inconsistent codes

[El Presidente]

Good and bad occurs within any code. it can be within the same mastercase or across several months/year. Very few codes get a high proportion of excellent cigars across vitola/marques over the course of a year.

I have a couple of codes that i wince at when they come up. normally it occurs when after checking the first 5 boxes of a mastercase it goes...crap box...crap box...good box...crap box...Excellent box. You get the drift.

Today i was going through a a couple of cases of connie 1, USE FEB 12. Rejection rate was near 60%. Some excellent cigars mind you and I kept them for the forum. The inconsistency in wrapper and construction was troubling but normal from what I have seen in USE over the past year. Others in the same boat are BRA, SUE.

I know that I am in the rare position of looking at thousands of boxes but post up the code (and photo if you can) of the ugliest and or worst constructed cigars you have.

It will be interesting to see what the codes are. I suspect there will be a few matches and even a few perceived great codes among them

Both the below from the same Mastercase.

USE FEB 12 C1 Reject (dull wrapper/poor construction/no aroma at cold)

USE FEB 12 C1 HQ (good wrapper/excellent construction/great aroma at cold)

[cigarsandcoffee]

What do you do with the crap boxes?

[santela]

I'm also curious. What happens to the rejected boxes? Does it go to another vendor? Cuz I know a couple vendors who usually sell crappy boxes, and they are based in Asia as well. I wonder if that's where the crap boxes go.

[Smallclub]

I'm also curious. What happens to the rejected boxes? Does it go to another vendor? Cuz I know a couple vendors who usually sell crappy boxes, and they are based in Asia as well. I wonder if that's where the crap boxes go.

The habanos trade is not a wild jungle. Vendors can reject and return boxes, even in countries where this trade is controlled by gov. or customs.

Rob has already stated that the rejected boxes go to the australian "secondary" market, ie pubs, bars, gas stations, etc.

[stunod]

Yes, I always wondered Prez, when you reject a box of crap cigars I assume you send them back. I also assume they must ship them to someone else but they are open. Do they repack and reship ?

[Moogypug]

^i am also curious about rejected boxes. Where do they go? Can you give Habanos feedback in terms of these monstrosities? They must know that crap boxes are consistently coming out of a few bad factories. That Connie 1 looks horrible.

[Smallclub]

They must know that crap boxes are consistently coming out of a few bad factories. That Connie 1 looks horrible.

What is a bad factory? The thread just shows that the same factory can produce the best and the worst, at a given time.

[gr8eman]

My thoughts are that if there is such a dramatic change in tobacco quality box to box, maybe someone is slipping in lower tobacco quality purposely. Not that their counterfeit, but if, say the higher quality aged leaves are not in sufficient supply to construct a quota of cigars such as Connie A, then they substitute the lesser tobacco. That would make sense why there are such good and such crap boxes in a master case.

[TheDistrictJP]

FWIW I have a box of RASS with USE FEB 12. My inspection notes say that they were loosely packed, notable because I usually see dress boxes packed tightly, practically box pressing the cigars. All tasting notes say they are enjoyable.

[santela]

The habanos trade is not a wild jungle. Vendors can reject and return boxes, even in countries where this trade is controlled by gov. or customs.

Rob has already stated that the rejected boxes go to the australian "secondary" market, ie pubs, bars, gas stations, etc.

Thanks, that answers my question.

[jat]

The habanos trade is not a wild jungle. Vendors can reject and return boxes, even in countries where this trade is controlled by gov. or customs.

Rob has already stated that the rejected boxes go to the australian "secondary" market, ie pubs, bars, gas stations, etc.

Whoa there, I'm Australian and have frequented many pubs, bars and 'gas stations' and have never seen any cigars. Where is this secondary market?? Even the crappiest tobacconist who does stock some cigars, has had them for ages. See the dry brown things under glass.

Australia is the place of high tobacco taxes and plain paper packaging, where it is easier to access any number of illicit substances than pick up cigars.

I buy from Rob because he has an attention to quality that not too many other retailers have and I've bought from them all. Maybe they are the secondary market??? Oh well.

[Smallclub]

Whoa there, I'm Australian and have frequented many pubs, bars and 'gas stations' and have never seen any cigars. Where is this secondary market??

I guess I should have written "PCC's catchment area" rather than "Australia", then.

[Fuzz]

The rejects are sold through other supply channels (ie not FOH). No sense in sending the cigars back out of Australia.

[tjhernandez34]

This is what makes the Czar a great source for cigars. A box is too expensive to deal with bad quality. It's really unfortunate that there is so much disparity with what comes out of Havana. Rob, thanks for taking the time to give a crap!

[El Presidente]

JAT. There are still a few distribution channels n Oz if you want to move stock you don't particularly want (Hotels/Tobacconists/Liquor shops). There are also Indonesian, Malaysian trade buyers who will buy in bulk. Fuzz, shipping them offshore to trade buyers is not a problem these days and often preferable.

[Fuzz]

Really? Do PCC get it direct here from Cuba or does it come from HK? Would've thought it cost prohibitive to pay for the shipping twice.

[dangolf18]

I'll take the reject box. For me, wrapper is not always a good barometer of quality. Yes, they are nice to look at, but the filler and binder make up more of the flavor than the wrapper (imo). I've had some glorious boxes of HUPC with wrappers like that reject box.

[DWC]

Don't mind me if I happen to stray back on topic. ;-}

H. Upmann mag 46 AUB May '13 was gorgeous. HQ+ quality.

mag 46 AUB Jun '13 was pretty lame. Hardly recognizable as the same cigar/factory/and almost same month.

-Dan

[JustinThyme]

Partagas shorts 50 cab. ALT MAR 13

Look OK but not stellar, note foot damage, lacking in smell, loose packed and taste like the remnants of Fido's dinner yesterday.

[CanuckSARTech]

CRACKED FEET?!!!?!?!!?!?!

[garbandz]

FWIW I have a box of RASS with USE FEB 12. My inspection notes say that they were loosely packed, notable because I usually see dress boxes packed tightly, practically box pressing the cigars. All tasting notes say they are enjoyable.

loosely packed refers to the filler in the cigar,not how they were packaged.

[mikek]

Sometimes I think they change these codes around just to burn our minds! HA HA

I wish I still had the box code of A box of Monte #4 I bought A couple years back A 10 count box every single one was unsmokeable! Hard as A rock even dropped them down to 58 R/H still plugged the wrapers looked very good! Tossed them in the trash after about A year of trying to smoke one!

[wookiemofo]

So I gotta ask only because I don't know enough about good and bad boxes, is there also a difference in the yellow ribbon and bands of those connie 1s?

[madandana]

These have much different dates and codes but i was surprise at the dullness of the one on the left.i've never seen a PSD4 so dull.

Construction seems ok and smell is ok. Left box is SAB. JUL13. Right box is BUR. ABR12

[LeafLover]

I concur with USE. Have Connie 1 and Mag 46 with light wrappers, underfilled, and taste like newspaper. Mag 46 USE 08 and Connie USE 11.

It is what it is. I'm over it. Part of the quest.