CC vs. NC taste

[bradbrennan]

Couple members here recently set up a taste challenge that was kind of interesting, based on tastes and/or lack of differentiation within marcas mostly. There was also a reference to another challenge about a year ago to simply pick the CC vs. NC from a group of unmarked cigars. Much like our current Blind Tasting set up by Rob, they bring a little friendly competition.

Has anybody tried a simple blind tasting CC vs. NC? I'm assuming most here feel pretty confident they could pick the CC's with high accuracy?

[melies]

That sounds interesting Brad although the logistics of how to do it sound a little bit hard... What cigars would you compare them to? I have found that with most Dominicans (at least for me) taste dies at the half point, Nicaraguans are pretty easy to detect (well most of them, i like them) etc...

[Laynard]

I've done a blind taste challenge pass that had cigars from all countries, and the one CC I picked out, I knew it was so. Yeah, I got the marca wrong, but nailed the country of origin. NCs are a little more difficult, as they can have Dominican fillers with Nicaraguan wrappers. But, puros tend to have distinct characteristics, IMO.

[bradbrennan]

That sounds interesting Brad although the logistics of how to do it sound a little bit hard... What cigars would you compare them to? I have found that with most Dominicans (at least for me) taste dies at the half point, Nicaraguans are pretty easy to detect (well most of them, i like them) etc...

Probably need a third party, Francisco, like your wife maybe?! She could put a blindfold on you first...who knows where that could go

[bradbrennan]

I've done a blind taste challenge pass that had cigars from all countries, and the one CC I picked out, I knew it was so. Yeah, I got the marca wrong, but nailed the country of origin. NCs are a little more difficult, as they can have Dominican fillers with Nicaraguan wrappers. But, puros tend to have distinct characteristics, IMO.

I don't think I could guess the other countries, but thinking I could pick the CC's. I'd say five cigars would be enough, any combination...is there a NC you can think of that could throw you off?

[RickHendeson]

LOL it would have to be SUPER blind . . . what with the triple cap and all . . .

Honestly I think cuban wrappers just look different from ncs -- markedly so. Little things like texture, etc.

[cigcars]

I can about tell when I've got Brazilian tobacco blended w/other country blends due to its tough, dark and sweet cool resiliency and flavor. Then the wrappers from Ecuador and Cameroon have their own pretty and flavorful delicate appearance. The Cameroon is usually pretty bumpy and toothy (except for General Cigar's big disappointment red dot Cohibas ). The Ecuadorian wrappers are fantastically delicious even compared to some CC's IMHO. The Hondurans are a tad tough and dark-bitter tasting to me, but I'm always impressed with Camacho's offers. The only NC tobaccos that I really don't like are Pennsylvanian and Costa Rican wrappers. I mean they have their own type of quality, they're not cheap renderings, they just don't appeal to MY taste buds. For our beloved and highly sought after CC's - the honeyed brandywine flavors; the toasted bread essence made with love from the hearth; and the maple and raisins aroma - Rapture!!!

[bradbrennan]

LOL it would have to be SUPER blind . . . what with the triple cap and all . . .

Honestly I think cuban wrappers just look different from ncs -- markedly so. Little things like texture, etc.

Yep, has to be taste only! probably should be blindfolded wearing gloves or using a clip of sort :-)

[raymond5737]

That sounds interesting Brad although the logistics of how to do it sound a little bit hard... What cigars would you compare them to? I have found that with most Dominicans (at least for me) taste dies at the half point, Nicaraguans are pretty easy to detect (well most of them, i like them) etc...

Hi There Melies

I think that if you smoke plenty of both, you will be pleasantly surprised at how great several non-Cuban cigars stack up against the Cuban experience. For me, I don't like the tremendous amount of marrying and aging that has to occur before you get the traditional blissful flavor and buzz from a great Cuban cigar. That experience has eluded me for so long I have often thought that it was just a dream. As a matter of fact, I am still waiting on my Cuban collection to come up to par. So I look for the magic in the non-Cuban and believe me, there are some good ones out there. La Flor Dominicana, CAO Amazon Basin, La Aurora, Cien Anos, Tatuaje 10 Anniversary, Torano Exodus 50 years, Padron 1926 40 year, Padron Family Reserve 50 years. There are many N/C cigars that will take your mind completely off of Cuban Cigars, that is how great they taste, smell look and feel.

As for the taste test. It could be done at a herf ot reunion of FOHers.

[bradbrennan]

Hi There Melies

I think that if you smoke plenty of both, you will be pleasantly surprised at how great several non-Cuban cigars stack up against the Cuban experience. For me, I don't like the tremendous amount of marrying and aging that has to occur before you get the traditional blissful flavor and buzz from a great Cuban cigar. That experience has eluded me for so long I have often thought that it was just a dream. As a matter of fact, I am still waiting on my Cuban collection to come up to par. So I look for the magic in the non-Cuban and believe me, there are some good ones out there. La Flor Dominicana, CAO Amazon Basin, La Aurora, Cien Anos, Tatuaje 10 Anniversary, Torano Exodus 50 years, Padron 1926 40 year, Padron Family Reserve 50 years. There are many N/C cigars that will take your mind completely off of Cuban Cigars, that is how great they taste, smell look and feel.

As for the taste test. It could be done at a herf ot reunion of FOHers.

So, do you think you could be fooled with a truly blind taste test?

[Stogieninja]

There was a blind taste test a few years back on another forum. To make it as blind as possible, the size for all sticks was robusto and the caps were all cut prior to being sent.

I don't actually remember what the results were. If I can find it I'll link it here.

I recently took part in a blind taste test and got 3 of 4 correct. The one I got wrong was a very young CC I smoked after another NC (never do that in a blind tasting!) and assumed was an NC.

[Colt45]

Has anybody tried a simple blind tasting CC vs. NC?

That's exactly what the 2009 Shortsqueeze / Jimmy tasting was (which J2 aced). Blind tastings can be humbling - have a look at RA's blind tastings over the years here.

Kind of reminds me of arm wrestling........

[bradbrennan]

That's exactly what the 2009 Shortsqueeze / Jimmy tasting was (which J2 aced). Blind tastings can be humbling - have a look at RA's blind tastings over the years here.

Kind of reminds me of arm wrestling........

I was thinking that was only a year ago I'll have to look for that one again

[bradbrennan]

There was a blind taste test a few years back on another forum. To make it as blind as possible, the size for all sticks was robusto and the caps were all cut prior to being sent.

I don't actually remember what the results were. If I can find it I'll link it here.

I recently took part in a blind taste test and got 3 of 4 correct. The one I got wrong was a very young CC I smoked after another NC (never do that in a blind tasting!) and assumed was an NC.

what was the NC that you mistook

[Stogieninja]

It was a CC I thought was an NC, an H Upmann Majestic. I smoked it after a Crowned Heads Headley Grange, and that syrupy sweetness from the HG lingered on my palate and messed me up.

[bradbrennan]

It was a CC I thought was an NC, an H Upmann Majestic. I smoked it after a Crowned Heads Headley Grange, and that syrupy sweetness from the HG lingered on my palate and messed me up.

I get a sweetness from many Upmann that I don't care for

[Habana Mike]

For me I think the Cuban taste is unmistakable. I may not be able to pick out the marca but provenance is not a problem.

With the blind tastings I've been doing a majority of the cigars are NC but the few that weren't I called in the first few puffs. Just finished an RyJ Wide Churchill and the cold draw, bouquet, wrapper leaf, triple cap all screamed Cuban but those first few puffs, creamy, oily, sweet, toasted tobacco with a touch of spice locked it for me.

Have had a couple of NC strike me as Cubanesque but haven't confused a Cuban for an NC since I started this exercise.

[bradbrennan]

For me I think the Cuban taste is unmistakable. I may not be able to pick out the marca but provenance is not a problem.

With the blind tastings I've been doing a majority of the cigars are NC but the few that weren't I called in the first few puffs. Just finished an RyJ Wide Churchill and the cold draw, bouquet, wrapper leaf, triple cap all screamed Cuban but those first few puffs, creamy, oily, sweet, toasted tobacco with a touch of spice locked it for me.

Have had a couple of NC strike me as Cubanesque but haven't confused a Cuban for an NC since I started this exercise.

Was hopingyou would have a thought on this Mike

[raymond5737]

So, do you think you could be fooled with a truly blind taste test?

So, do you think you could be fooled with a truly blind taste test?

Like Brad Brennen said, it is hard to be fooled if you pay attention to "the cold draw, bouquet, wrapper leaf, triple cap and those first few puffs, creamy, oily, sweet, toasted tobacco with a touch of spice"... Gotta be a Cuban..

[Orion21]

One dead giveaway for me would be the NC maduro wrapper. The dark black the NC companies achieve treating their wrapper leaves with that nasty slury is not "Cuban" in the least. Also, you rarely see the "marble rye" swirl when looking at the feet of NC cigars. I see this differentiation in varying levels of contrast in most Cuban cigars, but almost no NC.

When it comes to flavor that is subjective. The biggest differences for me has to do with the "harshness" of the smoke. Some NC cigars have great flavors, but I almost always feel a horrible scratchy harshness at the back of my throat from the smoke. It could be the makeup of the wrapper, the amount of ligero or just minerals composition in the leaves due to soil differences. But this harshness in my throat is the biggest tell for me.

A couple of NC brands that could fool me are Opus X and Davidoff. In my experience Opus cigars are the most "Cuban like" NC cigars I smoke. Also, Davidoff uses a lot of lighter wrappers and blends that look and feel Cuban. However, the harshness is there with young ones.

Finally, the biggest tell of all is the occasional "twang" Cuban cigars provide. This flavor does not exist in the NC world.

[Kyoung]

Have had a couple of NC strike me as Cubanesque but haven't confused a Cuban for an NC since I started this exercise.

Mike, would love to know which NC struck you as Cubanesque

[Laynard]

I don't think I could guess the other countries, but thinking I could pick the CC's. I'd say five cigars would be enough, any combination...is there a NC you can think of that could throw you off?

Not really. There are some NC manufacturers that utilize a triple cap, but their wrappers tend to be dark and toothy, so that's a give away. I had a Felix Assouline cigar that had a similar profile to CCs, but it was severely box-pressed. The combination of wrapper, cap, and flavor let's me know if it is Cuban or not.

[Habana Mike]

Mike, would love to know which NC struck you as Cubanesque

The Warped La Colmena No. 36 petite lancero had me going until the end. Light delicate wrapper, smooth and creamy smoke. Honey and hay notes.

It's even built like a Cuban custom with a pigtail and covered foot.

Maya Selva's Flor de Selva line is a close second.