swbell20061 Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Ok, I have been into cigars for a few years now and Cubans for one year now... I have a couple of things to point out and a few questions, as well as a personal story.. the facade of Cuban cigars are that they are strong cigars? In my experience this is NOT true... I love cubans because of the elegance, and that everyone is not overpowering with pepper. On the contrary to that, Every week i open and look through an American online retailers magazine and see nothing but words like SPICE-BOMB, CUBAN LIKE, MEATY, Peppery, it seems the stronger and spicier the better... Dont get me wrong I like a stronger cigar but I look for and enjoy all the flavors that arent wood, leather, pepper, and spice. It seems that the US consumer likes enjoys a strong cigar, or they are made to believe that is what they should like because it is "cuban like." When its not. I went into my local cigar bar here in town and gave the employee a RASS... Keep in mind he has never had a Cuban cigar before so he is def. excited. Also keep in mind that the Rass is one of the stronger robustos... He finished the cigar and I asked him how he liked it? He said, I loved it, very flavorful but a little on the light side. I dont know why this bothers me... Anybody else have comments?
bstarrs Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 While my experience with NCs is pretty minimal, the ones I have had seem to be pretty one dimensional and all about the power. I totally agree about this attitude the online American retailers and even the boards at Cigar Aficionado have about strong, powerful, and spicy smokes. Not to offend anyone but the attitude you see from the typical American cigar smoker on say the CA boards is "bigger, thicker, stronger. I myself am quite content sticking to Cubans since there is so much to explore and very little overlap between marques in terms of flavor and profile.
MadMax Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Why does that bother you? When I feel like smoking an A$$ kicker of a cigar, I fire up a La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel!!
bstarrs Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Why does that bother you? When I feel like smoking an A$$ kicker of a cigar, I fire up a La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel!! It doesn't bother me personally, I was just giving my personal take on what the topic starter was stating. To each his own though.
El Presidente Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Why does that bother you? When I feel like smoking an A$$ kicker of a cigar, I fire up a La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel!! I quite like the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel. It is an in your face style with little complexity but they do it well. Cuban cigars have a Kaleidesope of styles and flavour and body. I think they make some of the best light/medium bodied cigars in the world having nailed "light / medium body" and flavour complexity. Then you can go a fresh 898 Varnished and see how a full bodied cigar can deliver complexity. What a wonderful world
sloth Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 the spice-bomb is an over used marketing term in the US market... It is the 'in thing'... but i still don't think most people like these... i still think the majority of cigar smokers in the US, the casual smoker, likes mild plain cigars. my boss is one of those people... he just told me one of those Siglos cigar turned him green... he gave me one and i found it flavorless and light. If I gave him an p898v he'd probably puke.
Colt45 Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 While my experience with NCs is pretty minimal, the ones I have had seem to be pretty one dimensional and all about the power. I totally agree about this attitude the online American retailers and even the boards at Cigar Aficionado have about strong, powerful, and spicy smokes. Not to offend anyone but the attitude you see from the typical American cigar smoker on say the CA boards is "bigger, thicker, stronger. I myself am quite content sticking to Cubans since there is so much to explore and very little overlap between marques in terms of flavor and profile. I'd offer up that I have to imagine that the percentage of cigar smokers who regularly participate on cigar forums (including this one) is relatively small when looking at the overall number of people who smoke cigars. I try not to sell people short when it comes to being advertised to - I feel people are capable of using available information to help form their own opinions and make decisions. As to bigger and thicker, we've all seen the monsters Habanos continues to produce. And where are they selling these things? Not in the U.S. (not mostly anyway). And all we need do is look at the recent blind tasting conducted here to see that the Habanos marques are not quite as distinctive as we might be led to believe. In the main, I don't really disagree about how some cigars are advertised by retailers, and even the flavor of some NC cigars. But I do cringe when I see typical this, or typical that. I can't know unless I've spoken to a majority of the people in question. Again, I'm just offering up a different perspective.
Guest 321contact Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Ok, I have been into cigars for a few years now and Cubans for one year now... I have a couple of things to point out and a few questions, as well as a personal story..the facade of Cuban cigars are that they are strong cigars? In my experience this is NOT true... I love cubans because of the elegance, and that everyone is not overpowering with pepper. On the contrary to that, Every week i open and look through an American online retailers magazine and see nothing but words like SPICE-BOMB, CUBAN LIKE, MEATY, Peppery, it seems the stronger and spicier the better... Dont get me wrong I like a stronger cigar but I look for and enjoy all the flavors that arent wood, leather, pepper, and spice. It seems that the US consumer likes enjoys a strong cigar, or they are made to believe that is what they should like because it is "cuban like." When its not. I went into my local cigar bar here in town and gave the employee a RASS... Keep in mind he has never had a Cuban cigar before so he is def. excited. Also keep in mind that the Rass is one of the stronger robustos... He finished the cigar and I asked him how he liked it? He said, I loved it, very flavorful but a little on the light side. I dont know why this bothers me... Anybody else have comments? what did he mean on the light side? Nicotine content? Maybe hes a cigarette smoke and hence a nicotine fiend like me. I never really find any cigar real strong. "or gonna put me on me ass" like my friends says. Sometimes though I get a slight trembling, which I guess could be from excessive nicotine content. Also maybe he was trying to be manly. Like wow, cubans are supposed to be real strong. I guess i must be a big man cause it didnt do anything to me. Marketing is all **** anyway. Like that entertainment system in the magazine doesn't have any wires...
Styler Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Certainly my experience is that in general CCs are milder than NCs, although as The Prez points out there are certainly CCs that can deliver quite the nicotine punch. I occasionally flick through NC reviews/adverts and like 3putt see continual reference to how strong or spice laden a particular cigar is, almost suggesting that smoking one (and not passing out) will either make you a "man" or confer some kind of kudos from other cigar smoking men. What a load of crap. TBH, I find NCs to be dissapointing at least 90% of the time. The bigger a CC is the more complexity and/or evolution I expect from it. With NCs however, the bigger it is the more likely I am to either got bored of it or (in the case of 52+ RG sticks) look ridiculous smoking it. This is all subjective of course, one man's meat is another man's NUB, but I do think there's a good reason why CA see fit to review a cigar after only smoking the first inch of it! It's not all bad though, I had a RP Decade torpedo recently that really hit the spot.
Orion21 Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 I have been a cigar smoker for 6-7 years and have only enjoyed Cuban cigars for the past year or so and my opinion is Cuban cigars are more interesting and complex than Non-Cuban lines. The Non-Cuban lines are created for the US market and they have an opinion of what American smokers want. Bigger, thicker and stronger makes them different than the Cuban cigars available all over the world. Additionally, when the embargo lifts many American smokers will try Cuban cigars and have the same reaction as the cigar shop employee who tried the RASS. And because they have developed a liking of big, spicy strong cigars they won't switch -- for the most part. It is in the NC worlds best interest to be way different than Cuban cigars because they can't compete with the Cuban style cigar. That's just my take on it.
beamer Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 No different than wine. There are some French wines that I like, there are some French wines that I don't like. There are some Californian wines that I like, there are some Californian wines that I don't like. Lately, when it comes to NC, I keep a few Perdomo and Tatuaje around. Most of my CC are Bolivar.
dougd Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 It does seem like in the NC world that they are competing for the next biggest strongest stick. After coming to the CC world, I remember when I was afraid the the Partagas D4 might be too strong for me. When I read reviews, I heard they had a powerful nicotine wallop. When I did finally order the D4's I was surprised by the strength. These cigars, I consider to medium strength. Don't get me wrong, I love these cigars, but I was expecting something stronger. I know the strength can vary from box to box or year to year, but my box is just a nice anytime smoke. On the other hand, I just got some SP2's from czar's and I was expecting them to be mild. Well, to my surprise, they are on the stronger side. They are not overwhelming, but stronger than my D4's. BTW, these have the best draw that I have ever had on any torpedo CC or NC. I only have to cut a small amount of tip and the draw is fantastic. Now, most of my NC now seem flavorless to me. I do have few brands that I enjoy and I have to admit that I do like a few of the big ring gauges. The Liga Privada flying pig is a 4" cigar with a 60 ring gauge and I think it is a great cigar.
bc8436 Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 The Liga Privada flying pig is a 4" cigar with a 60 ring gauge and I think it is a great cigar. Love this cigar, one of my favorite NCs for sure.
CaptainQuintero Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 It's all marketing. If you believe the adverts on TV for coffee, everyone wants their coffee to be very dark and very strong. But most people if you ask them honestly probably enjoy a milky, sugary coffee the most. But it's not manly to go ask for a weak and milky coffee at the store/bar I'm guessing CC are marketed the same in the US: dark, strong and powerful cigars that only the manliest of men can smoke, but you can't get them so try this 144 ring guage spice bomb, see if you can survive! I'm sure plenty of people like super-spicebombs and cigars that are all strength, good for them, they should smoke what they like but for me and I'm sure at least one other person it's not what cigars are about. Maybe marketing should reflect that. Smoke what you enjoy, drink what you enjoy, eat what you enjoy. To hell with whatever someone else thinks of you because you didn't choose what are supposed to choose. Shame on the companies that tell you that you are not manly/rich/successful/good looking/modern/cool/relevant unless you do what they say you should be doing. ----- I'd like a milky coffee please, half milk half coffee. Yeah stick some sugar in it while I light up my Quintero Panatelas and finish my fried Spam sandwich. Why yes that is bagpipe music you can hear from my mp3 player
bassman Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Never thought of RASS as a particularly strong Cuban cigar. The vast majority of Bolivars are considerably stronger. While I prefer the complexity of Cuban cigars, I always keep some Tatuaje Noellas on hand. And Cuban or not, anything over 50 gauge is too fat for me.
randomhero1090 Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Having this exact same discussion on another board. You take the strongest CCs... Say Boli RC, BBF, PSD4, R&J Cazadores... And put them up against the strongest NC cigars... Opus X, Joya de Nic Gran Consul, LFD Double Ligero, Viaje Exclusivo... It's not even a fight. I mean, the Viaje Exclusivo Tower 45th will make you feel high. But, as someone said above, some NC are built for power and spice, and become very 2D. Because they only have 2 things going for them... Power and spice. Cubans on the other hand, while not being spice bombs or delivering an intense head kick, offer a variety of flavors that really stand out. My palate isn't very developed. However, with CCs, I can actually name the flavor. And I honestly think that's due to the lack of spice and power, which let's the flavors shine. I've been buying less and less NCs, that's for sure.
ramon_cojones Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 D4s and Coros pick up in strength over the years, I have a friend who smokes oliva O double toros every day and he almost choked on an 08 coro saying how strong it was. I couldn't stop laughing. I smoke for flavor and I do like full-bodied medium and up cigars just not full strength ones. PS. Of the few BRCs I've smoked I would definitely not consider them strong unless they pick up like D4s and Coros.
cigcars Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 *If a cigar is strong, powerful, yet flavorful it earns my respect & enjoyment. I've given Honduran Hoyo de Monterrey Excaliber Maduros to men who have gotten word back to me that it made them sick & they had to take to their bed! The Cuban Fonsecas are noted for their mild mild mildness! Yet I've given the No. 1 to a male detective friend of mine who said it put HIM to bed!! These are regular cigar smokers! And it takes quite a powerful smoke to lay ME out! The only two that have ever done that to me was the original 1992 thru '93 release of Ernesto Carrillo's LaGloria Cubanos when they were manufactured in Florida. Each time, put me on my ASS!!! L-l-l-o-v-v-e-d it!! Then the more recent Padron 45th Anniversias - MAN, what a fine, fine powerful smoke! And yes, it's true - many of our beloved Habanas are not as strong as some Hondurans and Nicaraguans. But for flavor and satisfaction nearly every time, a Habana can rarely be bested IMHO.
ramon_cojones Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Why do you start all your posts with a *? I never understood that or people who sign their posts as if we don't know who is posting it LOL!!
Vortigan Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Smoke what you enjoy, drink what you enjoy, eat what you enjoy. To hell with whatever someone else thinks of you because you didn't choose what are supposed to choose. Shame on the companies that tell you that you are not manly/rich/successful/good looking/modern/cool/relevant unless you do what they say you should be doing. Very well said,could not agree more!!
jman Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 I personally hate spicey cigars. Ccs certainly offer smoother and more complex character in their cigars compared to ncs. All this talk reminds me that cigars should be enjoyed by region. I love the character of french wine, but all also enjoy the sweetness of california white. I love regional tastes with cigars and they all have a distinct taste. Still love cc the best, just harder for me to get them
Puros Y Vino Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 From a "foodie" perspective. People who like spicy foods tend to increase the amount of spiciness over time due to their declining taste buds. I think that's what happens with cigars too. If you like them strong, your taste buds will demand more strength in order for it to register. At least, that's my theory.
jman Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 Good theory, I smoked a brickhouse 2 weeks ago and it almost blew my face off...way to strong. I equate spice to harshness.
Orion21 Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 That's funny because I have always found Brickhouse to be middle of the road for NC. Cigars like La Flor Dominicana will blow the top of your skull off. I smoked the LFD Double Press over the weekend and thought I was smoking a pepper mill. I have never had that type of experience with a Cuban. The strongest Cuban I have ever smoked was a very spicy Bolivar RC. For whatever reason it had a chili pepper spice flavor, but once into it an inch it mellowed out, but was a very strong cigar. However, nothing like some of the NC's I have smoked -- especially in the past 5 years. Good theory, I smoked a brickhouse 2 weeks ago and it almost blew my face off...way to strong. I equate spice to harshness.
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