. If you live in Boston, you can reach Providence, Rhode Island, or Nashua, New Hampshire in less than an hour (not accounting for traffic). Springfield, MA is only 20 minutes from Hartford, Connecticut. If you are a cigar smoker, it seems to me that you just stop frequenting any shop that charges Massachusetts tobacco taxes, drive a little further and hang out in another state. I haven't been in New England for more than a decade, so I don't know the actual rate of taxes in the other states, but it's a fair bet that it is less than 110 percent.

Oh, and Governor Devil apparently has not heard about this new magical thing called the internet...

Cigar Review: EO 601 Blue

Prominente, 5.5" x 56 ring gauge, $9.70
I had my first 601 less than a year ago--a Green Label if I am not mistaken--and I rated the Red Label as a perfect "10" last year as well. That leaves the Blue and Black Labels that I have not gotten to...so today I am getting to one of those. The Blue Label is the box press version of the 601s and it features all Nicaraguan tobaccos including a Habano Maduro wrapper. It is made by Don Pepin Garcia for Espinoza and Ortega in Esteli, Nicaragua.

I was hit by a wall of chocolatey aroma upon releasing this one from its cellophane. The wrapper definitely had that aroma, along with a little barnyard; the foot was very sweet and rich smelling. The wrapper was velvety-feeling and had a few prominent veins but nothing I felt worried about. It was medium-spongey to the feel--not too firm, not all that soft, either. The prelight draw was maybe a touch too loose; the flavors were amazing: chocolate, dried berries and raisins, and some peppery spice.

My initial puffs had a little spice and a lot of black coffee. It was quite smooth, with just a little edge--full-bodied and oily smoked billowed out right from the beginning. The first third had more coffee with hints of dark chocolate every 2 or 3 puffs. A nice peppery undertone permeated throughout. It was definitely o the full-bodied side: rich with lots of flavor, too.

The second third saw the 601 Blue still producing huge amounts of full-flavored, full-bodied smoke. There was a little leather joining in with the coffee and spice and the chocolate taste came less frequently. The burn line was very straight so far and the draw was not as loose as I initially feared.

The last third had more leather and a dryness to it. There was still quite a bit of coffee and a little spice. The body and strength ramped up almost to an extreme in the last third. The flavor was still good, but not as good as previously. The 601 Blue was a powerful, full-bodied cigar that kept a fantastic flavor profile until near the end when it just kind of...well, "creamed out." Not in the sense that it got weaker or milder, but just the flavor didn't keep it clarity and sharpness. It was not a bad smoke in any way, but I did find it just short of being perfect--almost a box-pressed version of the 601 Red, but not quite. A little too expensive to consider as a regular smoke, unfortunately.

Body: 9/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10

AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 9/10

Haven't We Done This Before?

Happy Groundhog Day! This is a postal holiday, right? I mean, pretty much every other holiday ever put on a calendar is....

Anyway, so according to a furry weather wizard in Western PA, winter will continue for a few more weeks. Which immediately brought to mind the song "Wintertime Blues" by Mr. John Hiatt...these lines in particular:

Well, it's the same old drill
For Punxsutawney Phil
If he sees his own shadow
I'm shootin' to kill

1 Down, 11 to Go

Well, January went quickly, didn't it? Amazingly, here in East TN, the month started with unseasonably cold weather where the temperature did not break the 40 mark for 11 consecutive days, then we got a virtual heat wave where the daytime high was in the high 50s and low 60s for 5 consecutive days, followed by a return to the normal mid-40s weather. From a cigar-smoking perspective, that meant bundling up to the extreme and taking a space heater if you dared to smoke (or drive 45 minutes to Chattanooga for a nice indoor smoking experience), followed by being able to hang out on the front-porch in short-sleeves while the sun was shining on you. We got snow, we got rain, we got abundant sunshine. We've practically seen all four seasons in the past 31 days.

So, anyway...February will see the usual batch of cigar reviews, including some gems from EO (601 Blue and Cubao Maduro), Gurkha (Dragonfire), and Oliva (Serie O). I am also continuing my series of recommendations of movies that I have been watching on video: standouts lately include Taken and Inglorious Basterds. I have a couple music recommendations in the pipeline (neither of which have to do with American Idol, which I'm sure relieves some of you reading this). And I've got recommendations for a couple books I have read lately, namely the latest tomes from Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

Because of the unpredictability of the weather at this time of the year and the absolute pain it is to review a big stogie when it's 30 degrees, all of the reviews for February and March have already been completed (and I'm working on April and May while there's still a break in the weather!). There are some great smokes coming up--including a few that are not widely available. I am also hoping to make an official announcement of a Tiki Bar Online roadtrip next week...so stay tuned!