The PH Cigar Thread
Discussion
Miguel Alvarez said:
Funnily enough a work colleague has decided he's having a BBQ this weekend and he wants some advice on cigars. Asked me to pick some up for him. My remit is 6 cigars that "look like cigars" under a tenner. Not too strong.
I was going to suggest Davidoff for a first time smoke but they're over his price limit.
Any suggestions?
For the 'look' and an easy, mild taste why not just go for Phillies Titan or King Edward Invincible.I was going to suggest Davidoff for a first time smoke but they're over his price limit.
Any suggestions?
Great thread
Agree with the consensus that C Gars is the place to buy and that ring gauge 42-50 is the sweet spot.
However I have to put a word in for Fonseca KDTs which are only RG 36. Buy a box of 25 give them a bit of humidor time and what a beautiful smoke.
Bolivar Royal Coronas are also fantastic
Agree with the consensus that C Gars is the place to buy and that ring gauge 42-50 is the sweet spot.
However I have to put a word in for Fonseca KDTs which are only RG 36. Buy a box of 25 give them a bit of humidor time and what a beautiful smoke.
Bolivar Royal Coronas are also fantastic
PlayersNo6 said:
For the 'look' and an easy, mild taste why not just go for Phillies Titan or King Edward Invincible.
Why not? Perhaps because they will taste absolutely vile and will kill any chance of any of them wanting to smoke a proper cigar in the future?My ring gauge is 52-60. Best balance of draw, smoke production, flavour and hand / mouth feel for me.
My preference for ring gauge is typically between 60-70. Though most of my experience is with mid 50's to low 60's, which are just fine. I love the wide gauge because you get that large cherry typically burning cool, giving a thick and creamy smoke output. Smaller ring gauges, tighter draws and hotter burns aren't my preference.
At the moment, I'm really looking for something with an oscuro wrapper. I've had some very dark extra maduro wrappers but never an oscuro.
Worst cigar I've ever smoked was a Toscano Extravecchio. I bought a five pack when I was in Italy. Very different from a traditional Cuban style cigar, the Toscano is skinny and lumpy, like ET's finger. Made from aged Virginia and Italian tobacco, the flavour is hot and foisty from the first draw, and tasted like cigarette smoke. Absolutely vile. They went in the bin.
At the moment, I'm really looking for something with an oscuro wrapper. I've had some very dark extra maduro wrappers but never an oscuro.
Worst cigar I've ever smoked was a Toscano Extravecchio. I bought a five pack when I was in Italy. Very different from a traditional Cuban style cigar, the Toscano is skinny and lumpy, like ET's finger. Made from aged Virginia and Italian tobacco, the flavour is hot and foisty from the first draw, and tasted like cigarette smoke. Absolutely vile. They went in the bin.
Cigars are made from rolled up tobacco leafs and don't look very processed to me. Tobacco is a plant grown outside, so there must be variations in the quality of the crop, so are there good year/vintages and bad ones? I'm guessing that the tobacco used in fags is blended and fairly processed.
Willy Nilly said:
Cigars are made from rolled up tobacco leafs and don't look very processed to me. Tobacco is a plant grown outside, so there must be variations in the quality of the crop, so are there good year/vintages and bad ones? I'm guessing that the tobacco used in fags is blended and fairly processed.
Cigar tobacco, in decent cigars at least, is grown under very carefully controlled conditions, fermented and aged for years before it's even made into a cigar. Some cigars are aged after manufacture, you can buy some that have been stored for 20 years or whatever, but aged tobacco changes flavour and takes on it's own identity. A lot of people find that aging cigars themselves in a humidor, even over a few years, mellows the flavours. Sometimes when you see something with a date on the band / tube, that is the year the blend was discovered. Do some googling, there is so much more to it than I can explain here. You'll find out about wrapper, binder and long filler, how good cigars are all hand made etc. Cigars are smoked to enjoy the flavour. I find appreciating the work that goes into a cigar helps me enjoy it more.Tobacco for cigarettes is blended for nicotine strength, speedy growing and leaf size. It's not a quality product, it's simply made as cheap and powerful as they can get it, as that is what cigarette smokers want. Cigarettes are absolutely loaded with chemicals to cure the tobacco quickly, make it burn more easily, mask the utterly rancid taste etc. On the other hand, a cigar shouldn't have any chemicals in it, it's just tobacco, nothing else. Cigarettes exist only to give their users a nicotine hit.
Cigars certainly aren't good for you, there is no argument to be had there, but I think the risk / reward to cigars enjoyed in moderation is worth it. I wouldn't touch a cigarette if you paid me.
Mastodon2 said:
This was my concern, that the event would end up being a load of tanked up BBQ attendees having a go at smoking, trying some right dog rockets. From what I gather, the Novillos are extremely light, so hopefully no one will be put off smoking in the long term. A common experience among my friends who tried cigars and didn't like them was smoking bad cigars, in the wrong setting and not knowing how to do it properly. Wonky cuts causing wrapper unraveling, cigars burnt rather than lit, smoked too hot etc, a cigar can be awful when not smoked right. Hopefully the Chinchaleros will be ok, and you'll get a few decent smokes out of it yourself.
With regard to the NUBs, I've had the Cameroon. It was mild-medium, medium at the most, with some nice flavours, and had a notably excellent construction and burn. However, don't believe the hype, they're not the "sweet spot of a cigar distilled", nor do they last as long as a longer cigar. Despite what the advertising may claim, you can't beat the laws of physics. My main complaint is that being so short, they get hot quite quickly, whereas I prefer longer cigars that stay cooler for a greater portion of the smoke. That said, if you've only got 45-60 minutes and want to fit a cigar in, a NUB wouldn't be a bad choice.
I've had a couple boxes of Novillo's in the past. They're what you would expect. A mild 30 minute smoke for a few quid. Quality wise I've not had any plugged or badly rolled ones. One box was a bit new tasting so I let it sit for a couple of months but other than that I really can't complain. For the price I don't think there is anything to beat them. Oh the burn is usally awful and lopsided but I'm not overly bothered by the burn as some people. With regard to the NUBs, I've had the Cameroon. It was mild-medium, medium at the most, with some nice flavours, and had a notably excellent construction and burn. However, don't believe the hype, they're not the "sweet spot of a cigar distilled", nor do they last as long as a longer cigar. Despite what the advertising may claim, you can't beat the laws of physics. My main complaint is that being so short, they get hot quite quickly, whereas I prefer longer cigars that stay cooler for a greater portion of the smoke. That said, if you've only got 45-60 minutes and want to fit a cigar in, a NUB wouldn't be a bad choice.
I'm going to order a Nub next purchase and see how it goes.
PlayersNo6 said:
For the 'look' and an easy, mild taste why not just go for Phillies Titan or King Edward Invincible.
As a rap fan Phillies were my first venture into cigars. No I didn't roll a blunt before you ask. Lol. My two weekend smokes -
I very rarely smoke at home, but having had two early day shifts at work, I decided the time was ripe to grab a couple of sticks for a take home. As expensive as buying a good bottle of whisky, no doubt, but a rare treat all the same. The H. Upmann Magnum 46 is a classic Cuban and the Rocky Patel is something I've not yet tried. The Upmann was first to go, as I am more excited about trying the Patel Vintage 1990.
The following review is just a summary of my thoughts, I'm no expert and you may disagree with me and may find my review is contrary to the opinion of others.
Inspecting the Upmann, I found the construction to be excellent. Tightly packed at the foot, with a slightly soft feel along the stick, smooth Colorado Claro wrapper with tight, visible seams. Some of the seams looked a little more ragged towards the head but nothing to spoil the party. The wrapper had an oily sheen, with little toothy texture to be found. The wrapper smelled sweet and the pre-light draw was smooth and sweet.
Getting it lit by toasting with my lighter, the burn started off a little uneven and required a quick touch up after about five draws. It evened out nicely after that and held a firm ash for about an inch and a half, and then down to an inch at a time between dropping off afterwards. The first third was sweet and dairy like, with a mild body, light wispy smoke and soft, milk chocolate flavours. The draw was even and easy, though I must say my preference is for a considerably larger gauge for mouthfeel and smoking. Nothing particularly complex in the first third, just sweet and easy smoking.
The second third revealed a more typical Cuban character, still smoking nicely but with flavour changing to rich, aged tobacco. Body remains mild to medium, but hits you with a classic cigar flavour, very un-fussy and straightforward. Hints of white pepper add a little characteristic 'pepperiness' to the smoke but I didn't detect any other common spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
The last third was perhaps the most frustrating, because the best flavours emerge right as the cigar is winding down. The transition between rich, bold and savoury tobacco flavour gives way quickly to a very sweet flavour. Different from the creamy milk chocolate of before, the smoke remains relatively thin and doesn't cloy on the palette but the taste instantly goes to honey. Well, at first it reminded me of the herbal sweetness of honey, but on some draws it was like caramelised bananas, the sort you grill in foil on a barbecue. That was a really delicious, striking change of flavour but sadly, the burn became a little uneven near the end and the cigar went out. I relit it, which took a couple of quick draws to get a burn going again and the flavour was spoiled by overheating. It was at the point where I'd usually dump a stick but I wanted to hold on to it for the great taste I was getting. Concerned about wanting to preserve some fuel in my lighter for the Patel, and having overwhelmed my tastebuds and the cigar trying to re-light, I relented and threw it in the chimenea. I noted throughout the the nicotine strength builds and for a smaller gauged cigar, it was mildly potent, again the strength felt typically Cuban to me.
As a standalone cigar, it's a good 7/10 smoke. It's classically Cuban in that it gives those simple, rich tobacco flavours and feels very traditional. However, as a sounding board for my own tastes, I think it drives me towards New World cigars like Hondurans and Dominicans. I think with the New World stuff, you typically get just as good construction at the same or similar price point, with milder tobacco flavours and more complexity overall. The Cubans can deliver straight up tobacco, but I find a lot of the Cuban cigars are much of a muchness - I probably couldn't tell a comparable RYJ from a Hoyo De Monterrey from a Montecristo despite having smoked my way through a few. How strange then, that the Americans would covet Cuban cigars so much yet the successful New World brands that have found great market penetration there are complex, flavoursome and often quite sweet cigars.
At the moment, I really want to try something with a proper Oscuro wrapper. I've never had an Oscuro before, but my preference is for Maduro or Extra Maduro cigars, so I think I'd like the Oscuro. Either that, or a Double Claro, for the opposite end of the spectrum.
I very rarely smoke at home, but having had two early day shifts at work, I decided the time was ripe to grab a couple of sticks for a take home. As expensive as buying a good bottle of whisky, no doubt, but a rare treat all the same. The H. Upmann Magnum 46 is a classic Cuban and the Rocky Patel is something I've not yet tried. The Upmann was first to go, as I am more excited about trying the Patel Vintage 1990.
The following review is just a summary of my thoughts, I'm no expert and you may disagree with me and may find my review is contrary to the opinion of others.
Inspecting the Upmann, I found the construction to be excellent. Tightly packed at the foot, with a slightly soft feel along the stick, smooth Colorado Claro wrapper with tight, visible seams. Some of the seams looked a little more ragged towards the head but nothing to spoil the party. The wrapper had an oily sheen, with little toothy texture to be found. The wrapper smelled sweet and the pre-light draw was smooth and sweet.
Getting it lit by toasting with my lighter, the burn started off a little uneven and required a quick touch up after about five draws. It evened out nicely after that and held a firm ash for about an inch and a half, and then down to an inch at a time between dropping off afterwards. The first third was sweet and dairy like, with a mild body, light wispy smoke and soft, milk chocolate flavours. The draw was even and easy, though I must say my preference is for a considerably larger gauge for mouthfeel and smoking. Nothing particularly complex in the first third, just sweet and easy smoking.
The second third revealed a more typical Cuban character, still smoking nicely but with flavour changing to rich, aged tobacco. Body remains mild to medium, but hits you with a classic cigar flavour, very un-fussy and straightforward. Hints of white pepper add a little characteristic 'pepperiness' to the smoke but I didn't detect any other common spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
The last third was perhaps the most frustrating, because the best flavours emerge right as the cigar is winding down. The transition between rich, bold and savoury tobacco flavour gives way quickly to a very sweet flavour. Different from the creamy milk chocolate of before, the smoke remains relatively thin and doesn't cloy on the palette but the taste instantly goes to honey. Well, at first it reminded me of the herbal sweetness of honey, but on some draws it was like caramelised bananas, the sort you grill in foil on a barbecue. That was a really delicious, striking change of flavour but sadly, the burn became a little uneven near the end and the cigar went out. I relit it, which took a couple of quick draws to get a burn going again and the flavour was spoiled by overheating. It was at the point where I'd usually dump a stick but I wanted to hold on to it for the great taste I was getting. Concerned about wanting to preserve some fuel in my lighter for the Patel, and having overwhelmed my tastebuds and the cigar trying to re-light, I relented and threw it in the chimenea. I noted throughout the the nicotine strength builds and for a smaller gauged cigar, it was mildly potent, again the strength felt typically Cuban to me.
As a standalone cigar, it's a good 7/10 smoke. It's classically Cuban in that it gives those simple, rich tobacco flavours and feels very traditional. However, as a sounding board for my own tastes, I think it drives me towards New World cigars like Hondurans and Dominicans. I think with the New World stuff, you typically get just as good construction at the same or similar price point, with milder tobacco flavours and more complexity overall. The Cubans can deliver straight up tobacco, but I find a lot of the Cuban cigars are much of a muchness - I probably couldn't tell a comparable RYJ from a Hoyo De Monterrey from a Montecristo despite having smoked my way through a few. How strange then, that the Americans would covet Cuban cigars so much yet the successful New World brands that have found great market penetration there are complex, flavoursome and often quite sweet cigars.
At the moment, I really want to try something with a proper Oscuro wrapper. I've never had an Oscuro before, but my preference is for Maduro or Extra Maduro cigars, so I think I'd like the Oscuro. Either that, or a Double Claro, for the opposite end of the spectrum.
Baryonyx said:
My two weekend smokes -
I very rarely smoke at home, but having had two early day shifts at work, I decided the time was ripe to grab a couple of sticks for a take home. As expensive as buying a good bottle of whisky, no doubt, but a rare treat all the same. The H. Upmann Magnum 46 is a classic Cuban and the Rocky Patel is something I've not yet tried. The Upmann was first to go, as I am more excited about trying the Patel Vintage 1990.
The following review is just a summary of my thoughts, I'm no expert and you may disagree with me and may find my review is contrary to the opinion of others.
Inspecting the Upmann, I found the construction to be excellent. Tightly packed at the foot, with a slightly soft feel along the stick, smooth Colorado Claro wrapper with tight, visible seams. Some of the seams looked a little more ragged towards the head but nothing to spoil the party. The wrapper had an oily sheen, with little toothy texture to be found. The wrapper smelled sweet and the pre-light draw was smooth and sweet.
Getting it lit by toasting with my lighter, the burn started off a little uneven and required a quick touch up after about five draws. It evened out nicely after that and held a firm ash for about an inch and a half, and then down to an inch at a time between dropping off afterwards. The first third was sweet and dairy like, with a mild body, light wispy smoke and soft, milk chocolate flavours. The draw was even and easy, though I must say my preference is for a considerably larger gauge for mouthfeel and smoking. Nothing particularly complex in the first third, just sweet and easy smoking.
The second third revealed a more typical Cuban character, still smoking nicely but with flavour changing to rich, aged tobacco. Body remains mild to medium, but hits you with a classic cigar flavour, very un-fussy and straightforward. Hints of white pepper add a little characteristic 'pepperiness' to the smoke but I didn't detect any other common spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
The last third was perhaps the most frustrating, because the best flavours emerge right as the cigar is winding down. The transition between rich, bold and savoury tobacco flavour gives way quickly to a very sweet flavour. Different from the creamy milk chocolate of before, the smoke remains relatively thin and doesn't cloy on the palette but the taste instantly goes to honey. Well, at first it reminded me of the herbal sweetness of honey, but on some draws it was like caramelised bananas, the sort you grill in foil on a barbecue. That was a really delicious, striking change of flavour but sadly, the burn became a little uneven near the end and the cigar went out. I relit it, which took a couple of quick draws to get a burn going again and the flavour was spoiled by overheating. It was at the point where I'd usually dump a stick but I wanted to hold on to it for the great taste I was getting. Concerned about wanting to preserve some fuel in my lighter for the Patel, and having overwhelmed my tastebuds and the cigar trying to re-light, I relented and threw it in the chimenea. I noted throughout the the nicotine strength builds and for a smaller gauged cigar, it was mildly potent, again the strength felt typically Cuban to me.
As a standalone cigar, it's a good 7/10 smoke. It's classically Cuban in that it gives those simple, rich tobacco flavours and feels very traditional. However, as a sounding board for my own tastes, I think it drives me towards New World cigars like Hondurans and Dominicans. I think with the New World stuff, you typically get just as good construction at the same or similar price point, with milder tobacco flavours and more complexity overall. The Cubans can deliver straight up tobacco, but I find a lot of the Cuban cigars are much of a muchness - I probably couldn't tell a comparable RYJ from a Hoyo De Monterrey from a Montecristo despite having smoked my way through a few. How strange then, that the Americans would covet Cuban cigars so much yet the successful New World brands that have found great market penetration there are complex, flavoursome and often quite sweet cigars.
At the moment, I really want to try something with a proper Oscuro wrapper. I've never had an Oscuro before, but my preference is for Maduro or Extra Maduro cigars, so I think I'd like the Oscuro. Either that, or a Double Claro, for the opposite end of the spectrum.
That's pretty much my experience with the Upman's I've tried. Sweet to pepper/bitter to wow this is sweet why can't the whole cigar taste like this. I very rarely smoke at home, but having had two early day shifts at work, I decided the time was ripe to grab a couple of sticks for a take home. As expensive as buying a good bottle of whisky, no doubt, but a rare treat all the same. The H. Upmann Magnum 46 is a classic Cuban and the Rocky Patel is something I've not yet tried. The Upmann was first to go, as I am more excited about trying the Patel Vintage 1990.
The following review is just a summary of my thoughts, I'm no expert and you may disagree with me and may find my review is contrary to the opinion of others.
Inspecting the Upmann, I found the construction to be excellent. Tightly packed at the foot, with a slightly soft feel along the stick, smooth Colorado Claro wrapper with tight, visible seams. Some of the seams looked a little more ragged towards the head but nothing to spoil the party. The wrapper had an oily sheen, with little toothy texture to be found. The wrapper smelled sweet and the pre-light draw was smooth and sweet.
Getting it lit by toasting with my lighter, the burn started off a little uneven and required a quick touch up after about five draws. It evened out nicely after that and held a firm ash for about an inch and a half, and then down to an inch at a time between dropping off afterwards. The first third was sweet and dairy like, with a mild body, light wispy smoke and soft, milk chocolate flavours. The draw was even and easy, though I must say my preference is for a considerably larger gauge for mouthfeel and smoking. Nothing particularly complex in the first third, just sweet and easy smoking.
The second third revealed a more typical Cuban character, still smoking nicely but with flavour changing to rich, aged tobacco. Body remains mild to medium, but hits you with a classic cigar flavour, very un-fussy and straightforward. Hints of white pepper add a little characteristic 'pepperiness' to the smoke but I didn't detect any other common spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
The last third was perhaps the most frustrating, because the best flavours emerge right as the cigar is winding down. The transition between rich, bold and savoury tobacco flavour gives way quickly to a very sweet flavour. Different from the creamy milk chocolate of before, the smoke remains relatively thin and doesn't cloy on the palette but the taste instantly goes to honey. Well, at first it reminded me of the herbal sweetness of honey, but on some draws it was like caramelised bananas, the sort you grill in foil on a barbecue. That was a really delicious, striking change of flavour but sadly, the burn became a little uneven near the end and the cigar went out. I relit it, which took a couple of quick draws to get a burn going again and the flavour was spoiled by overheating. It was at the point where I'd usually dump a stick but I wanted to hold on to it for the great taste I was getting. Concerned about wanting to preserve some fuel in my lighter for the Patel, and having overwhelmed my tastebuds and the cigar trying to re-light, I relented and threw it in the chimenea. I noted throughout the the nicotine strength builds and for a smaller gauged cigar, it was mildly potent, again the strength felt typically Cuban to me.
As a standalone cigar, it's a good 7/10 smoke. It's classically Cuban in that it gives those simple, rich tobacco flavours and feels very traditional. However, as a sounding board for my own tastes, I think it drives me towards New World cigars like Hondurans and Dominicans. I think with the New World stuff, you typically get just as good construction at the same or similar price point, with milder tobacco flavours and more complexity overall. The Cubans can deliver straight up tobacco, but I find a lot of the Cuban cigars are much of a muchness - I probably couldn't tell a comparable RYJ from a Hoyo De Monterrey from a Montecristo despite having smoked my way through a few. How strange then, that the Americans would covet Cuban cigars so much yet the successful New World brands that have found great market penetration there are complex, flavoursome and often quite sweet cigars.
At the moment, I really want to try something with a proper Oscuro wrapper. I've never had an Oscuro before, but my preference is for Maduro or Extra Maduro cigars, so I think I'd like the Oscuro. Either that, or a Double Claro, for the opposite end of the spectrum.
I'll wait till you've had the Rocky before I comment. I'm interested to know what you think of the taste profile.
Tried to smoke the Rocky today, bloody thing was plugged. Started off decent, wrapper looked good, very oily and slightly toothy which is fine. The flavour was also fine, rich tobacco with a sweet finish. It wasn't blowing me away, but seemed pleasant enough. Smoke was thick and heavy, just how I like it. Construction wasn't perfect as there was some tunnelling, but a flash of the lighter corrected it.
About a third of the way down, the draw started to tighten and it choked out. It wouldn't go after that, I could feel a knot in the length of the cigar which had swollen during the smoke, presumably as it accumulated tar and warmed through. It wouldn't budge, and with that, I consigned the stick to the bin. A waste of £16, to be sure. Even more irritatingly, I had skipped buying a game on the PSN store a few days ago, saying "nah, £16 is too much for that". Wish I had spent my money there!
About a third of the way down, the draw started to tighten and it choked out. It wouldn't go after that, I could feel a knot in the length of the cigar which had swollen during the smoke, presumably as it accumulated tar and warmed through. It wouldn't budge, and with that, I consigned the stick to the bin. A waste of £16, to be sure. Even more irritatingly, I had skipped buying a game on the PSN store a few days ago, saying "nah, £16 is too much for that". Wish I had spent my money there!
A scary situation of government intervention occurring in the US, the FDA are sticking their oar in to the cigar industry and there is a possibility that they will mandate that all cigars be presented to them for approval and licencing for sale. That means that each cigar that is to be marketed on US soil must be presented with a data package detailing the composition of the cigar, down to chemicals present, how much of each is present etc. Now of course, there are fundamental flaws with this in that cigars are hand made items, and variations in crops from year to year will cause the cigars to differ from their licence sheet which theoretically could result in the FDA rejecting the product for sale if it doesn't match it's specification batch after batch. However, which this likely means is that bigger cigar companies will be able to afford the approval process, but smaller companies won't, many of which use the US as their main market. So the market will lose an enormous amount of diversity pretty much over night.
If they tried the same thing with cigarettes it would be a lot easier for the big tobacco companies to get their product certified, as cigarettes are so processed they really can be made incredibly consistent, yet disgusting.
I've worked in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, I've seen how the FDA work and I've seen products going through the approval process. It's slow, complicated and immensely expensive. It might not seem like an issue for us in the UK if smaller blenders go out of business - we likely can't even get their cigars unless we buy direct from them, but we should want a healthy and robust cigar industry worldwide. We can only hope that the FDA will recognise the potential drop to their tax revenues if they implement this hare-brained scheme, and won't go through with it. I'm already concerned about the availability and quality Cuban cigars in the UK in coming years as the US relaxes it's embargo on Cuba, inevitably allowing Cuban cigars to be stocked in American brick and mortars, and brought in en masse through websites. Some Cubans are hard to get in the UK as it is now anyway.
I'll be down at my lounge on Friday night for their late night smoke, undecided on what I'll have. Either an Alex Bradley Texas Lancero, or two smaller sticks. I've not had anything since my disappointing Oliva Serie V Maduro Figurado a fortnight ago, I'm looking forward to a good smoke.
If they tried the same thing with cigarettes it would be a lot easier for the big tobacco companies to get their product certified, as cigarettes are so processed they really can be made incredibly consistent, yet disgusting.
I've worked in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, I've seen how the FDA work and I've seen products going through the approval process. It's slow, complicated and immensely expensive. It might not seem like an issue for us in the UK if smaller blenders go out of business - we likely can't even get their cigars unless we buy direct from them, but we should want a healthy and robust cigar industry worldwide. We can only hope that the FDA will recognise the potential drop to their tax revenues if they implement this hare-brained scheme, and won't go through with it. I'm already concerned about the availability and quality Cuban cigars in the UK in coming years as the US relaxes it's embargo on Cuba, inevitably allowing Cuban cigars to be stocked in American brick and mortars, and brought in en masse through websites. Some Cubans are hard to get in the UK as it is now anyway.
I'll be down at my lounge on Friday night for their late night smoke, undecided on what I'll have. Either an Alex Bradley Texas Lancero, or two smaller sticks. I've not had anything since my disappointing Oliva Serie V Maduro Figurado a fortnight ago, I'm looking forward to a good smoke.
Baryonyx said:
Tried to smoke the Rocky today, bloody thing was plugged. Started off decent, wrapper looked good, very oily and slightly toothy which is fine. The flavour was also fine, rich tobacco with a sweet finish. It wasn't blowing me away, but seemed pleasant enough. Smoke was thick and heavy, just how I like it. Construction wasn't perfect as there was some tunnelling, but a flash of the lighter corrected it.
About a third of the way down, the draw started to tighten and it choked out. It wouldn't go after that, I could feel a knot in the length of the cigar which had swollen during the smoke, presumably as it accumulated tar and warmed through. It wouldn't budge, and with that, I consigned the stick to the bin. A waste of £16, to be sure. Even more irritatingly, I had skipped buying a game on the PSN store a few days ago, saying "nah, £16 is too much for that". Wish I had spent my money there!
As for the 1990 I was curious to see what you thought. I had this down as one of my worst smokes. Nothing to do with the construction it was just a bland cigar. I bought a few as I loved previous Rocky Patels but each one of these tasted like hot air and nothing else. About a third of the way down, the draw started to tighten and it choked out. It wouldn't go after that, I could feel a knot in the length of the cigar which had swollen during the smoke, presumably as it accumulated tar and warmed through. It wouldn't budge, and with that, I consigned the stick to the bin. A waste of £16, to be sure. Even more irritatingly, I had skipped buying a game on the PSN store a few days ago, saying "nah, £16 is too much for that". Wish I had spent my money there!
Miguel Alvarez said:
Interesting I guess it will be a case of watch this space. Reading some of the American forums I get the impression most aren't that bothered about Cuban's.
Well, I imagine it's true for some of them, for some of the others I suspect it's a case of pretending they aren't bothered. I think there will definitely a surge of demand in the US, if only for as long as it takes for people to realise that Cubans are no better than the new world offerings they have been used to over in the states. I still find that Cuban cigars have a mystical quality, or least a "cool factor" that makes new or more casual smokers want to smoke them. The man on the street doesn't give a damn about a Nicaraguan puro, but tell Joe Public you're smoking a Cuban cigar and they think you're a movie star.The looming cloud of the FDA is a bigger issue for the cigar industry in general, though quite how much the UK will be hit remains to be seen, as a lot of smaller brands just don't get imported to the UK, at least not for general sale through tobacconists.
It's nearly Friday, can't wait to get my smoke on.
Mastodon2 said:
The man on the street doesn't give a damn about a Nicaraguan puro, but tell Joe Public you're smoking a Cuban cigar and they think you're a movie star.
It's nearly Friday, can't wait to get my smoke on.
That's where I imagine they will do well with the one off purchases over the seasoned smokers. It's nearly Friday, can't wait to get my smoke on.
What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.
Miguel Alvarez said:
That's where I imagine they will do well with the one off purchases over the seasoned smokers.
What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.
I'm not sure yet, I may have something fairly rich to start, maybe a Rocky Patel Oscuro or perhaps a Nub Maduro, but given the mixed reviews RP's get, I'm not sure about those. I may then move onto something milder. I'll take some photos and post up some reviews tomorrow night when I get back from the lounge.What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.
Miguel Alvarez said:
That's where I imagine they will do well with the one off purchases over the seasoned smokers.
What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.
I'm not sure yet, I may have something fairly rich to start, maybe a Rocky Patel Oscuro or a Nub Maduro, followed up by something milder. I don't know about the Rocky Patel though, for a start, to get that black oscuro colour, it has presumably been painted.What have you got your eyes on this weekend? I'm feeling for either a Diplomaticos or a Partagas. One of them means a trip into Windsor though so not sure.
I may have an EP Carrillo Inch Maduro in 7x70. Whatever I smoke, I'll post up some pics and a review.
I am really looking forward to my weekend smokes this week. For tomorrow evening I am thinking a Partagas D4, for Saturday day El Credito Exquisitos Maduro - one of my favourite smokes and I urge everyone to try one. Sunday if the weather is decent it'll be a behike 😊
Interesting to see another poster comment on the RP 1990 Vintage, I would put that down as one of my worst smokes and would agree, very bland.
Interesting to see another poster comment on the RP 1990 Vintage, I would put that down as one of my worst smokes and would agree, very bland.
Mastodon2 said:
I'm not sure yet, I may have something fairly rich to start, maybe a Rocky Patel Oscuro or a Nub Maduro, followed up by something milder. I don't know about the Rocky Patel though, for a start, to get that black oscuro colour, it has presumably been painted.
I may have an EP Carrillo Inch Maduro in 7x70. Whatever I smoke, I'll post up some pics and a review.
I had an inch the other day. It was nice but took bloody ages to smoke. I may have an EP Carrillo Inch Maduro in 7x70. Whatever I smoke, I'll post up some pics and a review.
Jambob said:
I am really looking forward to my weekend smokes this week. For tomorrow evening I am thinking a Partagas D4, for Saturday day El Credito Exquisitos Maduro - one of my favourite smokes and I urge everyone to try one. Sunday if the weather is decent it'll be a behike ð???
The D4 is one of my favourites. I can't fault them at all. I've not tried a Behike yet. I'll be honest it's above the price point I'm happy to pay for a smoke. The thought I'm sat here burning £40 would be running through my mind. Burning <£20 is fine however lol. I will treat myself one day. Jambob said:
Interesting to see another poster comment on the RP 1990 Vintage, I would put that down as one of my worst smokes and would agree, very bland.
I find RP really hit and miss. The best one IMHO is/was the Old World Reserve. Such a strong bitter sweet dark chocolate taste. It really was a beautiful cigar. The Cameroon was ok but none of them really compare the OWR. ETA I found some old pics of Rocky Patel's on the Rolex Forum. Before anyone makes some snide comment they have a cigar/watch pic thread hence the style of photos. No different to "show me your shoes and goldfish bowl pics" or any other type of pic request dreamt up by bored office workers.
The Cameroon. A bit harsh but a nice smoke. Bit pricey for what it was from memory and I know the flower bed needed a bit of weeding. Lol.
The Egde. Nothing really special to say about this one. I don't remember it being good or bad either way.
The 1990. As I said above. I've got to say this has been one of the worst cigars I've ever smoked. Just bland.
I've also tried the 15th Anniversary one which was nice but again for the price point I feel there are better cigars out there. I really wish they would re introduce the Old World.
Edited by Miguel Alvarez on Friday 8th May 14:41
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