Silverstix

My second sample with a Diplomatico #2, had a random single a couple of years ago that had many similarities. This is a beautiful specimen, so are all of the 1/4 box that I acquired here. I’ve had them for well over a year, this weekend presented a great excuse to try one! It started off a little bit muddled to me, a nice clean tobacco all the way but had a pretty interesting tangy finish almost like a mesquite bbq sauce that’s not very sweet. Tough to put my finger on but it wasn’t there in the unknown single I had a couple years ago. Definitely a good bit of spice on the retro. 2/3 solid medium bodied maybe a hair over and the spine of the cigar has definitely become savory with that tanginess still going in the background. Smoothed out on the retrohale but it’s definitely got a nice bit of body and fullness to it. Last third and the savory has become kind of a harsh leather, tangy is a little bit more sour now and less enjoyable. Pretty much done right at the band. Overall, decent cigar. Not sure it’s something I’d go seek out more of yet, just doesn’t seem to have a clear direction, like not enough character to it. 85/100 or a low 3/5 (sorry for the lack of pics I was doing some catching up with a few friends) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't buy Siglo II's from @dominattorney haha 😆

I have to think it's the flippers scooping them all up and selling for profit to the same small group of well-heeled clients with money to burn, literally. Kinda creating a false market, I don't know anyone in their right mind who would spend that kind of coin for a box of Reyes for personal consumption!

Is the UV light useful for checking other marcas too? Or is this really just a thing for checking Cohiba?

Oh it's enjoyable - but I also can't stop thinking of the fact that it's gonna cost me a ton to replace that cigar I'm enjoying. And that's a crappy feeling

absolutely, unless you have an endless supply of disposable income. knowing that the cigar you're smoking right now will cost you 2x to replace it kinda zaps the fun out of it - makes you either want to hoard them or cry as you toast the foot

I guess I just don't agree with that assessment, but that's ok we can agree to disagree. I don't think anybody cares if Cuba is a communist country (remember HSA is 50% owned by a private business.) I think people really only care about the costs and the optics of the cost increases which look absolutely awful here. We just haven't seen big business jack up their prices this much this suddenly. They haven't done so because 1) they manage their costs much better, 2) they have much greater access to a steady supply, and 3) they know that the consumers just won't (and can't) tolerate paying double for a product. Businesses are always going to try to milk as much as they can, right? It's a fine line, I guess we will see if people will continue to tolerate these prices. We know consumers (myself included) will continue to complain I think a good example is how you see many products are now slightly smaller but the price remained the same. Ice cream companies realize that the cost of everything is going up, and people don't NEED ice cream, so a good portion of consumers aren't going to pay 20% more for their product. In turn they reduce the size of the container and hold the price as tight as they can. Price point is key, it's all most consumers look at - they don't realize the cost per ounce is 20% higher, they just know they paid the same price for that container. I am looking at more 10-ct boxes these days - yes the price per stick is higher but it feels more manageable spending $170 vs. spending $325. Businesses have to get creative because you're 100% right these are some crazy times right now, and luxury items are usually the first to go. So many boats at my marina this year haven't been put in the water, it's crazy. When times get tough, you know how it goes. There's also the competition factor - there's only 1 "company" churning out Cuban cigars. Are they underestimating the competition from the NC world? It will be interesting to see, that's for sure!

Oh no I hear you, HSA has to do what they have to do, although I think they saw what was going on in the secondary market and may be overplaying their hand a bit - you couldn't tell by the way things sell out here though! Ha ha I don't think we can compare a utility bill to cigars though - don't really have much of a choice but to pay that power bill (we will still complain though lol)....which for many means they have less to spend on something like cigars

I am very unhappy with the price increases AND the thin supply, I hope this fails miserably for HSA. They pay their people pennies, can't perform with any consistency (other than consistently inconsistent) and now have the stones to charge what they do, brave is a kind adjective. The current pricing is not sustainable for me, just not an option. For me, NC's aren't comparable at all to CC's - plain and simple I just don't enjoy NC's nearly as much. I do have a decent backlog, so I will have mix in some of my NC's and limit myself to maybe buying 3 or 4 CC boxes a year of my go-to smokes just to keep a supply on hand. This is a hobby that I have no problem dropping, it's not worth sacrificing my savings account for cigars.

Oh my god.....a $900 box of 25 Coro ends up costing you $3,543.06 in Ontario when all is said and done?!?!

My Father stuff is usually waaay too much of a pepper bomb for me. Haven't touched a Rocky Patel since I first started cigar smoking, maybe I'll give one of those Hamlet blends a shot.

Yep that was it - thank you sir!

Hey guys I forgot to note the codes from the other day, wondering if anyone has the codes and dates for the HdM Petit Robusto and the Party Shorts 25-ct box? Thanks in advance!

HAH thanks for this I needed a good laugh to start my day. What a joke. Please tell me this was at least for a 24-ct box lol

Funny enough I'm deepest on BPC and a close second is HU Connie 1. Consistent and the price is right - at least it used to be anyway