Islandboy

I guess I’m not normal...my Cohibas look nothing like that.

Wait...”Catnappers Shaved my Pussy” is a “Shocking Story”, but the frog getting fried by lighting isn’t?

So I guess we now know what “that” was.

Yeah, I bought an original release box for $500 and change. Seemed outrageous at the time, but looking at the current landscape, it was pretty reasonable.

I wondered the same thing, especially given the bump up in quality in recent years, so I ponied up for a second box a few months back - GEM Mar 20. I was hoping for better wrappers than my first original release box - but nope, they’re dark and thick. I haven’t tried one, so I guess one can still hope.

And to think...it all started when Smithy watched Saturday Night Live one night.

Does this mean the Oxford English Dictionary now has to list it?

I’m guessing there are a few choice nicknames in Spanish for that machine.

Interesting...you definitely see the connection there. The one and only I sampled was pretty good, but expensive as hell if I recall.

“Around my house, this here's a varmint round"

I foresee constant run-ins with Greenpeace, but I guess that’s why they built it so tough.

Whoa, original release Behikes...and Robusto T’s...you’re sitting on some gold right there. Well done!

My first CC purchase was in 2016, it was 3 boxes, one was AMO Abr 16 Esplendidos. I made a serious effort at making sure I took most of the box to the 5 year mark, often thinking I’d never make it along the way. Still have about half the box, and they’re definitely something special now.

You mean Elon isn’t the evil twin?

Haha...talk about a loaded question, the responses will likely be all over the place, leaving the poor guy more confused than ever. I know very little about the historical documentations of “sick periods” that I’ve heard exist in books such as Min Ron Nee’s, but I’ve definitely observed a distinct, temporary change in taste for the worse, generally in years 1 ½ - 3, in roughly half my boxes. I can’t really offer any empirical evidence that “sick periods” exist, or what may cause them, other than observing what I’ve described. It may simply be subpar storage conditions on my part, who knows. But the majority of boxes affected pull out of it and turn their taste around for the better sometime after year 3. To further project just how crazy I am, I’ve noticed a common undesirable taste element that almost always signals this temporary decline - if you’ve ever been around a monkeypod tree when the seed pods are going off and falling to the ground, there’s a sickly-sweet odor that I assume comes from the fermentation of these seed pods. Me no likey this smell, and this is often the overriding taste I get. At least I’m crazy in a harmless way.

Haha...I read stuff on other forums when I want a few laughs but no facts, and I know to come here when I want both

This makes perfect sense to me. I’ve recently read testimony from at least one source of so-called “expert” insight that suggested all of the superior product from any given farm goes to HSA, and what’s left for the farm rolls is low quality. I just chuckled when I read this...my palate knew better.

Thanks! I find it fascinating that he can put out his own blends that taste nothing at all like anything in the HSA catalog, while using the same leaf presumably.

Cool post as I await delivery of more of his creations today, thanks! Excuse my ignorance on the subject, but does he supply Habanos with tobacco as well, or is this all for his own rolls?

Gotcha😄 I’m drinking too, but you’re 2 hrs ahead of me 😜

This helps explain the unmistakable grin they always seem to have.

I see what Rob is talking about. I’m with Ray, can mine come in a box too please? 😁😁

There’s also a flip side to this. I’ve certainly been the recipient of a box on many occasions that completely exceeded my expectations. An El Laguito box without requesting it, a box that blows you away with its aroma or wrapper shade. Being surprised, both pleasantly and not so much every once in a while, is one of the things I really like about this current mode of CC purchasing. A poor tasting cigar makes a good one taste great.

I agree that you don’t always receive the perfect box and that’s just part of the game, the vendor has little control over taste beyond a simple visual inspection. But I have had several boxes that tasted off when I first got them so I threw them in the back of the humi and forgot about ‘em, only to come back 4 or 5 years later to some pretty decent cigars. Doesn’t always work out that way though, but kind of fun when it does.

And here I thought this might be an important update on Rob’s bout of covid...I guess in a way, it is.