At the risk of alienating most on FOH

[Magpie]

Well I'm in Fiji on holiday from Melbourne. Staying at the Radisson Blu resort on Denerau Island close to Nadi. Weather has been magnificent and have had a wonderful break with the wife. My first time here but will be back. 

Now mostly it's a non smoking resort but you can smoke on your balcony. 

I brought 7 cigars with me to get me through the week, 6 Cuban and 1 NC.

2 BBF

2 Punch Coronation

2 Monte Petite No 2

1 Oliva serie V torpedo

so we have the CC outnumbering the NC 6/1 should be an easy game for the CC, sadly not, my experience of CC over the last 12 months has been mediocre at best,there is absolutely no consistency in quality of construction , out the the 6 CC only 2 of them came even close the Oliva, one of the Punch and one of the Monte, both of the BBF were so tight getting a draw was nigh on impossible.

Now, all were stored identically and smoked in the same conditions, the Oliva won hands down.

This is not a one off of late but rather the norm, for the near future I'll be spending what money I have on NC, Oliva, Padron and Fuente. I'm not giving up CC hopefully what's left in my humidor back home will bring we round again.

im open minded on cigars and don't have a one eyed view of CC being the best, yes some are brilliant but many are not. A good cigar CC or NC works for me I'm not bias. Now that said from a one eyed Collingwood supporter ( the Aussies will understand ).

back home tomorrow.

 

 

[99call]

Hhhm, As far as construction and the ability to get a very open (not loose but open) and opulent draw, I would recommend the Upmann Mag 50, to try and restore your faith in CC's.  Although I really like a slightly restrictive CC draw, as it's almost like a in built device to stop you smoking too hot or too quick. I do sometimes get frustrated when a CC cigar needs to be nursed along, but I think there is a truism running through most CC vs NC threads on this forum.  And thats NC's may win in terms of reliability, but for that nirvana moment and twang, give me CC's every time. 

[El Capitan]

I don't think you'll get much of an argument with the generally more consistent contruction etc with NC's, but I find NC's monochrome.  

For me I'll never get the "4K vivid colour & surround sound experience" that I crave from anywhere but Habanos.  The complexity, the richness, the history, the unmistakable aroma when opening a box..... all worth it to put up with occasional annoyances that come along with it.

[CaptainQuintero]

I think the fresh fruit /real food metaphor is very good for Cubans.

NC tend to be incredibly consistent in terms of flavour and construction. But like processed foods which share this similarity, to me it tends to be limited in flair and flavour. They excel at consistency.

CC on the other hand can get incredible high points, but just like picking fresh food, fruit, veg etc you need to learn what to look for. Otherwise you can end up picking a poor example.

It takes a long time to, A- know what to look for and, B- identify what you like and how to find that from within that 'ripe' selection.

 

[Smallclub]

I prefer inconsistency in quality to consistency in lack of flavours, turbo draw and nauseous doses of nicotine…

[smokeyjoe01]

Get a PerfecDraw

[TheLiquidGator]

Been smoking CC'c since 1995. I can count on one hand the number of plugged CC cigars I have had to endure.

[Maxismoke]

7 minutes ago, TheLiquidGator said:

Been smoking CC'c since 1995. I can count on one hand the number of plugged CC cigars I have had to endure.

Same here, since 1995 here as well, but I'd probably need 3 hands to count the plugged CC's I've had.
 

[Colt45]

I've found that cigars of various levels of quality are produced world-wide.....

[El Hoze]

I smoke 90% CCs and live with a woman who grew up in the tobacco capital of Dominican Republic, so it's a constant debate in our house. And of the few NCs I do smoke, virtually none are "off the shelf" and all are given as gifts meant to impress "the CC guy". I actually continue to be shocked that stores (outside of the US) even bother to carry a selection NC cigars. Like to the level I find it a great mystery of the world. And I sincerely hate to say that. You can imagine the face on the Mrs when I say things like "who on earth walks into a cigar store in London and walks out with a Dominican cigar?". 

This is not to say there aren't great NC cigars, but it's very tilted. I always think in parallels of cigars vs wine and drinkable/smokeable vs truly enjoyable. Fantastic wines are grown all over the world. Even "Bordeaux" varietals can be grown extremely well in more areas than I can even count. If you told me I could only drink bordeaux varieteals/blends from outside Bordeaux from now on I'd be pretty disappointed, but I'd get over it. With tobacco that unfortunately is not the case....and it isn't for a lack of knowledge, money, or technology.

I actually am glad to hear someone feels the opposite!

 

[shlomo]

I find most NCs to smoke loose. Oliva V pyramids absolutely (had one yesterday) included. The high RH in Fiji may have tightened up your already tighter Cubans, but left your loose NC perfect.

Or maybe you just like Oliva better than the 6 others you brought. 

Smoke what you like. Nobody judging you.

 

[PapaDisco]

My experience has been that my Cubans don't travel well to SE Asia.  In the Bay Area (typically 50%rH and 60F ambient) they are consistent and glorious.  Put one on a plane to Saigon and it can land tasting like something completely different.  And they don't settle down quickly either.  The tight draws are the most obvious expression of 'humidity shock' (yep, coined that one just now . . .  ), strange for a cigar that was constructed at 70%rH and 70-80F.  

I've tried 'dry boxing' in my hotel room with the AC on, or in the fridge, but the sticks quickly plug up again if I carry them outside for a smoke.  Fortunately Saigon has lots of indoor smoking bars and restaurants.

Ultimately, they just need acclimatization.  One of the most dramatic cases I experienced was a box of Upmann PC's from El Pres.  Off the plane in Saigon they were dog rockets. A month later they were 30-day-old dog rockets of indeterminate breeding.  6 months on?  Glorious!  Absolutely divine.  And I've seen similar performances from everything from PSD 4's to Punch DC's.  Makes it tough on those of us who travel (and I don't know how much of this effect is travel shock versus environmental shock) but there it is.

I don't travel with non-CC's, but my limited experience with NC's is that they're made deliberately stiffer (at Club Macanudo I've had Punch and Jay-Z's that were so hard they felt plugged, but drew like wind tunnels), and perhaps this soaking and coating of the leaves makes them more impervious to rapid humidity changes?

[cigaraholic]

Your right....Cuban cigar construction has never been worse.

I used to check the weights of the cigars I was taking with me when I travel, didn't want to take a under filled wind tunnel with me.

Now I check every cigar I smoke....the wind tunnels go to a friend.....he's happy and I haven't had a bland disappointment since.

The number of plugged cigars I've had in over 40+ years I could count on 2 hands, for me that's not a problem.

[zeedubbya]

IMO Cuban cigars are the finest cigars made when they're on.  The best.  In all ways.  Flavor, construction, value, etc., but that doesn't mean I won't smoke Nicaraguan, Dominican et al. cigars if I like them.  That would be an absolutely ludicrous thing.  I smoked a black and mild the other day with a guy at work.  It was enjoyable enough.  Better than some Short Churchills I've had recently.  Is that bad?  Nah.  Who cares--smoke what you like as @shlomo said above.  And as @PapaDisco said it's my belief as well that CCs don't travel well at all.  Has to be a moisture content issue likely.  

Personally I agree with @Hutch above--I deal with some crap issue with CCs because I love getting the ones that are On.  Sometimes a Sancho Non Plus or a RGPC delivers an awesome experience and my God does it more than make up for the last 2 awful whatever CCs I smoked.  I forget all about them.  

[JohnInCleveland]

Best way I can put it is the highs of the best cuban I've ever had are far greater than the highs I've had of any but a select few NC's, but if we're looking for consistency NC's clobber cubans.   If you value construction, you're much better off with Oliva.

 

However, I had a Saint Luis Rey Marquez on Monday that had some construction issues, but I found the flavor extremely complex and superior to all the NCs I've ever had with maybe 3 exceptions.  

 

Different strokes for different folks.  I have a box of Oliva's I bought when I got into cigars.  Right now it's under about 15 boxes of Cubans.  Haven't reached for one in 3 years.

[LLC]

If you buy wine in a box there is zero chance it will be corked and it will be average at best. By a nice bottle of wine and drink enough of it and you will get the odd bottle corked or off in some way. Off course I'd much rather drink a nice bottle of wine than wine from a box.


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[canadianbeaver]

If Cuban cigars "do not travel well", do you mean once you have received them, stored or packed them in some way?

Pardon my confusion. Mine seem to have gone from Cuba, to Australia, to Spain then to Canada. Then sometimes in a humidor all over the place with me, like last week in Hawaii.

They travel beautifully and share with spontaneous herf love.

CB

[stunod]

No doubt consistency is an issue with CC's but when their on, nothing comes close. 

[Ken Gargett]

1 hour ago, LLC said:

If you buy wine in a box there is zero chance it will be corked and it will be average at best. By a nice bottle of wine and drink enough of it and you will get the odd bottle corked or off in some way. Off course I'd much rather drink a nice bottle of wine than wine from a box.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

of course, if the rest of the world had the sense to move to screwcaps, no corked wine, brilliant ageing, wine just as the winemaker intended and not influenced by a piece of dead tree.

[rhcolbert]

Construction is a big deal for me.  It's what kept me into NCs for so long.  

I find I let it outweigh Tastebuds sometimes.  As noted, it's probsbly the American in me; the desire for that processed optimization.  

[zeedubbya]

1 hour ago, canadianbeaver said:

If Cuban cigars "do not travel well", do you mean once you have received them, stored or packed them in some way?

Pardon my confusion. Mine seem to have gone from Cuba, to Australia, to Spain then to Canada. Then sometimes in a humidor all over the place with me, like last week in Hawaii.

They travel beautifully and share with spontaneous herf love.

CB

It's just my opinion when I've traveled with some cigars I seem to notice they seem to taste a bit different than when I smoke them at home.  I notice virtually no change in NCs I have taken.  It seems more prevalent in certain cigars.  As @PapaDisco has said a number of times Upmann seems particularly susceptible.  

I'll share a couple recent experiences. I took a Winnie to Florida with me last time down and smoked it on day 3 and it was surprisingly awful.  Some Epicure 1s and PLPC to Savannah last year-first day cigars were nice, 4th day not the same-rough edges harsh etc.,.  A Bushidos last day in Nashville that I was devastated because it had that bitter taste and tight draw I associate with travel sickness.  I even went so far as to return my travel humidor to Xikar because I thought the foam might be causing it.  I now believe it's a moisture thing.  Next time I travel I am going to take my cigars in a Tupperware box with the intention of them being dry boxed.  Protection from damage I'll have to figure out.  

I freely admit it could be something I am doing wrong.  I would love some suggestions on what others do, and I think it is very relevant to the topic.  We have a person teetering on the brink of giving up--emergency situation here!

[MIKA27]

12 hours ago, Magpie said:

Well I'm in Fiji on holiday from Melbourne. Staying at the Radisson Blu resort on Denerau Island close to Nadi. Weather has been magnificent and have had a wonderful break with the wife. My first time here but will be back. 

Now mostly it's a non smoking resort but you can smoke on your balcony. 

I brought 7 cigars with me to get me through the week, 6 Cuban and 1 NC.

2 BBF

2 Punch Coronation

2 Monte Petite No 2

1 Oliva serie V torpedo

so we have the CC outnumbering the NC 6/1 should be an easy game for the CC, sadly not, my experience of CC over the last 12 months has been mediocre at best,there is absolutely no consistency in quality of construction , out the the 6 CC only 2 of them came even close the Oliva, one of the Punch and one of the Monte, both of the BBF were so tight getting a draw was nigh on impossible.

Now, all were stored identically and smoked in the same conditions, the Oliva won hands down.

This is not a one off of late but rather the norm, for the near future I'll be spending what money I have on NC, Oliva, Padron and Fuente. I'm not giving up CC hopefully what's left in my humidor back home will bring we round again.

im open minded on cigars and don't have a one eyed view of CC being the best, yes some are brilliant but many are not. A good cigar CC or NC works for me I'm not bias. Now that said from a one eyed Collingwood supporter ( the Aussies will understand ).

back home tomorrow.

 

 

I share your thoughts with CC of late hence why I been enjoying a lot of the NC's like Padron, Oliva series V and Melanio, San Cristobal to name a few.

There's a ton of good NC's and boutique NC's out there and once you know how to avoid the pepper bombs that a lot of NC's have in common and actually find the finer of the lot, I find the consistency is far greater in the way they smoke and they way they present.

Enjoy

[MIKA27]

8 hours ago, TheLiquidGator said:

Been smoking CC'c since 1995. I can count on one hand the number of plugged CC cigars I have had to endure.

@OZCUBAN Steve, how many plugged CC's have you endured 

[shlomo]

5 hours ago, cigaraholic said:

Your right....Cuban cigar construction has never been worse.

I used to check the weights of the cigars I was taking with me when I travel, didn't want to take a under filled wind tunnel with me.

Now I check every cigar I smoke....the wind tunnels go to a friend.....he's happy and I haven't had a bland disappointment since.

The number of plugged cigars I've had in over 40+ years I could count on 2 hands, for me that's not a problem.

So u cut and suck on a cigar, and if you don't like the resistance, it goes to a friend? Not a germaphobe I assume...lol

In seriousness, your post confuses me as it seems to say 2 different opinions w first and last sentences.

[canadianbeaver]

I took 25 various cigars last week to Hawaii in the Noella jar. In the Noella box. So wierd I know!

But then, at the end of the trip, I presented the jar, in the travel box, to a trip dude I meet on the trip every year. His wife and my husband work there and we have become cigar buddies.

I am the CEO wife who hosts a herf each night. They go nuts.

I have even put finger sleeves of CC's in Tampax boxes to bring them to Florida so cc's would not get issues.

Cigars have travelled all over the world long before I have had them. So more power to you. Hope you enjoy them in your travels!

CB