torsion Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 I am confirmed-there from 13-18th.I'll be at The Nacional on Monday afternoon if anyone wants to meet.Likely copious mojitos and a few smokes whilst waiting for another brother to arrive. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethernut Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Wish I could Join! Next year for certain! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javonazul Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 On 11/4/2017 at 10:04 PM, Habana Mike said: Just over a week away now! Who's confirmed? We're there 10th-18th and look forward to catching up and smoking with all the FOH crew that make it down. Confirmed!! Mornings in el Nacional 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Looks like I'll be there as well! 13th-19th. Last minute decision. I should be able to get to some of the Partagas events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Cigars handed out at the introductory gala dinner. Regular production Connie 1, Edmundo, Cedros de Luxe & D4 with a Partagas band...the D4 wasn't great. Have yet to try the others. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puromaniac Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Also a Siglo VI, rumour has it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 On 11/21/2017 at 12:20 PM, puromaniac said: Also a Siglo VI, rumour has it? Yes, didn't get a pic of that but a Siglo VI was handed out. I smoked it Sat and it was excellent with terrific construction. Ash almost to the band without touchup. Scored it a 92/93. Medium, maybe a touch under. The D4 was lousy. The RyJ and Monte were both good but not great. The Connie 1, however, was truly fantastic. I was given two more Connie 1s from friends and I'm grateful. I smoked the Connie 1 on Wed and I scored it a 94/95. As good as a young cigar can possibly be. Just pure Upmann shortbread, true medium, perfect construction. The best cigar I've had all year. Assuming these are recent production as they're being handed out this week I would be buying these up like crazy. I'll sample another this weekend and see if it's as good as the first. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torsion Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Opening night handoutsSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habana Mike Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 On 11/15/2017 at 11:07 PM, NSXCIGAR said: Cigars handed out at the introductory gala dinner. Regular production Connie 1, Edmundo, Cedros de Luxe & D4 with a Partagas band...the D4 wasn't great. Have yet to try the others. The D4 I smoked that night started out OK, but smoking 2/3 of it in 5 minutes turned it hot, bitter and nasty! Never doing a timed long ash contest again! Shame we missed the chance to meet. Didn't know you were there or who to look for. Perhaps next year? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSXCIGAR Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 4 minutes ago, Habana Mike said: The D4 I smoked that night started out OK, but smoking 2/3 of it in 5 minutes turned it hot, bitter and nasty! Never doing a timed long ash contest again! Shame we missed the chance to meet. Didn't know you were there or who to look for. Perhaps next year? I'd agree on the D4. And I'm sure the D4s smoked during the ash contest were probably hot too! A very odd "competition" that's pretty much blasphemous...chug down a cigar as fast as possible in 3 mins. I did watch it so I'm sure I saw you, but didn't meet you obviously. Next time, of course. Also, I was given an extra Presidentes--the first one (mine) was not good but the second one I smoked on Sat was very good. CCs inconsistent as always... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puromaniac Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Blasphemous indeed...almost as bad as how quickly the Cohiba rum vanished. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torsion Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 On 11/24/2017 at 1:12 PM, puromaniac said: Blasphemous indeed...almost as bad as how quickly the Cohiba rum vanished. I hadn't even noticed it was on our table until I looked round and half of it was gone already! I heard a sad story on another table that some folks didn't even get to try any - someone on their table had lifted the whole bottle and apparently their wife had it stashed in her handbag...not a very BOTL type of move. Some people are way too selfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Wish I could have been there! I saved my Encuentros Banded cigars from last year's Opening Gala, and plan to smoke one each year around the same time if I'm not able to make the festival. It had nothing to do with John DeCosta's unfortunate luck with his Encuentros cigars (each was underfilled and pitched right away at the dinner ) ............ Last week I lit up the first, a RyJ Wide Churchill. Surprisingly a good cigar, even if I hate the size! No construction or burn issues. Flavour was medium with some good RyJ sweetness. Reading the comments above, I think next year I'm smoking the Connie 1! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torsion Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 2 hours ago, ChanceSchmerr said: Wish I could have been there! I saved my Encuentros Banded cigars from last year's Opening Gala, and plan to smoke one each year around the same time if I'm not able to make the festival. It had nothing to do with John DeCosta's unfortunate luck with his Encuentros cigars (each was underfilled and pitched right away at the dinner ) ............ Last week I lit up the first, a RyJ Wide Churchill. Surprisingly a good cigar, even if I hate the size! No construction or burn issues. Flavour was medium with some good RyJ sweetness. Reading the comments above, I think next year I'm smoking the Connie 1! Ha! I was sitting next to John this year and he (as well as another guy) had issues with the HDM DC that was handed out at the finale dinner which I am pretty sure was pitched due to it being plugged!! The stand out though - the La China lancero (I was fortunate enough to have gotten one from Heri on the Tuesday when we went to see him) Still have the one they handed out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 1 hour ago, torsion said: Ha! I was sitting next to John this year and he (as well as another guy) had issues with the HDM DC that was handed out at the finale dinner which I am pretty sure was pitched due to it being plugged!! The stand out though - the La China lancero (I was fortunate enough to have gotten one from Heri on the Tuesday when we went to see him) Still have the one they handed out! Haha that's kinda funny! Poor John can't catch a break..... You're lucky to have a La China Lancero, that would be stellar! I have a La China Piramides from last year's Gala dinner - it will likely get a few years before I give it a light! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk05 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 15 hours ago, torsion said: I hadn't even noticed it was on our table until I looked round and half of it was gone already! I heard a sad story on another table that some folks didn't even get to try any - someone on their table had lifted the whole bottle and apparently their wife had it stashed in her handbag...not a very BOTL type of move. Some people are way too selfish I heard some tables were awful. Don, at the Closing Dinner, did you notice how Habanos put the USA table at the far left corner with no light, away from every other table? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torsion Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 6 minutes ago, mk05 said: I heard some tables were awful. Don, at the Closing Dinner, did you notice how Habanos put the USA table at the far left corner with no light, away from every other table? LOL Ha!Bro-I didn't even realize there was a USA table!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wertman Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 i see a lot of people are loving the connie 1. I will have to pick up a box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethernut Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Love to hear how things have (or haven’t) changed for those of you from the US there last year on the travel front. Did you fly direct or hop in to HAV from another location? Any issues at the airport (stateside or in HAV) with Trumps new shell game? Any tricks to share. Going try and go for certain next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habana Mike Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Great to meet up with everyone that was there that I met up with! Another fantastic trip though I did suffer a bit of the Cuba belly for a day or so... Always enjoy my trips to the island, looking forward to the next. Nice to finally be able to take a direct flight from ATL to HAV, only 2 hours nonstop and arriving at terminal 3, not terminal 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk05 Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 17 hours ago, Habana Mike said: Another fantastic trip though I did suffer a bit of the Cuba belly for a day or so... Bring Pepto, solves a lot of problems. That slightly sick but not really sick feeling? Yea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GotaCohiba Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Thanks for the pepto advise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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