The CC catch 22 reinvigorated NC enjoyment

[JoeyBones777]

A couple of years ago I smoked a 3 year old RASS that started me down a path of full CC commitment. The catch 22; small cigar budget, initial creation of rotating CC aged stock and my need for variety when smoking.

I've found myself constantly trying to find some balance  here. I buy a couple boxes that don't need much age, some boxes that do need age and filling in the gaps with NC singles. Having done so has revitalized my enjoyment of NC's quite a bit.

I think what has occurred is that CC's have helped me hone in on exactly what I enjoy in a cigar and I now have great clarity in my search with regard to NC's. There are far fewer NC's that fill my requirements now but the ones I smoke I am enjoying a lot more.

Anyone else experience something similar?

[Derboesekoenig]

Lol I love how you posted this right after someone posted about the exact opposite...

Anyway, I don't smoke NCs anymore and never will. I don't get the same enjoyment out of them as I do CCs. For me this is factoring in only taste, nothing else. Hugely personal preference kinda thing. We all have different tastes.

[anjimj]

I enjoy a nice Davidoff or Padron every once in awhile as a change of pace but I'm pretty much smoking CC 99% of the time. 

[mbflash80]

5 minutes ago, anjimj said:

I enjoy a nice Davidoff or Padron every once in awhile as a change of pace but I'm pretty much smoking CC 99% of the time. 

Same here minus the davidoff...once or twice a year i will have a padron or opus...otherwise i just prefer CC

[Colt45]

48 minutes ago, JoeyBones777 said:

I think what has occurred is that CC's have helped me hone in on exactly what I enjoy in a cigar and I now have great clarity in my search with regard to NC's.

Anyone else experience something similar?

Cool perspective. I guess for me it's a bit different - over time I've simply come to appreciate quality regardless of origin. You mention the RASS - I've never had a good one, nor a good PSD4 - for me they are Cuban cigar sludge. But, I'm certain that members have, and will continue to enjoy fine examples of both.

One of my long time favorite world cigars is the AVO Domaine No. 30, but it is a cigar I might not recommend to most. It has unique flavors - as an analogy, for me it would be a Piemonte Freisa vs a Cabernet from pretty much anywhere. I've smoked them from different years, boxes, shops, and every one has been consistent in quality and flavor. It can be done.

So generally, I don't intentionally look for cigars that emulate others, but appreciate cigars which stand up on their own, regardless of origin.

[PrairieSmoke]

The best cigars I’ve ever had have been Cuban. But I have a fair amount of NC cigars and keep them in the rotation. 

There are plenty of medium bodied boutiques out there that I think are excellent. Offerings from Warped, Illusione, Bespoke/Casdagli, Aganorsa Leaf Signature, just to name a few. 

What I’ve found is that no matter how hard I try I just can’t get into Full-Bodied NCs they are far too heavy handed for my palate. 

[cfc1016]

I can't afford to smoke noncubans.

[peteando]

15 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

I can't afford to smoke noncubans.

There's a lot of truth to this statement.  I just had one of the most enjoyable nc's that I've smoked in many years- an Opus x.  It was 25 bucks for a single.  I thought it was about as good as the Fonseca Cosacos that I  smoked the next day, 4 dollars!

[cigcars]

       I'll say: NC's are starting to be priced out the window. Dear God. And for whatever satisfaction one can get out of them (with the exception of Padron, Warped, Arturo Fuente, and some A.J. Fernandez) one might as well get Guantanameras instead. I know, I know - a joke of a smoke as far as a lot are concerned...but the Cuban flavor is still there - once you get through spitting loose tobacco bits off your tongue.

[aphexafx]

I promised myself I wasn't going to get involved with these threads.  But I'll point out that Nicaraguan tobacco generally benefits from downtime just as much as Cuban tobacco does.  Maybe more, since it tends to be quite peppery and sharp edged with a lot of strength.  My favorite Nicaraguan cigars are Don Jose Garcia blends, mostly from Tatuaje.  They can be a bit ballsy and one dimensional right out the gate, but they smooth out and develop extremely well.  They won't taste like Cuban cigars.  They are Nicaraguan cigars.

Singles from your B&M are almost always over-humidified and very fresh.  So, how many of you are comparing apples to apples?

I just bought a 25 cab of Miami rolled Tatuaje SdC Noellas (marevas) for the same price as a box of Bolivar PCs.  You can always find them significantly cheaper than retail or mega-marketing sites.

[MD Puffer]

1 hour ago, Colt45 said:

You mention the RASS - I've never had a good one, nor a good PSD4 - for me they are Cuban cigar sludge.

BAN HIM NOW!!!

[cfc1016]

1 hour ago, peteando said:

There's a lot of truth to this statement.  I just had one of the most enjoyable nc's that I've smoked in many years- an Opus x.  It was 25 bucks for a single.  I thought it was about as good as the Fonseca Cosacos that I  smoked the next day, 4 dollars!

Yeah I always chuckle to myself, and roll my eyes, when a NC proselytizer says "I can't afford to smoke cubans". They invariable buy some ~$20 drew estate or tatuaje or something. I go home to a $4 partagas.

[JoeyBones777]

3 hours ago, Derboesekoenig said:

Lol I love how you posted this right after someone posted about the exact opposite...

Anyway, I don't smoke NCs anymore and never will. I don't get the same enjoyment out of them as I do CCs. For me this is factoring in only taste, nothing else. Hugely personal preference kinda thing. We all have different tastes.

I didn't see that post...maybe I'll go chime in.

[JoeyBones777]

1 hour ago, peteando said:

There's a lot of truth to this statement.  I just had one of the most enjoyable nc's that I've smoked in many years- an Opus x.  It was 25 bucks for a single.  I thought it was about as good as the Fonseca Cosacos that I  smoked the next day, 4 dollars!

I agree but for me it is time. I've had a 5 year old Montecristo #2 that blew away every NC I've had before. Same with the 3 year old RASS. However, sampling from those boxes prior I would say there are comparable NC's. In other words, some CC's need the age to blow away the NC's. Getting that rotation up and running is the difficult part for me. Once I'm there I'm sure I'll be smoking a lot less NC's.

[El Presidente]

I ordered a bottle of albarino last night for dinner. It has been a few years since I visited this wine and I fell in love again with the mineral crispness. I will revert to my regular favourites no doubt but it was delightful to revisit

[JoeyBones777]

5 hours ago, aphexafx said:

I promised myself I wasn't going to get involved with these threads.  But I'll point out that Nicaraguan tobacco generally benefits from downtime just as much as Cuban tobacco does.  Maybe more, since it tends to be quite peppery and sharp edged with a lot of strength.  My favorite Nicaraguan cigars are Don Jose Garcia blends, mostly from Tatuaje.  They can be a bit ballsy and one dimensional right out the gate, but they smooth out and develop extremely well.  They won't taste like Cuban cigars.  They are Nicaraguan cigars.

Singles from your B&M are almost always over-humidified and very fresh.  So, how many of you are comparing apples to apples?

I just bought a 25 cab of Miami rolled Tatuaje SdC Noellas (marevas) for the same price as a box of Bolivar PCs.  You can always find them significantly cheaper than retail or mega-marketing sites.

I agree with you on the pepperiness of Pepin Garcia blends and most Nicaraguan tobacco in general. I tend to stick to Illusione mostly. I will say that most other NC's that are smoke able and good now, with the exception of Illusione Epernay, are pricier than CC's and it is set to get worse.

[aphexafx]

1 hour ago, JoeyBones777 said:

I agree with you on the pepperiness of Pepin Garcia blends and most Nicaraguan tobacco in general. I tend to stick to Illusione mostly. I will say that most other NC's that are smoke able and good now, with the exception of Illusione Epernay, are pricier than CC's and it is set to get worse.

Illusione is an important brand with an impressive portfolio and I've heard great things about them.  I'll make a point to try more of them!

I hope my opening sentence didn't come off the wrong way.  My coffee saturated and over-slept mind (hey, it's Saturday!) sensed a CC vs NC thing happening, partly because of the two antipolar posts coincidence, and that is clearly not the case.  I should have commented on your OT, sorry!  Personally, my experience with Cuban tobacco has absolutely redefined what I look for and appreciate in Nicaraguan cigars.  No doubt, man.  A great observation.  

[Jimmy_jack]

I have found that I enjoyed the NC who's blend was not made for the masses. Illusione and Warped are great.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[MigsG]

Great insight. 

I've had a similar experience just recently, where I stayed home from work one entire week.  That meant I smoked CCs twice a day, all different cigars, never repeated. One day I had a Monte 4 and a JL #2, both stunningly mouth  watering.  It was an awesome week for me.

By the 5th day, I was craving an Ashton Cabinet I have kept iny tupperdor for over a year. A remnant of my quick foray into buying NCs.  That Ashton was superb, so creamy, a nice change from the Cuban twang I'd been enjoying all week.  Now I didn't get sick and tired of the CCs, but I realized I actually like Connecticut wrapper NCs once in a while, like this Ashton and Monte White Series, for example.  

[MooseAMuffin]

I still enjoy NCs even after diving into CCs. Only thing that has changed is the number of different NC brands I'll smoke. I still enjoy Padron, LFD, La Aurora, and some random lines from a few brands. But I just don't purchase them in bulk like I used to.

I have found that alot of NCs also benefit from aging. LFD and La Aurora seem to do really well. I was reorganizing my humidor late last year and found a few LFD Double Ligero I bought back in 2014. Lit one up and it was fantastic!

I'll continue to convert my stock to mostly CCs but I will definitely leave room for NCs as well.

[canadianbeaver]

8 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I ordered a bottle of albarino last night for dinner. It has been a few years since I visited this wine and I fell in love again with the mineral crispness. I will revert to my regular favourites no doubt but it was delightful to revisit

Oh sure. Talk about this and raise such trouble. Aussies do that.

?

CB

[koosh]

I can certainly relate to this. I bought my first box of CCs and am finding myself smoking and enjoying more of my NCs as of late while the CCs sleep in peace.

[JoeyBones777]

18 hours ago, anjimj said:

I enjoy a nice Davidoff or Padron every once in awhile as a change of pace but I'm pretty much smoking CC 99% of the time. 

I had a Davidoff Winston Churchill in Churchill the other day and I really enjoyed it. I've had a few Davidoffs in the past and this was the first one that actually impressed me given their price point.

[alloy]

19 hours ago, JoeyBones777 said:

I think what has occurred is that CC's have helped me hone in on exactly what I enjoy in a cigar and I now have great clarity in my search with regard to NC's. There are far fewer NC's that fill my requirements now but the ones I smoke I am enjoying a lot more.

Anyone else experience something similar?

Same thing here. I smoke nc's, but have whittled down to a few that to my palette are flavorful through the entire stick. I think you are right (at least to me), that smoking cc's made my flavor palette better. 

[TBird55]

I can count on one hand the number of NC I have smoked in the past 5 years. (smoke 3+ a day). Still have the last box of NC I bought, 2012 Opus X Perfection #2. I may get around to smoking them one day, maybe not...