Cigars that have "changed for the better and worst" this decade?

[El Presidente]

This is another conversation we have had on the deck in the past couple of days.

There are certain cigars that really have changed dramatically during this decade 2000-2009. I am talking about young cigars not the changes coming from aging of cigars.

There have been plenty of changes for the better. Upmann magnum 46 and HDM Epi 2 (post 06) to name a few. The blends are richer, sweeter. Others have remained remarkably consistant and good....such as the Bolivar Corona Extra.

There have been other cigars which have gone the other way. Saint Luis Rey Serie A to me is fuller and has lost some of the flavour nuances, subtlety I once enjoyed.

Let us know your thoughts. "The Good, The Bad.....and the Ugly"

[jquest63]

PLPC: Very Good change to Excellent - Lately these have added strength and acidity to the previous refined sweetness.

JLPC: Very Good change to Excellent - the have acquired a pleasant punch, but retained much the same profile

Montes in general seem the same

RG Coro Extra: Have stayed the same, reliable and always a discreet pleasure

ELDM Choix: Seem to have changed for the worse, used to be dependable well rounded mediumish smokd, now many are bland

[greenpimp]

A few off the top of my head:

Better:

Juan Lopez have been really good as of late, especially the #2. Stronger, richer, and full of flavor.

Hoyos have seen an improvement, in my luck at least. More flavor, character. The short Hoyo Coronas from 06, for example (I think I bought like 5 boxes from you, have 1 left) are probably the best PCs I have in the cabinet. Epi1s I've been very happy with as well.

Thinner Montes have been quite good the past few years, #4 and #1s especially. Very high quality and I've smoked a bunch of them.

Worse:

I have been disappointed with the BBF's I've bought, a cab a year or so since 2004. Too bland, missing the Bolivar earthy punch. Most of the BCEs fit in this category for me as well, except for one of my boxes from 2006 which shows promise

Upmann Mag46s have taken a dive, and the 08s I have I cannot tell what they will be but still not impressed with the couple I've smoked. Used to be my favorite CG.

PSD4s, another disappointment. Maybe overproduction? Inconsistent, used to be a flavor bomb but haven't had a great one since a 2001 box that's long gone, unfortunately.

All my feeble mind can conjure up right now, sorry.

[Colt45]

A great question and I look forward to the replies. While I have smoked a number of late 90s cigars and beyond, I've not smoked enough across

the board to have the breadth of experience to contribute.

So why bother posting at all? I'm glad you asked.

Many times after reading posts in threads I find myself thinking over the responses and coming up with more questions that sometimes go slightly

off the topic of the original thread. Sometimes I ask these questions, many times I keep them to myself.

So, I've come to the conclusion that for me the forum is really more about the people, their thoughts, observations, the hows, whys, etc - life in the

microcosm that is FOH - more so than cigars in and of themselves.

So there you have it, it takes three licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop......

[beachcougar]

For me:

D4's have come around since over the last few years. 05, 07,08 are all excellent.

BBF's from 07-08 are very good.

RASS have gotten much better IMHO. I had some boxes from 01 that were bland and boring. My TEB SEP 07's are the best I have every had.

[kal]

The PSD4 used to be my favorit robusto along with the Cohiba , current production doesnt compare. I'll take the RASS anyday.

The HDME1 also used to be my favorit Corona Gorda in the 80s & 90s. Current production looks better but many of the old subtle flavors have been lost over the years.

I've also been disapointed with some recent SP Gigantes . These used to be one of the best Churchills.

I agree the SLR serie A could be better, the quality is inconsistent and varies from box to box.

[PigFish]

I must say I am having a little difficulty with this topic as well. You see my philosophy is this; given a variety of cigars if one does not perform, abandon it and seek out others. Unlike our host who is somewhat compelled to smoke numerous cigars as a requirement of his position as well as passion, I smoke only for passion. As a result I don't torture myself with poor performing cigars. I make it a point to eliminate them from my rotation and out of my possession as a whole. I have no need to "rate" or "review" cigars; I smoke them for enjoyment and as a result don't look to prove and prove again my opinion about a specific cigar. I keep and smoke cigars that have proven to be enjoyable, I tend to give away the others. I often don't look back.

I like the thread and I am not without some opinions on the subject but mine are more sweeping and less refined to specific cigars and that is not exactly what was asked for. For lack of a better term they are generalizations.

I have concluded over the past ten years that I prefer thinner ring cigars. Buying cigars is still risky, you don't always get what you want but newer cigars are better overall than they used to be when smoked fresh. Many '99 and '00 cigars have been vindicated over time. I have concluded that the 42 ring cigar represents perfection in a number of lengths. Larger ring cigars are less pungent and have less constitution than their slender or middle ring cousins. Larger rings are more prone burning problems and less prone to plugs. The opposite is true for slender rings. Less is more when it comes to humidity. Cuban cigar quality is on the rise and heated curing barns and attention to cigar draw has lead this battle. Cigar heritage and individualism is on the decline. With the tide raising all boats, larger ring cigars and piramides have had the greatest gains in terms of flavor over the past few years. Cigar branding and perception is completely unimportant; wisdom, knowledge of vintage and personal taste will lead you to the best cigars. Branding and boxing is wasted on me, but important to many others! The further that we get from the date of the nationalization of the Cuban cigar industry, the greater the loss of identity there is for any and all individual cigars. Cigar sales and taste have no correlation. There are gems and stones to be found in each vintage.

I could likely go on for days!!!

All in all the best cigars are made from the best tobacco, Cuban provenance. That observation remains unchanged at least for now. -The Pig

[OLS]

I am not going to talk about recent cigars, but since the middle of this decade, I have noticed that

the Partagas Short in cabinets is shockingly bad, the BBF, don't get me started. Where's the beef?

Por Larranage PCs are not impressive at all. And what the hell is up with RASS?

Improvements continue on Montecristo #2, Por Larranage Montecarlo, and recent experience says that

Super Partagas can easily compete with the best Partagas has to offer.

All just my opinion.

[bassman]

Something has changed with the SLR Serie A. Love my 97s & 02s, but the 06s taste very herbal- like a completely different cigar.

Recent SP Gigantes? I thought they were discontinued in 03? Not a SP fan at all, but the Gigante is the one cigar of the line I like. Both the 98s & 03s I've had are very nice.

06 RASS very bland & disappointing, as are 07 & 08 BBFs.

Surprisingly good- 08 Siglo V. Never had a young Cohiba that tasted so sweet. And, 08 Quay D'Orsay Imperiales. Lots of flavor & good body. These are NOT mild cigars.

[bassman]

The 04 PSD1 is possibly the most overlooked EL ever released. Rarely mentioned on any cigar boards & I agree- a great smoke.

[anacostiakat]

A few observations on an interesting thread/discussion.

I have reached the same conclusion as many others regarding thin gauge vs thick gauge cigars within the last five years. I prefer thinner in general. Also I have been lucky in the past I guess with "bad years" of 99 - 01. However I won't purchase any more.

While I have smoked many from the past decade I have only been smoking for five. I have no notes so I only have a few things to note here.

1 - To me RASS has improved the most.

2 - SIG VI ten count boxes have been inconsistent and I will not purchase them. Actually I prefer the SIG V, IV and III more now any way.

3 - Boli RC's have improved measureably. BBF's don't really impress me and never has.

4 - There are many good corona gorda and robusto offerings and I am smoking less DC's.

5 - I prefer the Le Hoyo subline over the HDM line.

6 - I dont smoke a lot of small cigars but I recognize that I must have them in stock.

7 - While I agree there is inconsistency in the Punch line I like them more.

8 - Partagas line is my favorite and remains so.

These are just a few things that come to mind. - The Kat