peteando

EOFY special arrived today. The smell....pure heaven! LGR DIC 18

A RyJ Exhibition #4 that tasted as if dipped in pine-sol, and with a wrapper so thin it began to flake apart upon the lightest handling. Also I had no idea candela wrappers had made a return, but I got a 3 pack of edmundos that were Kermit the frog green baseball bats.

I'm sure it's a decent cigar, but to me everything about it screams hsa money grab/chinese market. I don't blame them for making what they think will sell, but my money is going elsewhere.

F: SP Dulcinea K: Punch. I'll never give up trying tho... M: I'll marry Connie A, but cheat occasionally with Lanceros!

Most: RASS Least: Any Montecristo

Thumbs up on all the recent Upmanns - and I do mean all. Echoing comments on the Connie A, its really an experience, the kind if cigar you turn your hand to look at and say to yourself now thats a good cigar! Biggest surprise was the Picadores which I ha no expectations for but really enjoyed. Haven't had a bad cigar from a 2018 box. Partagas Presidentes was interesting, not really my thing, but not bad. The last truly terrible cigar was an Exhibition #4 from 2015. Aged ammonia with nuances of charcoal briquette.

I think this is spot on. I'll tire of for example the partagas or bolivar profile, but I know that I'll reacquire a taste for them later. It's a cycle for sure.

So after all the rave reviews, I finally ordered a Perfecdraw. It arrived quick and is a very high quality looking piece. So I had a plugged Upmann this past weekend, very tight draw. Pulled out the Perfectdraw and reamed a hole about 2/3 of the way thru. I immediately got a ton of smoke through the channel- Unfortunately it was totally acrid and metallic tasting. Pitched it. It was still burning really poorly. I'm thinking I either drilled way too far in, or there are simply some cigars that can't be saved no matter what? Since I've only used it once, wondering if others have tried and pitched anyway.

Connie 1.

This is from a 2010 5 pack. The age has done it well. Golden colorado wrapper, little bit of sheen. Slightly tight but ok cold draw. 1/3 mild, smooth citrus and some coffee. Getting some cocoa powder as well. 2/3 there it is, the twang. Took a couple minutes to warm up and now medium coffee and mocha notes. Time has really taken the edge off. Really nice. 3/3 just at medium strength. Some honey sweetness has come in and the classic monte twang has really hit a crescendo. Nice finish with some dark chocolate near the end. I can't say i've ever had a bad #4. For being so massively produced, they are very consistent over time. Score: 90

I picked this up with a bunch of other singles from our host. It's been a long time since I've smoked a dip. Here goes: 1/3 Light toasted tobacco, cream, caramel macchiato. Tunnel and tough draw, bummer. Dense, coffee, not twangy, some floral notes. Luxurious. 2/3 Not particularly complex, but enjoyable. Draw has thankfully opened up. Deeper coffee notes. Colombian coffee, salty notes, semisweet chocolate. Just over medium. Rich. 3/3 Bell pepper, heavy cream. It's starting to fall apart at this point, but that's the risk with winter smoking. I'm still enjoying this cigar. Would I smoke again? Absolutely. Would I buy a box? Maybe. My struggle is that they are so closely priced to the Monte #2 which is my favorite cigar. Perhaps the dip 2 is the sisyphus of cigars, forever rolling the stone up the hill but never quite reaching the top. Score: 89

I also ran out, and wished I had more. Thanks!

Had a bunch of Monte #4 that looked exactly like this. Super light but had oily sheen. They were awesome. I also had some super dark punch punches from 05 that were so dark and beautiful, like Maduro. They had all the flavor of a charcoal briquette. The only way to know is to smoke!

You're absolutely right. A marriage won't last without it. I just got sick of hearing "MOOORE CIGARS?!?"

I finally got a burn account after all of the "discussions". Now I just have to get the mail first! Seems like every box I've received in 2018 has been great looking and has that pungent barnyard aroma. Few people complain anymore about bland and lifeless cc's. Cigars like Punch Punch that had some really tough years are back with a vengeance. I do hope and believe that we are in a new golden age for cc's.

Planning my first trip and great to know. Thanks.

Great read. Thanks!

From our host

I was gifted a CoLa in 1998. It was indescribably good. I was immediately hooked. Don't consider myself a connoisseur, but I knew I was really serious about it when I bought the Min Ron Nee book some years ago.

Thanks for a review on the short. I've not had great luck with minis or puritos, so hopefully this one will be better for a quickie.

The heart says right, but one of the best I ever had looked just like left. So left. I think...

Thanks. Lots of cool info on the habanos festival on there.

My grandfather smoked large cigars and I can recall he usually had 2 or 3 with him in his shirt pocket, but no large humidor or anything like that. I think that he bought one box at a time, smoked those, and only then bought another. I can remember vaguely he and my grandmother lighting up at a fancy restaurant, back when you could basically smoke anywhere.