Will a Habano be Cigar of the Year?

[Guest Nekhyludov]

12 minutes ago, Monterey said:

A cigar reviewed in the past year receiving a 91 score or higher.  ONLY those cigars are eligible to be in the top 25.  So no La Trova, no Esplendido, etc . . .

[Monterey]

touche.  I actually searched the website to check and it didn't come up.  Clearly I searched wrong!

[Guest Nekhyludov]

Just now, Monterey said:

touche.  I actually searched the website to check and it didn't come up.  Clearly I searched wrong!

I take your point, though, about folks both complaining about the methodology and decrying the whole enterprise as a cynical advertising ploy. It seems like it could be one or the other, but not both.

[Bill Hayes]

6 hours ago, bundwallah said:

It's going to be a Rocky Patel.  They have yet to make an appearance. 

I read on another site I've purchased some NC's from that Cigar Journal cigar of the year is Rocky Patel Grand Reserve Toro. Not Cigar Officianado I know but interesting. Not to everyone's taste but I personally quite like RP Edge - not very complex but they are good for a change every now and then IMHO. Although last night I enjoyed a Monte Especial #2 that I dry boxed and it was nice to have a skinny. 

[PigFish]

... but one thing to say!

(Yawn!)

[Pharmacovigilant]

I say let them praise NCs.  Means more CCs for us!!

[unclepauly25]

After seeing ca top 25 I’m done with them, I’ve smoked most of them there’s no way a nc beat a sir Winston and a Cohiba Siglo Vl , those guys know when they are smoking a Cuban cigar, there’s no ad revenue in rating a Cuban cigar number one, most nc are mediocre at best. This is just my opinion, I’ll get all my recommendations from foh from now on!

[Hutch]

I prefer Charmin Ultra Soft to CA.

[joshhooper7]

This thread gave me a good laugh. All the people bashing NC because they are CC purists. Sure I smoke 90% CC, however, that's because there are so many damn NC brands that 90% are trash. The 10% NC in my stock are all amazing smokes and easily rival a Sir Winston. Padron 1964 and 1926, damn near anything by Foundation, and E.P Carrillo's latest cigars have been insanely good, their LE 2015 was my favorite cigar in 2017.

People shill Cuban cigars because when their American friends come over they're a better conversation piece because they're, "rare." Non-Cubans CAN BE equally as good and better.

[multi-useless]

On 12/20/2018 at 12:41 PM, juri said:

 

my favorite the cigar obsession who literally reviews fake Cubans (I kid you not) and talks about how overrated they are hahah

Mock reviews are my favorite, and this sounds hilarious - do you have a link?

[RyviaUSA]

11 hours ago, joshhooper7 said:

This thread gave me a good laugh. All the people bashing NC because they are CC purists. Sure I smoke 90% CC, however, that's because there are so many damn NC brands that 90% are trash. The 10% NC in my stock are all amazing smokes and easily rival a Sir Winston. Padron 1964 and 1926, damn near anything by Foundation, and E.P Carrillo's latest cigars have been insanely good, their LE 2015 was my favorite cigar in 2017.

People shill Cuban cigars because when their American friends come over they're a better conversation piece because they're, "rare." Non-Cubans CAN BE equally as good and better.

I agree. I've been running through a lot of CCs in the last two years, but my favorite cigar is still the Padron 1964 Maduro. It's so smooth and consistent every time. 

[Fugu]

11 hours ago, joshhooper7 said:

This thread gave me a good laugh. All the people bashing NC because they are CC purists. Sure I smoke 90% CC, however, that's because there are so many damn NC brands that 90% are trash.

And there you are - giving the answer yourself: It is a simple matter of proportionality. Not so much about "NC-bashing" than it is folks questioning the ever enduring, obvious underrepresentation of the Cuban puro in CA rankings. Nothing more, nothing less. For me, it also seems bearing some political component in the case of CA. And I am sure, even MS will look at it with a wink.

Dont't let yourself be put off your enjoyment of those few amazing NCs in your stock! 

[joshhooper7]

10 hours ago, Fugu said:

 obvious underrepresentation of the Cuban puro in CA rankings. Nothing more, nothing less.

The reason why they're under represented is because of the quality assurance in Cuba vs. the quality assurance of non-Cuban stock. How can you label something, "the cigar of the year," when you know that for every amazing box of that cigar, there is 5 boxes of the same cigar with green wrappers and horrible under-fill problems? With non-Cuban cigars you can be sure that damn near every box will be insanely similar, if not identical. If Americans ran QA for Habanos S.A, I don't doubt that they'd have significantly higher rankings, but that's not the way the cookie is currently crumbling.