dicko Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 alright so we do love our CC's versus NC's debates on FOH! but how often do we put our money where our mouth is? I know i crave an NC maduro every now and then, maybe every 8 or 9 cigars I smoke. How about you???????
Cohiba007 Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 About once a quarter I pick up an nc firm my local lounge. I have not really enjoyed one in several years.
NitrousPurger Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Nc's for me just arent exciting anymore. I can walk into my local shop and not see anything I want to try :/ spoiled by CC's I guess
Puros Y Vino Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I enjoy the odd NC. Out of the 400 cigars I have about 35 are NC's. I'd say I'm on a 8 to 1 CC to NC smoking ratio. Casa Fernandez Lanceros are great for the money. NUB cigars have great construction and are tasty. The only NC's I'm not too crazy about are the ones named after the true Cuban brands. For instance. I have some Partagas Black Label Toros. Dark as ashpalt and as tasty as it too. Some Punch Presidentes @ 8.5inches * 48 RG are actually quite enjoyable and provide a nice 2hour + smoke. Oliva Series O perfectos are a nice mild cigar. My tastes are moving away from the NC's. Once they're gone the only ones I'd buy again are the Casa Fernandez Lanceros. I have a couple of higher end Padrons I haven't tried yet. I'll write a review of one come summertime. Otherwise Padron 2000's are a decent cheap cigar. Minimal flavour profile, but not bland.
CigarB Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I'm still in the process of building up my CC inventory, so I still have a large amount of NC's. I'm enjoying the process of seeing the vast differences (difference of aroma at cold is amazing). I actually smoked a Viaje Reserva #5 (#2 behind the Behike this year on CA's list). I found it to be decent, but nothing I would start hoarding as my B&M suggested.
tsolomon Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I still smoke NCs at the rate of 1-2 per week. Every now and then I want that in your face spicey smoke. I do find that it is difficult to walk into the local BM and pick out something I really want to smoke, but I do like to try new sticks to see if any of the new stuff lives up to it's hype. My go to sticks are Tatuaje Brown labels and Illusione HLs. Tried a Viaje Skull and Bones which was also pretty good, but the Holiday blend didn't really grab me.
anacostiakat Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 It really depends on how much/often I am smoking. If I am smoking at my local B&M then I am buying from them and will be purchasing something like an Illusione Epernay or a Litto Gomez Air Bender or Tat Brown or Guillermo Leon or EP Carillo maybe. My after lunch smokes basically when possible. Also depends on my stock at the time and what I am in the mood for. It problably comes out to about 70 /30 habanos/nc. But fluctuates.
tigger Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 NC a Couple of times a year, and it's usually an Ashton VSG Illusion.
dicko Posted January 31, 2011 Author Posted January 31, 2011 looks like the CC's have the edge early... Btw, Illusions always come up on poeples list of favourite NC's. Why are they so special??
Stalebread Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 It's around one non-Cuban to ten Cuban cigars for me. Right now. I tend to smoke more non-Cubans in the spring and summer months. Don't have any idea why. But what is now one-to-ten will be more like four-to-ten once it gets warmer.
Stalebread Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Btw, Illusions always come up on poeples list of favourite NC's. Why are they so special?? Because they're are a generally well made cigar. Full bodied but balanced. Rich flavors. As tsolomon mentioned, the HL is very good plus I enjoy both the lonsdale and corona gorda sizes. edited to add -- in this case I'm referring to the brand Illusione.
tsolomon Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 looks like the CC's have the edge early...Btw, Illusions always come up on poeples list of favourite NC's. Why are they so special?? If you're asking about the brand Illusione, then my answer is that some of them are great smokes. The story behind the brand is that he is trying to recreate the taste of the Nicaraguan cigars before the Sandinistas took over. I enjoy the lancero which is called the Holy Lance or HL. The flavor has an incense like taste that is pretty consistent for the entire smoke. I also like the CG4 and MK along with some of his other lines like Cruzado and Epernay. If you're asking about the Ashton VSG Illusion, I can't help you as I have only smoked one many years ago.
thechenman Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 While Cubans hold a slight edge for me...I'm still pretty well balanced at close to 50/50. While I love my Cuban cigars, I also enjoy cigars from other countries, and I enjoy sampling the variety of what is out there. Yes...it is experimental, and I do end up smoking some seriously crappy cigars, but I like seeing what everyone else has to offer and the inherent differences of tobacco from different countries. Obviously it does not hurt that NCs are so readily available, and that many lounges frown upon you smoking CCs in their establishment.
Grabo2u2 Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 After retiring I work at a cigar shop and smoked both pretty much 50/50. I retired completely about 8 years ago and have smoked nothing but Cuban's since. I had access to every non-Cuban out there during the cigar "boom" including all the top shelve cigars, while there are a lot of very good ones out there I prefer Bolivars, Ramone Allones, and of course Cohibas when the price is right.
Quint Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 95% CC's for me I've been this way for about 15 yrs now. With the economic down turn and the company I worked for closing it's door I was out of work for about 7 months and I went thru a good portion of my CC stock. So when I got back to work and started restocking I had to look for NC's to smoke while the CC's were aging. Still in that mode, it's hard not to smoke the CC's but it's well worth it if you can get some age on them. Quality of what's coming out of Cuba is worrisome also, I agree. Way to many bad cigars coming out in the past few years or more, especially regular production. It's tough when you spend $200 plus and the whole box sucks. Some of my old goto's have been horrible in the last few boxes I've purchased. Makes it real hard to pull the trigger again. From what I understand 2010 quality is better than prior years and what I have got appears to support that, although not ready to smoke yet so time will tell.
sblevit Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I actually had an Illusione Singular Phantom LE 2010 last night. It started off a bit sour but then developed into a wonderful nutty creaminess. Unfortunately, it did not last for more than 1/3 of the smoke. But I think these could develop into genuinely wonderful smokes with some time. There are some rare gem NCs out there. The problem is that you have to dig through a lot of NCs to find them.
PigFish Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I won't smoke the damn things... That is unless you count using one to light fireworks! -Piggy
Cig Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 It is a very RARE occasion that I smoke a NC. It's really only as a last resort if I'm traveling and already smoked all of my CC's.
cigcars Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 *Well now - Padron's 45th Anniversary and a few of Nick Perdomo's smokes (Gran Cru Corojo wrapper) do deserve a LITTLE honorable mention in my humble view. I like variety. I'm finding I do enjoy a tad of Brazilian and Camaroon tobacco as an additive to some NC's. There are a few smokes outside of Cuba I will indulge in here and there (I was in the 5 - 30% range). It's like a prime rib steak compared to a hot dog...SOMETIMES, I really enjoy or have a taste for a hot dog w/mustard every now and then. I might not be in the mood for a steak all of the time! It's kind of like the old Arab saying, "ALL sunshine makes a desert."
mazolaman Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 It's pretty much entirely Cuban for me. Now and then I'll try a Nicaraguan,as I like a few brands from there... But Cuba is the one.
ksblazer Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I'd say about 97% of what I smoke is Cuban. Just about everytime I get half way through a NC, I'm ready to pitch it and fire up a Cuban.
habanohal Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I havent smoked anything non cuban since 2001. Now I have tried a few that people have gave me but pitched evryone after the first few puffs
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