When I smoke a NC.....

[BlueRidgeFly]

The CC vs NC comparison is sort of like the beer world. For me, heavy Belgian ales were the benchmark for a couple decades, and still are... some people think German beers are the best (I'd agree if Aventinus was the typical example!). However, there has been an explosion of great beers from all over the world, especially from the US. The attention-grabbing American beers were considered over the top for a long time. I have come to absolutely love so many of them. And there are a lot of more subtle brews and just unique stuff, too. It's an incredible variety that would not exist if they all tried to be Belgian or German or whatever else in style.

So, I see NCs and notably Nicaraguan cigars as the brash American ales of the cigar world, and I think that's pretty cool. I try not to compare them to Cuban cigars, though CCs are hard to put out of your mind. I think NCs that try to mimic the Cuban flavor profile largely miss it, but the ones that just try to be what they are and reflect the "terroir" of their origin are appreciated for doing that, and if that's what you're in the mood for, that's happiness.

[Yellot00tr]

When I smoke an NC, i usually imagine what it’s like to put my mouth on a rat’s a$$. J/k, but i’m not a lover of spice bombs. The NC i enjoyed were ashton cabinets, davidoffs, auroa preferidos, diamond crowns, and some other higher end connecticuts. However, at those prices, it’s not worth it. I couldn’t make myself love tats or illusiones. I tried boxes and boxes. Gave them all way. It was just a waste of money. From 2004 - 2010 i was smoking NCs. I consider that a waste of my considerable time and resources. Imagine how many boxes of good CC stuff I could have had. It boggles the mind, shocks the conscience, and should be considered an egregious crime of moral turpitude. NCs are like the damned corona. The gift that keeps on giving, and not in the good way. It’s like they say-if you have the facts, pound the facts. If you have the law, pound the law. If you have nothing, pound the table.

[Hoepssa]

 

Warped and Illusione are good, but they aren't Cubans. 

Cuban leaf is marvelous, that's why we always ignore the fact that their QC is far from "acceptable" at times.

 

[The Real McCoy]

Just like coffee, chocolate, and wine, high quality tobacco is obviously very skilled at capturing the terroir where it is grown. The same Cuban seed tastes different depending on whether it was grown in Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, etc. I like to appreciate all of the fine tobacco and appreciate all the regions for their own unique tastes. We all have our favorites, of course. This being a Cuban cigar website, I think I can guess which one is our favorite. That being said, there is a lot of very fine NC tobacco and a lot of us here probably enjoy it regularly. I know I do. 

[steelcity]

There are many a night I'd take an Oliva V Melanio or certain Drew Estate over a few CCs. Different strokes for different folks. Whole bunch of choices out there. 

[SansSin]

i keep trying a bunch of different non-cuban cigars, have 3 different cotm club memberships and a 700ct wineador full of them but nothing draws me back like a cuban cigar, like an itch that only a cuban cigar can scratch? too much pepper in a lot of non-cuban cigars for me.

[Yellot00tr]

4 hours ago, davidv said:

i keep trying a bunch of different non-cuban cigars, have 3 different cotm club memberships and a 700ct wineador full of them but nothing draws me back like a cuban cigar, like an itch that only a cuban cigar can scratch? too much pepper in a lot of non-cuban cigars for me.

My exact point. Allocation of resources. Not just the money, but the storage and time spent maintaining them. Imagine 700 extra CC. Pick anything - that’s still almost 30 boxes. That’s either a beautiful dream or a nightmare that you never want to have again. Personally, that’d be a brutal nightmare for me. 

[SansSin]

6 hours ago, Yellot00tr said:

My exact point. Allocation of resources. Not just the money, but the storage and time spent maintaining them. Imagine 700 extra CC. Pick anything - that’s still almost 30 boxes. That’s either a beautiful dream or a nightmare that you never want to have again. Personally, that’d be a brutal nightmare for me. 

i don't regret buying them, i mostly only have boxes of what i love and a bunch of different singles to try, life is all about the experiences. they just tend to have different flavor profiles then cubans that some like and some don't. a lot have too much pepper for me but there are some really good ones too that fit my tastes, i continue to hunt for more of.

[Silverstix]

Forget flavor profiles.  Why can't Cuba get with the program and figure out QC like the vast majority of the NC cigar world?

[djrey]

7 minutes ago, Silverstix said:

Forget flavor profiles.  Why can't Cuba get with the program and figure out QC like the vast majority of the NC cigar world?

Does Habanos S.A. have any competition? They supply the majority of the world with cigars. NC brands have to fight for shelf space mostly within the US where there are tons of options. If My Father cigars suddenly had quality control issues for years on end people would stop buying them and go to say Padron. MFC would be done.

Habanos S.A. is safe. Great quality control or not they will sell cigars. Sad but I’m sure that has something to do with it. 
 

Like everyone else though, I’d love to see them get on board and send out sticks with NC quality control. 

[Silverstix]

1 hour ago, djrey said:

Does Habanos S.A. have any competition? They supply the majority of the world with cigars. NC brands have to fight for shelf space mostly within the US where there are tons of options. If My Father cigars suddenly had quality control issues for years on end people would stop buying them and go to say Padron. MFC would be done.

Habanos S.A. is safe. Great quality control or not they will sell cigars. Sad but I’m sure that has something to do with it. 
 

Like everyone else though, I’d love to see them get on board and send out sticks with NC quality control. 

Yeah I guess that's a good point.  We keep buying, they'll keep doing what they're doing.  Competition is a beautiful thing!!

[gk404]

Stepping back from the CC vs NC debate on flavour which is wholly subjective, why is it that CC quality control is so spotty?  Is the variance in quality deliberate (to maintain the character of the Cuban Cigar) or is it something else?  Imagine how much free time Rob would have if he didn't have to inspect all his inventory. ?

[SmokyFontaine]

2 hours ago, gk404 said:

Stepping back from the CC vs NC debate on flavour which is wholly subjective, why is it that CC quality control is so spotty?  Is the variance in quality deliberate (to maintain the character of the Cuban Cigar) or is it something else?  Imagine how much free time Rob would have if he didn't have to inspect all his inventory. ?

Lots will have better information for you, but I most commonly hear good ole Communism is to blame. Folks are paid way too little, the government knows they'll sell anyway, and as a big part of their economy it would be insanity to throw out seconds or cigars that don't quite make the visual cut. They need to make a ton of cigars because the government tells them to. Bulk production without the resources (human or otherwise) to do it "properly" gets exposed. I believe there has been an incredible increase in demand out of China for CC's too, so perhaps they're more in demand than ever before. It will be interesting to see if quality control stays this consistently inconsistent or if it gets worse (assuming sales and demand are up year over year. Maybe the virus stuff dampens that...but then they aren't able to produce as much, so there is still scarcity...hell who knows. I'm not that smart.)

[The Real McCoy]

2 hours ago, SmokyFontaine said:

Lots will have better information for you, but I most commonly hear good ole Communism is to blame. Folks are paid way too little, the government knows they'll sell anyway, and as a big part of their economy it would be insanity to throw out seconds or cigars that don't quite make the visual cut. They need to make a ton of cigars because the government tells them to. Bulk production without the resources (human or otherwise) to do it "properly" gets exposed. I believe there has been an incredible increase in demand out of China for CC's too, so perhaps they're more in demand than ever before. It will be interesting to see if quality control stays this consistently inconsistent or if it gets worse (assuming sales and demand are up year over year. Maybe the virus stuff dampens that...but then they aren't able to produce as much, so there is still scarcity...hell who knows. I'm not that smart.)

Agreed. When one company (Habanos S.A.) owns the whole thing including each and every brand, there’s no free market creating the strive for excellence. While they have excellent craftsmen, the production is rushed and many ugly and subpar cigars come to market. It’s all about volume. With non-cuban cigar producers, especially the boutique brands, the company’s reputation or maybe even the reputation of a family name is at sake. They typically do a better job of removing any poorly made cigars from the batch. People that want NC have plenty of brands to choose from, so competition is fierce. People that want CC have to buy from Habanos S.A. without choice. 

[Smokecigareveryday]

Isn't Habanos S.A an European company that stepped in the 90s to fix QC in the first place? 

[prodigy]

Padron is the reason I got into cigars. Had a few cheapie smokes here and there, never liked them. Went to a local shop that had very limited stock, and decided to see if a 15$ cigar was actually worth the added cost. Needless to say, it was, and I'll never forget that padron 1926. I don't have experience with their "cheap" lines, and only have the family reserves, 26's, 64's, or other limited releases. They are the epitome of what a NC hopes to be.

Those that say they've never had issues with CC QC, or have had 99% success?? I can't wait until you buy a box that is 100% plugged and unsmokeable. Regardless of storage, dry boxing, aging, perfecdraw. Ive had multiple boxes like that, MULTIPLE!!! PSP included...

Those that say NC taste like an ashtray, or leave a nasty taste in their mouth and CC don't, must not be married or have a girlfriend/boyfriend. My wife smells the stink regardless of where it was grown. YOU may not notice it as much if it's a cc, but I guarantee its still there! I have had just as many "out of this world" cigar experiences with NC as I have with CC, if not more.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[The Real McCoy]

21 hours ago, Smokecigareveryday said:

Isn't Habanos S.A an European company that stepped in the 90s to fix QC in the first place? 

You may be thinking of Altadis. Habanos S.A. is just an arm of the state run tobacco industry, Cubatobaco. Altadis bought half of Habanos S.A. in the year 2000. Altadis was then was bought by Imperial Tobacco in 2008. My understanding is that there is currently a deal pending now for Imperial to sell off most of their premium cigar brands, including the half ownership of Habanos S.A. to a yet unnamed holding company. It remains unclear what that means for CC in the future.  

[Sver]

Agreed, the PerfectDraw tool has been a godsend.

Still, today I sparked up a Southern Draw Rose, a cigar gaining some hype in the past year. Draw was impeccable, looks amazing but what a disappointment. I don't know how a cigar could feel bitter and lacking power at the same time, this one managed it. I don't get that with Cubans, there is just something about the aroma and flavor of cuban cigars that sits well with me, even much cheaper cigars than the Southern Draw.

 

[dangolf18]

After switching from NC to CC 10 years ago, I've never looked back.

[JoeyBones777]

Imagine if a few NC companies found tobaccos that gave that Cuban twang and blended numerous killer truly cubanesque cigars...I'm not gonna lie, I'd probably rarely buy CC at that point...if at all. I'm all about the flavor and aroma. Given Habanos continual price increases, slashing of thinner in favor of fatter, pricier sticks and their abhorrent quality control CC are as frustrating as they are rewarding...albeit very rewarding at times! If it weren't for our gracious host and I was forced to buy blind I likely wouldn't be in the CC game. I'd love to see some real competition to kick Habanos S.A. in the pants and scare them into making some meaningful changes in this area. One can dream, right??

[Smokecigareveryday]

7 hours ago, JoeyBones777 said:

Imagine if a few NC companies found tobaccos that gave that Cuban twang and blended numerous killer truly cubanesque cigars...I'm not gonna lie, I'd probably rarely buy CC at that point...if at all. I'm all about the flavor and aroma. Given Habanos continual price increases, slashing of thinner in favor of fatter, pricier sticks and their abhorrent quality control CC are as frustrating as they are rewarding...albeit very rewarding at times! If it weren't for our gracious host and I was forced to buy blind I likely wouldn't be in the CC game. I'd love to see some real competition to kick Habanos S.A. in the pants and scare them into making some meaningful changes in this area. One can dream, right??

Try Illusione epernay and conn Rothchild.  Very Cubanesque in my opinion.  NC companies do not actually want to copy the taste of Habanos cigars in my opinion. They have their own unique blends just like craft beers.

[JoeyBones777]

6 hours ago, Smokecigareveryday said:

Try Illusione epernay and conn Rothchild.  Very Cubanesque in my opinion.  NC companies do not actually want to copy the taste of Habanos cigars in my opinion. They have their own unique blends just like craft beers.

Illusione is my favorite NC company. Epernay being my favorite NC blend. For me there is a uniqueness to Cuban tobacco, some call it the Cuban twang, that I've yet to find in a NC. Most CC are blended to have smooth sweet flavors like cake, shortbread, honey, cream, etc... that I rarely find in NC. I think there is a lot of $ to be had if someone truly hit that CC style in flavor, texture, aroma and smoothness without the need for age and with much better qc. The question comes up from time to time "why would you want a NC that tastes like a CC? Just smoke a CC" but this is why. CC's don't consistently taste or perform good. If Dion Giolito made a couple blends that tasted like a good Montecristo No.1 and a good Sir Winston and a good Partagas 898 that needed little to no age and was consistent...game over! For me anyway.

[Brian24]

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

[HoyoFan]

I have found a day boxing eliminates 80% of my constructions and draw issues if I’ve bought from the right supplier.

The issue is planning ahead all the time. With NCs it’s fun open my humidor and think, hmm what do I feel like today. With CCs it’s, what WILL I feel like in 4 days?

[Smokecigareveryday]

11 minutes ago, HoyoFan said:

I have found a day boxing eliminates 80% of my constructions and draw issues if I’ve bought from the right supplier.

The issue is planning ahead all the time. With NCs it’s fun open my humidor and think, hmm what do I feel like today. With CCs it’s, what WILL I feel like in 4 days?

I am probably one of the few lucky ones when it comes to CC QC.  I have never had a box that had construction issues.  Sure some sticks may have been a bit tight ( there is perfect draw for that) and some had uneven burns so requires a few touch ups which I don't mind at all.