I love Cuba ....but when it comes to smoking cigars

[El Presidente]

I love having a cigar in Cuba.  

All who have been have their favourite experiences. For Stan it is smoking a cigar with a rum and a cheese platter at Reynaldo's (conde). For many it is that last few hours of the afternoon overlooking the ocean from the Nacional Hotel courtyard. I like a late Tapas lunch at El Templete and a walk along the Malecon with a custom and a flask of Santiago 11. 

location lends a lot to the experience. We are in a beautiful place with beautiful people. We are in the heart and soul of the cigar world. 

Yet one thing bugs me........few cigars taste as good as they do at home 

You could put it down to the cigars being fresh....but I have smoked enough aged cigars purchased in Cuba or kept in lockers there. 

You could put it down to our taste buds being fried....but even the first cigar of the tour or the day doesn't have the complexity. 

The long and short of it is that the few cigars that I bring with me from home "outsmoke" almost anything that I purchase or store in Cuba. 

Too much moisture? in some cases absolutely. the fridge in my casa  room is where I dry box what I intend to take out the next day. it helps a little but i am not sure it is the whole story. 

Is it just me? Do any other travellers to Cuba have the same experience?

 

[dvickery]

Next time try one of Alex's churchills  .

derrek

 

[El Presidente]

12 minutes ago, dvickery said:

Next time try one of Alex's churchills  .

derrek

 

I brought back close to 120 of them (lancero/Dalia/corona). 

 

 

[madandana]

I actually have the opposite experience . I've had very few in Cuba that I didn't love. The only one was a fresh farmie in 2014 that was to wet. Other than that I can smoke all I want with out getting that Nic buzz I get at home if I over do it. They all tast great and never a hang over.........Well maybe that was a lie.

[SaintMickey®]

 

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

Yet one thing bugs me........few cigars taste as good as they do at home 

I am not sure if this is an answer exactly but I like my cigars best...

Also this is a "reverse" example but I know I can cook a steak at home and it is good but why the hell is it SO MUCH better at Strip Steak in Vegas or Smith and Wollensky in NYC?  I believe our mind plays tricks on our senses. You like your cigars in the comfort of your home - same cigar better at home!? 

Another example we have all experienced...superb cigar but in the wrong location or with the wrong company and we did not enjoy it?!. HOW is that possible...It is a superb cigar and we didn't enjoy it?!  The mind and the senses...

Of course the cigar could be a dud, too young or too wet...but when a cigar is great the memory around it is usually great as well in my experience. 

 

[clutch5150]

I hate to admit it, I feel the same, BUT a few of the local rolled blends at a few locales were amazing....

[stogieluver]

90 dF and 90% rH absolutely wreck a Cuban cigar. 

[Lant63]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

I brought back close to 120 of them (lancero/Dalia/corona). 

 

 

You cant go wrong with those. IMHO he is the best roller in havana right now.  His Salamones need a little work for him to be mentioned along side Hamlet though.  

[Ethernut]

@El Presidente I was chalking it up to fried palate. I had a similar experience although I felt as if I could taste and experience the blind cigars at Santy quite distinctly. Did you bring them from Home? 

I didn't buy many Marcas in Havana only Alex Customs. The few FOH sticks that were gifted were mostly brought back except the ones gifted at Espacios (which were pretty moist).

I must say I didn't get much complexity from local cigars in havana but I figured it was because I smoked between 30-50 cigars. It was pretty foggy, and much I can't remember. Mucho Ron... mi cabeza.. mi cabeza...

[MPS]

The best cigars I have ever smoked were aged and smoked in Cuba. I've been very lucky with both aged Mons and Habanos.


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[Bartolomeo]

In Cuba I pay attention to everything around me but the cigar for the most part b/c everything around me is still fairly new, rewarding and worth paying attention to....especially convos w friends

When I am home I pay more attention to my cigar as I am used to my environment and enjoy getting lost in the cigar

That being said, Customs from various rollers on the island seem to taste similar w some exceptions in my experience and seperate when they get home.....that may have something to do w the booze too

[QuaiDorkay]

2 hours ago, Lant63 said:

You cant go wrong with those. IMHO he is the best roller in havana right now.  His Salamones need a little work for him to be mentioned along side Hamlet though.  

Me and Alex on Friday with his churchill

 

[Lant63]

Me and Alex on Friday with his churchill

 

I can't wait to go back to Havana and smoke there. He wasn't rolling when I went. His laguito no 4 is amazing too by the way!


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[Pilsner14]

Some of my best smoking experiences and mind blowing cigars have been elsewhere...Cuba, Mexico, etc.  I feel that my smoking at home can sometime equate to going  through the motions.

[Ethernut]

...come to think of it, I did have a cigar that was quite a cracker in Cuba. It was at the Four Points Sheraton LCDH with @Corylax18, @jat, and @jacketfan. It was a 2016 Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto. We all commented on how good it was. I was quite tempted when it popped up in the 24:24 recently and I texted Cory to jump on it for sure. 

That one was a fine cigar and I also believe it had something to do with the company we were in. Fantastic place to sit, quiet and great Rum.

 

[jkdooley]

15 hours ago, SaintMickey® said:

.superb cigar but in the wrong location or with the wrong company and we did not enjoy it?!

Amen to that!!! 

[Cigar Surgeon]

I have the opposite problem. Cubans don't smoke great in Calgary most of the time. You've got a combination of high altitude, cold weather, and extremely low humidity.

[JohnnyC]

I whole heatedly agree with you Rob. It seems high humidity and the freshness of the cigars leads to a not so enjoyable experience.  

[ErikB]

Must have something to do with storage, presuming you keep your cigars in perfect condition at home. But then again it could just be Havana ? Busy city right by the sea ? One of the most complex and perfect cigars I smoked in Cuba was a Des Dieux but that was in Pinar del Rio , not Havana


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[PigFish]

Great post my friend @Elpresidente

Maybe you are just smoking the wrong cigars...! Maybe you need to try the EP Carillo Seleccion Oscuro Piramides Royal... -LOL It was #4 on CA best of the year list.

How the "F" do you even go into a store and ask for that cigar???

The good news is, while CA rated it #4, to me it looks more like #2...

Oh, and back on topic... Water content baby... Water content! How many times do I have to say it?

-Piggy

[canadianbeaver]

Sitting at a bar in Madrid and finding this similar experience @Elpresidente ! And certainly to each their own. Little interest in going to Cuba as not enough to keep us fascinated for a whole week. What can I tell you.

Cannot buy cigars that are not opened and rated by someone who knows then shipped to me by code, date and guarantee.

CB

 

[Guest]

I'm with you Prez... Never really found anything that blew me away. Generally speaking it was because they were just too wet, and it has been too windy outdoors. There have been the odd gems though.

I do recall watching your face light up with pure joy by a PD4 purchased at El Morro..... As we sat outside the Fort on the park benches, I could smell an amazing aroma from your smoke.... and looking at the expression on your face, you exclaimed, "this is hands down the best f'ing D4 I've ever had"

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, PigFish said:

Great post my friend @Elpresidente

Maybe you are just smoking the wrong cigars...! Maybe you need to try the EP Carillo Seleccion Oscuro Piramides Royal... -LOL It was #4 on CA best of the year list.

How the "F" do you even go into a store and ask for that cigar???

The good news is, while CA rated it #4, to me it looks more like #2...

Oh, and back on topic... Water content baby... Water content! How many times do I have to say it?

-Piggy

Very simple, Ray. Walk into the store, curl your fingers toward your thumb, bend your elbow and move your hand in a forward/backward motion, whilst asking for a "cigar".

[Warren]

Yes I think surroundings and the people you are with do influence your cigar experience. I remember when I used to do a few video reviews that I would usually experience more complex flavors during our discussions. Rob or Smithy would say they could taste this or that and I would usually find that I could taste that as well. I think it all comes down to what you are focused on. When I smoke alone I more often than not enjoy the cigar but not necessarily experience the flavor.

[Corylax18]

11 hours ago, Ethernut said:

...come to think of it, I did have a cigar that was quite a cracker in Cuba. It was at the Four Points Sheraton LCDH with @Corylax18, @jat, and @jacketfan. It was a 2016 Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto. We all commented on how good it was. I was quite tempted when it popped up in the 24:24 recently and I texted Cory to jump on it for sure. 

That one was a fine cigar and I also believe it had something to do with the company we were in. Fantastic place to sit, quiet and great Rum.

 

Yup, those Hoyos were one of the top two sticks I smoked on the trip, certainly memorable. I remember we all had similar impressions of the flavors as well. Lots of bread dough, toast, and some sweet baking spices. Extremly smooth from start to finish. It was my fourth cigar of the day too. After two cigars at the vintage tasting and a third at the four points, the Hoyo still shined. Bright.

I was also blown away by some RA superiors and ended up going home with multiple boxes. 

There were also duds though. A siglo VI that was unsmokably plugged, and a partagas serie d no 6 (I believe, it may have been a 5, I was drunk) to Open the partags dinner. Yes, I would love to have my taste buds fried right off the bat. Thanks! Maybe that second one should go in the HSA fails of the year though...... nothing wrong with the cigar, just a hard choice to fathom as a starting cigar for an event like that.