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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!

Pics: http://imgur.com/a/fhQVf Cigar: Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Natural Vitola: Superior ID number: 781354 Pairing: Water Pre-light Inspection: The cigar has a 4mm crack midway on the cigar (probably from my many moves), and had a somewhat lumpy texture. The wrapper has a mottled brown color to it, but has no large veins. Smell: The wrapper smells of cedar and aged tobacco, while the foot has additional notes of chocolate and barnyard. There is no hint of manure or spice present. Draw: There is a perfect amount of resistance. Just enough to slightly bring in the sides of my mouth. The cold draw has flavors of barnyard, manure, and sweet chocolate. 1/3: There is a surprising start to this cigar; the first note that hits me is a cilantro herbaceousness. I have never had this in a cigar before; subtle yet distinct. The more prominent flavors I perceive after the initial shock are cinnamon, black tea, and malt sweetness all wrapped in an overwhelming creaminess. At this point I feel like the full intensity of flavors are subdued by the creaminess. The smoke volume is good right off the bat. As we get into the meat of the first-third milk chocolate and hazelnuts come into the mix, and the initial vegetal flavor is lost. The flavors are also becoming more intense. 2/3: As we move into the second-third the flavors have changed a bit. Vanilla, cream, baking spices, chocolate, hazelnuts, and a hint of orange zest are present. The orange zest was another surprise to me. By the end of the second-third there was an addition of cedar and the flavors have continued to intensify, but still remain creamy. 3/3: The creaminess of the cigar is now taking on a more moderate role and the flavors from the end of the second-third keep cycling. One puff spice is dominate, another chocolate, next nuttiness, then vanilla. It is like a bunch of musicians jamming, taking four bars each while the rest keep the chord progression going. The flavors keep intensifying as I nub the cigar, eventually loosing the creaminess all together and becoming almost solely spicy. This is when I decide my time is up. Total smoking time: 1 hour 45 minutes This was a very memorable cigar experience for me, and I’m glad this is my rebirth into the cigar world. The complexity of this cigar remained after five years of age, and I loved every minute of it. Even though there were a few construction issues on sight, the cigar burnt fantastically, going though the crack with no problem. I would unscientifically rate this cigar experience as 92/100. Happy smoking!