I am loving me a Tubos right now.

[El Presidente]

On FOH Zoom today I was smoking a H. Upmann Magnum 50 Tubo from 2020.  It was the last of my Upmann 15 Tubos that I had in my home humidor and all 15 were excellent. That is a rarity in itself. 

I mentioned today that H. Upmann 50 at its best takes on the the best qualities of a Winston and a SLRDC. Shortbread and stonefruit/apricot. 

Today's tubo fell just short of the best examples from this Carton pack but it was a solid 93. 

Right now I am going back and really appreciating a Tubos and am smoking side by side a Tubo and a non Tubo example of the same cigar....as close to date code as possible. That means little I know 

Still....whether it be Mag 50/Vigia/D4/P2/CORO/Siglo II/RJ SHC......the Tubos have had a great run of construction and have just edged out their DB cousins. The Tubo appears to be making them smoke a little richer.

Consensus ....or just a lucky run? 

[Tdm_86]

In my opinion: no

Most of the Tubos I’ve had smoke the same as the boxed variants, quite a few from approximately the same box dates. 

[JustDave]

It didn't come up on the call, but I was smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial which was also a tubo and I was very happy with it.

[KCCubano]

I have had very good luck with Tubos in Romeo Churchill, BRC Punch Punch and Sig II. The Romeo and Cohiba in particular have been better than boxes for me. 

[Hollywood Ninja]

One of the best Mag46 examples I've ever had was from a tubo.

Sent from my SM-G996U1 using Tapatalk

[MrBirdman]

This varies between cigars IME. Also I think this poll might be better asked as whether one finds certain qualities are added by a tubo - richness isn’t the first word I would use. I would say they add intensity first and foremost, and sometimes a slightly sweet wood flavor. Nevertheless I answered yes because some cigars really love tubos - San Juan’s, Medio Siglo, and Siglo III/V come to mind. 

[Chibearsv]

I find tubos very hit and miss.  I tend to prefer boxes or cabinets over the tubos since I seem to get more mold issues with tubos generally.  I used to really like RyJ Churchills in tubos for that extra cedar kick, but those days look long gone.

[jakebarnes]

I've found tubos to be really inconsistent. However, a few seem to "work" with it, while others I've found have not

 

Likes in Tubos: 

Siglo II

CoRo

Epicure Especiales (accentuates the cedar)

RyJ Churchill (well, back with the old gold band at least)

Dislikes in Tubos: 

Punch Punch (just got a weird note that wasn't normal Punch for me and threw me off--like a peanut getting in a fight with some sawdust; sample size: 1)

Partagas SD4 and P2. 

Epicure 2. The ones I got were DARK. It didn't really smoke like an Epi at all. 

 

[BrightonCorgi]

I love the additional cedar flavor tubos impart.  I am a fan.

[BlueRidgeFly]

I've had relatively few tubos, but the best cigar I had last year was a Vigia tubo ARS JUN 19 from FOH. Was much better than the few non-tubo Vigias I've had. Bunch of 2020 Epi 1 tubos here have been up and down. So... my $0.02, worth about the same 😀

[joeypots]

Another vote for hit and miss buying tubos. I had some ’06 MC Petit Tubos that were epic. I can’t really remember any others that were particularly memorable but I don’t buy many. If I have a particularly good box of cigars I’ll put a few in tubes for a long deep sleep. I’ve had great success doing this.

[KnightsAnole]

I haven’t bought a ton of tubos either, as I don’t see any cost-benefit other than for transportation, for which I have accessories. 2015 punch punch tubos were quite good and I prefer  a rounded vitola to a box press always.

Also had a decent box of boli tubos1 that jumps to mind. that were very moist but turned around nicely after about 5 years, de-tubed and in my cabinet. i do trust my cabinets seal and stability, so tubos seem unnecessarily redundant to me. I’ve never had a mold issue that couldn’t be solved with a quick brush off, but tubos seem a good potential area for mold to grow, left for long periods of time, -so I usually detube any that I get. The only cigars I Don’t  de-tube are vintage boxes.
 

Picked up some Quintero tubulares earlier this year that were delightful for what they are, but it was my first purchase from the Marca and have nothing to compare it with, surprisingly good after a 10 day stint in the dry box. The short filler tubo cigars dramatically improve in flavor, for me, after really drying them out.

[garbandz]

I have some Mag 50 tubos that are the best Mag 50  I have tried.

I prefer tubos for the roundness and the extra aromas they offer.

And the portabilty of a tube is nice...

[La_Tigre]

Epi 1 with a few years has been a 💥 

Siglo III & V.  ✔️ 

[Rhinoww]

I’m a fan. 

I will admit to rotating a Boli RC through the same tubo every four or five months just for a touch of the cedar. 

[MrBirdman]

7 hours ago, BlueRidgeFly said:

the best cigar I had last year was a Vigia tubo ARS JUN 19 from FOH. Was much better than the few non-tubo Vigias I've had.

Add Vigia to my list of cigars that love tubos. The only large RG Trini that really delivers on both flavor and richness. 

[BlueRidgeFly]

5 hours ago, La_Tigre said:

Epi 1 with a few years has been a 💥 

Yeah, I’m going to let the few dozen I have just sit for a while. The first one I had was great, so I bought a bunch more last summer…

[OrangePaw]

I’ve never had any tubos so couldn’t pass up a few packs on 24:24 tonight.  How do you recommend storing them?  Thanks for suggestions.

[rcarlson]

10 minutes ago, OrangePaw said:

I’ve never had any tubos so couldn’t pass up a few packs on 24:24 tonight.  How do you recommend storing them?  Thanks for suggestions.

Open, check for mold, wipe if necessary, recap, put in humi.   

[Monterey]

Cigars in tubes that are 1-2 years of age.  No difference.

Cigars in tubes that are 5-8 years of age, richer/fuller.  Ditto for cigars not in tubes but are vacuumed sealed. 

I don't see any benefit of young cigars in tubes, but after a few years, the reduction of oxygen really shines on those tubed/vacuumed sticks.

[J-Slay]

Best cigar I’ve ever had was a Bolivar Tubos No. 2. Also, the cigar that hooked me on Cubans. 

[Ken Gargett]

if i may attend to a different issue - the heading. seriously? your teachers at ashgrove must be weeping in their textbooks. unless of course, you've decided to become the world's oldest white rapper. not sure that would make them any happier. 

[La_Tigre]

7 hours ago, OrangePaw said:

I’ve never had any tubos so couldn’t pass up a few packs on 24:24 tonight.  How do you recommend storing them?  Thanks for suggestions.

Usually uncap and let them acclimate to the humidor for a month or til we remember then recap. 

[99call]

23 hours ago, El Presidente said:

The Tubo appears to be making them smoke a little richer.

I've been convinced of this for a long time.  My best cigar experiences have always been vintage tubos.    I think strangely they offer the best of both worlds.   When you've had a cigar festering in its own oils for a decade,  the result often seems to be that it's retained a certain richness and power, but it has the refined poise and balance. 

When I was a new to CC's I would get a bit frustrated that I would enjoy the vibrancy and stark flavours of young cigars, but also didn't want the acridity, ammonia, or metal notes young cigars can put off.   I also hated cigars that had fallen off the cliff, and were just off-gased all of their goodness.   I think tubos really do provide the goldilocks experience. 

 

[BrightonCorgi]

10 hours ago, rcarlson said:

Open, check for mold, wipe if necessary, recap, put in humi.   

I open one or two to check and assume the rest will be similar.