Anyone here smoke Non Cubans?

[PigFish]

... they can NEVER become great,...

I feel sorry for people who proudly deal in absolutes

Do you always feel this way??? -LOL

... just funnin' with ya' Cap.... !!!! -the Pig

[Skyfall]

Do you always feel this way??? -LOL

... just funnin' with ya' Cap.... !!!! -the Pig

[Vortigan]

A good cigar is a good cigar regardless of origin, I've had some spectacularly rich and complex NCs that have championed the benefits and differences that they can achieve when going their own way.

When people shy away from being themselves and imitate others in life instead of forging their own path they can never become great, the same applies to the cigar world.

I feel sorry for people who proudly deal in absolutes

100% agree with this! Personally,having started with CC,I'll quite happily smoke a good NC now.It's really a case of not wanting to limit my experience of the hobby that I enjoy and it seems like an obvious thing to say but there is good and bad on both sides.For example over the last few days I've smoked a Cuban RG PC that was a total vanilla and honey explosion,a Padron 2K Mad that was pepper spice developing into a creamy smooth coffee and then a Trinidad Robusto Extra that was complete,one dimensional crap! As for the latter,bad stick or bad palate? Could be either (or even both) I've no idea,but the great thing about the whole tasting experience is that it's all subjective and I try to enjoy the journey in as all encompassing a way as I possibly can.

[KB24]

Ha, always trying to come out ahead ... not really keeping with the botl spirit imo.

Just being honest.

Coming out ahead by offering CC's for NC's? I believe CC's carry higher trade value than NC's. I wouldn't trade 5 CORO's for 5 AVO Robustos, would you?

[Skyfall]

i dont think Knvb compare padron 1964 with CC. I think he means it is as great for general smokign experience than the top CCs.

also i dont agree - not all NCs taste metallic/chemical. I remember El Prez Rob say he likes Padron, some Tats and others. He knows cigar very well. he is pro. If all bad i dont think he will smoke them?!

u say u had '40-50 of them in the past' - funny - y have 40-50 to know its not good and wat u like? after 4-5, thats it, u know!

why compare NCs and CCs? not the same cigars. if somebody wants CC, simple = smoke CC!

more CCs are great compare to NCs - for sure! but not every NCs is bad!

all this is ur opinion so i respect but not agree!

I can't and won't comment on other people's taste preferences or palate. I can only comment on my own. That being said, if I find a certain taste or characteristic to be abrasive and annoying to me in a group of cigars ( cigar group A), and I don't find those characteristics in a different cigar group ( cigar group B ) , it's a pretty simple conclusion for my own personal preferences. I never said anyone was wrong for smoking NC's, I merely said that they were not for me and my tastes.

In regards to "absolutes ", I think it's perfectly ok to quantify certain things in absolutes, in fact I think it's healthy. If cigar group A doesn't please me for reasons 1,2,3...., but cigar group B does please me in absence of reasons 1,2,3...., then why wouldn't you regard this matter in absolutes??? It would seem sadistic and self punishing not to.

[PigFish]

... I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today! - J. Wellington Wimpy

[mk05]

Anyone here smoke non Cubans?

No

[thechenman]

I enjoy smoking both NCs and CCs. There are times I will smoke more of one than the other, but never one to the exclusion of the other. I've got a cigar collection that numbers almost 200 boxes and honestly, my inventory typically does not fluctuate more than 60/40 in one direction or the other. As mentioned in several earlier posts, cigars from differing regions bring something unique to the experience. Why limit yourself? Great cigars are made in multiple countries, many of which contain blends brought together from all over the world. I found the earlier wine analogy especially apropos to this discussion. Taste is subjective, that is true - and I am a big believer in that everyone should smoke what they like and like what they smoke. That being said...I personally would not close myself off to tobacco offerings from regions outside Cuba, even if I have had terrible experiences in the past. If you're not expanding your horizons by at least occasionally sampling new cigars and blends, you limit yourself and eliminate any possibility of finding something new, different and quite possibly enjoyable. For me cigars reflect life...it's more about the journey than the destination.

[TM-US]

I smoke both, although lately, it's been mostly all NCs.

Part of that has to do with environment- it's winter here, so I cannot comfortably smoke on my deck outside. My local preferred shop still has not finished construction of their full-service lounge, so I'm limited to smoking inside the shop. I obviously cannot just light up a CC in their shop, so I'll buy a single or two or three and smoke them there.

I really never get any complexity or evolution of flavors in a NC- I recently experienced some interesting flavor out of a My Father La Duena Petit Lancero, which I enjoyed. Also, Opus X XXX "Power Ranger" have been very good this year. Ashton VSG are decent with age; Ashton ESG can be excellent, but they are really hit or miss- I've had a few bad ones as well.

That said, I don't hardly ever buy boxes of NCs- Opus X, Anejo 77s and Casa Fuente are about the only exception to that.

[backslide]

Every humidor should have a cab of Illusione. Dion's original documents and Epernay lines are mind blowing.

[mk05]

I used to enjoy the first half of the ECCJ and thought the '09 MKs were pretty decent. Haven't looked into those since then. Did you like the Nosotros?

[khomeinist]

A good cigar is a good cigar regardless of origin, I've had some spectacularly rich and complex NCs that have championed the benefits and differences that they can achieve when going their own way.

When people shy away from being themselves and imitate others in life instead of forging their own path they can never become great, the same applies to the cigar world.

I feel sorry for people who proudly deal in absolutes

Well said.

I have had many excellent NCs. I had a Don Pepin lancero today that was a complete nubber, one of the best cigars I had all month.

I will say that I dislike the majority of NCs but there are very high quality examples like the Oliva Melanio, EPC Short Run, Pepin Blue Label, etc.

Stay open-minded. Makes life more interesting.