Come on FOH! lets have a bit of CC positivity.......

[El Corojo]

Got some Petit Edmundos on the way, never tried one. I’m pretty excited!

[Wilzc]

On 5/23/2018 at 2:59 AM, 99call said:

We all like to have a bit of a winge, but it would be nice to tap a seam of positivity about CC's. Theres been a wave of negativity recently, so lets hear your success stories of the last few years. 

Strictly no negativity....it's a challenge I know

My thoughts are as follows.   Great additions in the last 5 (or so) years include, RAS, RACA, HURR, QDO 50, QDO 54, PE2s, PL Picadores, Connie A's.  Great to see the heritage of the Noella's being put on the shelves, (even if they are staying on the shelves). Lots of love being shown for the resurrection of Quintero, and Vegueros.  

I have little interest in RE LE, (apart from the upcoming ERDM UK skinny)  but others chime in. 

We give CC's a lot of crap, and a lot of it is legit, but lets hear it guys&girls..... a bit of positivity................

 

Upcoming ERDM UK Skinny? what did i miss??

 

 

I think the consistency of Cuban cigars coming out from 2017 has been incredible in general. I can buy with relative confidence when seeing the 2017 date stamp!

 

The jaw breaking sizes need to stop, but I can see this being an economical trend. It takes almost the same man-hours to produce 100 massive cigars than 100 skinnies. Yet they can be sold for twice the price or even more!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[99call]

2 hours ago, Wilzc said:

 

Upcoming ERDM UK Skinny? what did i miss??

 

 

I think the consistency of Cuban cigars coming out from 2017 has been incredible in general. I can buy with relative confidence when seeing the 2017 date stamp!

 

The jaw breaking sizes need to stop, but I can see this being an economical trend. It takes almost the same man-hours to produce 100 massive cigars than 100 skinnies. Yet they can be sold for twice the price or even more!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What this video from about the 16:30 mark.

 

[Wilzc]

OK IM EXCITED NOW!!

 

Especial #2 sized King of the World!!1

 

But urgh..  UK Regional.... :/  painful on the wallet

[PigFish]

Dear Stefan,

Why did you restrict me from this thread? -LOL

-Piggy

[99call]

2 hours ago, PigFish said:

Dear Stefan,

Why did you restrict me from this thread? -LOL

-Piggy

Ha ha Ray!,   Funny you should say that. In writing the title of the thread, I did actually wonder "Good God, I wonder what Ray can add to this?" 

That said there are reasons to be cheerful.  Current, Quai D'Orsay Coronas, JL1's and  Rafael Gonzales Petit Coronas, meet up to your high standards.   The are densely packed, well rolled, consistent, opulent aroma, full of flavour, potential to age, slow smoking, cold smoking, well priced.  etc etc

I think this is a really interesting challenge, As you've stated before, you've probably got more cigars than you can smoke, in an era when you bought on a price point of quality and value. The cigars I mentioned above have that in spades, Are you still buying Ray? or have you fully unplugged?.  I would be happy to send you a few sticks (not that you need them!) to rekindle the love.   The point to what I'm saying is that I hear all the things you say about bad construction/bad cigars........but there are reasons to be cheerful,........there are still some cigars that meet your standards out there!.

 

[99call]

6 hours ago, Wilzc said:

OK IM EXCITED NOW!!

 

Especial #2 sized King of the World!!1

 

But urgh..  UK Regional.... :/  painful on the wallet

Yep, it's going to be bottom clenchingly expensive, but this is one of the few, I'll get on board with.   If its basically a revamp of ERDMGDE then its going to be good.

[NSXCIGAR]

10 hours ago, Wilzc said:

I think the consistency of Cuban cigars coming out from 2017 has been incredible in general. I can buy with relative confidence when seeing the 2017 date stamp!

I'll admit that it's been impressively consistent considering their raw materials situation from the disastrous 14 and 16 crops. If this is as bad as it gets we should be excited about what's coming in the next 2 years with the tremendous 17 and 18 crops. 

 

10 hours ago, Wilzc said:

The jaw breaking sizes need to stop, but I can see this being an economical trend. It takes almost the same man-hours to produce 100 massive cigars than 100 skinnies. Yet they can be sold for twice the price or even more!!!

They're here to stay--at least for the forseeable future. People buy them, they have higher margins and are an excellent vehicle for blowing out excessive volado leaf while rationing seco and ligero. 

 

1 hour ago, 99call said:

 If its basically a revamp of ERDMGDE then its going to be good.

We can dream...I'm always hopeful with the long skinnies. I think a GDE-level cigar is probably setting the bar a bit high though. 

[earthson]

I have found consistency that has lasted over 5+ years with HUPC and PLMC. I get the odd one or 2 per box (HUPC will be too tannic and toasty without the coffee, biscuit and cream I adore & and the PLMC will be all earth and pepper).

[Wilzc]

Also, for the past 2-3 years we've seen an incredible boom of the NC market.

They're growing exponentially, and are more aggressive than ever before.

I think this has also spurred Cubatabacco and HSA.

More and more shops in their stronghold regions of Europe and Asia are also stocking an increasing selection of New World cigars

[jtfrizzy]

I've been fortunate enough to have generally positive experiences with CCs especially recently. A few months ago I grabbed a box of LUB FEB 14 H Upmann Conneseur A. Aside from being a little looser then I typically see in most habanos they are very good and the draw is pretty darn good as well. I've also been very fortunate in meeting alot of you fellow FoH and have had to pleasure of trying out a lot of really awsome habanos through trades with other FoH members. I am will always be forever grateful for this site and the people in here that make this forum.

As for the negativity, It's easy to find flaws with anything in life, but when you truely enjoy something, perseived flaws often become opportunities to learn, and silver linings emerge to remind us why we do the things we love to do.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[SMQQKIN]

Seriously... buying CCs is like betting on horses. Bet high risk & you are likely to lose. Is it really worth the risk?  That doesn't mean betting the favorite always wins but your odds are much much better. That being said... buy PSP/HQ, pay attention to what El Pres is telling you is smoking well & are stand out buys, store at approx. 70 degrees/65 rh, age your cigars 90 days off the truck 3+ years is optimal & you will likely be much happier with the return on your smoking investment. Lastly & up for debate - buy primarily smaller ring gauge (sub 50) regular production single band cigars. I have found many more ups then downs following these rules. My discontement is when I deviate from the above or smoke most  NCs. Reduce your risk & let El Pres do the work. Cheers!

 

[liquid360]

I am VERY new here, but damn, I am so thankful to have stumbled into the world of CC, this group specifically. After spending a fair bit of cash on what turned out to be counterfeit Esplendidos, I was soured on Cubans. This was in 1999’ish. Nobody likes being taken and certainly not twice. Now, to be able to explore without even a tiny bit of worry of fakes, it’s just awesome. I have been buying at, what is for me, a blistering pace, around a box every few days. I have yet to be disappointed. I’m currently in a passionate love affair with RASS. I’ve bought around 125 sticks in the past couple of weeks.

I’m on disability and have nothing but time. Each day bleeds into the next with nothing to differentiate one day from the next. Awaiting an incoming box of CC... it’s something to get excited about. Reading articles and forums... I love reading others thoughts/opinions. I love the paraphernalia, from a Davidoff humidor to a solid silver Dunhill V cutter. 

This hobby/pastime has provided great joy and I see no end in sight.

If I don’t get a large humidor built soon I’ll be in serious trouble.