Why are most non-CC cigars terrible?

[MadMax]

Because about 90% of them have that crap aftertaste because they load the soil with Magnesium and other minerals to get that white ash to look good in CA ad's!!! 

[Ceephus Banks]

I'm partial to quite a few Dominicans myself, they just taste great to me. Mostly Davidoffs. Just treat your taste buds to what they like man.

[WABOOM]

Because about 90% of them have that crap aftertaste because they load the soil with Magnesium and other minerals to get that white ash to look good in CA ad's!!! 

Can you provide any evidence to support this statement?

[MadMax]

40 minutes ago, WABOOM said:

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

Because about 90% of them have that crap aftertaste because they load the soil with Magnesium and other minerals to get that white ash to look good in CA ad's!!! 

Can you provide any evidence to support this statement?

That's what I've read and heard over the years. Sorry I don't have a copy of the article or interview that your looking for! 

[zeedubbya]

I think we, on this forum, may highly underestimate the number of cigars the catalogue companies sells which are a couple bucks each.  For a lot of cigar smokers Cuban cigars or even premium non Cuban are not within reach.  There are still catalog cigar buyers out there in droves.  People, who a Labor Day sampler of 30 cigars called Cohiba, Macanudo, and Punch for $85 had them pacing the floor today waiting on the mail to show up.  

There are people who believe having any Fuente or Padrón is having something very special.  And to them they very well might be.  

Not all Non Cubans are bad, some are quite good.  Not all Cubans are great, some are quite bad.  

I really think a person reaches a point in life where the outward appearance doesn’t matter much at all. What matters is the enjoyment vs. value equation.. (Then you buy PL Montecarlos forever and grouch about terrible ELs!  Haha!  Just for you @Ethernut)

Enjoy what you smoke and if you find something you like hoard the hell out of it!

[Ethernut]

1 hour ago, zeedubbya said:

I think we, on this forum, may highly underestimate the number of cigars the catalogue companies sells which are a couple bucks each.  For a lot of cigar smokers Cuban cigars or even premium non Cuban are not within reach.  There are still catalog cigar buyers out there in droves.  People, who a Labor Day sampler of 30 cigars called Cohiba, Macanudo, and Punch for $85 had them pacing the floor today waiting on the mail to show up.  

There are people who believe having any Fuente or Padrón is having something very special.  And to them they very well might be.  

Not all Non Cubans are bad, some are quite good.  Not all Cubans are great, some are quite bad.  

I really think a person reaches a point in life where the outward appearance doesn’t matter much at all. What matters is the enjoyment vs. value equation.. (Then you buy PL Montecarlos forever and grouch about terrible ELs!  Haha!  Just for you @Ethernut)

Enjoy what you smoke and if you find something you like hoard the hell out of it!

Lolololz! So I smoked two cigars tonight. A Partagas Lusi and, as luck might have it, a PLMC... Which was best? The PL.. no sh&&. So true!

[earthson]

On 9/5/2018 at 9:42 PM, zeedubbya said:

Then you buy PL Montecarlos forever and grouch about terrible ELs!  Haha!  @Ethernutj

Enjoy what you smoke and if you find something you like hoard the hell out of it!

Guilty.

And lay off them PLMC.  I still haven't scored any '17 or '18 on account of having too many 13, 14, 15 and 16s!

[Naug]

On 9/3/2018 at 6:00 AM, El Presidente said:

I have great mates who prefer NC's. They have gone from 100% CC to 75% NC/25% CC. 

They have smoked thousands of cigars.  NC suit them better. No problem there. 

 

To make such assertions on such a tiny sample base would be called "Bold" by some and far worse by others. I would be in the latter category. 

 

I have smoked thousands of cigars over the last 22 years, until reticently predominately NC.

There are a lot of great NC, the consistency, density and quality of build I believe exceeds all be the best PSP and maybe these as well. I am not referring to whatever overdone thing Fuente is doing with Opus or any other manufacturer who nearly covers the cigar with garish bands. Nah, the average 8 - 12 stick. They will be consistent in flavor through the entire box and for most part have no need of aging. While with CC, in a PSP box maybe 3 - 5 duds and it gets worse from there (Rob's observation). I have a handpicked box of Punch Punch of which 10 got chucked at halfway, a 2014 box of Monte 4 from a well known vendor in Geneva that I would say 75% tasted like lawn clippings mixed with pine needles. So why do I smoke CC? There is a depth of flavor that I have never found in any non CC, the Don Carlos used to be lovely, Ashton VSG, Lew's JR Ultimate's, Rocky Edge, Island Smoke Shops El Original were all hard to beat. Still they miss the Cuban "twang." 

So at the end of the day if you only smoke NC and stick to the mid and upper mid level you will enjoy fine tasting and well made cigars. Just don't succumb to the temptation of  the snake with the Cuban apple. LOL

[luckme10]

One really only needs to take a look at some of the other forums out there to see the extensive popularity of non cubans, at least in the states. And while the rhetoric of some vendors such as gurkha or the local tobacco shops really can annoy me at times, there's seriously a ton of great stuff out there. I'd say 30% of the time, I'd rather be smoking a non cuban. There's a certain nicaraguan spice that I enjoy from time to time that usually sends me back to a padron or a tatuaje. The variety and flavors are so much more diverse than cuban cigars, I liken it to the beginning of the MMA. There was such a vast diverse range of mixed martial arts fighters duking it out: karate, kung fu, kickboxing, etc. With all the boutique vendors out there, it's like the wild west of cigars.

Still, as time goes by and I get older, Cuban cigars seem to be the ones I just tend to reach towards. There's a certain mildness that I enjoy, a lack of cigar breath that the wife enjoys, and a flavor profile that I tend to find myself reaching towards more. There's a consistency in flavor profile, just not in performance. ?

[earthson]

Terroir.  Hell, there are some great aspects to Dominican terroir, too.  Cuba's is the best, however.

[dominattorney]

On 9/2/2018 at 4:00 PM, El Presidente said:

I have great mates who prefer NC's. They have gone from 100% CC to 75% NC/25% CC. 

They have smoked thousands of cigars.  NC suit them better. No problem there. 

 

To make such assertions on such a tiny sample base would be called "Bold" by some and far worse by others. I would be in the latter category. 

 

This is a good point.  I would also echo what others have said about the OP's statement that he has tried 92+ rated NC cigars.  The issue with the ratings of most NC, in my opinion, is that they are based upon advertisements.  Personally, my favorite NC cigars have been unrated or sleeper cigars.  The Curivari line jumps to mind immediately.  Love the Buenaventuras, and many others.  I am also partial to Tatuaje--many of these are now rated, but when the line sprang onto the scene years ago, it was kind of a low profile alternative to the Altadis big named cigars.  the world of NC cigars is so vast that it seems to me the big named companies are flooding the market with gimick cigars that they buy high ratings for in smoking magazines.  This can sour the undiscerning smoker to all NC cigars, or many at least, which is a shame. 

[Silverstix]

There are good cigars from all over the world.  They are just different.  There are bad cigars from all over the world.  They are just different.

[Vortigan]

I personally really enjoy exploring the vast landscape of NC. Nicaraguan leaf is by far my favourite & to be sure there is a lot of "meh" out there but also a lot of little gems. I tend to buy half a dozen or so three cigar samplers when the mood takes me and then just enjoy the journey 

[Tommy_Tao]

On 9/2/2018 at 11:02 PM, Min said:

There are thousands of Non Cuban brands... so you will likely run into more crap.. I smoke both CC and NC..

Exactly what I wanted to say.

If I can find 5 Cuban brands that I like, then I can definitely find another 5 brands in non-Cuban.

Sometimes CC smokers cannot accept NC and I even know a NC smoker refuses to smoke CC.

So, all is normal.

[hedgeybaby]

I don't know if they're awful but they do seem to be non descript. I had a Fuente hemmingway last night and I enjoyed the rhythmic smoking experience but there wasn't that thing, that twang that you get from our beloved habanos. 

[Homer]

On 9/5/2018 at 3:36 AM, BG1165 said:

The US market is flooded with crap. You have to swim through it and find your taste. I am very much enjoying the efforts of Warped cigars. If you come across any of them, give them a shot. La Hacienda, Futuro and the La Colmena come to mind.

What about Warped El Oso Cub/mama/papa?

I would love to try one of those.

[BG1165]

1 hour ago, Homer said:

What about Warped El Oso Cub/mama/papa?

I would love to try one of those.

Good stick but I didn’t care for it’s strength/flavor profile.  I’d smoke it again but For strength I like the Mi Querida out of Steve Saka’s new gig, Dunbarton tobacco and trust. The sobremesa from them is also a damn fine cigar.

[inter4alia]

I'm reading this thread while at the half way point of my last stick from a 5 pack illusione brand sampler. I have to say, I'm damn impressed. I've really enjoyed all 5 of them, even more so than some CC I've had. I'm really liking my new journey into CC but I definitely see myself seeking out some more sticks from illusione too. Great stuff on both sides of the fence, you just need to find what suits your taste. 

[BG1165]

40 minutes ago, inter4alia said:

I'm reading this thread while at the half way point of my last stick from a 5 pack illusione brand sampler. I have to say, I'm damn impressed. I've really enjoyed all 5 of them, even more so than some CC I've had. I'm really liking my new journey into CC but I definitely see myself seeking out some more sticks from illusione too. Great stuff on both sides of the fence, you just need to find what suits your taste. 

I need to try these. I’ve heard good things about them but just haven’t been in the right spot to grab any. Which of them did you most enjoy.

[inter4alia]

41 minutes ago, BG1165 said:

I need to try these. I’ve heard good things about them but just haven’t been in the right spot to grab any. Which of them did you most enjoy.

My top three:

Haut 10

eccj 20th 

88

Note: I can't rank the epernay le ferm (which I know gets great reviews) because my smoke got ruined by unexpected rain. I plan to revisit that one. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

Some people believe bourbon is the best alcohol in the world. Some people believe scotch whisky is the best alcohol in the world. If the bourbon drinker were to make sweeping generalizations about scotch whisky, they would be doing so based on their own taste biases.