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23 cs. Good but will be great in a few years, I reckon.

2017 PLPC day

There are some on this forum that go above and beyond the definition of generosity. Months ago (several) I made a question in a thread as to what made the discontinued Diplomaticos 4 such a missed and revered little cigar. I also asked what were the core flavors of the cigar. A member here reached out to me and offered to send me a sample of a Dip 4 to try. Out of the blue. I gave him my info and despite several tries the postal system failed. I told him thank you for trying several times, the effort was worth far more than the cigar. Last week I received a PM from him giving me a tracking number. So, these arrived out of the blue and next Monday for my 58th celebration I will light one up! Cheers to the forum and all those with unbelievable amounts of generosity!

RYJ MF Mar 23

H Upmann Connie No 1. LSM SEP 08.

888 Happy Thanksgiving Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Coro was amazing and siglo 3 was good. Qdo senadores was ok

I wish all of my Cubans would burn like these spada gordas.

I’ve gotten a few questions about updated factory codes. As of this writing, the codes have not changed since the last update. I am in Havana now and am working to understand when they are going to change again. There are a few small errors that need to be corrected and I will issue a new version once I have an understanding of current timeline.

Connie 1 PLM May ‘11 A treat, as always!

Oct 22 RASS

Last night with RJ Ex4 ABO JUN 18...

Enjoyed this Reyes from 2020 during outdoor lunch today.

I like it ..... knickname......Slaya 😎

Part II https://www.finews.com/news/english-news/64784-a-web-of-fake-cigars-zurich-counterfeit-cohibas-cubaruedi-la-zagra-restaurant-strauss-egoist Original (rechts), Fälschung (links). (Bild: «Cigar» / finews.ch) Tuesday, 15 October 2024 16:37 A Web of Fake Cigars: High-End Dining Hit by Counterfeit Cohibas Written by Florian Schwab | Publishing Director On Friday, finews.com and the magazine «Cigar» dropped the findings of their joint investigation exposing counterfeit Cuban cigars at Zurich’s trendy hotspot Tao's. But as new evidence reveals, this is just the tip of the iceberg—the problem is more widespread than initially believed. Just four days ago, «Cigar» and finews.com broke the news that Tao's Restaurant & Bar, a go-to for Zurich’s in-crowd, was selling counterfeit Cohiba Siglo VI cigars for a steep 115 Swiss francs apiece. These fake cigars came from Rudolf R.*, a retiree previously caught selling counterfeit Havanas, better known by his alias, Cubaruedi. Since that exposé, both publications have been provided with information pointing to other high-end restaurants offering these dubious cigars, all supplied by Cubaruedi. Tobias Hüberli, Cigar's editor-in-chief, followed the trail, publishing a fresh set of revelations (article in German). In some cases, the suspicions proved true; in others, the establishments were cleared of wrongdoing. Deceptive Bands, Off-Key Flavors Hüberli, an expert in cigars, uncover the fakes with the industry's standard methods. First, he analyzed the cigar bands, which on genuine Cuban cigars are printed by a Dutch security printing firm and feature numerous counterfeit-resistant details, much like banknotes. Second, he tested the cigars’ flavor profiles. Cuban tobacco has a signature taste that stands apart from any other origin, making it relatively easy for seasoned connoisseurs to detect impostors. While Tao's and Meat Me steakhouse had already been singled out in last week’s investigation, Hüberli’s latest findings uncovered fakes in several other prominent locations: La Zagra, Zurich: At this elite Italian restaurant in Zurich’s Seefeld district, a regular 15-point favorite of Gault Millau, Hüberli discovered multiple crude counterfeits stashed in the humidor. When confronted, restaurant manager Luca Gioia admitted he didn’t know much about cigars. This was evident in the pricing—he had been selling the fake Cohiba Siglo VI, which Cubaruedi supplied at 20 francs each, for just 38 francs. That’s a far cry from the authentic version, which retails for around 110 francs. La Zagra swiftly pulled all of Cubaruedi’s cigars from its shelves and has since contacted a lawyer. Neue Real, Zurich: This Spanish restaurant, co-founded by Zurich dining legend Aurelio Lorenzo (formerly of Casa Aurelio), had also been unwittingly selling Cubaruedi’s cigars. When the scandal came to light, managing director Mazen Rahmani didn’t hesitate—he removed the cigars immediately. «Cubaruedi abused my trust and damaged the reputation of our establishment,» Rahmani told Cigar. Unlike Tao's, at least he wasn’t charging premium prices for the fake Cohibas—35 francs for a Edición Limitada Romeo y Julieta and 27 francs for a Cohiba Medio Siglo. Strauss, Winterthur: It is as upscale as it gets in Winterthur; and it was also selling fake Havanas. The pricing here was chaotic—the Montecristo Open Eagle was listed at 27 francs, instead of the usual 36 francs, and the Cohiba Medio Siglo at 26 francs, compared to 66.30 francs in legitimate retail outlets. This odd pricing structure suggests the owners had no idea they were dealing with counterfeit goods. «We’ve never received complaints about the cigars,» said restaurant manager Tuba Özdemir. «Cubaruedi insists his cigars are real, but we’ll be conducting our own investigation immediately.» It’s not just high-end dining that’s been hit by the fake cigar trade. Tips have also surfaced about counterfeit Cuban cigars being sold at the Egoist nightclub on Langstrasse, Zurich’s infamous nightlife district. While the investigation team opted not to verify the claim on-site, they did reach out to the club for comment. The owners, however, remained silent. Cubaruedi Speaks Cigar’s Hüberli managed to speak with the man at the center of the storm, Cubaruedi. He continues to deny that the Cuban cigars he’s been selling at well below market prices are fakes. Yet, when pressed, he revealed his supplier: Solocigars, an online shop based in Costa Rica. Solocigars has a notorious reputation for offering cheap Nicaraguan cigars disguised with counterfeit Cuban labels, selling them across the globe via its website. A Secret Cuban Pipeline? Could it be possible that Cubaruedi and Solocigars have somehow unlocked a secret supply chain, getting their hands on genuine Cuban cigars at rock-bottom prices, bypassing international import and retail costs? Hüberli is skeptical. «I find that highly unlikely,» he says. «The inconsistencies in the cigar bands are a dead giveaway—these are clearly fakes.» Visit to Strauss in Winterthur: counterfeit Cohiba (right), original (left). Click image for larger view. (Image: «Cigar», Chris Iseli) Hüberli points out that for years, Cuba’s cigar industry has been plagued by production shortages, leading to tight control over its supply chain. Global pricing was standardized in April 2023, but even before that, prices were relatively uniform across markets. Is there any chance these cigars could be genuine Cubans but not part of the state-controlled tobacco monopoly? Hüberli dismisses this notion outright. «Cuba guards its cigar industry like a national treasure. There is no black-market wholesale supply of authentic Cuban cigars anywhere in the world outside of official channels,» he asserts.

A Full Working French Cigar Guillotine w/ Medusa Heads This is a super Quality Item. It is very heavy for its size. It is a full brass working Guillotine.... so you pull the chain and the Guillotine blade rises, you put your cigar through the hole and drop the Guillotine. There is even a bucket there to catch the Cigar End. The other side even has the Kneeler there replicating an historical Guillotine. To the top are two Medusa Head busts, and it sits on a fitted timber base. This is a special piece.

I always wondered why they were called Montecarlos, but is seems the cigars did in fact once don the chequered flag, and the box also held the crest of Montecarlo. There must of been some sort of trademark infringement. Sad, would love to see them back in their racing colours.

Translations on the seal in four languages didn’t appear prior to the 1931-version. Also the text on the inside paper lining of the box in red (“Genuine imported Havana cigars, see outside this box….”), had not been included before 1929. Non-perforated seal would put this at a much later date, although, I believe seals had not always been perforated for the period 1931 through 1962 (as you’d find in published sources). So, it would need a bit more info (pics) for a precise dating. But certainly post 1931, more likely to be early 1960s.

i thought the rules said no tossers. this bloke is an utter tosser.

Trusty D4 for tonight

Been a while. Monte PE

First Warped cigar. Excellent full smoke. Won’t be my last!

Shitty week. Nice finish with the Siglo 3.

Pre game smoke. Tatuaje havana vi nobles

SLR Regios, from a batch of singles bought early this year.

It's fluent.😜

Enjoyed that interview. 👌

A RASS TOR NOV 15 I’m going to nub paired with Old Forester 1897 and a good friend. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

BOE AUG 2018 Party short. These are smoking pretty good.

Smoking my favorite cigar paired with Ali mountain black tea from Taiwan ! So nice 👍

Cool piece. A little more elaborate than a thumbnail. I was shocked to learn that the last execution by guillotine in France was on September 10, 1977.

I can’t fault him - my pronunciation of non-English words is a constant problem [emoji37]

Some maybe a little too much...

interesting as the 2011 was very small production. john, if they do the same with the 2012 or even 2013, buy them by the case.

So sorry to hear about your friend. If you're looking for fast, stick, elegant, and collectible I would go either 996 or 997 turbo. 997 Turbo would be my preference but they are gorgeous cars with amazing driver response. Fast fun and truly timeless cars. -100k ish for a 997 manual -50-60k for a 996 manual

One to watch this week over a cigar and a drink. The Fabulous Story of Cuban Tobacco.

Dic 17

Have a nice Sunday...

Cuban breakfast this morning, cigars and cold brew coffee. Got greedy and went back-to-back and had a D4 then D5. Should've just stuck with the D4. PSD4 SRM MAY 23 Oily wrapper. Right off the bat, chewy creamy smoke. Easy draw. Savory. Put me in the right mood to watch my two alma maters USC and PSU battle it out on the gridiron later on today. I’m rooting for the boys in blue. This was great. PSD5 BAO ENE 24 Surprised me initially that it smoked so well. Oily wrapper. Pleasant aroma coming off the lit foot. Slight aromatic retro hale. Appreciating the nuances and more subtle diffs compared to the D4. Needed more dry box time. More baking spice and sour dough forward than D4. Showed its youth. Final 2/3 weren’t doing anything for me. . D5 had potential but needed more age and dry box time. Keep needing to relight. Discarded without nubbing.

C&C time... HDM DC (2018) from our gracious host.

BBF TUA SEP 2020.