For those back from Cuba, a question on El Laguito

[El Presidente]

There may be an answer or there may not but I will throw it out there. Some may have visited friends at EL on their recent trip. Fill us in if you can.

I came across two non Cohiba MUO in the warehouse this week in a mastercase of D4 and a mastercase of M4.

I know it has been mentioned in the past few months that both of the above in MUO have been found around the world. It is the first time I have seen them.

I didn't have a chance to go through the Monte 4 (will do next week). From a cursory glance at three boxes they were good. The D4's on the other hand were spectacular. I don't have any doubt they were EL. 30 boxes of D4 to a mastercase. zero fails, no PE, 10 HQ, 20 PSP. No...don't e-mail/PM me as that is not the point of the exercise ...they are locked into 24:24 and will be up next week sometime. they were coded MUO JUN 15

My initial thought was that due to lack of wrapper for Cohiba they have spare capacity for others. Yet I am seeing boxes (few) of non EL Behike from the same period.

If those returning have some feedback, I would love to hear it. I can't understand that if there is leaf for Behike to be rolled elsewhere why is El rolling D4? a great cigar is a great cigar mind you so I am not complaining just a little perplexed as to the thought process behind it?

If anyone has an insight, I would love to hear it.

MUO JUN 15 D4

PSP foreground, HQ Background.

[Duxnutz]

Haven't they been rolling RyJ Churchills too? Was given an MUO RyJ Churchill recently.

[El Presidente]

Haven't they been rolling RyJ Churchills too? Was given an MUO RyJ Churchill recently.

Forgot about that one. Crackers.

[oliverdst]

I couldn't manage go to EL só I can't help. What I can say is that I checked hundreds boxes and didn't see any MUO.

[Overproof]

Maybe they did the switcheroo and MUO isn't from El Laguito for certain months of this year

[El Presidente]

Maybe they did the switcheroo and MUO isn't from El Laguito for certain months of this year

Everythings possible. However, I have a hard time believing these D4 could be made anywhere else at that standard. Even Partagas on their best day. To put it in perspective, I have been checking mastercases of D4 intensively for the past 8 years. Say 4 a month, 380 mastercases or thereabouts. I have seen some brilliant mastercases. I cant recall one ever producing only PSP/HQ (zero PE or fails).

If these were coded RAE/GEO I would have been stunned while codes skewed to the right on the quality curve (high), I haven't seen a completley perfect batch before.

MUO is generally very good in standard Cohiba lines. The MUO Esplendidos earlier this year perhaps the best i have ever seen (the ARG went close).

So all things being equal, I am comfortable in my belief that the D4 had to come from EL.

My question is why? Again not that it bothers me, just intrigued.

[Ryan]

We had dinner with some staff from El Laguito one night. I didn't make it to the factory this time. Still not much work going on there. Reduced numbers of rollers. Preparations are being made for the festival still. There will be a lot going on for the 50th anniversary in the factory for the February/March festival.

Other cigars are being rolled there, as mentioned, PSD4, Romeo Churchills.

The story is that wrapper for Behikes is rare at the moment. Of course that doesn't explain why Behikes are being rolled at other factories but I didn't get/can't remember an answer for that.

I was hearing rumours from a number of sources that factory staff and even farmers aren't happy at the moment. Without mentioning organisation names, the "powers that be" have changed the pricing structure that farmers are paid for wrapper tobacco and they aren't happy. Factory staff also want more money. As far as I understand, official strikes are not possible in Cuba but production can be affected in such a way that the "higher-ups" make changes at management level in an effort to resolve the situation.

[RijkdeGooier]

Someone I spoke with, who used to work until recently at EL said production was not up to usual vitola's and numbers.

Apparently they make what they are asked to make.

[TheKid]

Maybe its an aspect on volume as Ryan said there isn't much going on therefore they get smaller batches of the tobacco. meaning a more consistent product put out by the factory, roller variation would be minimal given the low worker numbers.

I could only imagine how hard it would be to make 150 000 cigars exactly the same where 2 000 may be more manageable.

I'm sourcing this mainly from customs rolls which are extremely consistent and of high quality due to the sourcing of the tobacco and the single roller origin.

Pure speculation but just my thoughts