Non-Cubans

[Danimalia]

6 hours ago, wabashcr said:

For Tatuaje, I pretty much just stick to the black label.  Some of their Reserva/brown label stuff is pretty decent, and anything they still make in Miami is worth a shot.  But for my money the black label is far and away their best regular production line.

Yeah, the black labels are outstanding. The Cazadores is my favorite size. 

[luv2fly]

Brown Tats are good.  Don't have any more.  I have 7 Opus X and will not get more unless I find the Lancero.  Those are good for a nice spice kick when I am feeling  funky.  

[mwaller]

On 2/26/2017 at 7:03 AM, bman75 said:

For non-shade Davidoffs (black label), I really like the Nicaraguan.  I'd smoke more Nicaraguan tobacco if it was blended with this kind of balance.  Fantastic.  I only had one of the new Yamasas, which is a Dominican puro.  Fullest Davidoff I have ever had but enjoyed it much.  Highly recommended for Opus fans.  I found the maduro Escurio line to be boring.

I agree with the Davidoff Nicaragua recommendation.  Great medium bodied cigars!  I was not as impressed with the Yamasa... I found it a bit harsh.  Avoid Escurio... no flavor whatsoever.  

[rxavier1979]

13 hours ago, wabashcr said:

I would put the Don Reynaldo at the top of this list.  It's easily my favorite Warped cigar. 

Completely forgot about this beauty!!!  I've only had 1 and it was a while back but remember it being awesome! Good call!

[Dave001]

i still have a little desktop humidor of NC's and I have padron 64's fuente don carlos, tatuaje and illusione 

those are the only NC's I ever liked (I have tried others and to me all I ever had in taste was harsh pepper bombs threw so many NC's out because of this )

[Westside Threat]

I broke down and bought a CA25 sampler (22 minus Cubans), more out of curiosity where the market is trending.  They will make for a nice change of pace over the coming year and maybe I'll find something I really like.

But I'm not going to lie, the Andalusian Bull terrifies me 

[rxavier1979]

5 hours ago, Dave001 said:

i still have a little desktop humidor of NC's and I have padron 64's fuente don carlos, tatuaje and illusione 

those are the only NC's I ever liked (I have tried others and to me all I ever had in taste was harsh pepper bombs threw so many NC's out because of this )

Finding a great NC is as difficult as me sending my wife to the nearest liquor superstore and asking her to bring me home a great Whisky without any other guidance than that. They're definitely out there, but the problem is that there are way too many options that either suck or aren't in my wheelhouse.

Habanos are like choosing which restaurant you like best at Disney World. 

[rxavier1979]

4 hours ago, Westside Threat said:

I broke down and bought a CA25 sampler (22 minus Cubans), more out of curiosity where the market is trending.  They will make for a nice change of pace over the coming year and maybe I'll find something I really like.

But I'm not going to lie, the Andalusian Bull terrifies me 

 In my opinion if you are going off that list, you are doomed from the start...  they seem to put a significant weight on mass availability which means more mass produced cigars. To me, that spells mediocrity in a lot of cases. 

[rxavier1979]

Try Halfwheel's list. 

[Dave001]

3 hours ago, rxavier1979 said:

Finding a great NC is as difficult as me sending my wife to the nearest liquor superstore and asking her to bring me home a great Whisky without any other guidance than that. They're definitely out there, but the problem is that there are way too many options that either suck or aren't in my wheelhouse.

Habanos are like choosing which restaurant you like best at Disney World. 

very well said I totally agree, I suppose if I really had the desire I would have to research and find a few others to my liking, but I rather not LOL

[Westside Threat]

23 minutes ago, rxavier1979 said:

Try Halfwheel's list. 

Yep I know what I'm getting.  It was a pre made sampler, not something I hand picked out.  

[jazzboypro]

6 hours ago, Westside Threat said:

I broke down and bought a CA25 sampler (22 minus Cubans), more out of curiosity where the market is trending.  They will make for a nice change of pace over the coming year and maybe I'll find something I really like.

But I'm not going to lie, the Andalusian Bull terrifies me 

So far i've had the Henry Clay, Enclave, and the Oliva Serie V Melanio. Not bad cigars

[Blazer]

Huge fan of anything from RoMa Craft, Crowned Heads, Warped and Tatuaje. 

[HoyoFan]

I'm thinking of grabbing a fiver of some Tat 7th Capa. Been reading some good reviews of them

[zeedubbya]

37 minutes ago, PadronFan said:

I'm thinking of grabbing a fiver of some Tat 7th Capa. Been reading some good reviews of them

Personally I like the J21 better than the 7th, but I know a lot of people who like the 7th better.  The J21 has an Ecuadorian wrapper and the 7th has a Connecticut Broadleaf.  I encourage you to try both if you can.  They are both excellent NCs.  

[HoyoFan]

Personally I like the J21 better than the 7th, but I know a lot of people who like the 7th better.  The J21 has an Ecuadorian wrapper and the 7th has a Connecticut Broadleaf.  I encourage you to try both if you can.  They are both excellent NCs.  

I'm making a list of tats to try. I'm thinking a few black series, a few 7th capa, j21, and a few 10th anniv belle encre.

The issue now is finding a place online that will sell me singles of these. If you know of any please PM.

[SticksAndSticks]

41 minutes ago, PadronFan said:

 

I'm making a list of tats to try. I'm thinking a few black series, a few 7th capa, j21, and a few 10th anniv belle encre.

The issue now is finding a place online that will sell me singles of these. If you know of any please PM.

 

I highly recommend the Petit Cazadores Reserva. My special NCs to keep around are those, the Lil' Drac and Baby Face from the Little Monsters release a bit ago. The TAA releases most people enjoy a lot, I find them remarkably similar to the La Mission du L'Atelier line with a steeper price tag. Tatuaje PCRs though are excellent little sticks when youre in the mood for Pepper/Caramel/Raisin in a 30 minute package. I also love how the closed foot gives you that nice hit of broadleaf sweetness at the start.

[SticksAndSticks]

On 3/2/2017 at 5:51 AM, Blazer said:

Huge fan of anything from RoMa Craft, Crowned Heads, Warped and Tatuaje. 

Roma Craft stuff is hit and miss for me. I don't like pepper bombs and Roma misses me on most of their lines but that standout cigar from them in my opinion is the Neanderthal. Something about the heavy sweetness in those with that powerful pepper blends together so nicely. Definitely agree on Warped and Tatuaje.

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I was inspired by this thread to try a couple of new sticks ...

[Realmikemeadows]

I was inspired by this thread to try a couple of new sticks ...

The illusions fume d amour is a fantastic smoke and the cojou is a winner as well! Enjoy

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[perkinke]

There's a couple brands I love that haven't been mentioned yet: Curivari-el gran Rey is my favorite but haven't had one of their lines yet I disliked; Regius- the core black line is the best, but their USA exclusivos aren't bad; Caldwell-love the Eastern Standard, (but hate the names of their vitolas) the king is dead was good too. Paul garmian makes some good stuff and I do like quite a few of AJ Fernandez' work. Fuentes anejo and Hemmingways are always good.


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[JMacSr]

There's a couple brands I love that haven't been mentioned yet: Curivari-el gran Rey is my favorite but haven't had one of their lines yet I disliked; Regius- the core black line is the best, but their USA exclusivos aren't bad; Caldwell-love the Eastern Standard, (but hate the names of their vitolas) the king is dead was good too. Paul garmian makes some good stuff and I do like quite a few of AJ Fernandez' work. Fuentes anejo and Hemmingways are always good.


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The Curivaris are fantastic IMO My favorite local shop carries all their stuff.


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[rxavier1979]

On 2/28/2017 at 6:44 AM, wabashcr said:

I would put the Don Reynaldo at the top of this list.  It's easily my favorite Warped cigar.  

Thanks to you, I just went out and bought a box of these at my B&M...  

[HoyoFan]

A lot of people have brought up blasts of pepper from NCs, something that I've noticed over the years as well and something that really drew me to CCs - often a much more balanced flavor profile.

I almost pulled the trigger on some crowned heads and warped but when reading a lot of the reviews on halfwheel and blindmanspuff I saw a lot of mentions of strong spice and pepper.

Any recommendations from those two brands (I've never tried either) that are more balanced and offer less pepper/spice and more cream/coffee/chocolate?

[Jimmy_jack]

1 hour ago, PadronFan said:

A lot of people have brought up blasts of pepper from NCs, something that I've noticed over the years as well and something that really drew me to CCs - often a much more balanced flavor profile.

I almost pulled the trigger on some crowned heads and warped but when reading a lot of the reviews on halfwheel and blindmanspuff I saw a lot of mentions of strong spice and pepper.

Any recommendations from those two brands (I've never tried either) that are more balanced and offer less pepper/spice and more cream/coffee/chocolate?

I don't like the spice pepper that is so entrenched in NC today. That said, I specifically smoke Illusione Epernay(no ligero at all) and some Warped for this. Great cigars and construction. Try Warped Futuro, or El Oso and Illusione Epernay.