Two Questions: Which marcas best suit the Edicion Limitada...and in your mind is the Edicion Limitada a "Tax" worth paying?

[El Presidente]

Two Questions: Which marcas best suit the Edicion Limitada...and in your mind is the Edicion Limitada a "Tax" worth paying?

This was a deck discussion last Friday and it was...a lively one. * note...the lads came back from one of the longest booze fueled lunches in history! 

General commentary consensus from memory 

• "The LE wrappers only suit Montecristo/Cuaba and MAYBE Upmann and Partagas"
• There is almost no Marca DNA in most of them outside of Monte.
• At a blind tasting, you would pick them as Montecristo 7 times out of 10. 
• "No LE Cohiba has ever tasted like a Cohiba" 
• "Colour sorting and wrapper thickness/burn retardance is all over the place" 
• Hot waitresses or the lack thereof. 

I thought they were harsh. I quickly shut up 

Then we got onto price 

• "The LE tax today is insane."
• " I can buy on BR a 10 year old box of Upmann Connoisseur 1 for 1/3rd to half the price of an Upmann LE Robusto". 

I quickly shut up as soon as I realised they were still buying from BR.  

Your thoughts? 

[loose_axle]

I've always gone RE over LE. The few LE's I've had were the 2019 lot can't remember any of the others apart from the Quai d'Orsay Senadores which were fantastic and I'd buy again any day. A few left which I'm just letting age. 

I'm pretty much completely priced out of LE/ RE/ Cuban anyhow now so there'll be no further hunting which was fun once upon a time. 

[El Presidente]

10 hours ago, loose_axle said:

I've always gone RE over LE. The few LE's I've had were the 2019 lot can't remember any of the others apart from the Quai d'Orsay Senadores which were fantastic and I'd buy again any day. A few left which I'm just letting age. 

I'm pretty much completely priced out of LE/ RE/ Cuban anyhow now so there'll be no further hunting which was fun once upon a time. 

I stand and applaud when I see Distributor put forward a regional at a decent price. There are some who still do...thankfully 

[VasileDulap]

I only have enough experience with the 2019 limitadas and for me the Ramon Allones No. 2 stays true to the marca while the Quai d'Orsay has nothing to do with the brand (it's very savory unlike any Quai).

For me the EL tax is not worth it.

[Fugu]

Best for me had been, most consistently Partagás and RyJ (preferably not too oscuro-ish dark and leathery), going back to 2002/2003. ELs were always worth a try when still similarly prized to reg-prod, for a change of pace. Now? Not so much anymore.

(Says one who just ordered an overpriced 5er of QdO Especiales, simply because it’s such a nice show (off) piece 😅. And not even ‘limited’)

[zacca]

Q1): Monte and Bolivar (Super Coronas were one of the best cigars I’ve had) are the two that come to mind.

Q2): I’ve had a few that I’ve enjoyed over the years, but overwhelmingly most of them have been mediocre relative to the price, so I don’t really chase them. If there’s a strong consensus that a particular one is excellent I’ll give it a shot if I come across it.

Generally though, I tend to look at them the same way I look at restaurant specials. They’re “specials” because the restaurant says they are, but often it’s really just a way to move a particular product. From a business standpoint LE’s often feel similar. A bit of manufactured scarcity to justify a higher price. 

[Puros Y Vino]

I've dipped into the EL market a few times. From the list below I've smoked at least 2 of each one.

Releases that reflect the marca. (flavour profile aligns with regular production)

• Montecristo Sublimes EL 2008
• Montecristo Grand Edmundo EL 2010
• Partagas Seleccion Privada EL 2014
• Partagas Serie D Especial EL 2010
• Cohiba 1966 EL 2011 (similar to an Esplendido, much bolder, richer when young)
• Romeo Y Julieta Dukes EL 2009 (packed with RyJ DNA, very rich cherry notes)
• Montecristo Montecristo 520 EL 2012 (Monte on steroids)
• Partagás Serie C No.3  EL 2012
• Bolívar Super Coronas EL 2014 (Boli on steroids. Probably closest to what some long time smokers claim in terms of how strong/rich Boli was/is)
• Ramón Allones Club Allones EL 2015 (wow.  Super charged RA DNA)
• Trinidad Topes EL 2016 (spot on Trinidad flavour)
• Bolívar Soberano EL 2018 (similar to Super Coronas. Very bold)

Releases that are slight offshoots (flavour profile somewhat aligns with regular production)

• Cohiba Piramides EL 2006 (most I've seen/smoked have darker, almost Colorado/Maduro wrappers.  Flavour profile drifts away from Cohiba grassiness. Richer, earthy tasting notes. One of my favourites TBH)
• Partagas Piramides EL 2000 (somewhat Partagas like.  The fireproof wrapper knock on these is somewhat accurate which IMO changes the flavour profile enough to make it less indicative of the marca)
• Trinidad Ingenios EL 2007. (darker wrappers, richer taste)
• Romeo y Julieta De Luxe EL 2013
• Cohiba Robustos Supremos EL 2014 (the start of the flipping era boom.  Good smoke, odd vitola, halfway there to Cohiba)

Releases that are oddballs for the marca.

• Ramon Allones Extra EL 2011. (love the retro packaging but the cigar doesn't taste like it belongs in the RA lineup)
• Punch Serie D'Oro No. 2 EL 2013(not Punch like but a stellar cigar nonetheless)
   

I've been a bigger fan of RE's. In that line you'll find more oddballs in terms of flavour profiles matching the marca.  But, the cigars stand out nonetheless as humidor worthy.

And IMO the EL "tax" has been worth it. Especially given how relatively cheap the cigars I listed were back then. Most of them coming in 10ct boxes helped. Today? Not worth chasing EL boxes. I'd rather chase RE's (if not too expensive).

[Lucas Buck]

I think your deck gang nailed it @El Presidente Can’t add or change much there. I was all in from the beginning of the program falling for the hype big time. Many of them are top line smokes. The first few years releases were almost all great for my taste even upon release. They are quite unique and a nice departure from regular production. I have almost zero experience with any post 2019 though as I quit buying them and focused on RE which have been a much better value and smoke. 

[joeypots]

When I first started with Cuban cigars ELs were in their infancy and were all the rage. Back then I didn't have the wherewithal to hold cigars for five years to see how they would develop and I smoked a lot of young ones. Whether they were premium blended super cigars or a marketing gimmick that allowed the makers to make use of overly dark top of the plant wrapper leaf may still be up for debate. There were some good ones early on, the MC Sublines and Grand Edmundo were very good, but more often than not as I acquired the experience to suit my own taste I found that well made  regular production Cuban cigars suited me better than the ELs. Eventually I traded those that I had at a premium and bought Cohiba. 

The REs are a different story altogether. Some are terrific and I wish I has more of them, the HURR comes to mind but mostly I'd rather have a PPP, a well seasoned RASS, or many others in the catalog than a RE. I do see a few posts about special production cigars, this or that EL at 20 years is a 99.9 and has been kissed by the gods. Really? 20 years? I can wait three. 

[BrightonCorgi]

Partagas is the first brand I think of on ELs.

[Montezüma]

7 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

I've dipped into the EL market a few times.  From the list below I've smoked at least 2 of each one.

Releases that reflect the marca. (flavour profile aligns with regular production)

• Partagás Serie C No.3  EL 2012

I liked these a lot, consistent with Partagas but noticeably different. I never tried Partagas Maduros, I wonder if they taste similar because those EL wrappers were quite dark.

[BrightonCorgi]

The Partagas Serie D No.1 will put you on your a**. Not for the novice. Such a powerhouse cigar. Even after all these years I still proceed with caution.

[JohnS]

The Limited Edition program certainly isn't what it used to be post-Covid and 'Cigarmageddon'. We put up a thread 18 months ago to gauge its following from the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and there wasn't much of a response.

[TheCigarSoldier]

First box of cigars I ever bought were the Cohiba LE 2011's. It's pretty much been all down hill from there lol. Like others, I dabbled with the LE's and RE's for a while. Primarily because I was chasing the hype and second band, and wasn't far enough along in my journey to really know any better. I concur with the deck's sentiment though. They all taste like a Montecristo (nothing wrong with Monte!), and they tend to have burn issues due to the wrapper.

Once I wised up, I started hunting outstanding regular production cigars and never looked back. My humidor will never compete with the top collectors of the world, nor does it need to. I buy to age and smoke along the way. If I can find something that's an 8.5-9 young and morph into a 10 within a couple years, I've hit the jackpot. the fun for me is pursuing regular production home runs both Cuban and New World, and collecting a handful of unicorns along the way for the fun of it.

[BrightonCorgi]

The R&J Hermosos No. 2 (2004) have seen better days. It tastes just like an old cigar at this point. Still a nice cigar, but it was better 5 years ago.

[Lucas Buck]

1 hour ago, BrightonCorgi said:

The R&J Hermosos No. 2 (2004) have seen better days. It tastes just like an old cigar at this point. Still a nice cigar, but it was better 5 years ago.

One of my favorites. I’ll have to fire one up soon. Love my old cigars!

[BrightonCorgi]

14 hours ago, Lucas Buck said:

One of my favorites. I’ll have to fire one up soon. Love my old cigars!

Let us know your impressions.

[BrightonCorgi]

Some EL's were giveaways like the Partagas Selection Privada which is becoming a legend of a cigar.

[Puros Y Vino]

5 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Some EL's were giveaways like the Partagas Selection Privada which is becoming a legend of a cigar.

For real. I regret only grabbing one box. I plowed through 3/4's of it way too quickly.  

[BrightonCorgi]

5 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

For real.  I regret only grabbing one box.  I plowed through 3/4's of it way too quickly.  

Ramon Allones "Club Allones" was another deal.

[NYGuido]

I haven’t loved a lot of the RE I’ve smoked. But the 2018 Bolivar Soberano and the 2017 Cohiba Talisman (which I smoked my only one of last night) were absolutely stellar. 

[JohnS]

5 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Some EL's were giveaways like the Partagas Selection Privada which is becoming a legend of a cigar.

 

5 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

For real. I regret only grabbing one box. I plowed through 3/4's of it way too quickly.  

For sure. I have to re-visit that cigar. Thanks for reminding me! 👍

[Chibearsv]

My favorite LEs have been RyJ. I’m a fan of Tacos and Romeo Deluxe. The other EL Marcas I’ve had aren’t a step up from their regular production for me.

[Lucas Buck]

52 minutes ago, Chibearsv said:

My favorite LEs have been RyJ. I’m a fan of Tacos and Romeo Deluxe. The other EL Marcas I’ve had aren’t a step up from their regular production for me.

The first half dozen RyJ from 2000-2005 are all favorites. The Robustos & Hermosos No. 1 in particular. 

[Fugu]

On 3/18/2026 at 8:18 AM, Lucas Buck said:

One of my favorites. I’ll have to fire one up soon. Love my old cigars!

I have to agree, but do even prefer the Hermosos No. 1 from the previous year. An all time great 👍.

18 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Some EL's were giveaways like the Partagas Selection Privada which is becoming a legend of a cigar.

9 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

My favorite LEs have been RyJ. I’m a fan of Tacos and Romeo Deluxe.

Yes, of the later ones, the Party Sel. Privada as well as the Romeo de Luxe were both flying much under the radar, didn’t receive rave reviews in the beginning (which didn’t let me bother upon first samplings 😋).