Are all NC cigars pepper bombs 🌶 💣?

[Ford2112]

So I have been smoking certain NCs lately. Padron( not really a fan) ,Tatuaje,Oliva V,Fuente etc. It's seems to me lately there just isn't much variation in these brands. Maybe my tastes have changed but I remember really liking Fuentes at one point. The last Don Carlos I smoked was an absolute dog rocket. Just curious what others experiences are because I see a lot of NC posts on here. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

No, not remotely. As a percentage the most sold NCs are mild, creamy Connecticuts. 

[griller]

I strongly encourage you to give the Illusione Epernay line, and the Leaf By Oscar Corojo version, a try. These are not pepper bombs and offer a nuanced smoking experience that doesn't just consist of nicotine & in your face pepper. Try a format you like similar in size to your favorite cuban & light 'em up. 

[Islandboy]

While I generally prefer the unique flavors and subtle nuances of Cuban cigars, I’d say there’s a much more significant variation of flavors in the NC world to be experienced, and a bit of age can have a remarkable effect on the bolder ones. I recently experienced a 5 year old Don Carlos #2 that was sublime.

[Juliano88]

Try Illusione, Warped or Aganorsa Leaf. Aganorsa tobacco is very creamy and complex without the dirty finish you get from most non Cuban tobacco. Their whole team of agronomists came from Cuba years back and introduced different fermentation and cultivating techniques. Very similar profile to Cuban cigars. 

[Edicion]

I like most Davidoff cigars I've tried, no pepper, good flavors. 

[Enduin]

I second the Illusione (the Fume d'Amour is very good and made with zero ligero, so zero pepper) and Warped cigars. The problem for me is not to find NC cigars that are not peppery but to find NC cigars that are not peppery BUT they are flavorful. Most milder NCs are really lacking in flavor for me...

[Ites]

The problem for me is not to find NC cigars that are not peppery but to find NC cigars that are not peppery BUT they are flavorful. Most milder NCs are really lacking in flavor for me...

I can totally relate to this. For me it has, for the most part, been either one or the other when trying NC tobacco in general (meaning either peppery or flavourless). But there are exceptions.

[Ford2112]

I agree with the milder NCs not having a whole lot of flavor. I just have found for the price I have to pay for the average New World cigar I get more bang for my buck with cubans. I haven't given up on the other flavors though. Sometimes an Oliva V is exactly what I want. Or a Hemingway.  I will look around for some of the brands suggested. My local B&M is a neat little shop but he charges up the Ying yang for some of those sticks mentioned.

[Digi]

1 hour ago, Enduin said:

I second the Illusione (the Fume d'Amour is very good and made with zero ligero, so zero pepper) and Warped cigars. The problem for me is not to find NC cigars that are not peppery but to find NC cigars that are not peppery BUT they are flavorful. Most milder NCs are really lacking in flavor for me...

+1 to both Illusione and Warped.  The Illusione Original Documents HL Lancero is a standard in my humidor (the HL stands for Holy Lance)

I'll also throw out a couple other suggestions too:

• La Barba Purple - I like the Lancero
• Tatuaje ME II (or ME 2) - have only had the Robusto so far but really enjoyed.  Very, very floral.

[Juliano88]

1 hour ago, Enduin said:

I second the Illusione (the Fume d'Amour is very good and made with zero ligero, so zero pepper) and Warped cigars. The problem for me is not to find NC cigars that are not peppery but to find NC cigars that are not peppery BUT they are flavorful. Most milder NCs are really lacking in flavor for me...

Spot on. The Haut 10 and Epernay line are magnificant. The GR 88 from Warped is also complex with the clean aftertaste/finish of a cuban cigar. 

[Silverstix]

no

[Silverstix]

I think warped has been awful the last 5 or 6 years.....have had so many burn issues with them it's insane. For the $, I won't buy any of them for a while. Illusione is much more consistent in my experience.  If I'm smoking an NC nowadays it's either a Davidoff, Fuente, Illusione, or one of my aged Opus that I have stashed away.  Oliva Melanio line are also good as a change of pace

[Meesterjojo]

PG cigars aren't peppery at all, as far as I smoke them. But I stay with the original series. Their lanceros and petite coronas. Very floral at times, though my taste buds have changed so I note considerable umani in some which I fear is mildewy. And that's straight from the manufacturer. 

Never Had a Fuente that's peppery.

While on vacation in Houston just about everything I tried was a bit peppery in some regards except the davidoffs.

The pepper bombs seem to be what folks enjoy these days. I compare it to that hot sauce fad- white dudes trying to one up each other with the most ridiculous concoction of sauce. Ugh

[yossie]

I have impression that most of Nicaraguan cigars are very spicy and contain tons of nicotine. I think Padron 1964s are balanced though.

In CCs, Relatively lower spicy cigars but some partagas especially 898V has overwhelming spice for me.

[gustavehenne]

Aside from the suggestions above, EP Carrillo's Pledge line is fantastic to try and it's nowhere remotely peppery to my taste. I also had one of his Selection Oscuro Piramides Royal a few nights ago and it blew me away.

I find the Opus X blend to be strong and full of spice but with white pepper and not overpowering from that view. I really couldn't recommend Opus X highly enough.

[Kaptain Karl]

Lots of good suggestions above! I abhor pepper bombs, which is one of the reasons why I moved to CC's. Lots of good cigars listed, a lot of which I have left over from my NC days, yet which I never reach for as now I just cant justify passing over a CC for a NC! 

[NickoBlanc]

6 hours ago, Skeng Don said:

You Simply need to develop a Dual palette (if your going to be enjoying Cubans & New world cigars at the same time)

Non-Cubans are New World Cigars: Very Well Promoted cigar brands

Some are old, some are new, origins are all similar Nicaragua, dominican republic, ecuador 

the blending process are all different and shapes and sizes 

similar to how cubans are made, Long Fillers, Corona  etc

so that that being said you will want to develop a palate for tasting the characteristics of that of an New world cigar

then develop a palate for tasting the characteristics of that of an Cuban cigars 

 

the mere fact that your using words like Spice Bombs means your cross references to totally different animals 

New World Cigars: Soft Full with minerals Dirt

Cubans: Red Clay

 

Can I just ask for some clarity on this? You lost me slightly at "using words like Spice Bombs means your cross references to totally different animals" 

I thought "Spice/Pepper Bomb" was well used parlance for a full bodied cigar which is pepper and spice forward?

Also when you say "New World Cigars: Soft Full with minerals Dirt, Cubans: Red Clay" presumably you're referring to the terroir rather than the flavour profile?

Genuinely interested in expanding my knowledge and these conversations are always a great help! 

Thanks in advance!

[MrBirdman]

Nothing new here, but my response is no, of course not. There is no way NC manufacturers could have built the colossal US cigar market if their only offerings were all pepper, all the time. That said, some amount of pepper, at least on the retrohale, is not uncommon and far more prevalent than in CC.

Davidoff doesn’t make any pepper bombs that I’ve smoked, and I’ve tried all their blends and many special editions. Some have a little pepper, others none. 

I recently cracked my Illusione H-Town lanceros and aside from being fantastic I was astonished that I got zero pepper from a Nicaraguan puro. The flavors I got were punch-you-in-your-mouth intense too. Worth noting though these have several years age at this point. 

[Edicion]

For those of you that regularly smoke both CC and NC, do you sometimes go for a spice bomb / peppery one because you want to smoke that specific profile? 

[griller]

3 minutes ago, Edicion said:

For those of you that regularly smoke both CC and NC, do you sometimes go for a spice bomb / peppery one because you want to smoke that specific profile? 

I do not, and have avoided that flavor profile for a long time. Seems like a lot of folks from the NC community differ from me, but that's their choice I reckon...

[MrBirdman]

3 minutes ago, Edicion said:

For those of you that regularly smoke both CC and NC, do you sometimes go for a spice bomb / peppery one because you want to smoke that specific profile? 

No, I detest them. There is certainly a subset of US smokers who love pepper bombs. My sister‘s boyfriend actually seeks out cigars with pepper in the name. Next time we’re together I’m gonna bring him a bolivar since he’s never tried a CC. 
But I am not even sure he’ll think that is strong enough

[havanaclub]

Nothing new here, but my response is no, of course not. There is no way NC manufacturers could have built the colossal US cigar market if their only offerings were all pepper, all the time. That said, some amount of pepper, at least on the retrohale, is not uncommon and far more prevalent than in CC.
Davidoff doesn’t make any pepper bombs that I’ve smoked, and I’ve tried all their blends and many special editions. Some have a little pepper, others none. 
I recently cracked my Illusione H-Town lanceros and aside from being fantastic I was astonished that I got zero pepper from a Nicaraguan puro. The flavors I got were punch-you-in-your-mouth intense too. Worth noting though these have several years afe at this point. 

Lucky man, all gone here. The H town illusion lanceros were the bomb! Always reminded me of a great CC. They would absolutely crush many CCs out there now. And unbanded, I bet many folks on here would think it was a CC.


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[Edicion]

6 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

No, I detest them. There is certainly a subset of US smokers who love pepper bombs. My sister‘s boyfriend actually seeks out cigars with pepper in the name. Next time we’re together I’m gonna bring him a bolivar since he’s never tried a CC. 
But I am not even sure he’ll think that is strong enough

I would've thought this flavor profile has a following too. Would be interesting to see some notes on how it went with the Bolivar. Or a Partagas.

6 hours ago, griller said:

I do not, and have avoided that flavor profile for a long time. Seems like a lot of folks from the NC community differ from me, but that's their choice I reckon...

Same here. For me it would have to be an adaptation process which I'm not willing to go through.

[MrBirdman]

28 minutes ago, havanaclub said:

The H town illusion lanceros were the bomb! Always reminded me of a great CC. And unbanded, I bet many folks on here would think it was a CC.

I thought that half a dozen times when I first smoked one. The most Cubanesque NC I've ever smoked by a long shot, and probably in my top 3 NC. 

The entire H-Town program was a great effort by the vendor who put it together - about a dozen lanceros from a number of different NC manufactures. Only tried a few but all were interesting. The Illusione was by far the best though.