San Cristobal de la Habana

[El Presidente]

I use to enjoy the la Punta and Principe San Cristobals but I find myself turning less and less to these anymore. I enjoy the molasses edge to the bread and toasted tobacco core of these cigrs but for some reason it is not enough for me to come back on a regular basis. To me they are the Padron Anniversario's of cigars....lovely change of pace but not a staple.

What are your thoughts? If you are a lover of these let us know why (and which ones) and maybe complete a review this weekend.

Most intriguing to me are the Oficios, Mercaderes and Murala's. Who are regular smokers of these? I enjoy very much the Oficios but the others....too big to worry about but that is personal.

[ChanceSchmerr]

I have a very un-inspiring box of Murallas from EMA AGO 07 that I hope just need more time. Lifeless, semi-sweet cigars. My father enjoyed one of them (apparently) after the Canada Gold Medal Hockey win in the olympics over a month ago, but i havn't tried one in a year. I will give one of them a go today for a review.

None of the other cigars in the line have piqued my interest enough to try them....

From a brand perspective - it never really carved a good niche for itself, IMO - The naming of historical sections of Havana I get, but they have neither the ties to Robaina that VR has (real or no), nor does it have the funky vitolas that Cuaba has...and Trinidads were winners even if they weren't Diplomatically-tied. Vegeros.....well there's a reason they are discontinuing half the line. I would gladly see SCDH turfed and more historical brands like Diplos, ERDM and Sancho Panza revitalized. Not gonna happen, though.

[shrink]

I've tried most of 'em, and the only ones I really enjoyed are the El Principes and the La Puntas. Even those are "every once in a blue moon" smokes for me. Funny, I like 'em, but once I've satisfied the craving, I'm done for a while.

[habanohal]

Love the 3 LCDH sizes. Allcwith the same black cheery flavor.2001 La Fuerzas' are another special trat.Not a Marca I have gone after till recently

[ChanceSchmerr]

REVIEW - SCDH Murallas

EMA AGO 07

Took this sucker down to the lake for a stroll around the lake-side path. Did not expect much, as mentioned above.

Pre-Light - this cigar feels big in the hand. A sweet, raisin smell throughout the length, with a pre-light draw that is effortless and filled with stewed fruits.

First couple of puffs - Sweet Tobacco. Not bad!

First 1/3 - Not half bad! A mild sweetness throughout, I taste a hint of white pepper near the start but that is the last spice this cigar has. I am pleasantly surprised at the interplay of light flavours - this is not a full-bodied smoke, but so far I'm happy with it.

Middle 1/3 - Now the Muralla takes off! The Molasses El Prez mentioned is definitely present, kinda of a malted sugar taste. Then, what I can best describe as a Hot-Cross-Bun taste (can you tell it's easter?) across the palate - superb! Who knew this would be such a great smoke!

Final 1/3 - Never harsh, a light oaky shadow falls upon my taste buds. Rather than overpower the light sweetness, the oaky taste serves to frame the sweetness, enhancing my impression of this cigar. I keep waiting for it to fall down, but it never does. I nubbed it!

Burn/Construction - Burn was decent, some slight angled burning that rectified itself halfway, and what I would call the perfect construction - Effortless draw without being a wind tunnel, tons of smoke, yet perfect structure that allowed the ash to hold together for over 2 inches despite a wind!

Summary - This cigar surprised the hell out of me - I was not big on this box, but this really was a revelation in San Cristobals. I had hoped all this box needed was some age, and it turns out that's EXACTLY what it needed. I can't wait to try another one in 6 more months! Solid 91 for this big Muralla!

[Yoruba Hacker]

While I must admit that I haven't been smoking them as much as I had in the past, I love this line and especially the La Punta. My favorite Belicoso, no question. I was happily smoking these when everyone was losing their minds over BBF's. The La fuerza is also a great cigar in a perfect size. Thing is, I've not been smoking this size often lately.

That said, I am a fan of the more "off the beaten path" Habanos in general. This thread reminds me to revisit and rebuy this marca. The only box I have in inventory at the moment is an untouched OEB ABR 06 that I am letting sit for a while. Think I'll pick up some more for backup, as well as the La Fuerza and El Principe. Awesome little cigar.

[jevb]

I have actually never tried a San Cristobal before! Just noticed the mix and match sampler and was considering picking up a La Fuerza to give em a try! If I manage to squeeze the bank and go through with an order today I'll be sure to report on my San Cristobal experience

[android]

I do enjoy the El Principe for an short evening smoke (dark cherry, rich and bold) but I have also picked up a box of El Morrow PSP from Rob that r just an amazing smoke!

[Onsto]

Smoked a couple of La Puntas in Cuba recently and they were excellent. Sweet and smooth with noticeably nutty tones, great construction. I see them as a perfect mid morning cigar - not sure if the larger vitolas would work on the same basis because of their size but for me it definitely warrants further investigation - maybe you could do a one marca sampler of the different sizes Prez?Put medown for one if you do!

[MontrealRon]

My experience with this marca has been :

A couple of boxes of El Principe '01, both excellent.

One box of '03 La Punta, very good,

and a box of El Morro '02, that was horrible until recently,

but has totally turned around.

I had considered those to be a lost cause,

but the last couple have been marvelous.

It just goes to show

that you never can tell!

Nil desperandum.

P.S. Great review, Chris!

And where were those amazing photos taken?

[Bahnofstrasse]

Just smoked a 08 Muralla today. It was a 2 hour fantastic smoke!

When I first purchased this box, and tried a single, I was not very impressed. Rather bland and one dimensional. But after over 1 year in my Humidor these marcas have blossomed quite nicely. Toasted, sweet tobacco, a bit of caramel, medium bodied...great draw, burn, rich plumes of smoke. I did not rush, took my time enjoying the nice San Diego afternoon.

I would recommend these to anyone who wants a specialty cigar to enjoy when you have the time.

[ChanceSchmerr]

P.S. Great review, Chris!

And where were those amazing photos taken?

Thanks, Ron! First pic was taken before i left the house, stood the Muralla up on the window sill to get the best natural light. Used a real camera for that one. Second pic was taken with my cell phone camera, wanted to show how the ash was staying on this cigar for inches and inches. Exact location, for those Google Maps fans out there, is

http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&...007446&z=17

Otherwise, I can just tell you it was along the shore of Elk Lake, in Saanich, BC, just north of Victoria.

[bunburyist]

Only tried one, the Fuerza, and was a distinctly average cigar. Can't remember too much about it tbh, nothing bad, but not box buy worthy for me. Bit of a failed venture imo, they'd have done better to revitalise an old brand. Ho hum.

[MaytagMan]

I enjoy both the La Punta and La Fuerza on a semi-regular basis.

[Kangaroo495]

Funny you should mention that, Prez! I've tried pretty much the whole range of SCDLH, and was never overwhelmed. I've got a favourite cigar in pretty much all the marcas ecept for this one. They always seemed so bland.

But they've got a wide range of vitolas, which I find odd. Why not beef up a better brand e.g. ERDM, Sancho Panza, RG with some more vitolas, rather than waste time on SCDLH?

[Lotus400]

I did enjoy a LaPunta from 2003 several days ago. Resolved flavors of toast/bread, slight nutty quality, and very nice construction. I enjoyed this cigar and glad I have more in the humi.

[Alberto_Magnus]

I've always felt totally unattracted to the SCDLH brand for some reasong. I have a single Muralla resting in my humidor for the past 18 months and even though the format fascinates me (cant wait for 2010's Collecion Habanos book with the Bolivar Rodolfos) I haven't felt the attraction to pick it up.

Never smoked any of the other formats.

[mash]

I find this brand mixed. The El Principe is an awesome cigar, never had one I didn't love. Probably my favourite sub PC. I have a box of '05 La Fuerzas that are excellent as well. The La Puntas are really nice.

I have a box of '06 Oficios that I found quite boring at first, though they're getting better. Still, only average. I have '01 El Morros that are OK, but I've never had a box with so many badly plugged sticks.

Haven't had the others.

[cohiba]

I have tried the La Punta, nothing special for me. I do have singles from the LCDH release, i need to try them and get them out of the way.

Will report back later......

Happy Easter to all

Stan

[khomeinist]

This line might be destined for success in a post-embargo 'welcome to Cuba' situation. The profile is very one-dimensional to me, like many NC lines. Padron is a fair comparison. The Principe is nice. The others are rather avoidable.

Cut this along with Cuaba and Vegueros. Bring back (with proper QC) the old favorites. Holding onto this line for post-embargo is a dull gambit.

[gfoster]

I had an El Principe in a custom sampler Rob put together for me and smoked it a week or two ago. I liked it quite a bit. That's the only SC I've had thus far but was planning on picking up a box based upon the single. It was partially plugged but I worked with it a bit and managed to make it at least smokeable. The molasses, dark cherry and toasted bread flavors were pretty pronounced, I can only imagine how it would be if it actually had a *good* draw instead of the mediocre one I was able to cajole it into.

-- Gary F.

[PigFish]

The La Punta has been a perennial favorite of mine amongst a field of Belicosos. The El Principe has also been a staple in my barnyard of many sub-PC sized cigars. The '07 vintage La Punta ranks as the best Belicosos I have ever smoked.

Like all CC they range from year to year as to quality yet I find the La Punta a bit more consistently good than other Belicosos. I think in general the cigar is underrated and overlooked by many. -Piggy

[bassman]

I really enjoyed the 01 Morros, Principes & Puntas. Wish I still had some. Recent years I've tried just are not nearly as good. Currently own zero SCDH cigars.

[thechenman]

I've smoked every vitola in the line except the Muralla. I rather enjoyed all of them. My favorites are actually the El Principe and La Punta. Mild to medium in my opinion. I think they are often overlooked as well. I feel the same way about the Fonseca marca.

[mbrody]

Never tried one, but thanks to Mix n Match, got some comin'!