Search the Community

Selected my stogies and spirits for this weekend. Non-Cubans (don't hold it against me) this time ?. Ashton VSG, Padron 80th Anniversary and 1964 40th Anniversary Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Angels Envy Finished Rye and Jeffersons Groth Reserve Cask Finished.

Vegas Cubanas Corona by My Father cigars (Don Pepin Garcia) 5.5" x 44 Box date: 25 AGO 2017 I used to love these. While my palate shifted away from pretty much the rest of DPG's blends, this was a mainstay for me while he continued to put out release after release that pretty much tasted the same. The VC was then effectively discontinued and I was disappointed. They were still available sporadically from some of the cheaper online NC vendors, but that didn't inspire any confidence in me, having seen that go down before and watching good blends fall to shit. I just found out these had been officially re-released, and had located and purchased a box for less than $100 within the hour. They showed up 48 hours later and I was questioning whether these would still hold the magic they once did. Naturally, while the rest stay in the freezer as part of my insurance policy against beetle infestations, I had to pull one out, drybox it overnight and put it to the flame. Accompanying drink: Cubita coffee with milk 1st third: A quick hit of tannins and light ammonia suggesting some aging potential. Suddenly it's a creamy cedar core, played on by fleeting floral and dried fruit notes. Finish is short, but with a delicious candy caramel sweetness. An excellent representation of Nicaraguan terroir, which I am typically not a fan of. 2nd third: Creamy cedar remains the centerpiece of the profile, but is not boring as it's offset by a delicious Nicaraguan twang. An elegant and luxurious cocoa has joined the flavors to stay. Finish is still caramel, but the sweetness is fading puff by puff. The interesting part to this third was how well it complemented the Cubita coffee, drawing out delicious milk chocolate and floral marshmallow notes. 3rd third: Creamy cedar and cocoa vie for control of my palate while Nicaraguan spice and pepper show up. Now it tastes more like a typical DPG stick, but is somehow not abrasive and is a very good cigar. Finish is now Nicaraguan twang. Construction: Pretty good. Rolled entubar, but could use another leaf to bring me to my now-familiar tight draw that I get from Havanas. The thick wrapper needed a few touch-ups, but nothing detrimental to my opinion of the stick. Vegas Cubanas is back and better than I remembered my last one being several years ago. I am excited to age the rest, though can see that they don't need much more time to be approachable. I'm going to watch this box and see how the construction is across the sticks and, more importantly, whether the flavor profile can hold up over time. Still, as someone who strongly prefers Cuban terroir above all others, this cigar gives me what I like while providing a change of pace when I need a short break from the perfection of my beloved HUPC, PLMC and other regular favorites. Cheers!

Hello all from North Carolina, USA. I've been a lurker/research/review hound for a few months now, and I finally decided it was time to jump in and make a contribution to this community. Leaving in a few days for a short trip across the pond, and looking forward to being able to get my humidor stocked with its very first CCs. At this point, I'm thinking HUHC, and RASCC, based on a lot of the reviews and recommendations of the fine folks of this forum. Looking forward to this new adventure!

Back in November 2015, Hamlet had a few tour stops in PA while promoting his debut cigar. I contacted a friend and told him he should head out to meet him and try his cigar. In turn, he offered to pick up some boxes and relay them up to me. So I asked around, others were interested, so we did a group buy. Hamlet was gracious enough to sign and date each box as well. Below are the spoils. Closeup of the Coronas Closeup of Robustos Closeup of Salamones Closeup of Toros Kudos to Keith for bringing these up from the US. In all, the presentation of the boxes and cigars IMO are quite handsome. With only one exception. There was some paint dust residue from what I believe may have been some kind of silk screening process for the logos and type on the box. I wiped them off with damp paper towels and there was a yellow tinge that matched the box paint. Kind of a nasty oversight, but not the end of the world. It was easy enough to clean up.

Hey guys, I'm buying a xikar hygrometer from a US site so I thought I would pick up a few NCs as well since I'm already paying for the shipping. I've never smoked a NC before but can anybody recommend me something decent? I'm not looking to buy a whole box but will probably buy a few small packs or singles. Also, surely this isn't the first time this question has come up but searching for 'NC' or 'non-cuban' gives me no results. What's the best way to search for these threads? Thanks!

Pics: http://imgur.com/a/VjCDs Cigar: Avo Uvezian Maduro (bought in 2009 from The Kensington Tobacconist Reading, PA) Vitola: Belicoso Pairing: Water Pre-light Inspection: Once taken out of its stained cellophane, this cigar was glistening in the sunlight. I hope it came out in the pictures. The sheen was beautiful, especially towards the head of the cigar. One small sun spot on the wrapper, and one medium sized vein pushing up under the wrapper were its only cosmetic flaws. There was also a slight variation in maduro color from the foot to head. The construction is very good, with no soft or hard patches on feeling the cigar, a very even packing of tobacco. Smell: The aroma coming of the wrapper is dominated by the smell of manure and puppy smell. You know what I’m talking about dog lovers. The foot of the cigar has much less manure and smells more of sweet earth and chocolate. Draw: There is a perfect amount of resistance. The cold draw has flavors of subtle manure, creamy, sweet chocolate, and earth. 1/3: The cigar starts off with a non-aggressive spiciness, predominantly cinnamon. As the cigar cools from lighting, a rich chocolate flavor comes out in force. The aftertaste has an interesting green tea like tannic sensation. It is not a bad thing at all. It makes me want to take another puff to refresh my palate with chocolate. 2/3: As we move into the second-third the flavors have progressed to become more intense and rich. There is a distinct creaminess to the smoke with a lingering sweetness. The aftertaste reminds me of sweetened condensed milk. This is a delicious smoke. 3/3: I smoked the 2/3 too quickly, resulting in the beginning of the 3/3 being very hot and aggressive. After I let the cigar cool down and puffed with some caution, I found the flavors to have changed a little. Spiciness now dominates the flavor profile, black pepper and cinnamon. The sweetness and creaminess have decreased as well. Chocolate is still present in the aftertaste, and the cigar ends with the last few puffs reminding me of grilled meat. Total smoking time: 2 hours This was a favorite cigar of mine early in my smoking life, and I’m glad I put a few of these away for a few years. The 2/3 of this cigar was absolutely amazing and if the 3/3 was exactly like the 2nd, I would be giving this cigar a much higher rating. Overall, I would rate the experience as 91/100. Happy smoking!