Thought on NCs

[yossie]

I really thank those who generously gifted these cigars and traded with me.

The best cigar maybe not in NCs like The best wine maybe not produced in the new world. With the reason, There maybe those who says NCs are not for worth for spending time/money. I however resist on the idea, Because The varaety itself is a fun venture for smokers. Imagine that When You try an unknown cigar whatever and after You smoke. You'll probably say that It was not so bad or was waste of time. It can not be caused with CCs You usually smoke. So, Trying these is very fun, was so for me at least...

Thanks

[Colt45]

Yoss, there are many NCs that are worth giving a try, but personally, there are very few I'd be willing to commit boxes to.

Did you enjoy the ones you smoked?

[gerem]

The only NC that I smoked was Arturo Fuente (Opus X). they were pretty good, but as Colt said, I won't buy boxes of NC.

I got a couple singles in the humi and that's it.

[sliver54]

This past weekend I grabbed an Ashton VSG out of the humi and although it didn't taste horrible, I could not enjoy it at all. This was the first NC I have smoked in months and was an old favorite of mine. I have been trying to convince myself that NC's are not inferior to CC's but just "different"..... I need more convincing since converting to the dark side lol. At this point, I'd rather smoke a bad cuban than an opus or padron. Am I being a snob or has my palate been refined to only enjoy the product of the best soil in the world? I think the latter but I'm interested to hear what others have to say in the same boat as me.

[bobsled]

I have a small humi (50 sticks) for NC's. Ashton VSG, Padron 1926, San Cristobal and Opus. I find I am less and less enamoured of the opus, but the others all seem to be worth the $$ spent. They are nothing like the CC's, but they are worthwhile nonetheless.

[anacostiakat]

I have a small humi (50 sticks) for NC's. Ashton VSG, Padron 1926, San Cristobal and Opus. I find I am less and less enamoured of the opus, but the others all seem to be worth the $$ spent. They are nothing like the CC's, but they are worthwhile nonetheless.

I smoke a fair amount of NC's. Mostly Padron, Ashton, Opus, Tatuaje/Cabaiguan and a few others. Usually after lunch during the week at my local shop. Also when I do not want to touch resting stock. I like variety and am willing to try something new/different. Biggest problem I see is price point and that is just going to get worse on April Fool's Day with the SCHIP tax.

[Shelby07]

I smoke a fair amount of NC's. Mostly Padron, Ashton, Opus, Tatuaje/Cabaiguan and a few others. Usually after lunch during the week at my local shop. Also when I do not want to touch resting stock. I like variety and am willing to try something new/different. Biggest problem I see is price point and that is just going to get worse on April Fool's Day with the SCHIP tax.

Agree 100%. I think the trick to enjoying a NC is to resist using the experience as an opportunity to compare them to CC's and just enjoy them for what they are. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[Jesuscookies]

I smoke a fair amount of NC's. Mostly Padron, Ashton, Opus, Tatuaje/Cabaiguan and a few others. Usually after lunch during the week at my local shop. Also when I do not want to touch resting stock. I like variety and am willing to try something new/different. Biggest problem I see is price point and that is just going to get worse on April Fool's Day with the SCHIP tax.

Yep, that SCHIP tax is really going to be a back breaker. A decent NC at the low end is already $7-$9 a smoke. Add in the tax, and you are in CC territory. I do enjoy NC's, actually plenty of them, but for the price point they are about to hit, the CC's are a waaaay better deal.

[sounddust]

I really thank those who generously gifted these cigars and traded with me.

The best cigar maybe not in NCs like The best wine maybe not produced in the new world. With the reason, There maybe those who says NCs are not for worth for spending time/money. I however resist on the idea, Because The varaety itself is a fun venture for smokers. Imagine that When You try an unknown cigar whatever and after You smoke. You'll probably say that It was not so bad or was waste of time. It can not be caused with CCs You usually smoke. So, Trying these is very fun, was so for me at least...

Thanks

Variety is indeed the key reason why I smoke NCs. I particularly love the Illusione and standard Padron range. Although I have tried many singles, I have not committed to a box yet as I just can't justify spending $200-300 on a product I personally feel there are better alternatives to. Still, IMHO, there are few Cubans that can match the fresh, pure tobacco aroma of an Illusione.

[Shelby07]

Yep, that SCHIP tax is really going to be a back breaker. A decent NC at the low end is already $7-$9 a smoke. Add in the tax, and you are in CC territory. I do enjoy NC's, actually plenty of them, but for the price point they are about to hit, the CC's are a waaaay better deal.

A couple of the local B&M's are talking about absorbing part of the increase and selling at a lower margin. They're afraid that with the weak economy and the higher prices of cigars people will stop smoking or cut way down. They are very worried.

[Shelby07]

Variety is indeed the key reason why I smoke NCs. I particularly love the Illusione and standard Padron range. Although I have tried many singles, I have not committed to a box yet as I just can't justify spending $200-300 on a product I personally feel there are better alternatives to. Still, IMHO, there are few Cubans that can match the fresh, pure tobacco aroma of an Illusione.

I think it's telling how the same relatively small number of brands keep coming up when talking about good NC's. Padron, Ashton, Illusiones, San Cristobal, Tatuaje, Cabaiguan, and a few others. When you consider the huge number of NC brands, it suggests that perhaps the majority of NC's are just not that good. I think the "hobby" has turned more to trying (or at least buying) everything available instead of buying what you like. There seems to be a huge automatic market for anything new. Hence, somebody is always introducing some "new" cigar that may not be very good, but they will sell a ton of. And, of course, marketing is everything. Some of the mainstays in the NC market (Macanudo, Montecristo, Partagas, CAO, etc) range from mediocre to downright terrible.

I tend to stick with what I like and will rarely run after a newly introduced cigar. There is plenty of good stuff out there. If something new comes along that is truly great I'm sure I'll hear about it.

And, oh yeah... I never read CA.

[BobLobLaw]

Totally agree with what has been said. I also think one of the reasons not to buy boxes of NCs is simply that most of them (with the exception of Opus) are pretty much ready to smoke right away. You do not need to age them so why take up that room?

I enjoy Opus, VSG/ESG, Tatuaje, and Oliva V. I am excited to try Illusion which I have resting. And Padron 80/26/64 are all great. There is no other cigar (CC or otherwise) that is as consistent in terms of construction and produces such thick dense white smoke. Price is a tad high, but really still worth keeping a few on hand at all times IMO.

[Jimmy2]

Will not ever buy boxes ever again have no intrest in them no more why settle for second best when i can have the best .

Sometimes i will smoke a NC just to remind my self why i only smoke CC's everyday .

[Shelby07]

Will not ever buy boxes ever again have no intrest in them no more why settle for second best when i can have the best .

Sometimes i will smoke a NC just to remind my self why i only smoke CC's everyday .

That's cool, too. It's good you're smoking what you like and liking what you smoke.

[stargazer14]

I find not much a price difference in the two,(unless you get a good deal on NC's at auction)

but I do find a big difference in quality, so for me the CC's are money better spent, no brainer.

I still have a nice selection of NCs and still buy 5packs now and then, but I will admit -

I am hooked on the sight, taste, feel, smell, draw, and last but not least -

the great graphics on the 'SMOKING IS GONNA KILL YOU' stickers of the cubans

that come out of Oz.

[KB24]

I believe in variety. Why not have a combo of both if that is what you like. I don't smoke too many NC's with the exception of AVOs and Davidoffs and 90% of my collection is of CCs. However, I smoked a Casa Magna Corona 3 days ago and am headed out in a few to buy a box. I feel they are a nice change of pace cigar and that with a couple years of age on them, they will be excellent. Smoke what you like is the way I go.

-Patrick

[laficion]

Consistent and good construction are, most often, the highlights on a majority of NC cigars compared to CC but you can't beat complexity and taste, and that, the NC don't have.

The upper ends,small batch,boutique cigars are good, Tatuaje,

Illusione and others but, again, still do not have a high level of

complexity .

I have come to notice that there are other factors that are always

overlooked when comparing NC to CC and that is differences in

life styles and in food and drink habits. In general these are never taken into account in a serious discussion.

When I read on certain blogs that they paired a cigar with diet Pepsi or other sodas, excuse me !! I have to smile. Also when they are smoking a good cigar after a great meal ( Tex Mex or

BBQ), come on !!

I also notice that when someone said that his NC was great, in

general, he or she will talk about two major tastes, strong and

spicey (pepper) or mild and sweet (sugar). Those are the two most important factors, the same with food and wines, always one dimentional and no comprehension of complexity. About 90% of all NC cigars will

give their best in the first two inches of the smoke, then the cigar will start to evolve into strong or mild, pepper or sugar notes

to finish off hot, bitter and harch. CC will start quit mild to then

evolve into smooth aromas and taste. Finally expressing all of It's elegence,complexity and richness on the final third. The NC

will have an interpetation of having a full clean tobacco taste

with a great peppery and spicey taste on the finish whereas a CC

will have a delicate aromas with touches of animal, barnyard,

coffee mixed with nutty and floral honey on the side.

So in MHO.

NC/ Consistent and good construction but with no real complexity.

CC/ Not always consistent. Not always well constructed

but with such a wonderful complexe aray of aromas and taste that cannot be found in any other cigar in the world.

[cabaiguan juan]

In my opinion, there are some really good CC's and some really good NC's. There are also some mediocre ones too in both cases. I have a pretty good idea of what i like in the NC variety. I'm working my way through a few CC samplers to get a good idea of what the product lines are like. I would spend money on a box of CC's because its not like i can walk into my B&M and grab one off the shelf, that and the benefit of having a few to age. As far as NC's go, the ones I want are readily available to me. I can get 90% of what I want to smoke, in terms of NC's, between two different shops that are 10 minutes away. That sort of deters me from needing to buy a box the way the same situation for CC's almost requires me too.

As far as the ton of NC brands out there, welcome to capitalism. All i can say is the good ones will always be mentioned when people make lists and the crappy ones will end up being sold a discount from the catalog venders.

[Jimmy2]

laficion i agree 100% they will never have complexity not like CC ever ....They also dont have Cuban soil so that pretty much sums it up... next

[Van55]

I have several sections of the drawer of my cabinet humidor full of non-Cuban cigars -- mostly Opus X and Padron. I've sold, traded or given away all my full or mostly full boxes of non-Cubans, and I very rarely reach for a non-Cuban single from my humidor drawer.

I almost uniformly prefer the flavors of Cuban cigars.

But I have sometimes been very pleasantly surprised at smoking an occasional non-Cuban. They are almost always perfectly constructed. Padrons, to me, have a very pleasant and distinctive "nutty" taste. The issue I have with them is that there is no variability with them and the taste can get boring or cloying in longer models. The Davidoff Millenium series Petit Corona was/is an exceptionally good cigar on my palate. A Fuente Sun Grown 8-5-8 that I picked up to smoke while a tire was fixed on my car was a very pleasant and inexpensive experience for me.

So my advice, for what it's worth, is that it's a good thing to try the occasional non-Cuban. You might really like it.

[yossie]

Yoss, there are many NCs that are worth giving a try, but personally, there are very few I'd be willing to commit boxes to.

Did you enjoy the ones you smoked?

Certainly but not worth for the prices. The message was basically written to US residents. They can try variety unlike non-US residents who have to pay same or higher money to good NCs than Cohiba.

[Caboz28]

For me, My humi started out being mostly filled with NC's (go figure) but it is more and more getting filled with CC's. I used to purchase only boxes of NC's (for the price break) but have recently started picking up more samplers and only getting boxes of CC's. I agree that the complexity of CC's is (without question) more enticing and eloquent (for lack for lack of a better word) than any NC I've ever smoked, but sometimes I do find myself wanting that "kick in the face" of pepper, leather, and nicotine that you get from NC's. Most of the NC's I smoke are Tatuaje's (all flavors profiles), some Gurkha's (don't hate me....I do like some of them ), and Illusions. This is after years of trying many different NC's. So for my two cents.....NC's can be good, depending on what you're looking for and your taste at the time, and (for me anyway) I'm just enjoying trying the many CC's I have yet to experience.

[shortsqueeze]

@ Jimmy

I've been smoking Cuban cigars for many years, and N/C's for many more than that. It's funny how, with time, you want to try new things, or revisit things you've tried in the past for a different perspective. What I'm saying is, keep an open mind. There is good tobacco grown in places other than Cuba. I used to rant up and down (still do) how great Cuban cigars are, and 95% of the cigars I currently smoke are Cuban. But I don't bash the N/C's like I used to because the fact of the matter is there are some excellent ones. You'll see

[Northshore04]

My wife, who does not smoke cigars, can tell the difference between the smoke of CC's and NC's. She likes both but is pretty much dead on accurate when she guesses which I'm smoking. Good CC's do have a special something to them obviously, but I do like to change it up with the occasional Tatuaje, Padron, Illusione, etc. Just give them a chance. Variety is the spice of life.

[Jimmy2]

I have been smoking 20 +years and i know what i like CC they are the best most complex cigars period.

Not to say that NC are not good but hell they are boring and will never ever be as complex as CC's its all about the soil in Cuba.

You have CC and than there is NC lets leave it at that.... If i come across like i am bashing NC i am not i am just a CC snob.

Just like French wine is the best wine overall because of the soil in France they are just far superior to any other wines overall consistently year after year.