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This was just pointed out to me last night on the bottom of an EPI 2 box.. A funny coincidence if you ask me... "TUG DIC"

PSD 5 last night

Some Connie A from our host today in the mailbox. Skickas från en telefon

Hi Habana Mike, and the rest of the community. It was fantastic to meet up with many of you in Havana. I struggled with names there - but adding in Forum IDs has me totally thrown, so excuse my lack of references. I hope I'm doing the right thing by adding my snaps of the opening night to this post, as opposed to creating a new one. So here goes: We all managed to find our seats at a series of tables strategically located on the periphery to facilitate a speedy exit in the event that the heavy rain came: The formalities began with the Partagas team being welcomed on stage. Hamlet made a grand entrance to rapturous applause from the FOH tables which surprised the audience, and more so all of Hamlets bosses. It was a somber start to the evening as tribute was made to Massimo de Giovanni who had recently passed away: Rob soon had us distracted, and enjoying ourselves again, personally selecting cigars for forum members from the various handouts: The dancing troops put up a show as the mist turned to drizzle: After a great night, a small rebel group of diehards aimed for the Gato Tuerto for a nightcap:

Very young but very tasty 2014 Sig 6 A/T from El Laguito

Got some mail today TEB JUL 07 BCE - not huge on bolivar, but figured I'd try with some age before blacklisting 25 fresh farm rolls And a care package from a great botl

Moderators please feel free to edit out anything that shouldn't be here as far as peoples names, etc, most of it should be no problem and I don't want to cause any trouble for our worldwide friends Purpose: Went to Cuba back in May for first time and this was a return visit to meet up w online friends from around the world for 5 days **Forgive me in advance for my spelling, lack of certain details or facts and enjoy my 5 day bender summary in Cuba Day 1 Fri Nov 14 -Miami to Havana on a full flight in early AM -Immigration asked if I have been to Dallas or Africa lately due to Ebola issue -Catch a cab to Hotel Nacional, breaks down half way and then we are on our way again -Check into the famous Nacional, room not ready, meet my local driver and off to shopping we go -Visit Club Habana and meet Jorge for first time and say hello to Leo again, store is empty so I have time to chat w them and take my time w my purchases, probably my favorite Customs on the island ranging from $5-8 a stick, pick up Monsdales, Behike 58 and Robusto Largo, Jorges favorites are the Monsdale and Corona Especiales -Off to 5y16 to meet Carlos Robaina for the first time, store is empty and am told the roller has no leaf to roll Customs, hasn’t had leaf in weeks, something I hear on and off from various stores during my stay, also heard rumors of Robaina Padrinos being sold here since they could get more money than on the farm but none were there, off to next LCDH -Arrive @ Hotel Commodoro to pick up rolls from Alex, who replaced Santos some time ago, enjoyed these from last trip -Arrive back to Nacional to check in and hang up clothes and to relax on back patio with a smoke and a drink, one of my favorite spots to do so in all of Habana -Purchase some Milagro customs and a Hotel Nacional marble ashtray as a back up to my one at home, $35CUC and 9lbs later I got myself a good one -Meet up with Habana Mike from Atlanta, we smoke and drink for a while then off to dinner then back to Nacional to continue drinking and smoking -Meet up with lots of friends from the Internet and around the world including Rob Ayala, Amir, Nino, etc. Stay on back Nacional patio awhile before heading to El Gato Tuerto, a dingy Jazz bar down the street from the Nacional and a favorite of mine that week, smokey, small, great music and a host of locals and tourists mingling like we have known each other for a while, birthday drinks w Amir and meeting his lovely lady was fun, second time meeting him and he’s a very special person, wrap up the night around 4AM and stumble back to Hotel Day 2 Sat Nov 15 -Meet the FOH crew in lobby to take bus to Vinales and Cayo Julia beach for the day, stop to piss and grab drinks for the 4 hour bus ride, and get to know the group on the bus ride there -BBQ at the beach w fresh lobster, red snapper and roasted pig beachside while sipping drinks, soaking up rays and smoking Havana’s finest, this was a real treat to have the water roll over my feet, sand in the toes and fantastic conversation with people I felt I have known for a lifetime but only meeting them hours earlier, we stay here for 5 hours while the band plays -Off to Vinales for the night, we all stay at different Casa de Particular’s and meet for dinner @ 8:30 @ Olivos -My house is clean, nice and the owner is a Divorced female dentist with a hot 19 year old daughter and her parents also live there,, very common in Cuba, I asked her how much she gets a night and its about $20-25/night, cheaper than Havana which can be $30-40 a night, I feel safe and welcomed, all I can ask for in a new environment -After a dinner w/ friends learning how the Jinetera make their trade in Havana from one of my unnamed dinner guest we head over to the Cave, where a fantastic Salsa band greats us. Vinales is a smaller town outside of Havana but to me seemed like the real Cuba whereas Havana is more like New York City, both great but both different. -After getting my Rum on, Rob Ayala, Rob Fox and Andrew head off to a smaller bar to shoot the **** for 3 hours in a more relaxed atmosphere, I learned more from that conversation in 3 hours than I have over 1 year on the web on how the Cigar business works. One of the coolest things is that both Rob’s have their own cigar business to run but they are best of friends, don’t care about competition, bust balls with the best of them and seem more like brothers than boys separated by continents, very cool my friends Day 3 Sun Nov 16 -Wake up to take tour of a farm just outside of Vinales, hung over and hot, it was fun. Black Peas was the crop of choice currently growing along with some Corn, Bananas and Sugar Cane, Tobacco seedlings were in the ground here at this farm but if I remember correctly it was more of a produce/vegetable farm than Tobacco but I am may be wrong -Then we head back on the bus for an hour to Pinar Del Rio to Luis Hector Prietos farm, one of the more famous Tobacco farms you see discussed on the internet. We are greeted by wood tables set for a terrific lunch of Pig, Yuca, Salad, Beans and Rice and Mojitos from a fairly new bar that was installed there, told to me from previous visitors. -They are just finalizing villas for tourists to spend the night in, kind of cheesy if you ask me but I understand it’s Cuba and they have to pay the bills. Meet Hector and chat briefly, man of a few words and lil English but we were on the same page. Pig was roasting across the rickety bridge you see in everyone’s pictures and I wonder across the stream to where Andy Ryan and Rob Fox historically were farmers for a day a year or two ago, spoke w Rob about that and his eyes lit up, told him he’s probably the only Irish guy in the world to ever plow a Tobacco field in Cuba, he agreed -I checked out Hectors shade grown leaf surrounded by cheese cloth, it was the only Tobacco growing at the time I could see and ventured in to his drying barn, Chemicals from Brazil, China, etc……tobacco from last harvest months ago curing in bundles, destined for cigarette tobacco is what I was told…..wild Turkeys, chickens, horses, dogs, cats really run the farm and Habana Mike caught two horses having sex on video, I will let him post that video but it’s quite a sight to see -After acquiring farm rolls, we were off back to Havana on Sunday night to catch a late night dinner at a very trendy restaurant at a former Embassy, dinner ran long and then off to Cohiba Melia Salsa show which was great but we ended up back at the Gato for another late evening, can’t beat the Gato w your mates, cold drinks and loose women, good times Day 4 Mon Nov 17 -Wake up feeling like **** and meet group in lobby to run around Havana cigar shops, started with Partagas where Hamlet was running point as usual, picked up some special cigars and hung loose until our next adventure to 5y16, where I was already on Friday….Back at 5y16, I saw Carlos again and still no leaf but I did learn a lot about Santería, the alternative religion of Cuba to say it nicely, where 70% of the island are Catholics and the rest is Santeria typically, very interesting -We then head to the party of all parties at Rob’s house, his crib was sick! It overlooked the water, pool, huge deck and staff. It was catered, full open bar, a DJ to start, then solo guitarist then Salsa band to finish the night. The party started around 12:30 and wrapped up around 9pm where then headed out again to another place, more on that place in a second. There was about 30 of us on the Tour there along with local friends of Rob’s from all kinds of back grounds, very cool. Weather was perfect, pool felt good, drinks were cold and everybody seemed like they were blitzed by running out of beer then replenishments arrived soon after, food was awesome again and it was one big fiesta, very nice to see the sun set at one location, fun had by everybody and plenty of stories -Off to a discotheque later that night where for the first time in my life I walked into a place where I was surprised by the people there before us ….and I will leave it at that…..We danced, drank and smoked our ways thru the night then headed back to hotel, I set up camp for a late night on the Nacional patio with some friends reminiscing my time in Havana, I ended up staying up all night since I had a 10AM flight on Tue AM and had to be at Terminal 2 at 7AM so it was worth it Day 5 Tue Nov 18 -Flew to Miami then to Raleigh Random Thoughts by Ryan: -So many great people I met this trip that I am sure I will forget some names so please forgive me but the Canadians including Keith and Tom, Australians of Rob, Rob A, Chunk, Nate, Americans like Dana and her hubby,Habana Mike, Andrew, Nick and his boys from LA, Irish boys of Rob and Yiorgos, Nino from Germany, Amir….I am sure I am leaving others out, please forgive me, I remember you -Felt great being disconnected from the rest of the world w regards to Internet and Cell Phone, didn’t miss TV, it was great -Learned that its very typical for every neighborhood in Habana to have a “Neighborhood Spy”, one who listens to the vibe of the community, what they are talking about, their actions and overall behavior and then report that back to the Cuban government and I assume for some kind of kickbacks, very interesting -Having our “Fixer”, a great guy named Machine, was essential in making the trip run as smooth as it was, this guy was shaking hands, kissing babies, greasing palms with the best of them…..also a pretty cool guy, English was perfect and learned a lot from him as well as Jose, Jose is a character, ball buster and not a nicer person in Havana. -Was told that Israel leases most of the Citrus farms in Central Cuba, interesting…… -My money conversion was 95 CUC per $1 USD, transaction was done in Jose Marti airport in a trunk of a car with my guy before, like something out of the movies -Asked Immigration to not stamp my passport and they again obliged -Had my private driver on Friday again, he’s a savior to say the least -I would definitely stay at the Hotel Nacional again, my room ended up around $85 a night, clean, safe, great location from Gato J, history of that place speaks volumes, lots of Cuban Propaganda bullshit around the lobby but I wouldn’t expect anything less -Most helpful person in this second adventure was my friend in Miami, thank you very much Sir!!!!!!... You know who you are and couldn’t have pulled a lot of these insider things off without your help -Seeing things for the second time was really cool, able to see some things from a different perspective, especially with the crowd I ran with, we did things most will never do or see, that was very special -Some recent pricing I saw was HU Royal Robustos for $68, PL Pans for $40, HUHC for $65….most of the stores had 12-14 stock and no EL on the shelves, but since I was only looking for customs I didn’t buy boxes but some singles to smoke like 13 Cohiba Espys, and Siglo 6 from 09 -Learned that each individual tobacco plant gets “touched” over 140x over the life of the growing season which I believe to be 8-9 weeks if I remember correctly, lots of attention paid obviously -Abel Exposito has a new restaurant in town -The way Rob Ayala had the tour set up w the help of Toby was fantastic, not a hitch to be seen on the surface but I know there was some behind the scenes magic going on, thank you Rob and it was a real pleasure to meet you finally and look forward to our next adventure, learned more from you in 5 days than in 5 years I think, both personally and professionally Conclusion: -I had a blast and can’t wait to go back, but having been 2x in 7 months has been a real treat, most people never experience Cuba ever, let alone 2x. As a cigar smoker and a lover of experiencing new Caribbean cultures, I have found me a home in Cuba…… WILL POST PICS LATER

I did a search and couldnt find this answer....this goes out to all of you you that know a lot more than me For hypothetical example......If CoRo are rolled at mother factory ABC and other factories such as XYZ, 123, etc .....obviously the blender at factory ABC has the correct blend to what makes a CoRo a CoRo -Do the other factories rolling CoRo get the tobacco already pre-bundled with correct blend for their rollers for these robustos? -How do the other factories know the exact blend that makes up a CoRo if factory ABC doesnt share the "recipe"? -My understanding is that the rollers of all factories more or less are given daily lots of tobacco and told to produce a certain number of cigars in a certain size and dont always know what they are rolling How do other factory rollers know what a specific cigar consists of as far as the blends? I was talking to a friend today about this and didnt know basically how the same cigar can be made at various places and be consistent? I just used CoRo as this example but any cigar can be substituted here really I belive in the theory of buying mother factory cigars when you can but thats another discussion in itself TIA! Bart

Don't smoke those. You'll go blind

I can't speak for every roller but every roller I have spoken to knows which cigars they are rolling at a specific time. For example, a Partagas roller knows if they are rolling a PSD4 or a RASS on a given day. Again, that is what I have been told by rollers. That 518 is not a ratio. It is the weight in grammes of a bundle given to a roller. "Peso en gramos se las ligadas" at the top, "Weight in grammes of the blends" I took that picture of the chart in February 2011. I originally posted it here to show that perlas do not contain Ligero (at least the perlas rolled that day at Partagas). I blanked out most of the weights in the chart because I told someone in Cuba I would. That's all I can say on that I'm afraid. Regarding the original question in this post, I have an answer for that. In February, I did an interview with Carlos, the Ligador (the only ligador in El Laguito) and Berta, a quality control director, again in El Laguito. Some great stuff in it. I just haven't had time to edit it all properly and add the subtitles. The voices you hear off camera are me, Rob Fox and Punch Joe. Rob and I were hanging a bit that day, it was the morning after a night before and we were up early to (unsuccessfully) find a TV to watch Ireland v England in the 6 nations. I was reminded of one of the best cigars I've ever smoked. Carlos brought gifts of cigars he rolls for his own use. Behike 52s. Behike 52s rolled by the master blender at El Laguito for his own consumption. I tasted that cigar again just by watching this video. One of the funnier questions we asked him was does he smoke much himself. "No, no not much at all, only about 3 Behikes a day" Anyway, here's the bit that answers the question. I'll try to get the rest, about 40 minutes total, up at some stage.

09 custom roll, from a great botl....

Last night a fresh Sig IV - quite good Today a Superiores These are turning into something special!

My favourite Cohiba is a Partagas 898 Varnished

Today marks a new stage in the Cuban Cigar Website.com Today full Ownership & Control passes to Alexander Groom. Paperwork is yet to be done but this is just a formality. CCW started in 2006 and Alex has been behind the scenes since 2008, utilising his programing skills and providing valuable input and assistance. For the past two years Alex has undertaken day to day operation of the website as well as introducing several new features; notably the collection management feature. Alex has my full support, thanks, friendship, and I will happily provide him with any assistance I can. I would also like to note that Alex’s involvement with the CCW has always been freely and graciously given and totally without any monetary reward. I would urge all uses of the website to consider making a donation to assist Alex in the future maintenance & development the website. http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/about.aspx#Donations Finally I would like to thank Rob, FOH members, and everyone who contributed in one way or another in making CCW “The World's Best Cuban Cigar Website”.

A few shots of the event Was a bit misty off and on but all and all a great time!

No sense having them hit the shelves during the Partagas festival when people would buy hundreds of boxes ...

Farm X will sell leaf to a factory rep(s) with notes. Bail "A" contains this, bail "B" contains that. The rep(s) will take the leaf/notes to the factory along with recommendations as to what they could be used for. The opinion of the farmer may or may not always be what the factory does with it. Once at the factory 2-3 "managers" will have the farm notes and begin to put together the blends they are looking for. Up to a dozen tasters will give they're opinions on the blends. The blends could be changed due to the results. The rollers will be given their leaf and orders what to roll. The rollers will know what they are rolling for as most factories only roll certain vitolas. If they are rolling for another brand they will be notified as well. However, at no time does the roller know if the leaf came from bail A or B (which is the most secretive information). The cigars are a success, and their is much demand. The cigar is a hot item for months, but about 6 months later the cigars are not the same. What happened? The factory ran out of bail A and B and now are rolling from another lot and possibly another farm. I think some trends are coming in the next few years. Bad production of crops over the past two years (due to hurricanes/flooding) will limit the production of cigars over 6". There just isn't enough longer wrapper to go around and what is available does not have the cosmetic qualities one looks for. It seems like some of this years Vuelta Abajo crops will also have to go in the mashup bin for cigarettes, which is a sad thought. I'm sure I left something out but I'm still suffering a massive hangover from Bartolomeos what happens in Havana stays in Havana stories. John

Avocados are berries.

'12 HDM du Gourmet. Very light, enjoyable if you are looking for a quiet time.

Over the past while, I obliterated the rest of my Hoyo Petit Coronas. Not only are they great cigars when absolutely freezing, but this Jul 2013 cab has been smoking excellently. Very oily, too. No more left Edit: For anyone who cares, the Petit Coronas that Hoyo de Monterrey makes are officially called 'Du Prince'

Ryan posted this pic a few years ago, showing a chart in the blending room of a factory. One would assume that the blenders would know, depending on the leaf available, the correct ratios to get the flavours right for a particular cigar.

RASS while i listen to the wind rattle my garage door.

Cohiba Siglo I Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whoops, I need to stop drinking and then cigar shopping. Sent by telepathic super powers -Stogie Boy

Another day off work today, like Friday, morning workout done so its a post breakfast smoke just by Central Park.Its been raining overnight and this morning so the benches are still wet.Its warm but still wet at 65 degrees farenheit. I decided last night that I was going to smoke this Monte 5, box code MUL MAR14. It's the 2nd one from a box which I received from our hosts almost a month ago so they've been resting since.The first one I smoked (less than 2 weeks ago) was tight and I didn't enjoy it as much (maybe cause I was walking rather than stationary..?) Or perhaps the additional 2 weeks rest really has made a difference. What a delicious little smoke!! As my palate improves with time, number of sticks smoked and increased knowledge of storage (kept this in a wooden humi at 63rh), I was able to taste smooth cream, chocolate, nut and slight hints of leather. The first two thirds changed in each third and the last remained sweet to the nub. Glad I got a box for the winter [emoji3] Roll on the next smoke today after lunch and a few chores.

A Monte #4 A double espresso and and A shot of shine! A great batch on all three!

I love Por Larranaga, so I have high hopes for this cigar. That paired with the raving reviews, I expect a lot from this. Pre-light: barnyard, honey, hay, sugar, very nice. First third: opens with sweet cream that coats the pallate. Very rich and decadent. Touches of honey sneak in here and there that elevate the flavor profile a lot. Second third: a transition to roasted walnuts with a hint of cinnamon. Still very sweet and light. The flavor coats the pallate nicely. It is pairing amazing with the Glenlivet 15. Neither is over powering the other. Final third: cinnamon cream and richness. It reminds me alot of a rice pudding. More honey and hay with roasted nuts as it finishes building in intensity. The cigar does lose some of the cream in this final third but it was still delightful. Final thoughts: great construction and build, the resistance was perfect. I could smoke these and ED54 for the rest of my life. Two completly different animals but I give them the same score of 96. I'm happy that I tracked these down when I did. I can only imagine what the Magnificos must taste like. I think I will have to find a couple now. I only hope the sober aliens release this year reach the same level. Sent by telepathic super powers -Stogie Boy

Dana and I would like to exstend a hartfelt thank you to all that made our trip such a great exsperiance . Rob A, Foxy, Punch Joe, Machin,all the guys staying in the Aussie embasy for making us alway feel welcome. All the BOLTS and SOLTS that were so great to hang out with. Thank you also for making Dana feel so welcome on a mostly guys week out. I'll skip the trip report as Ryan did a great job of it. We took around a thousand pics. I'll post a few now and do more later Road to Cayo Julia beach Rob teaching Dana Salsa Machin The dog was always on the roof at our casa in Vinales With Hector The 3 girls at Condes de Villanueva Chillin after dinner Her turn At the national. The grandfather clocks were brought from the USA in the early years of the hotel. Built in 1930. The beer factory in Old Havana

On that I could not say, as I wasn't there. I would assume that they are only rolling one brand of robusto at that factory with that specific blend. Looks to be that they are rolling the CoRo and another robusto there.

Ryan, yeah, same thoughts as nearly all others there. It was a fairly uniform consensus. TIA??

Sorry, but NC have no box codes so the serial number will have to do! A very beautiful looking cigar that is a bit oily to the touch. Rolling the cigar between my fingers I could feel it was packed just right. I just got my new Swiss Army Knife with a cigar punch a few days prior, so I decided this stick would be my guinea pig. The first third of the cigar was good, but a bit harsh to say the least. Maybe a few more months would have done wonders, but I'll never know. The first puff revealed flavors of zesty spice. As the first third progressed notes of wood, chocolate, and coffee emerged. The second third was much much better. The harshness of the cigar vanished and an delicious mocha flavor appeared. The second third was much lesser spicy and accompanied by a cherry tart flavor along with some wood and coffee as well. I accidentally forgot to take a picture of the last third since it was 30 degrees F.- my apologies. The last third was surprisingly better than expected. Pepper really shined here, while all the other flavors were left in the background. Overall this was a classic Padrón with a perfect burn line until the nub and good smoke output. After smoking both the natural and maduro I cannot decide which is better since the quality is the same and taste is subjective. This was definitely a good cigar, but not something I would buy again. I find Habanos to match up much better with my palate and wallet! Thanks for reading!

Best thing I've read on this forum yet - thank you for sharing!

Welcome Dave, from the Forest City!

Great meeting you Mike. Hope to see you again. Gary

herfed again with mc4 and uboat 12 d5 13 d4

Brilliant!

Thanks Lisa. I looked a lot better when I first signed up!

Another Netflix watch is Food, Inc. Good info on all the processed crap in our food nowadays. Biggest reason why I went away from buying pork and beef from the store. I now buy whole hogs and sides of beef from a farmer and pay for the processing. Best meat ever.

The beauty from our host

You don't know that this board belongs to a vendor (who sells single)?

I have to admit to liking highly processed grains. Just had a few drams of the stuff from Islay to pair with my cigar

Welcome aboard. Wow, I've never met anyone who liked NC Cohibas before. Go with a siglo any number should do. Get some singles that way if it is not what you want you are not staring at a big box of disappointment. Second thought buy two boxes and on the off chance you don't like them. You can gift them to fellow FOH members for their input on this post.

The 40th Anniversario But seriously. My favourite Cohiba is the Siglo III. Not as over produced as other Cohibas and they always deliver for me. Bloody brilliant size, too!

My first Sir Winston ELU AR 14 Delightful smoke!

You'll be disappointed as Cuban Cohibas taste nothing like NC Cohibas... Are you saying you want to find something with a profile similar to the NC Cohibas?

Opps the clock pic didn't go through.

My tires

as usual, he dumped the crud on me. and so much for any mad dreams of the skins back on the winning track. could not have been more wrong. thanks greg - timely posting. serve rob right if habanos kick him out.

Diplomatico seemed to be better balanced when I tried it side by side with the Zacapa.