Darker cigars in 3-stick packaging

[adic88]

Quoted from My Cigar Blog, more pics and full article there:

The final packages to arrive for 2010 were placed on my desk today. The thing i noticed quite quickly about the HDM Epic No. 2s is that the wrapper is unusually dark, almost maduro, for an Epi 2; i recalled the last time i bought a 15-stick pack, the wrappers were also quite dark, but are almost never this dark when bought in cabinets of 25 or 50.

I’ve speculated about why cigars in tubes, or in these plain 3-pack cardboard packaging tend to be very different and, often, much darker, than “normal” packaging. The best idea i’ve come up with is that during the sorting process, the sorter will always put cigars of the same colour tone together in the same box. Cigars such as these darker ones, can’t really find a matching box, and because their numbers are much smaller, they are used to fill up 15-stick packages, or even 3-stick tubos packaging. The customer only cares that the 3-sticks in the cardboard pack shares the same tone, so the matching process is easier (i.e. finding 3 matching sticks colour wise is a lot easier than finding 25 matching sticks).

Does that mean that the cigars that go into these simple packages are the “dark horses” of the production line? Yes, that’s exactly what they are. Does that make them better? Not necessarily, but from a tasting perspective, i’ve found that darker leaves tend to be just a bit more bitter, stronger, and a touch more aromatic. The reason why they are darker is because of the positioning in the tobacco plant; the darker leaves are from the upper portion of the plant and have been exposed to the sun longer, thus they become a darker green, and thus when dried, take on a darker brown hue.

[El Presidente]

Tubes and three packs are made up of plenty of "ends" ie both extremes of the colour sorting.

Nothing wrong with dark wrappers as long as the wrapper is not thick. Thick wrapper often feels rough to the touch akin to the skin of a shark. It tastes much the same

[dicko]

very dark for epi no 2's in my experience. let us know how those particulars smoke

[adic88]

very dark for epi no 2's in my experience. let us know how those particulars smoke

Yes, almost maduro. There are certainly as dark as my Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios.

Experience tells me not to expect a large flavour variance, despite the dark wrapper. Some very minor difference, if anything. A bit more bitter sweet, slightly different smoke aroma profile. At the end of the day, the cigar will only perform as well as it was rolled.

[crazymancal]

Ive noticed this as well, my H.Upmann Mag 50 that ive been smoking from a 5 x 3 tubos 15 count box and not only darker they seem to be rolled with better quality than some Mag 50's ive seen in cab's. I personally like the 15 count boxes tubes or not because I tend to get borred after 8 to 10 of the same cigar so I smoke 10 and save 5 for later date.

Just my 2 cents, great web site with great members........Long time watcher fairly new poster!

Cmc

[PigFish]

I prefer the looks of claro wrappers myself but what a cigar looks like is only of secondary importance to me. Yes, I love the looks of a light, well rolled, beautifully wrapped, round cigar without a band... but taste is what matters most to me. I have smoked plenty of excellent ratty looking cigars and some pretty lousy beautiful cigars. There is no correlation to looks and tastes as far as I am concerned. With that said.. the box keeps the cigars from rolling around on the floor. I don't give a **** what kinda' box a cigar comes in but will take SLB 50x boxes given no price difference. -Piggy

[adic88]

I dunno, Pigfish. Appearance is kinda important to me.

Smoking a cigar is like eating a plate of food.

If the food looks like shitz but tastes like gourmet delight, it's still be more than a bit off-putting.

But if tastes great and looks great... then well, yummy.

[PigFish]

I dunno, Pigfish. Appearance is kinda important to me.

Smoking a cigar is like eating a plate of food.

If the food looks like shitz but tastes like gourmet delight, it's still be more than a bit off-putting.

But if tastes great and looks great... then well, yummy.

Don't get me wrong... I love a beautiful cigar! But like a beautiful plate of food that is not good, a beautiful sports car that does not run, a lamed beautiful horse, aesthetics are only a part of the aggregated smoking experience. While I accept the aggregate smoking experience is the sum of many parts, I smoke for taste and not image.

Let me put it this way. We can all look at a cigar and say it is beautiful or ugly, an image is nothing but reflected light. I wish I could look at a cigar and tell you if it would taste good. Now that would be a talent and worth far more to me than judging a reflected image.

The real beauty of cigars is that so many of us see so much in them, and we all see them a little differently. Happy New Year mate! -Piggy

[bassman]

Only 3 packs I ever got was a 3X5 of 2004 VRDAs. Wrappers were incredibly dark, but cigars were incredibly underfilled. I know I smoke fast, but 45 minutes for a DC?

[CanuckSARTech]

Let me put it this way. We can all look at a cigar and say it is beautiful or ugly, an image is nothing but reflected light. I wish I could look at a cigar and tell you if it would taste good. Now that would be a talent and worth far more to me than judging a reflected image.

The real beauty of cigars is that so many of us see so much in them, and we all see them a little differently. Happy New Year mate! -Piggy

Well put, El Cerdo. Fully agreed.

[El Presidente]

I could never tell you if a cigar is a going to be a cracker from looks alone. Assessment is the sum of its parts.

Beautiful wrapper = 25%

The right aroma at cold = 25%

Experience as to how they are currently smoking=25%

Good Construction = 25%

Now bad construction throws everything else out the window but the above is a rough guide only when the construction is good.

If the above are all in play I can only pin point a few times in my cigar smoking life when I have been truly disappointed.

Flip side.

I have had plenty of ugly ducklings which flout point 1 but have been stellar. They haven't flouted the other 3 personal rules however.

Outside of construction, aroma at cold is the most important telltale sign of a great cigar.

In support of of a good supple, tensile, oily wrapper however (dark or light), oil adds flavour and flavour is what it is all about. You increase the odds of a great cigar experience with a great wrapper but only if the other 3 points are also in play.

Just my opinion.

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