"What's Hot and What's Not" Feb 20

[El Presidente]

 

2019 has proved/is proving to be an excellent year!

I really can't fault too many cigars at all. The good news is that competition to get into the list of top 10 "What's Hot" is extreme.   

Construction is solid. There are still too many variations to my liking but when they pay 20 a month.....what do they expect.  The big improvement over 17/18 is in the quality of wrapper being used in regular production cigars.  With another good season finishing shortly (three in a row), let's hope that the wrapper issue is behind them for a few years to come. 

The bad news is that supply is still tight across many lines.  Many cigars such as the Partagas 898, La Gloria Cubana MO4, QD Corona are not being produced. Others such as the SP Belicoso, Behike, Monte Especiales, Siglo VI, Lancero etal are being produced sporadically and in small numbers. 

Why? Well they now have the tobacco but not the production resources to deliver their portfolio. Welcome to socialism. 

In summary, what we are seeing is generally very good. Unfortunately we are rarely seeing the volume that is required to satisfy the market. 

 

"What's Hot"

 

1. Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona
2. Punch 898 (AP Regional)
3. Partagas Lusitania
4. Montecristo Number 2 
5. H. Upmann Number 2
6. El Rey Del Mundo Tainos  (AP Regional)
7. Saint Luis Rey Regio
8. Trinidad Topes
9. Quai D'Orsay 54 
10. Trinidad fundadores 

 

"What's Not "

This should be reclassified "Don't buy blind" 

1. Hoyo De Monterrey Elegantes
2. H. Upmann Mag 54  (10's)
3. Partagas  D 6 
4. Cuaba  "everything right now
5. Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill
6. Romeo y Julieta Short churchill
7. San Cristobal La Punta. 

 

[benfica_77]

Thx Prez wish this thread had smellovision .... can you get @MoeFOH on it?

[nKostyan]

I understand that smokers of cigars as well as pregnant women are recommended by doctors to see only beautyful things and PSP quality cigars, but...
... can we see photos of the worst cigars to understand the risks of blind buying?

[El Presidente]

2 minutes ago, nKostyan said:

I understand that smokers of cigars as well as pregnant women are recommended by doctors to see only beautyful things and PSP quality cigars, but...
... can we see photos of the worst cigars to understand the risks of blind buying?

I didn't have the time to waste this week but should be able to do so next time I am down 

[X-Man]

Surprised RyJ Churchill didn’t make this list.

[bbguardsp]

12 hours ago, nKostyan said:

I understand that smokers of cigars as well as pregnant women are recommended by doctors to see only beautyful things and PSP quality cigars, but...
... can we see photos of the worst cigars to understand the risks of blind buying?

 

[Markspring1978]

Thanks @El Presidente, these are always among my favorite posts. 

Question about RE 898 production. I know you have said that you are seeing this release wrapping up. However, I just received two boxes from 24:24 purchases and they were numbered in the 1,100 range of 8,000. Seems like the number of boxes released is just getting started. Is there something I’m missing? 

[BeerPimp]

Thanks @El Presidente  I have been wanting to buy some R y J Short Churchills I guess I will make sure to buys some PSP on the 24:24.

[El Presidente]

7 hours ago, Markspring1978 said:

Thanks @El Presidente, these are always among my favorite posts. 

Question about RE 898 production. I know you have said that you are seeing this release wrapping up. However, I just received two boxes from 24:24 purchases and they were numbered in the 1,100 range of 8,000. Seems like the number of boxes released is just getting started. Is there something I’m missing? 

I also have seen boxes in the 6000 and 7000's .

It comes down to the mastercase opened.

Generally regionals have a 4-6 month market availability lifespan. 

 

[nKostyan]

 

I would like to see something like this:

[Wookie]

Is it possible for a retailer to return bad batches to the distributor without incurring ire/reduced access to future stock? Or is it the responsibility of the retailer to find alternate channels for the bad stock?

[El Presidente]

3 hours ago, Wookie said:

Is it possible for a retailer to return bad batches to the distributor without incurring ire/reduced access to future stock? Or is it the responsibility of the retailer to find alternate channels for the bad stock?

Habanos takes no responsibility

[Trlrman2004]

Is there a 2020 Hot Box code list.

I've found 18 and 19 list, but no joy with 2020 list. Thanks for all the info on this site, by the way.

 

[NSXCIGAR]

On 2/20/2020 at 3:11 PM, El Presidente said:

Cuaba  "everything right now

Seriously, I have not been hearing good things about Tradicionales or Exclusivos for years. What's the deal? Anyone sample either lately? 

[Bijan]

10 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Seriously, I have not been hearing good things about Tradicionales or Exclusivos for years. What's the deal? Anyone sample either lately? 

I had 2-3 Divinos and 2-3 Tradicionales about 6 months ago. The Divinos were better in every way.

[NSXCIGAR]

1 hour ago, Bijan said:

I had 2-3 Divinos and 2-3 Tradicionales about 6 months ago. The Divinos were better in every way.

The Divinos are almost always well-received. I'm really interested in the Tradicionales and especially the Exclusivos. These two have been dogged for years. I actually really used to like the Generosos and have wanted to grab a box of either of the others but the feedback on them has been so bad the last 5-7 years I can't bring myself to do it. 

[El Presidente]

9 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

The Divinos are almost always well-received. I'm really interested in the Tradicionales and especially the Exclusivos. These two have been dogged for years. I actually really used to like the Generosos and have wanted to grab a box of either of the others but the feedback on them has been so bad the last 5-7 years I can't bring myself to do it. 

I think most of the box codes are still 17/18 on those. 

Distinguidos is still performing well and has a following as there is 2020 production. 

[El Presidente]

On 11/4/2020 at 9:02 PM, Trlrman2004 said:

Is there a 2020 Hot Box code list.

I've found 18 and 19 list, but no joy with 2020 list. Thanks for all the info on this site, by the way.

 

Covid has thrown a spanner in the works. 

I normally get to see/inspect  10000+ boxes a year. This year will be 20% of that. Let's leave it to the last minute. 

[NSXCIGAR]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

Distinguidos is still performing well and has a following as there is 2020 production. 

I know the Distinguidos & Divinos usually deliver. I'm specifically wondering about the Ts and the Es. I am seeing some LGR 19 & RAT 20s on both so I'm curious if these have come around at all. They've just been in the doghouse for so long. 

[Bijan]

1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I know the Distinguidos & Divinos usually deliver. I'm specifically wondering about the Ts and the Es. I am seeing some LGR 19 & RAT 20s on both so I'm curious if these have come around at all. They've just been in the doghouse for so long. 

I got the Divinos and Ts as singles so can't say the box code, but given the low volume of sales of Cuaba from the vendor I assume it wasn't that rrecent.

Haven't had the Es. But one of the problems I had with the Ts was the shape of the figurado wasn't very good, past the first third it got really skinny compared to the Divinos. Technically it's 42 RG vs 43 RG, but that's at the widest point and the actual difference is much greater.

[Kaptain Karl]

3 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Covid has thrown a spanner in the works. 

I normally get to see/inspect  10000+ boxes a year. This year will be 20% of that. Let's leave it to the last minute. 

WOW. I had no idea supplies were that low for you. Do you suspect supplies will skyrocket to over pre-COVID levels once were past COVID? 

[NSXCIGAR]

31 minutes ago, Bijan said:

I got the Divinos and Ts as singles so can't say the box code, but given the low volume of sales of Cuaba from the vendor I assume it wasn't that rrecent.

Haven't had the Es. But one of the problems I had with the Ts was the shape of the figurado wasn't very good, past the first third it got really skinny compared to the Divinos. Technically it's 42 RG vs 43 RG, but that's at the widest point and the actual difference is much greater.

I've heard everything from poor construction to terrible flavors. Cuaba is a very poor seller here so opinions are hard to come by, but as I said there are 19s & 20s out there so I'd love to know. Unfortunately my LCDH only has Divinos and Distinguidos. 

[El Presidente]

36 minutes ago, Kaptain Karl said:

WOW. I had no idea supplies were that low for you. Do you suspect supplies will skyrocket to over pre-COVID levels once were past COVID? 

that is not a case of supply but rather the chance to inspect. 

Supply has largely rectified itself from around August. That was a case of a lack of flights as airlines shut down internationally. 

We won't be past Covid until this time next year at the earliest.   Production in Havana has been at 50% (so I am told) since March. 

[JohnS]

14 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

I've heard everything from poor construction to terrible flavors. Cuaba is a very poor seller here so opinions are hard to come by, but as I said there are 19s & 20s out there so I'd love to know. Unfortunately my LCDH only has Divinos and Distinguidos. 

I can't speak for the Tradicionales and Exclusivos, but I had a RAT May 2020 Salomon last weekend (review to come) which was frankly a little over 2 hours of glorious smoking pleasure. Cuaba...what can one say? When they're bad they can be downright terrible but when they're good, they can be sublime!

[mprach024]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

Cuaba...what can one say? When they're bad they can be downright terrible but when they're good, they can be sublime!

Couldn’t you just remove that little “a” after the “u” and say Cuba?