Your bouquet and brickbats for 2018

[El Presidente]

Leading into Decembers "awards month" 

Your bouquet and brickbats for 2018 

• Cigar/industry/hobby wise, what you personally loved and abhorred. Overall thoughts
• Your  nominations for best cigar of the year....and your worst. 
• Nomination for best freshie that you have smoked this year (cigars under 24 months).

Don't hold back 

[Guest Nekhyludov]

Bouquet: to HSA. No discontinued cigars in 2018. I was concerned about the Ramon Allones Gigantes for a while.

And credit where credit is due for turning out some truly excellent regular production cigars (JL2, RyJ Churchill, Fundi) in what could have been a down year.

Brickbats: Regional distributors. For continuing to churn out short, fat, uninteresting, overpriced Ramon Allones regionals. Enough with the montescos. How about a lonsdale, lancero, churchill, DC. Anything.

CoY: The single best cigar I had this year was, by a country mile, a ROM NOV 16 Montecristo 80 Anniversario. Just stunning.

Best Freshie: MSU MAR 18 Partagas Serie E No. 2. I tried a fiver on a lark and ended up immediately buying a box.

Worst CoY: PTR MAY 17 Sancho Panza Belicoso. Just lousy. Dry, flavorless. No redeeming qualities whatever.

[havanaclub]

Again, I have to agree with the above statements regarding recent regular production. (JLS2, punch punch to name a few, and RyJ Churchill has improved making a comeback in 2016, and this recent run of RyJ short Churchills look stunning. Tempted to grab a box but have several left.)

 

What I have noticed over the past 2 years is a switch from underfilled to more on the verge of overfilled/plugged. HSA gets it right sometimes.

 

Worst cigar this year: 2016 OBM NOV monte no 4. Brutal. Flavourless. Tasted like burnt charred tobacco. Makes me wonder why people buy these things.

 

Best Freshie: see Cigar of the year.

 

Cigar of the year: MSA NOV 17 Cp, Cohiba Esplendidos from Prez. Glad I stocked up on them.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jackupster]

The price of the EL's and RE's as others have stated. Talisman....FU!  10ct boxes are are nice since I can try them without spending my kids college funds in most cases..RACA, Dantes being examples of excellent sticks that wont break the bank. 

 

The worst of 2018- Upmann Mag 56 EL...I have had 2 this year from 2 1/4 boxes I bought and both were plugged to high hell. There's $50 wasted. Now I have the PerfectDraw for the next one I try. 

 

The best Sir Winston from the 2017 Xmas Sampler Made me splurge and grab a box a few weeks ago. Punch Sabrosos RE a friend gifted me...amazing! Monte Dantes EL! Made me buy a couple boxes to let them rest for awhile. Finally Bolivar Coronas Gigantes. luckily bought a box a few months before HSA stuck their heads up their arses and gave them the ax. 

 

Best Freshie- PLPC 2017...I just love these!

 

[JaeVee]

Loved- perfecdraw. Saved me a few vintage Lanceros.

Abhorred- missing Lanceros in the 24:24 every single time they were posted. 

My best stick - An H Uppman magnum 50 two or three years old. Bought ten. Which I bought 100. 

Worst stick- an acid my boss made me smoke on the golf course when I had a few 2004 Monte No.2 in my bag. 

Best freshie- had to be a Monte no.4. Smoked one after owning it for a week. That whole week they were accidentally dry boxing. 

[JeffreyLebowski]

On 11/27/2018 at 10:13 AM, FatherOfPugs said:

Bouquet: The Perfect Draw tool. This has saved me countless dollars in what would otherwise be thrown away cigars for the draw being too tight, like trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose bad cigars.

 

 

 

Appreciate this reccommendation. Thanks for posting the pic.

[JeffreyLebowski]

1 hour ago, mtapia3 said:

I totally agree with this. No matter how hard I try I’ve never had an enjoyable smoking experience on the beach. After wasting so many good cigars, I’ve completely given up on the idea. Same goes for smoking while driving for me. 

Just need the right setup to smoke while driving. A nice road trip is probably my favorite place to enjoy a good smoke. Just don’t try ashing out the window, that’s all. 

[fitzy]

@crking3

I’ve got more of those petit edmundos for you. Hahahahah

[Derboesekoenig]

15 hours ago, FatherOfPugs said:

I've never had an issue smoking a cigar on a beach, great weather every time. I love it!

Must be those windless Texas beaches lol I've yet to enjoy a cigar on the beach. Either been too windy, too hot, or both. Haven't been to a beach in Texas yet.

[Rrm7284]

Worst stick- an acid my boss made me smoke on the golf course when I had a few 2004 Monte No.2 in my bag. 

Not the pool we’re voting on here, but this is up there for my review/quote of the year! LMAO and feeling for you all at once.



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[ponfed]

I wanted to let everyone give real content, before I ask my question. 

BUT, as a ESL, I have to know: Isn't a brickbat just a brick?

Am I missing something?

I

[Derboesekoenig]

1 minute ago, ponfed said:

I wanted to let everyone give real content, before I ask my question. 

BUT, as a ESL, I have to know: Isn't a brickbat just a brick?

Am I missing something?

I

I think just a piece of a brick, and not the brick in its entirety?

[Akela3rd]

I think just a piece of a brick, and not the brick in its entirety?

Specifically - a piece of brick used as a missile.

Sent from my ActionMan walkie-talkie

[Derboesekoenig]

1 minute ago, Akela3rd said:

Specifically - a piece of brick used as a missile.

Sent from my ActionMan walkie-talkie
 

My favorite word for brick is still breezeblock. Can thank Alt-J for introducing me to that one lol although it's more cinderblock than brick specifically, but oh well close enough.

[ponfed]

Thank all. Sorry for the derail.

[Toast & Taste]

The only 18 that I have smoked was a few Party P2 (though I have purchased a decent amount/diversity of 18's), so I am gunnahafta go with that.

 

Big Al

[RyviaUSA]

My favorite this year has been a Nicaraguan.  Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro.  It's so unbelievably smooth and tasty, and every single stick is perfection. 

[kalibratecuba]

Best cigar of the year?
I don't know.
Cigar Aficianodo hasn't told me yet!


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[HDGSN]

My best cigar of the year is the same as the past 3 years.  H. Upmann Connie No. 1 PLM May '11.  It has been a while since I have had a cigar as good as these, but I am running low and soon will not have any to take the top spot each year.

My worst CC of the year was a badly plugged JL1.

[hunterbeav]

For me the Partagas D4....I'm a simple man with simple wants and simple needs..

[Bill Hayes]

Highlights - A single Bushido and a SLR DC 2004 were the best cigars I smoked. Probably the best 2018 cigar, a draw between Esplendidos and HU Connie A. Also got to try a few NC's to see if I like any. Seemed to settle on Padron serie 1964 maduro for consistency with a nod to Rocky Patel maduro in very large RG's. But soon returned to CC's. Just had to find out for myself. And, with the recommendations of Prez on the forum, discovering JL#2 after dismissing it from earlier years. Deciding on Partagas as my go to brand again after the discontinuation of SDC range. 

Lowlights - holding on to some great cigars too long before smoking them - Two Cohiba DC 2003 seemed to be passed their time but could have been due to storage. Now I just smoke em if I've got em. Not dry boxing some good cigars when smoking in Melbourne weather. If it looks dry and sunny, it's sure to get windy then rain within 15 minutes of lighting up.

[JayHabanos]

47 minutes ago, Bill Hayes said:

Highlights - A single Bushido and a SLR DC 2004 were the best cigars I smoked. Probably the best 2018 cigar, a draw between Esplendidos and HU Connie A. Also got to try a few NC's to see if I like any. Seemed to settle on Padron serie 1964 maduro for consistency with a nod to Rocky Patel maduro in very large RG's. But soon returned to CC's. Just had to find out for myself. And, with the recommendations of Prez on the forum, discovering JL#2 after dismissing it from earlier years. Deciding on Partagas as my go to brand again after the discontinuation of SDC range. 

Lowlights - holding on to some great cigars too long before smoking them - Two Cohiba DC 2003 seemed to be passed their time but could have been due to storage. Now I just smoke em if I've got em. Not dry boxing some good cigars when smoking in Melbourne weather. If it looks dry and sunny, it's sure to get windy then rain within 15 minutes of lighting up.

Damn shame the 2003 Cohiba LE smoked bad; that was my favorite cigar when It was released; amazing

[Bill Hayes]

17 hours ago, JayHabanos said:

Damn shame the 2003 Cohiba LE smoked bad; that was my favorite cigar when It was released; amazing

One smoked a bit flat and lifeless and a second one smoked pretty well but I think would have been better smoked earlier. I also think that variations in temp and humidity in my humidor affected the ageing process. I think some well kept ones would still smoke well maybe.