Vegueros......is there any love?

[El Presidente]

The Cubans are running hard with the marketing of Vegueros with a new robusto released. 

I don't smoke a lot of them. There is an underlying herbal edge that I constantly pick up and that is not my thing. 

What I have enjoyed immensely is aged 1998-2000  Vegueros Especiales 1 and 2 + merevas & Seoane. OK you will be hit with some tight draws among them but at least until recently they were easy to find and they were cheap. I never would have thought that they would age well. Back in the late 90's I thought they were like smoking cut grass.  Live and learn. 

But back to the current Vegueros lineup.  Who is a fan? Why? Will they turn out to be some inexpensive aging gems down the track? Should I actually put them on the radar?

Over to you 

 

 

 

 

 

[WABOOM]

I'm a fan. I would be all over a robusto.

Do you know what it will be called?

 

[Lotusguy]

I like the relaunch 1000x better than the original ones - I also consistently got that herbal/vegetable flavor from the original ones (when they drew at all).

I still don’t reach for the new ones often.

[El Presidente]

3 minutes ago, WABOOM said:

I'm a fan. I would be all over a robusto.

Do you know what it will be called?

 

Centrofinos

[Brian24]

I’ve only had a couple, manitas (spelling?). They were young, but I enjoyed them for the price. Had the same grass or hay I associate with the few cohibas I’ve had. They were one trick ponies insofar as I didn’t think complex. But I recall them being pleasant.

I was going to buy a small stock, but then I discovered HUHC, which I got for winter Midwest US smoking. I now smoke them all the time. So much in such a small stick.

[El Presidente]

1 minute ago, Lotusguy said:

I like the relaunch 1000x better than the original ones - I also consistently got that herbal/vegetable flavor from the original ones (when they drew at all).

I still don’t reach for the new ones often.

If you can track down a 5 carton pack of any of the originals form the late 90's.....the ones that draw are excellent with no "grass/herbal" nature to be found. 

[Lotusguy]

If you can track down a 5 carton pack of any of the originals form the late 90's.....the ones that draw are excellent with no "grass/herbal" nature to be found. 

Alright - I’ll give them another shot now that they’re 20+ years old

[bigguccisosa]

I think they're actually pretty good. Lots of notes reminiscent of tea. Sometimes they can be pretty rough looking and I always keep a draw tool near by for the Mananitas because they plug. But at the price point, they're a guilt free fun smoke with aging potential.

[sv187]

Big fan, I like the OG releases now, did not back then. Big fan of the current releases.

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[Shunamaji]

A buddy I smoke with loves them. I find them one dimensional

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[MigsG]

I've had 2 cans of Mananitas in the past.  Both gorgeous wrappers, dark and oily.  Grassy/herbal flavor like described above.  Perfect as golfing cigars.  But as a cigar to have a proper sit down with, I'll pass.  

 

[CaptainQuintero]

  Not a fan really, I get the idea; a budget range in fashionable sizes but flavour-wise Pieda and Quintero do better and that's even before you get into PL panetelas/RyJ or Partagas Mille Fleur etc

  I'm guessing the main selling point over the above is the bigger ring guages, and if you like them then it works.

  Inoffensive and priced well, lacks personality for me though. I'm not sure of the target market, it kind of smacks of the Montecristo Open school of business.

  

[gweilgi]

I like to have a tin of the Tapados handy.  

True, there is a vegetal note and they do not offer the complexity and development of flavour of the better Cubans, but sometimes I just want something that is reliable (construction quality is rather good) and not too demanding..

[Capt. Corona]

 At 4 and some change you can't beat the Entretiempos for an inexpensive daily smoke. I'd burn these anytime over most central America leaf.

[MD Puffer]

3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Vegueros......is there any love?

Not here.  But for no reason other than there's so many other tried and true marcas available.  And the reviews haven't been exactly glowing.  But given the right circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to buy some.  And I'd surely try them before I ever tried a Guantanamera.

[Habana Mike]

Interesting that back when they initially released the current version and I was doing blind tastings for Cigar Sense, they included an unbanded Entretiempos in one batch.

Upon smoking I found it fairly enjoyable though leaned toward believing it to be a non-Cuban cigar.

Once I found out it was in fact a Habanos I ordered a tin to try further and enjoyed the first few.

Ordered another shortly after and didn't find those to my taste or liking. 

In addition the original tin seemed to fall flat after a bit of time so I have became unenamored with them.

[nKostyan]

Especiales No.1 & 2 vintage from 200x was unmatched last years. You can still buy in Russia in retail, but the dealer stock is over.

[cfc1016]

I've been through a tin of tapados that had a couple years on them. Construction and draw were consistently perfect. Benchmark perfection. I wish every cigar I smoked had that burn/draw profile. Overall flavor profile was good, if not crazy complex. The mouthfeel of the smoke is awesome. It's got a gritty, chewy character to it - like Turkish coffee. LOVE that.

@broozer swears by the entretiempos.

I haven't bought more of them, but I should. Very enjoyable cigar.

[Stump89]

I've been a fan of the especiales 2.  Like it was mentioned earlier, it took them 20 years, but I was shocked how good they were.

I've had many mañanitas and they are not bad at all. Not something that will blow you away with complexity, but definitely fine in a pinch. Price is decent for what they are, there are other cheaper and better options out there.  Still would take my PL/RG panatelas over them any day.

[irratebass]

I really like them, I am down to a measly 5 pack of the Tapados, I also get the grass flavor, but there is also cream and some honey at times....never got the tea flavor like @bigguccisosa mentioned, but next time I will be searching for that. 

 

I think they are a good smoke especially for the price, I am also excited for the new Robusto size. 

[Cubadust]

Not a fan to be honest, I find them pretty pointless. One of those "I rather not smoke anything at all" cigars for me and I would just have a HUHC if I were looking for something cheap.

[BrightonCorgi]

They have an overly grassy taste to me that I am not a fan of.  They're really well rolled, but after I smoke one, it takes days to get rid of that flavor!

[Akela3rd]

I like em. The Manianitas are a nice, simple summer smoke - there seems to be a freshness to them that goes well on a sunny day. A little short to be fair but the Tapados are a lovely size and as others have said they're well priced.

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[kwsaw63]

Not a fan. These and the Sancho Panzas are the only 2 Cubans that I don’t enjoy.

[captain]

I enjoy them. I find the newer ones are much milder in strength and perfect for morning or early day. They are great with coffee.