Wrapper shortage solution

[Williamos]

First cigar out of a lovely new 25 Bolivar Belicosos EIP MAR 17.

 

Here's an innovative means of dealing with the current wrapper shortage.

 

 

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[Williamos]

Here's a zoomed in look


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[Fugu]

Really!?! 

Wrapper shortage or covering up a beetle hole?

Let us have a look underneath @Williamos ! (never seen such before, apart from my own repairs)

[RickHendeson]

I too am curious what lies beneath.  Is this covering a flaw, or just a scrap that got attached randomly

[avaldes]

I've had cigars come with patches from the factory. They seem to be cut from the same wrapper leaf so they match well. Seen on Hoyo DC, CoRo, etc.

Should just be covering a wrapper flaw like a split.

[RickHendeson]

I say we give @Williamos 24 hours to lay our questions to rest, then form a lynch mob.  

[Islandboy]

I’m guessing the evidence went up in smoke by now.

[RickHendeson]

4 minutes ago, Islandboy said:

I’m guessing the evidence went up in smoke by now.

 

I have the same fears.

 

[earthson]

Been smoking for over 10 yrs - have seen this many times across numerous vintages. Standard practice to repair a hole or tear in otherwise usable wrapper.

[Stick burner]

Good eyes inspector . So how did the BBF rate?


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[sonarman81]

Standard practice for all types of cigars. How was it?

[Williamos]

In the interests of scientific research, I've already smoked that stogie I'm afraid. I can tell you this - that tiny triangle was covering a tiny nick or hole in the wrapper just before the edge and the end of quite a lumpy vein.

By the way, the cigar was just amazing. BBF fresh are just lovely in my opinion.




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[NSXCIGAR]

Amazing how QC can catch something like a small wrapper nick but not something like half the sticks in a box upside down. 

 

[Fugu]

On 21/07/2017 at 11:14 PM, earthson said:

Been smoking for over 10 yrs - have seen this many times across numerous vintages. Standard practice to repair a hole or tear in otherwise usable wrapper.

22 hours ago, sonarman81 said:

Standard practice for all types of cigars. How was it?

That's some truly interesting statements here for me. You obviously never stop to learn when it comes to CCs. I really can't remember ever having seen such in my stash in all those years, not in the meanest of sticks. Never. Standard practice - huh? Are we perhaps onto something here? A sort of preselection of qualities for certain markets? Or perhaps just an indication that I need to smoke much more.. lol. (or get new glasses...).

 

[NSXCIGAR]

48 minutes ago, Fugu said:

That's some truly interesting statements here for me. You obviously never stop to learn when it comes to CCs. I really can't remember ever having seen such in my stash in all those years, not in the meanest of sticks. Never. Standard practice - huh? Are we perhaps onto something here? A sort of preselection of qualities for certain markets? Or perhaps just an indication that I need to smoke much more.. lol. (or get new glasses...).

I believe I recall seeing it on a CC of mine before, but so long ago I can't remember when or where. I don't know if 1 out of 5,000 cigars qualifies as standard practice, but I have seen it before.

As far as pre-selection for markets, I'm not sure if that's really a factor even if it happens. Gray market vendors acquire their stock from a pretty wide swath of distributors, so any box one gets is liable to be from any of a number of markets. Would be very difficult to isolate a market that is getting a preference in selection. The only one I'm aware of that ever did was EMS, although I have heard that Hunters does still have some preference and PCC does as well, but that's only a rumor. 

[sonarman81]

I have seen more patches on NCs than CCs. Take that with a grain of salt since I have smoked less of the latter.

[earthson]

18 hours ago, Fugu said:

That's some truly interesting statements here for me. You obviously never stop to learn when it comes to CCs. I really can't remember ever having seen such in my stash in all those years, not in the meanest of sticks. Never. Standard practice - huh? Are we perhaps onto something here? A sort of preselection of qualities for certain markets? Or perhaps just an indication that I need to smoke much more.. lol. (or get new glasses...).

 

Crap!  Now I feel compelled to either rifle through my stash to find more examples, or else raise old cigars from the ashes to re-examine them!  I don't always appraise a cigar before smoking (perhaps 25-50% of the time), but I know I've seen it and it's not rare enough to generate a "WTF?" when I do see it.

I'll keep my eyes peeled and perhaps dig through my smoke-now humidor to see if I can find an example or 2 so I can post a pic.

[Fugu]

22 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Would be very difficult to isolate a market that is getting a preference in selection. The only one I'm aware of that ever did was EMS, although I have heard that Hunters does still have some preference and PCC does as well, but that's only a rumor. 

Was meant a bit provocative, tongue in cheek. You hear such claims from different distributors (incl. cigar boards all the time), but I am yet to come across any substantiated facts for that. As concerns EMS, that's nothing short of a simple marketing ploy today (if you ask me).

[NSXCIGAR]

14 minutes ago, Fugu said:

Was meant a bit provocative, longue in cheek. You hear such claims from different distributors (incl. cigar boards all the time), but I am yet to come across any substantiated facts for that. As concerns EMS, that's nothing short of a simple marketing ploy today (if you ask me).

I see, and I didn't think I was saying anything you weren't aware of anyway.

The EMS stamp is, of course, still used, but according to the H & F site:

The EMS stamp guarantees that the cigars have been imported directly from Habanos SA in Cuba by its appointed UK distributor (Hunters & Frankau) and that the boxes have been shipped and stored by experts. The cigars have also passed an additional UK quality check and all UK Duties have been paid and correct UK health warnings applied.

I don't think the rumor regarding EMS actually getting better product was propagated much after the early 90s as it is fairly accepted that the current EMS labeling is, as you state, almost totally a H & F marketing ploy playing on the old EMS classification that was used in Cuba for most of the 20th century which was the source of the rumor. 

H & F is wisely not letting a good rumor go to waste!

 

[Fugu]

53 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I see, and I didn't think I was saying anything you weren't aware of anyway.

The EMS stamp is, of course, still used, but according to the H & F site:

The EMS stamp guarantees that the cigars have been imported directly from Habanos SA in Cuba by its appointed UK distributor (Hunters & Frankau) and that the boxes have been shipped and stored by experts. The cigars have also passed an additional UK quality check and all UK Duties have been paid and correct UK health warnings applied.

I don't think the rumor regarding EMS actually getting better product was propagated much after the early 90s as it is fairly accepted that the current EMS labeling is, as you state, almost totally a H & F marketing ploy playing on the old EMS classification that was used in Cuba for most of the 20th century which was the source of the rumor. 

H & F is wisely not letting a good rumor go to waste!

 

Yep, and people thend to forget that it had originally been only implemented to identifiy a certain wrapper shade preferred by the English market as opposed to the American market back then. Nothing to do with "quality" other than in the meaning of a property and not a grade of choice. At least not before its reinvention in the 1990s....

And, as you know, you can freely replace "H&F" and "UK" in your blue citation likewise by Seita, Coprova, 5th-Ave, Diadema, Intertabak, Phoenicia... you name it, and their respective market served. That's what they all claim and actually do (are forced to do by their govts). Those claims, while true and correct, are simply meaningless with regard to quality.

[canadianbeaver]

Have never seen this either. We would think it was strange, but knowing where we get them as a trusted source, we would say, "gee interesting", then light up.

[Habana Mike]

I've smoked a few Habanos in my time and don't recall ever noticing this.

Will take a harder look at the entire cigar going forward.