Popular Post phreedh Posted July 17, 2015 Popular Post Posted July 17, 2015 A while ago I bought a selection of cheapies from a local store. My criteria at the time was that they cost less than 50 SEK ($6) and were readily available. After coming home, it did not take long for me to set up an Excel spreadsheet, complete with a calculation of "price index" based on cigar volume and price. I might be a bit of a nerd... My plan with the purchase was to evaluate which cigars are best value for me, as I try to find two or three favourites in the cheapest segment. As I will sit down and evaluate each cigar, and also log my thoughts I figured I could just as well post my thoughts here. I'll post all reviews in this thread, sometimes with a photo and sometimes without. At the bottom of this post, will be an index with hot linked entries to each review for ease of access. I welcome all comments, especially disagreements regarding my flavour identifications. All reviews will follow the same template, with the headers explained below: Avg price: The single cigar price based on a box purchase from two Swedish sellers and our host. Price ratio: The volume of a cigar divided by dollar price and multiplied by 100. Lowest is Le Hoyo du Maire at ratio 19, while the highest is José L Piedra Cazadores at ratio 135. It can be seen as "Amount of cigar per cent paid". Did I like it: Simple yes or no, sometimes with an emphasis. Will I buy it: As above, yes or no but sometimes with a short justification. At first: Taste impressions of the first half or so. Later on: Taste impressions of the final half. In conclusion: A short review of my experience and a justification of the verdict. Disclaimer: These reviews are based on one single (albeit handpicked) sample cigar and are highly subjective opinions of a novice amateur. Review history - click cigar title to read review! 2015 07 15 - H. Upmann Epicures 2015 07 17 - Fonseca Delicias 2015 07 19 - José L. Piedra Petit Cazadores 2015 07 22 - José L. Piedra Conservas 2015 07 26 - Hoyo de Monterrey Coronations 2015 07 30 - Quintero Favoritos 2015 08 01 - José L. Piedra Nacionales 2015 08 02 - José L. Piedra Brevas 2015 08 10 - Quintero Londres Extra 2015 08 12 - Quintero Nacionales (or Brevas?) 2015 08 19 - Quintero Brevas (or Nacionales?) 2015 08 23 - Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleurs 2015 09 01 - Quintero Panetelas 2015 09 05 - Rafael Gonzáles Panetelas Extra 2015 09 16 - José L. Piedra Cremas 2015 10 31 - H. Upmann Coronas Junior 2016 02 14 - Punch Petit Coronations 2016 02 18 - Bolivar Tubos No. 3 10
phreedh Posted July 17, 2015 Author Posted July 17, 2015 H. Upmann Epicures (35 x 110, Short Panetela) Avg price: $4.12 Ratio: 41 Did I like it: Yes, a lot! Will I buy it: No At first: Wood and tobacco, with some cacao and floral hints. Later on: Yeasty dough, a little cinnamon, leather and more pungent flowers. In conclusion: Tasty, flavourful and very enjoyable! Good construction and nice looking, it doesn't feel like a cheap cigar at all. Burns well, but benefits from gentle and tempered puffing lest some bite will occurr. I often enjoy The Griffins Puritos (30 x 102) and would love that size with the H. Upmann Epicure flavours! The Epicure is too large to replace my Puritos and too small to be fully satisfying for a moment of relaxation. For that it would have to be 4 cm longer or so. If I got a box they would probably just linger in storage unless they were the smallest available cigar. 3
LordAnubis Posted July 17, 2015 Posted July 17, 2015 This is going to be a good thread Look forward to the rest of the reviews 1
billh1 Posted July 17, 2015 Posted July 17, 2015 This is going to be a good thread Look forward to the rest of the reviews Ditto! Nice work phreedh. 1
phreedh Posted July 18, 2015 Author Posted July 18, 2015 Fonseca Delicias (40 x 123, Petit Corona, Short Filler) Avg price: $3.35 Price ratio: 73 Did I like it: Nah, not much. Will I buy it: Not unless I find an aged box. At first: Burnt wood and coffee, with some fruity sweetness at times. Later on: Marzipan hit at one point, but otherwise mostly smoke, tobacco and burnt leather. At then end; ash... no pun intended! In conclusion: It was a fair enough cigar, but I simply did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. It's the first time I smoke a Fonseca and I was expecting something a little milder (smoother) to be honest. There was very little strength, but at times I did get a picante pang which wasn't to my liking. I thought it lacked character. There was a decent basic taste but it really never went past "cigar". I love the packaging, but the stick itself looks a bit rugged. It burned straight, the ash lived up to the short filler expectations and my only gripe would be that it went out easily. I had to relight it three or four times. I'm eager to try the Fonseca Cosacos at some point (long filler Coronas), but they're not available in Sweden and I would also be interested in trying out an aged Delicias too. I think a forgotten box of Delicias with 5-8 years on it could have some potential as a smooth (but unsurprising) smoke. I'll put it on the list of things to look for in B&M shops. Way down on the list, but still. 4
phreedh Posted July 18, 2015 Author Posted July 18, 2015 Cheers guys, glad you enjoy! Sorry to break forum etiquette here and replying to myself but I prefer keeping the discussion out of the review posts. I started my vacations yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to fill up this thread with some reviews rather quickly as I have more time and opportunities to smoke cigars. I was planning on kicking back in the sunset with a Hoyo DC, but was foiled by the weather (again!) and settled for the Fonseca Delicias instead. Poor trade, even if the Delicias wasn't bad. It was merely... meh. 1
BigWill Posted July 19, 2015 Posted July 19, 2015 Interesting thread, thanks for posting. I'll be a follower for sure. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1
Popular Post phreedh Posted July 19, 2015 Author Popular Post Posted July 19, 2015 José L. Piedra Petit Cazadores (43 x 105, Petit Corona, Short Filler) Avg price: $2.23 Price ratio: 108 Did I like it: Quite so. Will I buy it: Maybe, depends on the competition. At first: Nice! Chocolate, some citrus and maybe... carbonic acid?! Rather mild. Later on: Coarser, fuller but still tasty. Grassy, "Cuba toffée", hints of muscovado sugar. Also, mutton throughout! In conclusion: Surprisingly easy going, in spite of a dark, rich and oily wrapper. I quite liked it and was surprised by the complexity of the flavours, which had no bitterness at all. I suspect not all specimens are like this or I'd hear a lot more good things about it! It almost tasted "aged", but I have no idea how old the box was. Most likely 2014, possibly 2013. I can definitely see myself gettin more of these, unless it's out performed by the Quintero Favoritos (which is almost twice the price!). Construction and burn was a little wonky, but it held the ash well enough and had an interesting triangular box press thing going on. I really liked this one, but reeked of old cigar after smoking it. 6
... Posted July 19, 2015 Posted July 19, 2015 Really interesting thread, thanks for sharing and keep up the good work! 1
Habana Mike Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 This is great - love your format. Looking forward to more! 1
jimjim Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 Keep em coming brother, really enjoying these! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
phreedh Posted July 22, 2015 Author Posted July 22, 2015 José L. Piedra Conservas (44 x 140, Long Corona, Short Filler) Avg price: $2.82 Price ratio: 119 (top three) Did I like it: Very much! Will I buy it: Not unlikely at all! At first: Awesome! Later on: Awesome throughout! In conclusion: Apologies that I'm not very nuanced in my analysis. I have to blame to the circumstance under which I enjoyed this cigar, as can be seen above. I was out tenting by a lake with my son, and smoked this in company of good friends after the kids had gone to bed. I was enjoying the view below and a cup of coffee. Good times were had. =) The cigar was awesome though. =) The wrapper was much lighter than any of the other José L. Piedras I got and it smoked a bit like a mild Dominican but with Cuban depth and "boullion". I found it to be a great, unassuming smoke in a fine format. I finished it rather quickly, and the draw was light but it never felt under filled or anything. Construction was great (for the segment). I think this also had a few years on it (2-3). 4
Ginseng Posted July 22, 2015 Posted July 22, 2015 Nicely done. Do let me know if you want us to clean out some of the non-content posts, like this one, to help keep your thread neat. Wilkey
fabes Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Keep it up phreedh! This will be a great resource for all of us!
phreedh Posted July 24, 2015 Author Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks guys! Had a Hoyo DC yesterday evening and think I'll be going on the fumes of that today so. I hope to do a showdown of two identical José L Piedras soon, smoking them in parallell. And thanks for the offer Ginseng, but the comments give the thread life. Maybe in a while, when we're hitting page 2.
Popular Post phreedh Posted July 26, 2015 Author Popular Post Posted July 26, 2015 Hoyo de Monterrey Coronations (42 x 129, Petit Corona, Tubo) Avg price: $5.85 Price ratio: 48 (pretty low) Did I like it: Indeed! Will I buy it: Probably the rest of the same box, at least. At first: Bloom on the wrapper - nice! Leather and spice dominantly, some light citrus notes. Later on: Coffee and cream, some chocolate. Dried fruits. In conclusion: What a nice, solid smoke. Not very complex, but nuanced and flavourful. Rather mild, but still less smooth than I had expected (in particular considering the bloom on the wrapper). No harshness at all though, nor any bitterness. "Just" a tasty cigar. Had some problems keeping it lit, but I did talk a lot while enjoying it so probably just my own fault. It's possible this had a few years on it too (2013, 2012 maybe). I'll check in a few days when I'm at the B&M where I bought it. I will take the opportunity to pick up a few more from the same box. 5
archosaur Posted July 29, 2015 Posted July 29, 2015 Very nice thread. I will soon be re-filling the C&C niche in my humidor and I always like to do a box of something new. This will help, looking forward to more reviews! Nerd on with your price ratios! 1
phreedh Posted July 30, 2015 Author Posted July 30, 2015 Quintero Favoritos (50 x 115, Petit Robusto, Short Filler) Avg price: $3.46 Price ratio: 103 Did I like it: Not much Will I buy it: Most likely not At first: A bit harsh, a lot of smoke. Dry taste of leather, almonds and something not so nice. Later on: Less harsh, more almonds but mostly burning wood, some cedar. In conclusion: Least ok of the cheap and cheerfuls I've tried so far in this exercise. However, I must add that I've got a bit of a cold and a slightly runny nose so I'm not perfectly tuned for a cigar. I did enjoy it, it was a fair cigar, but I enjoyed the coffee and cheap whisky way more! Most redeeming factor, it held the ash and smoked well. This specimen felt rather fresh, and as far as I know Favoritos benefit from being tucked away a while. Maybe would I like one more had it a year or two on it. It just felt like a cheap experience, not very cheerful at all. Bummer, I had some hopes for this. 2
phreedh Posted August 1, 2015 Author Posted August 1, 2015 José L. Piedra Nacionales (42 x 134, Corona, Short Filler) Avg price: $2.58 Price ratio: 113 Did I like it: A bit Will I buy it: No At first: Tea (bergamot?), tobacco and spice. Some sweetness. Later on: No spice, more tobacco and sweetness. In conclusion: Enjoyed this a sunny day in the woods, but even that didn't help. I wasn't too keen on it. There were odd flavours, almost like paint (is this the shortfiller horror story lead-based paint chippings?) and oils. Construction was really poor, there were a few soft spots. It wasn't a waste of time, but definitely not the best of the Piedras I've tried so far. It was a rather mild cigar, with little to no harshness - always something. 2
phreedh Posted August 2, 2015 Author Posted August 2, 2015 José L. Piedra Brevas (42 x 133, Corona, Short Filler) Avg price: $2.59 Price ratio: 112 Did I like it: Rather Will I buy it: Maybe At first: Earthy and leathery. Later on: Still earthy, burning wood and a little salty. In conclusion: Dog ugly, but I liked this a lot better than the Nacionales which I smoked earlier the same day. There was an almost creamy finish to this. It was smooth, but still rather powerful in its flavours. A bit peppery at the end, but never harsh nor acrid. I would consider a box if it was the oldest C&C prospect, but it's not a top choice. I would love to learn the difference between this and the Nacionales. They're more or less the same length and same girth, pretty much the same price. What gives?! 2
BigWill Posted August 2, 2015 Posted August 2, 2015 I've never had the JLP brevas but I enjoy the Quinteros brevas pretty often. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1
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