The Noob Thread I Never Read.. On Cuban Cigars..

[agulerer]

@Ethernut, so you like your cigars when label little loose and is it for cubans or for all cigars? Because I smoke Davidoff Nicaragua @65 rh and @69rh, I love @69 rh because at @65 flavours were too sharp and there was no subtle notes. But @69 rh, Davidoff Nicaragua showed all of its beauty. 

[PigFish]

1 hour ago, TheMonk said:

 

 

That theory does make sense, but then how have we gotten so consistently good Lusis these past years, and superb cigars like the huge Mag56?

I don't really want to hijack my friends threads with my theories. This one also aligns well with his and it is, "your best cigar can come from any box, any size, any vintage, any vitola." Cigars are individuals and should be treated as such. Trends however, do exist.

It is not that I have never had a good robusto, piramides, or Churchill... I have had many good cigars that are larger ring. However I am an average, or percent player. There is no need to purchase an expensive box of low average cigars when I can spend much less and get high average great cigars. It is all about my experience and certainly my taste and my value approach to filling my humidor.

Lusi, for example, are not always 'not to my liking.' It is just that I won't be sampling them again in the future unless someone gives me one! I have become tired of 'trying' cigars to see if they suit me; to see if they can prove their worth to me. You see, in the retail environment, I have to pay for the proof! I just don't really bother buying outside the box, my box anymore! Buying a $300 box of cigars that I thought were only average would really piss me off. Especially because I am pretty sure that I can get more high quality smoking time getting 3 boxes of PC's. And might I add, I am not new at this; I know better!

So this (content) only somewhat fits into the 'rules.' Most of my reply here is just aimed at answering a question and does not really follow the 'general rules' aspect of the OPs topic. It may if your tastes are targeted as mine are. Yet, the cigars of the each smokers target group will certainly be different and respected as such.

Cheers! -Piggy

[Ethernut]

10 minutes ago, agulerer said:

@Ethernut, so you like your cigars when label little loose and is it for cubans or for all cigars? Because I smoke Davidoff Nicaragua @65 rh and @69rh, I love @69 rh because at @65 flavours were too sharp and there was no subtle notes. But @69 rh, Davidoff Nicaragua showed all of its beauty. 

I really don't smoke enough NC's to have empirical data on that theory for those. The Cuban profile as a whole is more delicate than the pepper bombs that are so prevalent in the NC world which might explain why this works a bit -

[agulerer]

2 minutes ago, Ethernut said:

I really don't smoke enough NC's to have empirical data on that theory for those. The Cuban profile as a whole is more delicate than the pepper bombs that are so prevalent in the NC world which might explain why this works a bit -

Understood. So you are saying that, at lower rh, there will be more intense flavour, and for higher rh, there is less intense flavour correct? 

 

[Ethernut]

2 minutes ago, agulerer said:

Understood. So you are saying that, at lower rh, there will be more intense flavour, and for higher rh, there is less intense flavour correct? 

 

That is my experience. Less RH = less steam, more tobacco.  (less plugged too!!)

It *really* helps the long-and-skinny's shine.

[NSXCIGAR]

2 hours ago, TheMonk said:

 

 

That theory does make sense, but then how have we gotten so consistently good Lusis these past years, and superb cigars like the huge Mag56?

There's no rule that says large RGs can't be good, but my experience is in line with Piggy's--46 and below RG have performed far better for me as well over the last 15 years. Seems like they just jam the volado into these large RGs in general. I can't tell you how many skinnies I've had that just blow the doors off most of the large RGs I've had.

[Ethernut]

4 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I can't tell you how many skinnies I've had that just blow the doors off most of the large RGs I've had.

yes Yes YES!! 

[TheMonk]

Gents, I have no doubt you speak from experience, which I am sure is much larger then mine.
I'm also not defending the larger ring gauges, that I actually tend to find a bit uncomfortable, but the Mag56 is an exception, for me, and that's why I rebated Piggy's. The ring gauge is too large, but the blend just makes it worthwhile, IMO.
That being said, I've rarely had the opportunity to smoke aged skinnies, and the only one that I recall that really blew me away was the LASF. Still a lot for me to try, I guess.

[Ethernut]

49 minutes ago, TheMonk said:

Gents, I have no doubt you speak from experience, which I am sure is much larger then mine.
I'm also not defending the larger ring gauges, that I actually tend to find a bit uncomfortable, but the Mag56 is an exception, for me, and that's why I rebated Piggy's. The ring gauge is too large, but the blend just makes it worthwhile, IMO.
That being said, I've rarely had the opportunity to smoke aged skinnies, and the only one that I recall that really blew me away was the LASF. Still a lot for me to try, I guess.

Rule #2 in the original post. "No one can tell you what you like." ?

[TheMonk]

Rule #2 in the original post. "No one can tell you what you like."

Absolutely.

[Philc2001]

Great post @Ethernut and great adds by @PigFish

I personally prefer narrow ring gauges; 38-46. But I do like to keep some larger cigars for those long and lazy football afternoons. Today I had an absolutely outstanding 2002 Partagas Lusitanias. I'll be posting a review on it. Unfortunately, my humidor is a bit on the wet side this summer from the very hot and very damp summer we have been experiencing. I can't seem to be able to bring the RH down below 68%, even without humidification. To make matters worse, smoking in 90df (in the shade) and ~80-90% humidity just guarantees burn issues. But man, that was one satisfying and tasty Lusi!

[Homebrew]

On 9/10/2016 at 9:22 PM, Bohn007 said:

You neglected to mention to not only to puff slowly but to also purchase boxes slowly. ?

Now you tell me.

Gee Thanks

Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

[Fuzz]

7 hours ago, Ethernut said:

Rule #2 in the original post. "No one can tell you what you like." ?

You like loving your family, collecting skills, sharing the human experience, and laughter (preferably lots of it).

[Ethernut]

7 hours ago, Homebrew said:

Now you tell me.

Gee Thanks

Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

Looks lovely! :-) Hey, it happens!

[Ethernut]

5 hours ago, Fuzz said:

You like loving your family, collecting skills, sharing the human experience, and laughter (preferably lots of it).

Ya gone and left the frame of the conversation (which was Cigars) ya rascal! Funny, I actually had to think about what you meant for a second.. Doh!  I edited the OP just for you! 

[SloppyJ]

Amazing thread. Thanks for taking the time to write it up. 

[PigFish]

21 hours ago, TheMonk said:

Gents, I have no doubt you speak from experience, which I am sure is much larger then mine.
I'm also not defending the larger ring gauges, that I actually tend to find a bit uncomfortable, but the Mag56 is an exception, for me, and that's why I rebated Piggy's. The ring gauge is too large, but the blend just makes it worthwhile, IMO.
That being said, I've rarely had the opportunity to smoke aged skinnies, and the only one that I recall that really blew me away was the LASF. Still a lot for me to try, I guess.

... for me the exception is the Hoyo Petit Robusto. I don't really like robustos, yet the these are a favorite of mine. Whatever they are doing in the HPR, they are doing it right and I am happy to smoke them as long as they are not too expensive!

-Piggy

[philtastic]

great advice on smoking slow, no one shots wine for the same reason.

Sent from my E5803 using Tapatalk

[archosaur]

Not surprisingly, great stuff in this thread!

I did the blind tasting this year for the first time and that process alone will impart much of the above wisdom.  Have a look at some of the blind tasting review threads, and look at the actual results.  From flavor to construction to simple overall enjoyment reported, the reviews are all over the place.  This is where 1) the fact that taste is subjective, overlaps with 2) the fact that cigars are handmade products with inherent variability.  

Toss the preconceptions and enjoy cigars for what they are...a simple, humble, rustic product.  For me, the hobby becomes even better that way.

 

[Ethernut]

On September 10, 2016 at 11:10 PM, vladdraq said:

@Ethernutwhat about Cohibas famous third fermentation? Is this a myth? Aged cigars tend to have a very similar profile imho. Is ageing in fact a very slow third fermentation?

@El Presidente Since no one else addressed this members question about a 3rd fermentation, might you have any insight to add? Thanks! (I like to get a fella's questions answered, cant help it) 

[GavLew79]

I always have time for people who put a lot of effort into a post for the edification of others. Well done. 

I am though, a little confused. If one shouldn't chase a marca or vitola, what is there left?

And when I should buy *that box* how do I get more of *that box* when a) it is made up of many different roller's cigars, each with a unique, human-hand selected bunch of leaves that may have come from different farms or microclimates? And b ) I already have that box, therefore by logic, no more exist? Each box will be different even from the same Factory code and month. 

 

<edit. Random smiley appeared in the text. I think my phone has issues.>

[Ethernut]

11 hours ago, GavLew79 said:

I always have time for people who put a lot of effort into a post for the edification of others. Well done. 

I am though, a little confused. If one shouldn't chase a marca or vitola, what is there left?

And when I should buy *that box* how do I get more of *that box* when a) it is made up of many different roller's cigars, each with a unique, human-hand selected bunch of leaves that may have come from different farms or microclimates? And b ) I already have that box, therefore by logic, no more exist? Each box will be different even from the same Factory code and month. 

 

<edit. Random smiley appeared in the text. I think my phone has issues.>

This is a GREAT question and one I will lend more detail to. Have a few meetings this morning and I'll get to it today or tomorrow likely in an addendum to the original post. The *very* short answer is this. (for those that don't know) Marca is the brand and Vitola is the size/length/ring gauge. Some folks buy a "brand" and I think that's probably the strongest draw to the buying decision and others like Phat and Phallic or Long and Skinny cigars and that sways their buying decision. My approach is more of an agnostic one. I'll smoke any cigar as long as it's good, I *prefer* sub 42 ring cigars so my internal value scoring system will give higher points to that size. 

Now, to get closer to answering your question which is, essentially, "How do I know when to pull the trigger with all of the variables?" I've been wanting to do a post that I wanted to call "Robs Super Secret (not so secret) Code for the 24:24's. Rob describes the predominant and nuanced flavors in a cigar. Once a person has been through the sampler and taken great notes as to the flavors they sense, a pattern of preference will emerge. Not everyone can detect the same thing in a cigar from a nuanced perspective but most can detect the predominant flavors. They can also detect the strength of the cigar. When Rob says "Montecristo cream" he's saying it's a cream bomb. Or if he described the primary flavors as "earthy leathery mongrel", it's typically a full strength cigar that may be a little less composed than many like, but some do like that. It's important to know what primary flavors and characteristics you like and see how he describes the cigars then shoot for the primary flavors you like and less so the brand or size. 

As for how one ensures you get an entire box of exactly what you wanted, truly you cant. About the best we can do is look at the factory/month/year and when Robs team profiles cigars from that timeframe we can be more certain that we've increased our probability of success beyond chance. The factories will get a huge shipment of, not random leaf, but leaf from certain farms so there are common threads of leaf that run through the cigars for that run of time. 

I hope this helps a bit, please reply with more questions. I'll add more detail about Rob's code (as I'm calling it) at a later time. 

[Smallclub]

Are you starting a new religion?

 

[Ethernut]

46 minutes ago, Smallclub said:

Are you starting a new religion?

 

Yep, but obviously there'll be a couple books and a movie deal (or two) before solidifying my constituents. I thinking of, perhaps Tom Hanks to be the lead actor. Thoughts? 

[Hurltim]

54 minutes ago, Smallclub said:

Are you starting a new religion?

 

Flapjackology.