Top 12 all time retail stinkers.....Number 1 : Habanos Estuche X Festival 2008

[BrightonCorgi]

Trinidad Robusto T is an all time modern classic.  Trinidad Short Robusto T  LE 2010; never heard of it.

[La_Tigre]

On 9/9/2022 at 7:02 PM, El Presidente said:

I can only call it as I saw it 

If I remember correctly it was discounted out a few time at the $189 mark.  One hard motherducker to move. 

Strangely, early on in the trading game we were sold on an overpriced fiver of these on the premise that they were unlike any other HU Magnum in the line…Guess that was built on truth and we were snookered. 

[westg]

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Trinidad Robusto T is an all time modern classic.  Trinidad Short Robusto T  LE 2010; never heard of it.

If they put that blend into a much larger format Bingö. 

[Puros Y Vino]

10 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Number 5

Trinidad Short Robusto T  LE 2010

This release sat around for years. It was poorly conceived, expensive (for the time) and in 12's only. 

I always suspected this LE release was designed to piggyback on the very successful Trinidad Robusto T release.  The problem was that it was half the cigar the Robusto T was in almost every aspect but price 

This was a retail dog.

IIRC. Your video review was un-complimentary at best and by the end of the video you're offering 20% discounts on them.  😁. Anyone I know who smoked one lamented it.  

[Edicion]

On 9/23/2022 at 10:29 AM, BrightonCorgi said:

Trinidad Robusto T is an all time modern classic.  Trinidad Short Robusto T  LE 2010; never heard of it.

I had to look it up as well. Surprised to see they go for $150+ per stick on BR. 

For those who have had some recently, how good are they now?

[El Presidente]

Number 4

Partagas Culebra 

Honestly.....how many people actually smoke these on a regular basis? 

Sure...one off buy. Great fun, decent smoke. However who has two or more boxes (9 coffins per box) in their humidor. 

Who has ever paid full price? 

Suprisingly they make/made these in good quantities. 

The best thing that happened to Culebra sales was Covid. The warhouses full of them have been emptied.

Does anyone here smoke them on a regular basis? 

[Digi]

Can't say I regularly smoke Culebras but I do very much like the blend.  Typically find myself buying a single box when the last one has run out - definitely not one I'm stacking up in inventory.

[Hemclas]

I have 3 boxes of 9.  purchased before prices went up.  Some of them have been surprisingly good, but not all.  I usually take them to poker games.

 

[Chas.Alpha]

I have a 9 count box. The second one I've owned, the cigars are surprisingly good. Mostly used at Christmas parties.

[NSXCIGAR]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:07 PM, Edicion said:

I had to look it up as well. Surprised to see they go for $150+ per stick on BR.

Yes, it is truly shocking that the Short Robustos T are going for the same price as Robustos T. The SRT are the worst EL ever made (except for @Ken Gargett's favorite Monte.) 

Robustos T were outstanding and Robustos Extra as good or better. I was lucky enough to get a handful RT from 2011 around 2018 and they were the best Trinidad I've ever had. A couple hit 96-97 points for me. Rest 94-95. 

I feel 2011 was a real turning point for the EL program. These were one of the last of the old guard where ELs could routinely be terrible. From 2007-2010 the only EL I thought was great was the Monte Sublimes. A couple were pretty good (Boli Petit Beli & Mag 48 come to mind) and the rest mediocre or worse. Although I will say the Trini Ingenios came around to be very highly regarded around 2017. It took a decade but they got there. The Short Robustos T, no such luck. 

[KavalanWhisky]

Personally a fan of them, but only purchased a box once but have shared many with friends normally at some event, not a normal day smoke.

Always enjoyed and some have decent construction for a long ash.

I hope they don't discontinue it.

 

[Paladin865]

I have one coffin box of Culebra to just have in my humidor, just for the novelty 

[BrightonCorgi]

My wife bought me a box years ago for my birthday and was smoking one annually around that day.  Have one coffin left and skipped several years of smoking.  I am a fan of the blend and wish they made them not in a Culebras.  One of Partagas tastier blends IMO, but twisted shape makes them gimmicky.

I thought the Culebras went through a change, either a different band of something about 15 years ago?  5th Ave was one first promote the revised Culebras if not mistaken.

[LizardGizmo]

My crew and I smoked 2010 Culebras back in February for a review and we were BLOWN away. Absolutely shocked by how brilliantly they smoked. If you're able to pick up an old box and have them with friends, do it.

It was a very memorable experience.

Can't say I'm surprised tho with Rob's point about retailers trying to get rid of them. We thought they were a complete gimmick.

[Puros Y Vino]

Love the Culebras. One of Partagas' best blend IMO.  I can see why they may not move. It's awkward to break up a trio and the coffins probably add a bit of unneeded expense. They should make the dress boxes instead and wrap them in foil.  That might be a better format. 

[BrightonCorgi]

12 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Love the Culebras. One of Partagas' best blend IMO.  I can see why they may not move. It's awkward to break up a trio and the coffins probably add a bit of unneeded expense. They should make the dress boxes instead and wrap them in foil.  That might be a better format. 

How about a non twisted version in a dress box?  El Laguito No. 2 is its closest vitola. 

[Fugu]

1 hour ago, Puros Y Vino said:

They should make the dress boxes instead and wrap them in foil.  That might be a better format. 

 

52 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

How about a non twisted version in a dress box?  El Laguito No. 2 is its closest vitola. 

In fact, format has been in existence as non-twisted parejos before. If you check CCW and MRN, Caney / La Flor de Caney had a Culebra ‘straight’ vitola (No. 210). And according to MRN, old 25-ct Partagás Culebras dress boxes contained one single straight cigar, to make it a full 25.

Should make a great Caney Regional.... 😉🙏😄

(you heard it here first! 😂 )

 

[Corylax18]

I'll echo pretty much everyone else on the Culebras. I like them, I own some, I smoke them rarely. Its great to grab one two when some friends or other non smokers are over, most people don't believe they'll smoke. I also love watching an "experienced" smoker try to cut/light all three at once. 😂 I've seen it with my own eyes more than once. I understand why they don't move en mass though, I don't see them ever becoming a part of my core rotation. 

 

[patrickamory]

They are kind of works of art.

[westg]

Never smoked one. Always intended buying a box and never have. 

[Corylax18]

6 hours ago, patrickamory said:

They are kind of works of art.

I've watched them being rolled before, they still don't completely make sense. Haha. 

[Ford2112]

7 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

 I also love watching an "experienced" smoker try to cut/light all three at once. 😂 I've seen it with my own eyes more than once.

I just saw an Instagram post of a woman smoking 3 Culebras at once. I'm sure her intentions were to get attention so maybe it's a ploy.

[JohnS]

I've never had a Partagas Culebras let me down flavour-wise or construction-wise. Of course, I only smoke them on occasion despite this. I quite like the fact that they have a novelty factor and are available in regular production. I need to get another 3 x 3 box acquisition soon.

[BrightonCorgi]

Were the older Partagas Culebras wrapped in foil instead of a coffin?

[JohnS]

28 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Were the older Partagas Culebras wrapped in foil instead of a coffin?

Yes.