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Non Cuban dunhill - montecruz sun grown in Las Palmas? lol so weird to smoke this cigar… taste not bad

Congrats! I tried to go contrarian with the Pats to force a tie lol. Fun stuff, thanks @El Presidente!

All that guff and you get some nachos and dip.

It is quite amazing, really. Truly it is. Well done to him! (Casey Heaton, that is, of course!)

JL1 24

Hope they will get the Bolivar ER soon too

Love this!

Sound the alarm. Absolutely. No question.

PLPC started the day. AF Maduro ended it.

At minimum, the family should be asked if they knew some were fakes and be offered a chance to make thi gs right before blowing the whistle

Unfortunately, we in the Habanos world are all too familiar with this tale. To simplify, let’s pretend it isn’t cigars. Let’s say it’s watches or art or vintage cars. Would you say something? Id let them know and ask to sell back the fakes at the purchased price and eat the shipping.

Unfortunate situation but I would not propagate the scam. Perhaps inform the family and give them the opportunity to do the right thing.

I like it!

I would blow the whistle.

If you have a specific person you want to send anything to I can help. I take down stuff for my wife's parents but always have space. If you want to send something in general for a local that is struggling there are plenty that would appreciate the help. Send me a message, its easy but I am limited to Havana. John

Family guy for me, however i would choose south park over both of them

Absolutely, but I think the very best are tied inextricably to their chefs when those chefs are true visionaries. Think of Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, or Grant Achatz: French Laundry, Le Bernardin, and Alinea would not be what they are without the genius and skill of those three. Davidoff in my view tries to position itself as the Michelin Star cigar brand, in which case I think they have more of an obligation to announce their core creative team. I think this is what they view Avo and Camacho as doing for them. I agree that they seem no longer to care about the average smoker otherwise, and they certainly seem to have gotten rid of a lot of their educational programming they used to do around the various blends (at least in NYC). They feel very similar to a Rolex boutique. It isn't an altogether welcoming or earnest vibe.

Pretty serious move for a them with a govt they are friendly with. To me it suggests they expect conditions to worsen and believe infrastructure stability is in question. Countries are usually willing to leave nationals in uncomfortable situations if they believe the host state is stable enough. So an evacuation advisory here is them saying “don’t be here if this goes sideways” I don’t think this means Russia is abandoning Cuba though. They’ll still help at the state level if it serves their geopolitical interests. I think the next 60-120 days matter a lot. Hoping for the best for you down there. Hang tight and do what you need to do.

dead set fair point. Assuming he was dealing with "Mrs Jones" 86 year old mother and daughter Jane, 55 year old who wouldn't know a cigar from a carrot. Lovely people. My issue is that they did enough research to ask for market price.

I respect very successful restaurants who don't have a "name" chef. Smart business practice as the chef can leave anytime. Cigar world not too different. My question mark on Davidoff is their past decades lack (perceived?) of "punter" involvement. "Punter" simply means the average Joe who steps up and buys their product. Drew Estate does it. Steve Saka does it. Pete Johnson does it. I was mentioning on FOH Zoom the other day how Carlito Fuente flew to Colombia last month for the opening of a private lounge. Davidoff (in my opinion) would do well to straddle a middle ground. They are a brand behemoth. Yet, a touch of soul/authenticity could be woven in to their magnificent story.

"do prospective buyers need a warning that at least some of the boxes are not authentic?".... in what situation exactly would it be ethical to keep quiet?! Im so confused.

Welcome to the forum! truly great group here, and I think you'll like it just fine

Welcome to FOH!

Who would have thought that there would be announcements regarding changes to the rating process for two venerable organizations: the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Lounge Lizards Formal Lizard Rating!? Not since Vatican II has there been such a shift in what was thought to be sacred. But if the Sergeant at Arms is okay with it--and we all know how...stubborn Pagoda is said to be about the ratings system--then so, too, shall Lizard Nation learn to adjust (not that I think anyone but Bam, Chef, and Drunk Grinder really changed their ratings, anyway). @LizardGizmo, I really enjoyed your discussion about Davidoff's being a bit rudderless right now. I was speaking with the staff at my local lounge, and they have pointed out that Davidoff's public position these days is that they have a team of blenders and that no one person is integral to the success of their offerings. But this, I think, misses the mark for true Cigar Smokers, as you aptly call them, and you guys have demonstrated this over and over again, these past few weeks being the most recent. When you smoke something that Klaas Kelner or Rafael Nodal have blended, you have certain expectations of quality and flavor that lead you to try that cigar even if you otherwise wouldn't have. Their names carry enough credibility and their blends have rated so highly that adding them to a blend is a signal to smokers to take that particular cigar seriously. This is the same as for well respected chefs, vintners, woodworkers, guitarists, etc. For example, if Steve Lukather is listed on a track, I know I'm in for a great guitar part even if I don't usually listen to the band he's playing with. It therefore concerns me that Davidoff doesn't disclose who their current master blender is, nor the properties of the blends, themselves. They certainly know how powerful the name recognition is -- they never shied away from it when Eladio or Henke blended for them -- and I think they no longer put it front and center because they know they don't have a satisfactory answer for those who love their cigars for the flavor and not the hype. That is, their saying nothing says something and says it quite loudly. I am concerned for the future of the blends I love from them. On the flip side, I hope that more brands start advertising who their blenders are or that freelance blenders start insisting in their contracts that they get some kind of name recognition. We smokers love what we love, and just like a brand, we are apt to chase a blender whose work resonates with our palate. I know I am more likely to smoke a Kelner cigar after having fallen in love with the Avowed and Stoic lines and that I will pursue Rafael Nodal's blends thanks to my love of the Sonata (which, thanks for introducing me to that fantastic stick!). For large brands, such an affiliation can entice new smokers to try something (like you all did with a new world Monte) and, for smaller or newer brands, can serve as something of a shortcut to credibility, showcasing that they know and care enough about quality flavors to seek out and work with the best blenders available. As we experience price crunches in almost every aspect of our lives, a lot of consumers are looking for certainty--certainty of experience, of quality, of anything at all. And we equally look for connection to something other than a nameless and faceless company. Whenever we can keep or amplify the human element of this hobby, it is a good thing, especially when that human is tied to making some of the most exciting new blends being put out there right now. I hope to see more of this in future releases. And to Davidoff, I love the Millennium Blend Robusto. But not enough that you'll never lose me if you mess with it. Thanks again, Lizards, for giving me 2+ hours a week of the perfect combination of education and entertainment.

Family estate. They don't know/likely care. That doesn't make them bad people. No doubt they are offloading a host of estate non cigar offerings as well. To them, they just want to get to the finishing line of a painful period. Does the buyer go on Reddit and similar to warn others? I think that is the question he was alluding to.