Location sensitive taste?

[Shootmeink]

Hi guys,

First post here. I’m kind of puzzled by the taste difference between the habanos that I smoke while in Cuba and the taste that I get from the exact same sticks once back home... 

For example, on my last trip I bought a box of delicious H. Upmann Magnum 46 and a box of HdM Ep. 2. I did try those cigars in Varadero before buying the boxes and was amazed by the flavors. For some reason when I smoked the cigars from the box that I purchased a year later at home, the sticks we’re just... meh...

Super tight draw, no creaminess and the flavor were nothing but ordinary... The same thing happened about 8 years ago when I bought a box of Monte’s no 4 and a box of Partagas Serie D no 4...

I’ve been smoking cigars for about 13 years and I’ve never encountered that issue with any other cigars from other countries.

I did start to dry box them for 2 days before smoking them but still, disappointing. My humidor is kept at around 62-63%.

I need your help here guys because I about to turn away from cuban once and for good.

Thanks for your help.

[JohnS]

Try to remember the weather conditions in which you smoked these cigars in Cuba. It's possible that when you smoked them later the ambient humidity and/or weather was vastly different in your location. This may account for the large disparity in your smoking experience of these cigars.

I've known of members here who have sworn that cigars never smoke as well in Cuba for them compared to home. On the other hand, I've heard of other members who have sworn the opposite.

[Habana Mike]

Cuban cigars always taste better in Cuba.

Kona coffee always taste better on the Big Island.

Red wine blends always taste better in Bordeaux.

Single malts always taste better in Scotland.

It's all about when and where you are!

[Çnote]

While I cannot comment on smoking in Cuba vs at home, would agree with @JohnS as I often find ambient humidity to be a huge (usually negative) factor on enjoyment, especially when outside.

I would also hasten to guess these cigars were procured young in Cuba and a year later the cigars may be a something of a dumb phase. You may try a more patiently aggressive dryboxing of 4-6+ days

Lastly, I'm of the opinion everything has a ineffable quality on vacation, especially with something as transient as taste....

[Shootmeink]

6 hours ago, Çnote said:

would agree with @JohnS as I often find ambient humidity to be a huge (usually negative) factor on enjoyment, especially when outside.

I would also hasten to guess these cigars were procured young in Cuba and a year later the cigars may be a something of a dumb phase. You may try a more patiently aggressive dryboxing of 4-6+ days

I’ve also considered the RH question but considering that Cuba has a higher RH than my location in Canada, this factor unfortunately can’t seem to make sense.

You are also right about the « aging » period of the cigars but the Monte’s and the Partagas are both 9 years old and still taste plain, boring...

I think I’ll go with the longer dry boxing at least for a stick or two.

On your sides, do any of you have been heavily disappointed by cigars that you brought back and were expected to be succulent?

[El Hoze]

I have never noticed any difference one way or the other. I do concur w @Habana Mike and would add that warm, flat, cask-conditioned ale ONLY tastes good in a British pub. 

[havanaclub]

I agree with some of the posts above, but I will also add that you have a small sample size. 4 types of cigars is not that much to make a decision that all CC are not for you. There is so much variability in CC boxes. It could very well be that all the four boxes you got (D4 m4, epi2 and mag46) are bad examples.

Also, with regard to the draw issues, your D4 and M4 if they are 9 years old, you are talking about likely 00 or 01 boxes which are notoriously plugged.

Don’t run away from CCs keep sampling.

 

 

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[Shootmeink]

You are absolutely right. But considering the price of the CC compared to other more consistent cigars from Nicaragua, DR, etc. I will simply stop buying CC boxes.
 

I had my most amazing smoking experience with a Cohiba Esplendidos. So I know there is something in CC, but I’m turned off by the frequent issues associated with them. 
 

We’ll see. I still have about 50 of them in my humi so I’ll experience for sure. The intent of this thread was to reach out and see if there was something commonly known that would fix this issue.

Thanks and happy easter

[havanaclub]

Many regular production CC are much cheaper than good NCs like tatuaje from Nica or fuente from DR.
Look at the box of RASS Rob put up here, 179, you just can’t beat that. I hear this all the time that CCs are much more expensive but it’s the other way around. Unless you are buying regionals, edition limitada and Cohiba. But then again expensive NC can be as much as those such as opus, Davidoff, and other limited stuff.
Keep trying, but every palate is different, it could be that you lean towards NCs and that’s ok. Smoke what you enjoy!!

Happy Easter!!


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[alloy]

I think you said you live in Canada. If so, I can imagine the prices would be expensive due to Canadian taxes. But wouldn't that make other countries cigars as expensive?

[Shootmeink]

I usually buy my CC in Cuba and the others when I’m in the US. So for less money I get non CC that are flawless. This is where the debate stands.

I sincerely wish the my CC would taste the same back home. In that case that would be a « no contest »

[ElJavi76]

Ask @SigmundChurchill Elliot how CoRo's fresh off the rolling table taste in Havana? We both had similar experiences. Both blown away my flavors of those cigars in Havana. Came back home and they were missing that je ne sais quoi that's very present and apparent on the island. It's like LOST the TV show... The smoke monster isn't the same off the island.

[SigmundChurchill]

7 hours ago, ElJavi76 said:

Ask @SigmundChurchill Elliot how CoRo's fresh off the rolling table taste in Havana? We both had similar experiences. Both blown away my flavors of those cigars in Havana. Came back home and they were missing that je ne sais quoi that's very present and apparent on the island. It's like LOST the TV show... The smoke monster isn't the same off the island.

Actually, I cant say.  Unfortunately, they didn't give me any CoRo’s fresh off the rolling table.

But the Novedosos, Talismans, and Siglo VIs, fresh off the rolling table were just as you say.  3 of the most flavorful cigars I have ever smoked.  Better than just about any aged cigar I have had.

BTW, this is something I always noticed in farm and custom rolled cigars too.  They are great fresh, and they quickly lose their greatness for a while.  So when I get them, I try to smoke them soon, assuming I know they were rolled recently.  If not, I let them sit in my humidor for a couple of years.