Tokyo summer 2017

[kuma]

Well I'll be off to the land of the rising sun soon.  And one place which is near and dear to my heart but not to my wallet

is "Chardonnay" in Tokyo, Shibuyu-Ku (Harajuku Station) on Omotesando ave / rd.

They have a wide selection of old and forgotten stoogies I don't really know where to begin

in term of what to buy.  These are smokes I have never indulged in so I need a little guidance

in what to choose from our good members.  Here are some of the choices;

  Saint Luis Rey - Serie A, Lonsdales (1998)

  Punch - Super Selection No.1 (2002)

  Rafael Gonzalez - Lonsdales (2001)

  El Rey Del Mundo - Gran Corona Anejado (2001)

  La Gloria Cubana - Med. D' Or 2, No.3 (2002)

  Quai D'Orsay - Imperial, Gran Corona (2002), Panetelas

  Fonseca - Cosacos

  Sancho Panza - Bachilleres (1999), Corona Gigante (2003)

  Vegueros - Especial No. 1 (2001), Seoane (2000)

Very Old - Cuban Davidoff No.1 (1980), Por Larranaga Dunhill Selection No.33

  Trinidad - Robusto T

  Partagas - Presidentes, Serie Connisseur No.3

  HDM - Le Hoyo des Dieux Anejo (2002)

  H. Upmann - Sir Winston

  Diplomaticos - No.1 (2001)

  Bolivar - Corona Extra, Gold Medals

RE's - El Rey Del Mundo Balthasar, Por Larranaga Small Robusto, Por Larranaga Secretos

I'm sure the selection I put up has some "good, bad and ugly" sticks so if any members have

tried some of these please "let er rip potato chip" with your thoughts.

Thanks.............

 

[El Presidente]

Check the draws, draw in the aroma at cold, ask about provenance and storage if you can. If that looks good then go deep on the Lonsdales and there are plenty there. 

Enjoy!

[Fuzz]

Question? How does one check the draw without cutting?

[awkwardPause]

Don't most quality shops let customers lob off a few caps to make sure they're getting the right box?? LMAO

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Dimmers]

Thats a really cool lounge, a haven in midst of crazy Shibuyu area. Smoked a lovely SLR Serie A there (circa 2000 from memory) around this time last year. Also picked up a few singles incl BCG of around same vintage. 

Not sure how much of the list above is still available (?), but id go the Punch SS1, QdO GC, SLR lonndsale, HDm des dieux first ...

[PapaDisco]

Wow!  That's quite a candy store!    Like El Pres says, stick your schnoz in the older boxes and see what the scent at cold is like.  A box past its prime will be decidedly flat.  That doesn't guarantee a bad smoke, I've had some of those come alive once put to flame, but generally speaking a flat or thin scent at cold indicates a stick that's been getting too much air and is past its prime.

[SignalJoe]

 I got in to Cubans in 2005 when I was deployed to Europe, so this is not personal experience.  However from reading CA and forums 1999-2001 was a bad period for Cubans.  It appears HSA decided they could double their production and did so by hiring inexperienced rollers.  The result being massive issues with plugged cigars for those years.  I  have been cautioned about anything from that time period by numerous veteran smokers.  A look at most aged stock lists provides evidence to this, as you always see an  abundance of 1999-2001 cigars on price lists.

Having said that I would probably still roll the dice on the Boli Coronas Extras and Gold Medals regardless of vintage.  

[finecigar]

I will be there this upcoming fall. Looking forward to Japan vacation. Just off of personal taste/experiences, I would automatically go for the SP Coronas Gigantes, LGC Mdo No 3, or Bolivar Corona Extra. Those are magnificent cigars if aged properly with good construction. The ERdM Balthasar was pretty tasty as well. Wonder how it's aging. I would stay away from the Davidoff No. 1 as even though it can be a "special" experience, you will likely pay a high premium at a place like Chardonnay and more times than not be disappointed. Let us know what you choose and try to take some pictures, too!

 

[Elvis]

These would be at the top of my list:

1) Bolivar - Corona Extra

2) Punch - Super Selection No.1

As others have commented, they need to have been well cared for. And if the box was a dud when new, time make them any better.

Provenance is a big deal for me, I'd feel much less like a gambler if I was buying a few singles rather than boxes.