Cuban Cigars vs. New World

[Fugu]

1 hour ago, El Niño said:

It doesn't make literal sense whatsoever, but it makes sense as a carryover from the wine world (as our dear ha_banos noted).

I think the 100-point scale is a worse carryover, but it works well enough, so it won't change. Look at how words are spelled in the English language for a much worse example of historical carryovers trumping sense.

AND I LIKE TO WAVE MY CIGAR AROUND WHEN I LIGHT IT SO SUE ME 😂

Never would I argue with someone who likes waving his cigar in circles. Never! 😄

[Exotic Pallet]

7 hours ago, Hoosh said:

I’d posit that for *you*, and perhaps others here, but certainly not *all*, CC certainly don’t make all others second. “Cuban cigar forum,” blah, blah, blah aside, there are great cigars coming from places other than Cuba and to not recognize this is to limit oneself immensely. Twenty-five years ago, I did all I could to only smoke CC.After a while, I realized that for me, given all the cigars out there, CC *weren’t* more than an occasional “different” enjoyment. The enjoyment comes for the things around smoking a cigar, the experience; the actual cigar is but a mere part. 

Speaking of “non-sensical,” it is equivalent to saying Arabica bean coffee makes all other beans secondary when Robusta beans are equally good with a good roaster AND they factually provide additional benefits above Arabica. 🤷

I definitely agree with you on your reasoning with respect to cigar enjoyment. There are definitely reasons outside of the taste of a cigar why I enjoy them. I suppose the conclusion of the better cigar is opinion, even though most people here favor CC. I’m excited that soon I will be able to give my opinion as well! 

[Duder]

I love everything about Cuban cigars more than non-Cubans. The look, the feel, the aroma, the burn and of course the flavor. There is nothing else even close. The sweetness of the wrapper, the delicate often ever changing complex flavors, the passive aromas all superior to anything I’ve experienced with NCs and I have probably smoked a thousand of them. If I couldn’t smoke Cuban cigars I would quit. 

[ElLoboLoco]

Nicaraguans are like NFL Football and Cubans/Fabrica 5 are like the EPL. 🤣

 

[Hoosh]

Doesn’t most of the Fabrica 5 line use Nicaraguan tobacco in their filler? Asking for a friend who is an NFL fan…

[ElLoboLoco]

22 hours ago, Hoosh said:

Doesn’t most of the Fabrica 5 line use Nicaraguan tobacco in their filler? Asking for a friend who is an NFL fan…

It does. Don’t take my post over literally.😆

The Fabrica5 have way more in common with Cuban cigars than any other Non-Cuban I have smoked. Nothing comes that close, in my opinion. Believe me, I have put in my reps.  

[Hoosh]

15 hours ago, ElLoboLoco said:

It does. Don’t take my post over literally.😆

The Fabrica5 have way more in common with Cuban cigars than any other Non-Cuban I have smoked. Nothing comes that close, in my opinion. Believe me, I have put in my reps.

Can’t move the goalposts now. I have some Ninfas coming. I’m pretty excited. 🙂

No Nicaraguan tobacco BTW. 😆

[ElLoboLoco]

They are solid man, enjoy.😉 

[Hoosh]

2 minutes ago, ElLoboLoco said:

They are solid man, enjoy.😉 

I had no idea about them until I joined this forum and everything I read speaks very high about that particular cigar. While it appears to me that smaller RG cigars are harder to get in the US, that’s where my wheelhouse is, 40-48. Fingers crossed the USPS actually delivers them tomorrow!

[ElLoboLoco]

Yeah, I hear you. Lol. When I started out there were so many smaller ring gauge options. 

[Zonum]

I do agree with the 1st response on the post. Cuban cigars are less spicy and taste great. I personally stopped buying NW cigars.

[Gemini_Man]

In my personal cigar journey I had to smoke a TON of NW cigars to come across particular blends that really stood out and revealed the pinnacle of premium tobacco. With Cubans, I only needed to sample a few marcas and various vitolas before that realization made itself evident. 

Bottom line for me, I have had less outliers of mediocre tobacco with Cubans than I've had remarkable cigars from NW/Non-Cubans.

[Exotic Pallet]

21 hours ago, Gemini_Man said:

In my personal cigar journey I had to smoke a TON of NW cigars to come across particular blends that really stood out and revealed the pinnacle of premium tobacco. With Cubans, I only needed to sample a few marcas and various vitolas before that realization made itself evident. 

Bottom line for me, I have had less outliers of mediocre tobacco with Cubans than I've had remarkable cigars from NW/Non-Cubans.

That was a great explanation! It seems to me the consensus is CC are more enjoyable that NW!

[RKPStogie]

I only smoked NW for the beginning of my cigar career and enjoyed many Tatuaje, Liga, and Padron to name a few. I then took a break from cigars for about 10 years due to nothing other than being in the messy middle of life (kids, marriage, additional career training/education, etc). When I returned to cigars about 2.5 yrs ago most NW cigars I loved just tasted awful to me. Nothing be wet tobacco-laden spice bombs. I was using CA ratings as my guide and wow, that was a mistakes! At this point in my life I am blessed to have the ability to dive into CC and they have provided so much fulfillment. Outside of Padron, Fabrica5, and a few other recommendations from the Lounge Lizards podcast, I now prefer CC. 

[Goldeneye]

I started my cigar hobby/journey with strictly Cubans and was able to obtain enough through trips to Cuba and family/friends going there for holidays. That is no longer the case and as a result I needed to explore and discover NC cigars. Through lots of trials I have found NC that I thoroughly enjoy, and even if I could reliably access Cubans again, I would continue with AF Hemingway, Don Carlos and Nudies. I enjoy these NC immensely and am glad I discovered these and a few others. Enjoy the journey! 

[Hoosh]

2 hours ago, Goldeneye said:

I started my cigar hobby/journey with strictly Cubans and was able to obtain enough through trips to Cuba and family/friends going there for holidays. That is no longer the case and as a result I needed to explore and discover NC cigars. Through lots of trials I have found NC that I thoroughly enjoy, and even if I could reliably access Cubans again, I would continue with AF Hemingway, Don Carlos and Nudies. I enjoy these NC immensely and am glad I discovered these and a few others. Enjoy the journey! 

It is a journey - one that I’ve enjoyed immensely. Like you, however, I don’t ever see myself leaving NC simply for the same reason so many here love CC - the taste. For me, there is a time for that floral, vegetal, mild to medium strength cigar, but more often than not, I want my experience to remind me that in my time, I’m smoking something that makes me pay attention to it. A cigar is only part of that experience, but I personally don’t want it to be in the background. I want that full strength cigar. And not not occasionally. Happily, differences are what makes the world go around, and in our case, cigar companies in business. 🙂

[qs210]

I find myself enjoying NW less and less. More accurately, the NW flavor profiles I enjoy has narrowed significantly. 

[Exotic Pallet]

I’m so thrilled about all the positive feedback I’ve received on this thread! Just checking back in with you all! I’ve smoke me a few different Cubans since I’ve started this thread, and I am currently smoking a 2018 Cohiba Robusto. It is my opinion that CC are more favorable than NW. The flavors are profound and distinct, un-congested, nuanced...everything I’ve been looking for. There’s no turning back now although I’ll still be enjoying a Davidoff or opus every now and then. Thank you all for the engagement!!!!

[qs210]

On 9/3/2025 at 11:32 AM, Zonum said:

I do agree with the 1st response on the post. Cuban cigars are less spicy and taste great. I personally stopped buying NW cigars.

Me as well. There is a very short list of Non-Cubans I still actively stock.

[VeguerosMAN]

To me, nothing beats mild/medium body Cubans, but nothings beats NC maduros.  

[Hoosh]

2 hours ago, VeguerosMAN said:

… but nothings beats NC maduros.  

I’d add that the Turrant San Andres or Aganorsa wrapper is top shelf. You know when you’re smoking one of theirs! 🙂

[VeguerosMAN]

1 hour ago, Hoosh said:

I’d add that the Turrant San Andres or Aganorsa wrapper is top shelf. You know when you’re smoking one of theirs! 🙂

I never heard of Turrant.

[Hoosh]

25 minutes ago, VeguerosMAN said:

I never heard of Turrant

It is correctly spelled “Turrent” (I spelled it wrong). They - the A. Turrent family - are the single largest producer of San Andres tobacco in the world. If you are smoking a cigar with San Andres tobacco in it, there is a super high probability that it is either coming from them, or from seed grown from them.

[MagicalBikeRide]

On 9/21/2025 at 2:17 AM, Exotic Pallet said:

It is my opinion that CC are more favorable than NW. The flavors are profound and distinct, un-congested, nuanced...everything I’ve been looking for. There’s no turning back now

Thoughts and prayers with you, your wallet and your sanity at this difficult time

🙏 🙏 🙏 

[JDoughty]

I loved CCs way back when I first got into smoking cigars, but in the late 1990's the quality seemed to be going downhill and my last straw was getting an absolute garbage quality box of Monte #2 at an LCDH that was 100% unsmokable with giant stems in the middle. Decided I was done dealing with CCs lack of QC and moved on to NW. Stayed there until just a year or so ago when I figured I'd give them a chance again. They have improved, some. Still a lot of variance. When they're good, they're good, but they also need a lot more aging than most NW. Also if I'm in the mood for a stronger cigar, and sometimes I am, it's not a CC I'll be reaching for. Hit me with a Liga #9 or a Tatuaje, maybe a good Padron, then I'll feel like I'm actually smoking something. I'm not always in that mood, but when I am, a CC probably won't do. 

What I love in a cigar is complexity, clearly discernible flavor notes and overall flavor structure, and evolution of flavors through the smoke. I actually get that more often from NW than CC. I enjoyed the Bond Roberts 109 more than 99% of the other cigars I have smoked including CC because it hits all of those criteria.

I do like that Cuban 'twang' and it's a fun flavor note that is easy to come by even in the less expensive CC - I'm quite fond of Rafael Gonzalez and the little shorts from Partagas and Montecristo, and Partagas Mille Fleurs. If I have time to sip and savor, I love the creaminess of an HdM or some of the RyJ with fruity/floral/cedar notes, and the coffee and chocolate of most Montecristo. I'm really just starting to get back into CCs and building my collection up on those, but fortunately I still have some of my early 2000's stock and pre-embargo collector items still in the humidor. Dipping into those now and then while I wait for the current stuff to age a bit.