Old School Cuban Cigars?

[El Presidente]

Old school Cuban cigars?

 You hear this time and time again and to this day...as a guy who has been smoking cigars since the late 1980’s, I am not sure what it means. Fuller bodied, rustic? No. Time down needed, mouth feel, Twang? Defining it is akin to wrestling smoke...excuse the pun.

Can it be defined? If so...how?

Are there any current production cigars that can be describes as "Old School Cuban cigars? If so, why?

Are they indeed better?...Talking 80's, 90's or even current cigars with that old school flavour (albeit yet to be defined)…If so why?

Kick it around folks. There are no right or wrong answers. 

 

[BrightonCorgi]

I would describe "old school" as a cigar that is tannic and punchy tasting when new with ash that is not so white.

[99call]

10 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Old school Cuban cigars?

I think if you taste a Partagas Perfecto from the 90s you'd find the wrappers are frequently close to oscuro. Very strong. Very savoury. Robust and borderline unpleasant. 

Obviously these were 'cheap as chips'. But I would say in general, more savoury, more interesting. Less sweet. More of a gourmand experience. Where the experience has an upside of being more interesting/challenging, "Old school Cuban tobacco" also had the ability  to taste like burnt gravy and bitter molasses.   

In many ways the Ramon Allones Extra from 2011 is a bit like "Old school Cuban tobacco."

 

[Puros Y Vino]

Over the years, I've heard and read from older, far wiser smokers the following tidbits that may fall under "old school".

• RyJ Cazadores, Partagas Presidentes, Monte A's have kept the same blend since their inception over the decades.
• The Quai D'Orsay lineup since launch (not the recent additions, No 50, 54, etc.) have kept the same blends. (Also along this line, I've heard that the tobaccos used for QdO were interchangeable with Davidoff blends at the time. The blend ratios were what made each other Marca's cigar blends different.) <-- grain of salt needed, but I found it interesting.  Having smoked old Davidoffs, I can point out some similarities with the early QdO cigars.
• The La Escepcion marca was discontinued because customers found that their line was too strong. Vintage LE that survives to this day have aged fantastically due to strong blends. That strength was present in the two Italian regionals from 2011, 15 the Selectos Finos and Don Jose. So, in essence, this marca's revival was "old school".

When I hear "old school Cubans" this is what I think of. That the cigars were blended to have a certain profile and no one in the production chain deviated from it. The blend "recipes" were known and adhered to. There are probably several other examples. Many cigars we enjoy have very long histories. Decades, some even hit the 100+ YO mark. Whether they stay the same over the years is the kicker. In comparison, "Old School" Coca Cola no longer exists because 1) they stopped adding Cocaine and 2) they've changed their recipes several times, so much so that most of the public's collective memory of what it tasted like has gone. By the time they revived it via "Classic Coke" many could taste the difference from what they remember. In the cigar world, it'd be rare to find someone who is still around that smoked well known Cuban cigars over the years that can attest to the blend consistency. 

[westg]

10 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Over the years, I've heard and read from older, far wiser smokers the following tidbits that may fall under "old school".

• RyJ Cazadores, Partagas Presidentes, Monte A's have kept the same blend since their inception over the decades.
• The Quai D'Orsay lineup since launch (not the recent additions, No 50, 54, etc.) have kept the same blends. (Also along this line, I've heard that the tobaccos used for QdO were interchangeable with Davidoff blends at the time. The blend ratios were what made each other Marca's cigar blends different.) <-- grain of salt needed, but I found it interesting.  Having smoked old Davidoffs, I can point out some similarities with the early QdO cigars.
• The La Escepcion marca was discontinued because customers found that their line was too strong. Vintage LE that survives to this day have aged fantastically due to strong blends. That strength was present in the two Italian regionals from 2011, 15 the Selectos Finos and Don Jose. So, in essence, this marca's revival was "old school".

When I hear "old school Cubans" this is what I think of. That the cigars were blended to have a certain profile and no one in the production chain deviated from it. The blend "recipes" were known and adhered to. There are probably several other examples. Many cigars we enjoy have very long histories. Decades, some even hit the 100+ YO mark. Whether they stay the same over the years is the kicker. In comparison, "Old School" Coca Cola no longer exists because 1) they stopped adding Cocaine and 2) they've changed their recipes several times, so much so that most of the public's collective memory of what it tasted like has gone. By the time they revived it via "Classic Coke" many could taste the difference from what they remember. In the cigar world, it'd be rare to find someone who is still around that smoked well known Cuban cigars over the years that can attest to the blend consistency. 

Wow ! Perfect answer 👌 

[nKostyan]

I remember there were several explanations since the early 2000s. The main reason is the change of marketing strategy.
1. Habanos switched completely to hand rolled cigars
2. Almost completely switched to long filler
3. Most of the blends have been redesigned to be more comfortable for beginners and mass consumption (lighter with gastronomic tastes)
4. Switched to new hybrids of tobacco, resistant to diseases, less strenght and less bodied

[Duxnutz]

Mongrel, twang and the overall feeling that it’s bloody good!

[Ford2112]

I have always thought of old school style Cubans in the modern sense as the Cazadores, 898, Monte 1 and 3, Cohiba Lanceros, all the Churchills and DCs. Bold and in your face cigars remind me of old school. I smoked a Bolivar Tubos 1 last year that was totally reminiscent of some of those Cubans I smoked in the 90s.

[joeypots]

Old school? 50 RG and under.

[Deeg]

Maybe it’s just me but it’s always been LGC that exemplifies the Cuban “twang”, hard as it is to define. A hit of sour citrus, petrichor, barnyard, warm spice.

[KCCubano]

Partagas Chicos

[Wookie]

For me, I remember preferring the mid 1990s Cohiba Esplendido a lot more than current production.

Bolivar used to taste more barnyardy to me (1995-2000)...I like current production better.

Trini/Monte have pretty much stayed the same for me.

 

[REesq]

Agree on the Bolivar barnyard, particularly on the nose. My first CCs in the late 70s through mid 80s were almost exclusively BRCs, and some BBFs when I could afford them. Used to remind me of certain cru bourgeois Bordeaux from that same time period. It also seemed that the Bolivars were much stronger back then, although maybe I just thought they were because I was much younger. I still love the BBF, although I think they are more refined now.  

 

[zeedubbya]

I have a very clear memory of sending orders via fax and sending postal money orders via mail. We might receive boxes from the mid 90s and be upset with them or happy. Or we might receive a new box from 02 or so and be happy. Not much diff as of now 😂..

The one cigar I can speak of changing dramatically is the D4. Partagas D4 were very strong, but they were also very tasty. Min Ron Nee says the change was in 1995 in blend with D4 and Lusi. I remember smoking from a particular split box and becoming queasy - I believe they were from 1996, but could have been earlier-didn’t pay much attention to box codes then. The only thing I can recall checking is noting if the year was on the box it was usually milder, if it had letters, it was stronger.  

I also recall boxes from 2000 and up were most definitely milder and it was almost like smoking a different cigar. Sometimes we even wondered if we had gotten fakes. This is reflected by MRN as well in giving the D4 a 2/5 strength rating.  Bolivar seemed to retain strength though. I don’t remember thinking this as much on Bolivar as on Partagas. Admittedly I smoked way more Partagas than anything else back then and again, we didn’t pay attention to codes, but you could tell as soon as you smoked one if it was older stock or not. I think people long for cigars from the 90s because of this “punch you in the face” nature. My memory isn’t good enough to say much more on the subject.  

Cigars I’ve smoked recently which remind me of old school tobacco (as referenced by others) are Partagas Presidentes, RYJ Caz, BBF, and Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas. Surprisingly, also the JLP Cazzie has reminders of old blends. I would say if you’d like to reach for the taste of strong Cuban cigars from the 90s, grab a Padrón 1926 line. The No. 35 reminds me more of the strength of 90’s Cubans in the early 2000s.  

[JohnInCleveland]

6 hours ago, zeedubbya said:

I have a very clear memory of sending orders via fax and sending postal money orders via mail. We might receive boxes from the mid 90s and be upset with them or happy. Or we might receive a new box from 02 or so and be happy. Not much diff as of now 😂..

The one cigar I can speak of changing dramatically is the D4. Partagas D4 were very strong, but they were also very tasty. Min Ron Nee says the change was in 1995 in blend with D4 and Lusi. I remember smoking from a particular split box and becoming queasy - I believe they were from 1996, but could have been earlier-didn’t pay much attention to box codes then. The only thing I can recall checking is noting if the year was on the box it was usually milder, if it had letters, it was stronger.  

I also recall boxes from 2000 and up were most definitely milder and it was almost like smoking a different cigar. Sometimes we even wondered if we had gotten fakes. This is reflected by MRN as well in giving the D4 a 2/5 strength rating.  Bolivar seemed to retain strength though. I don’t remember thinking this as much on Bolivar as on Partagas. Admittedly I smoked way more Partagas than anything else back then and again, we didn’t pay attention to codes, but you could tell as soon as you smoked one if it was older stock or not. I think people long for cigars from the 90s because of this “punch you in the face” nature. My memory isn’t good enough to say much more on the subject.  

Cigars I’ve smoked recently which remind me of old school tobacco (as referenced by others) are Partagas Presidentes, RYJ Caz, BBF, and Ramon Allones Small Club Coronas. Surprisingly, also the JLP Cazzie has reminders of old blends. I would say if you’d like to reach for the taste of strong Cuban cigars from the 90s, grab a Padrón 1926 line. The No. 35 reminds me more of the strength of 90’s Cubans in the early 2000s.  

Shoot I didn’t know you were so old, I’m not sure I can still be your friend.

[zeedubbya]

9 hours ago, JohnInCleveland said:

Shoot I didn’t know you were so old, I’m not sure I can still be your friend.

Perhaps it’s why I fit in well to your Saturday morning group at [redacted], since my age falls within 15-20 years of the average player, 😜 🤣 

**redacted to protect privacy…

All in good humor folks, he’s really trying to flatter me a bit, I think…

[JohnInCleveland]

9 hours ago, zeedubbya said:

Perhaps it’s why I fit in well to your Saturday morning group at [redacted], since my age falls within 15-20 years of the average player, 😜 🤣 

**redacted to protect privacy…

All in good humor folks, he’s really trying to flatter me a bit, I think…

I’d trade my iPhone for a fax machine if the rest of the world had to do the same…