Shatner's Bassoon Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Unsurprisingly, the more cigars I try, the better idea I have of what I like. I think my preferences in terms of marca and vitola are narrowing. I’m fine with that - I’m sure things will change again - but it’s got me wondering: are there any members who smoke the same one or two marcas or vitolas time after time, or does everybody still smoke a wide range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La_Tigre Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Still trying a wide range and have a very wide range collected. Looking back we’d recommend others follow El presidente’s advice and try many samplers before committing to boxes. Although, we do see the opportunity for networking and trading of the ones we find aren’t our preference. I’d say we’d stick with mostly RG <40 and ideally in the 5-7” range with the occasional DC. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mprach024 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I do a Petite Corona midday with coffee (I rotate M#4, BPC, PLPC, Party Short). In the evening I usually have a larger size cigar like Pyramids, Corona Gorda, Robusto, or even a DC or Churchill. For those I have a 35 day rotation of cigars I have logged in my “Humidor App” where I can make notes while I smoke. If I do a Robusto in the evening, not uncommon for me to end up doing another PC after it. Yes I have some I rate higher, and some marcas where I have 3-5 examples of in my rotation, but I really enjoy the differences and changing it up. I don’t want it to get stale, and never want to lose my appreciation for each type. Plus, as you’ve probably read, CCs can get streaky as far as how they are performing, and inconsistent even within boxes. I find it best to keep some sort of pulse on where the quality/consistency is so that I make my best educated guess as to where I put my money in new investments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshot Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Good question! I find myself pulling different vitolas more now then ever since I'm more on the clock with a kid. Typically, minutos, PC's more. I have to really plan out my smoke times around other duties of the day. But with that I found shorter vitolas I wouldn't even think about kid-less. Kid-less I was smoking huge sticks more and wouldn't even bat an eye. I had the time all the time pretty much. So my vitolas changed being a dad. But, now I kinda like it. I moved towards more budget/value sticks daily and now pull my bigger vitolas out less which keeps them aging longer. Something my younger self never did. With the regards to marcas I'm all over the place. I like variety and why not when there's so many great different options to choose from. I get bored with one marca so switching it up for me is perfect. My father on the other hand is a one marca/vitola smoker all the time. I've tried for years, years for him to test other sticks but nothing phases him. He'll try but will never add it to his collection. No deviation. It's Montecristo No. 2 if he can't get that it's something to mimic it. Years of this. No change. But hey that's what he likes. It kinda reminds me of George Burns the famous comedian. He would only smoke I think White Owls(Yuck!) all the time no deviation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrightonCorgi Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I am more "a favorite box" than any particular vitola or marca. I get that box of cigars and keep going back to it even though there are 100 boxes to choose from. Other boxes I see there's under 10 left and want to make room for something else; so I concentrate on finishing or selling the box off. 1 hour ago, dshot said: But hey that's what he likes. It kinda reminds me of George Burns the famous comedian. He would only smoke I think White Owls(Yuck!) all the time no deviation. He also like those because they'd never go out on stage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nino Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I will smoke anything and have a wide selection/collection of CR's and boxes to choose from - but I am a happy camper if I can smoke a PLPC, a Siglo II or a RASCC. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I think it was more likely in the old days for cigar smokers to find something they liked and stick to it. In the 90s when quality was more consistent and blends were more distinctive I would smoke mainly RyJ Ex 4 and Boli RC with the occasional Punch or Partagas thrown in. Nowadays, quality fluctuates so much I generally gravitate to whatever's smoking well. There's only a few marcas I avoid totally (Fonseca, Quintero) and generally not a fan of Hoyo, Dip, ERDM, SLR and Vegueros although I would partake if a particular cigar in those brands was exceptional. The closest thing to an "everyday" cigar that never gets boring for me would be El Principe or Connie 1. Obviously something like a Sir Winston would be a cigar I could smoke every day. Some of the Trinis, Siglo I, Monte PE. But again, quality fluctuates, so sometimes you have to be prepared to move away from anything you've developed a preference for. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReelMan Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 While I do smoke a rotation of sorts, 75% of my smokes (3 per day average) are of 2 marcas. The other cigars come from a range of probably no more than 5 marcas. PC's in the morning, any size that catches my fancy mid-day and big-uns after dinner. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1LegLance Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Both...in a way... I find that I always enjoy Bolivar Corona Jr, Petite Corona, Royal Corona & Belicoso Finos and Ramon Allones Specially Select, Small Club Corona and Corona Gigantes (don't get me started on all the missing amazing sizes) And then over the course of every 3-5 yrs I rotate between classic and flavorful.... I am currently enjoying San Cristobal, Vegas Robaina and Hoyo then over the course of the next few years I will want more Sancho Panza, Saint Luis Rey, Rafeal Gonzales.....then I will cycle over to Partagas, Montecristo, Punch, and then cycle back around to the floral Quay de Orsay and San Cris, VR, HdM and the cycle continues. All that said I do often find myself staring at the humidors trying to figure out what I want and then just reaching for the trusty Boli or RA. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBirdman Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Like many I was very much focused on a narrow range of vitolas at first, basically coronas and PC's, in a handful of marcas. As I smoked more, my interest in new marcas expanded somewhat, and I'd say I grew to like (or rather tolerate) fatter cigars. I think a lot of hobbies evolve in that fashion. My move to diversify the marcas I smoke is partly down to sheer finances - the marca's I enjoy head and shoulders above the others are Monte, Trini, and Cohiba. I sought less expensive marcas so I wasn't always forced to choose between smoking a Monte or $20 cigar. If money was no object I probably wouldn't have broadened my horizons to better values like Juan Lopez or PL, both of which I quite enjoy - just not as much. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfT3 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 Variety is the spice of life. I certainly go through periods where I prefer one flavor profile to another or have more/less time available, but try to rotate as much as possible. I am the same with wine, spirits, food. Too much of any one style or size gets me bored very quickly. I can’t fathom picking one brand and size to smoke exclusively, but I’m impressed by those who can simplify things that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I will say I agree with MRN that up until 2000 if I could only smoke one brand it would have been Bolivar. To those who never experienced the brand in the day it was such a diverse, high quality brand. Just about every vitola, lighter blends, stronger blends. The DNA was magical--rich earthiness, dried fruits and a lovely woodiness. Now, I rarely smoke Bolivar. The brand's been whittled down to 4 models and I dislike 2 of them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanMcLean68 Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 16 hours ago, dshot said: It kinda reminds me of George Burns the famous comedian. He would only smoke I think White Owls(Yuck!) all the time no deviation. 15 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said: He also like those because they'd never go out on stage. Not White Owls. They were El Producto Queens. He affectionately called them his "little ladies". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaptain Karl Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Great question! I’ve narrowed it down to vitolas within marca’s that I’ll smoke. I love smoking through different marcas, but if a certain marca has skinnies, like montecristo, I’ll only buy the 42rg and thinner smokes from that marca and will buy the larger RG smokes from Marcas that do not have the same small RG offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Diggamus Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I have been into cigars 15 or so years now and still love trying new things. That is the way I am with most of my hobbies. Especially with SO MUCH new on a constant basis, there is a lot of opportunities. I do find myself gravitating to specific vitolas if a brand releases one I haven't tried. Specifically when an NC brand I like releases a Lancero, Petit Lancero, Corona Gorda, or anything in 40rg-42rg (Cloud Hopper 53, Warped Kings Stride, Illusione Holy Lance, Black Works Rorscach, etc...). Mainly because in so many cases in the past many NCs would be large RG pepper bombs, but lately there has been so much nuance in blending that have created some GREAT cigars. And many of those I am finding with great flavor are in the under 42RG and under vitolas. When it comes to Habanos I keep going after what I haven't tried to get to round out my experience, and trying to jump on certain things while they are smoking well. When I first started out smoking cigars Partagas, Ramon Allones, and Bolivar were my favorite marcas and the ones I gravitated towards. Over the past 10 years I have gravitated more towards Por Larranaga, H. Upmann, and Montecristo. It definitely helps that the latter two haven't had their lines hollowed out like Partagas and Bolivar. I wholeheartedly agree with you @NSXCIGAR that when I started out smoking Bolivar was one of my favorite marcas, I loved the deep rich earthy notes, espresso, and dried fruit notes. It seems that many of the Bolivars I have tried in the last five years don't seem to compare at to those I tried from the 90s and early 2000s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NSXCIGAR Posted October 10, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 10, 2020 2 hours ago, Sir Diggamus said: It seems that many of the Bolivars I have tried in the last five years don't seem to compare at to those I tried from the 90s and early 2000s. No, they certainly don't, and it goes further back than 5 years. Boli hasn't been the same since 98-99 at least to me. I'm totally unimpressed with BBF and BPC is too fickle for me. Occasionally, I get a great BCJ but it's rare--maybe 1 out of 50 or 100 sticks. Boli Tubos No. 3 I like, but I hate the vitola and the price is high. As I said previously, I think the days of having a "personal" brand or cigar is over. Not to mention that we can't even find our preferred vitolas in most marcas anymore. There was a reason every brand had just about every vitola in the day--they didn't want to alienate anyone from their brand for any reason. Most had multiple blends for the same vitola (Boli Inmensos vs. Lonsdales, RyJ Churchills vs. Prince of Wales etc.) so as to please everyone while retaining brand loyalty. Quality was much more consistent back then so "bad runs" forcing you to move to another cigar were rare. The issue now is that any cigar in any marca on any given day could be the best CC available whether you personally like the brand or not. It keeps you chasing whatever is closest to its ceiling while avoiding anything close to its floor. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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