New Retro-Style Cuban Coming Soon


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7 hours ago, Rhinoww said:

$17 for a PC that comes in a tin. 

$8.60 x 5 in Cuba. But the Coronations are $8.05 and the Palmas are $4.10 and I guarantee they're all about the same quality. Not to mention you can buy singles of those. 

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21 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

After being highly disappointed with the Club Kings ($45 I'll never get back) and the pretty weak reviews for the Epicures I'm ready to toss these Retros into the dustbin of history. 

This one is HSA serving us crap and calling it caviar. Too bad. They could have really put some effort into these and met the demand for a quality Marevas for Partagas, HU and Hoyo. 

I was always suspicious of these.

I might have been overly paranoid with the first two releases, but I haven't seen anything to convince me these aren't just a non-boxed pressed, slightly less rustic wrapper version of the existing cigars.

Every time there's a new one I think, oh this Marca doesn't have a Marevas so this has to be a new release, but then I remember they have all had a "petit coronas" vitola, identical dimensions, lower quality. (only one that still has a Marevas is RyJ and the RyJ PC are pretty rare these days),

Edit: If they ever do a Ramon Allones or any brand outside the top 10, I'll consider taking it seriously.

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4 hours ago, Bijan said:

If they ever do a Ramon Allones or any brand outside the top 10, I'll consider taking it seriously.

That's a good point. The global brands seem to have a "second-tier" leaf program for the duty free specials. That's why I doubt these will pop up for the other brands. 

And it's true--42 x 129 existed in all these brands. I suspect we're getting Party MF, HU Regalias 25s, Hoyo Coronations and RyJ MF in tins. Which is pretty insulting IMO. Keep in mind they're forcing you to buy the 5s also. If they had been very good cigars they would absolutely sell these at $10. Instead they're trying to serve hamburger and label it steak. 

 

3 hours ago, ATGroom said:

The thing I really like about these releases though is the oversize retro semi-plain display boxes.

Well, you've got to make it really sizzle when you don't have any steak! :wink2:

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13 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

That's a good point. The global brands seem to have a "second-tier" leaf program for the duty free specials. That's why I doubt these will pop up for the other brands. 

And it's true--42 x 129 existed in all these brands. I suspect we're getting Party MF, HU Regalias 25s, Hoyo Coronations and RyJ MF in tins. Which is pretty insulting IMO. Keep in mind they're forcing you to buy the 5s also. If they had been very good cigars they would absolutely sell these at $10. Instead they're trying to serve hamburger and label it steak. 

The Hoyo is the 2019 retro release... the next cab off the rank is supposed to be the Punch Triunfos for 2020. Nothing scheduled for 2021-2023.

Punch is the same 'value' category as Ramon Allones, so I wouldn't put seeing a tin from RA outside the realm of possibility.

There is a thread in the CCW Club from @Fugu who believe that the Regalias in the tins are a higher grade than the ones in the boxes.

Aside from maybe a "pick the best ones from the batch" policy, I would agree it seems doubtful that there is any substantive difference in blend between the tinned cigars and the ones you mention. It's a "pay for the packaging" release, along similar lines to the Habanos Seleccion boxes.

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42 minutes ago, ATGroom said:

the next cab off the rank is supposed to be the Punch Triunfos for 2020.

I forgot about the Triunfos. But Punch is the only non-global brand that has a "duty-free special" cigar--the Coronations. Which just happens to be a 42 x 129...

I'm seeing a pattern...:daydream:

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1 hour ago, ATGroom said:

Punch is the same 'value' category as Ramon Allones, so I wouldn't put seeing a tin from RA outside the realm of possibility.

Punch has a petit coronas now. (I think it's a tubos).

Ramon allones is the next logical brand but it doesn't have anything regular production between RASCC (minutos) and RASS (Robustos).

So that's the first one where they'd need to make an entirely new cigar, and not just have the same blend, with (maybe) less rustic wrappers.

19 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

But Punch is the only non-global brand that has a "duty-free special" cigar--the Coronations. Which just happens to be a 42 x 129...

I'm seeing a pattern...:daydream:

This 👆

Edit: Now that I think about I'd take close to even odds they'll do a Rafael Gonzalez or Por Larranaga next... (maybe Bolivar)

Edit 2: The Hoyo above and Punch pending are both even listed on habanos website and CCW as Petit Coronas vitola and not Marevas. So Habanos seems to be admitting this is the case.

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2 hours ago, Bijan said:

Now that I think about I'd take close to even odds they'll do a Rafael Gonzalez or Por Larranaga next... (maybe Bolivar)

I would actually be against it. What I see is strictly a repackaging of existing duty free specials. RG maybe as the PE isn't exactly using the finest leaf and could potentially be appropriated for a Retro but I really don't see it with any other brand. 

2 hours ago, Bijan said:

The Hoyo above and Punch pending are both even listed on habanos website and CCW as Petit Coronas vitola and not Marevas. So Habanos seems to be admitting this is the case.

I actually hadn't noticed that. But the Capitols and Club Kings are listed as Marevas. I'm sure @ATGroom got that from official HSA lists so there seems to be some inconsistency there unless it's just an error in CCW? 

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2 hours ago, ATGroom said:

There is a thread in the CCW Club from @Fugu who believe that the Regalias in the tins are a higher grade than the ones in the boxes.

I saw that and it might have been a conversation between me and him but my impression was that they were more like good Regalias, not that they were using better leaf (although it's possible). 

However I'm not about to pay $45 to find out. I can't imagine how upset I would be if I paid $9 for a standard Regalias. It would ruin my week. I'm not kidding. :tantrum:

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12 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

If they're going with a flask style tin; how about 3 cigars and 3 nips of Havana Club?  Would be way cooler and better received.  Something different for a change.

When you pay $9 for a Party MF or Hoyo Coronation it certainly would make me want more than a few nips to deal with the pain. 

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1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

But the Capitols and Club Kings are listed as Marevas. I'm sure @ATGroom got that from official HSA lists so there seems to be some inconsistency there unless it's just an error in CCW? 

Yes, as per Habanos' list, the Partagas and Romeo are Marevas, the Upmann, Hoyo and Punch are all Petit Coronas.

Fugu's theory on the Regalias was that the ones in the tins were actually Marevas (there is a slight technical difference in the way the head is finished between these vitolas, and they should generally be a higher grade cigar). Officially, they are listed as Petit Coronas in both packaging formats. Whether it is actually policy to make them to a higher grade or if Fugu just got a good batch for his tins, or if the tins are the pick of the regular production or what... impossible to say.

Definitely don't buy these because you want a nice cigar. Buy them because you want a nice tin, which you will get. The cigars are really just a bonus.

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3 hours ago, Bijan said:

Edit: Now that I think about I'd take close to even odds they'll do a Rafael Gonzalez or Por Larranaga next... (maybe Bolivar)

To me, the Punch is a skew off in a weird direction... Partagas, Romeo, Upmann, Hoyo... I would have thought next would be Monte 4 in tins, followed Siglo II. 

Given the move to Punch, I would put my money on Bolivar Cabinet Selection No.1 (nee Petit Coronas).

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17 hours ago, ATGroom said:

To me, the Punch is a skew off in a weird direction.

Not if they're doing what I think they're doing which is just repackaging the duty free specials. Only Hoyo, RyJ, Partagas, HU and Punch have them and they're all 42 x 129. It's not a global brand program because Punch is included and I highly doubt Monte will have one. Yes, there is the Monte Petit Tubos but in my experience those have always been high quality and are to my taste just No. 4 in tubes.

17 hours ago, ATGroom said:

Fugu's theory on the Regalias was that the ones in the tins were actually Marevas (there is a slight technical difference in the way the head is finished between these vitolas, and they should generally be a higher grade cigar).

I've never noticed this but will look again. It appears that the Romeo Tubos certainly don't have the premium fit and finish but the Partagas MF, HU Regalias and Punch Coronation have always looked to my recollection pretty well-made with a standard flat triple cap head. 

This would also mean there's a physical difference between the Capitols & Club Kings and the others which should be apparent. 

I simply thought that when certain models transitioned from machine made to hand made they kept the machine made vitola name for whatever reason to signify that.

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Like you guys I was a sceptic at first :thinking:. Bought some for lack of something "better" last year when not much else had been available. Turned out I'm a fan. Love the Club Kings. Great smoke. I really don't care about the packaging. Find the tins rather chintzy, a cheapish copy of their historic template. But simply judging the smoke they are a fine effort, if you ask me.
Do smoke the CK and the Mille Fleurs regularly and interchangeably, and they are very certainly not the same cigar, with the CK blended more to the stronger side and showing more depth and intensity. Quality tobacco for sure.

Also, the tinned HU Regalías are much closer in blend to the Petit Coronas than they are to the regular Regalías. At least the ones I got. Also showing a different making, as Alex is alluding to.

Sure, I may just have gotten lucky, but from the amount smoked (initially grabbed different petacas here and there) I see a pattern there. Their convincing performance eventually lead me to order them by the box (yes, I am the one... haha) - CK, Capitols as well as Regalías. Has me looking forward to the Punch ones (albeit not at 17 bucks...)

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The tins are a reminder of the touristy, carbon-monoxide filled taxi ride we took from J. Marti to the hotel. Yellow cabs exclusively after that!

Good times…

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