A decade down the road.....What were you smoking in 2007? have your tastes changed?


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That was right in the middle of my 10-year buying hiatus. I was smoking through my stash, strict Punch diet, mostly cabs of SS1/2, RS12, Coronas and Churchills. Virtually all gone now.

Had a few NC as well, Olivia Grand Cameroon, O, V, Fuente sun grown, Torano, some Padron, Ashtons.


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I do remember 2007 very well, for it was about the year i started getting back into cigars. i had smoked cubans occasionally with friends in a little place called "La Aroma" in my hometown years earlier. great little place with gourmet coffees and cigars from around the world. it had a great little smoking lounge as well. smoking lounges are now prohibited across the province!  well most places in Canada i would assume. So in 2007 i was looking into various cigars, trying a couple of singles of anything that was deemed good and got my first small humidor. a good part of my stock was going back to CC's of course, so everything else i tried was compared to it...to a point. I did find Padrons and some Litto Gomez and Fuente cigars which i knew nothing about before that time. so it was a lot of experimenting around with non-cubans back in 2007 since i was well aquainted with CC's. i was smoking only the big cuban brands though.  i only go into the smaller brands a while later, some of those brands i've learned from FOH, which i'm very happy about!  

the only thing i can say that as evolved is my palette as i keep a good stock of almost all CC brands to keep things interesting, and i like 'em all, each one as something to add to the experience, especially with a little age on them.

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I was putting cigars away to age in '07. I recollect that the '06 MC#2, BCE, Siglo IV, and PLPCs were in my stash. I don't have much trouble keeping my mitts off of cigars for 5 years. My inventory was lost in the crash of CCWS so I'm  a bit fuzzy about what was my go to cigars. I can assure you that the cigars I listed above were stellar with the Siglo IV being a stand out.

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A lot of NCs (mainly Padron, Ashton and Fuente) in 2007, as I had not yet caught on to purchasing CCs online.  When someone from outside of the US was coming for a visit I would always ask them to bring me boxes of Monte #2 (and the occasional box of Cohiba Siglo VI).  It wasn't until 2010 that I started branching out and exploring other CCs.  

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In 2007 I had a small collection of NCs like inexpensive Fuentes, Excaliburs like someone else mentioned, some NC La Gloria Cubanas (made by Ernesto in the 90s), some crappy ass Punch cheapies (ala Chateau L), and some NC Cohibas.  Enjoyed the cheaper Padrón's.  I also had around 30 boxes of CCs which probably 15 were D4s, Lusis, and Monte 4s.  Remainder were a few Cohiba boxes, Bolivar Lonsdales, and 2-3 Rafael Gonzalez Lonsdales boxes.  I was scared to death to smoke the Cohibas because they were extremely expensive.  I loved Partagas.  Smoked a lot of them.  I really disliked Cuban Punch--rarely remember a good one.  Maybe they were fakes?   I did have a half a cab of Ninfas which was the only skinny I ever smoked at the time.  They were pretty good, not great.  Smoked a fair amount of the RG Lonsdales--I thought they were a great smoke and were very cheap.  I recall also really liking the RYJ Short Churchill, it had just came out and I thought it was a fantastic cigar--that seems to have changed a lot here lately though!  I had smoked maybe 1 Upmann cigar ever at that point.  For some reason it wasn't a Marca I was into at all.  For the life of me I can't remember why.  

I hit some tough financial times in 2008/2009 and had to sell nearly all of my cigars.  I still have a few singles around I kept for sentimental reasons--this is part of the reason it's so fresh in my mind.  I didn't want to get rid of all those cigars but had to.  Anyway, that's the story and what I used to smoke then.  Probably smoked 2-3 a week at most.  I wasn't as serious about it as I am now.    

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10 years seems like it was yesterday, so many discontinued sticks the loss of so many small RG's (lived on the Gloria cubana mdo 1 and 3) and still love them today although my stock slowly vanishes never to be replaced again :( but luckily still have the monte especial no 1 my taste will never change for this wonderful cigar loved mid 80s examples and continue to love it to this day (2006/2007 boxes) since rob was talking about 2007

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Probably the biggest change rotation wise 2007 vs today is that I virtually don't smoke any Party D No. 4 any more. Back in 2007 I enjoyed them immensely, not so much today. Will choose a Bolivar Royal Corona any day of the week nowdays over a D4. Much closer decision back then.

Plus was loving Cab's of Boli Petit Coronas. Still smoke the dress box version but nevermind

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I smoked more lonsdales, coronas and coronas gorda: Bolivar Inmensas, Bolivar lonsdale, SLR Serie A, SLR corona, Punch RS11 and corona, and the one I miss the most, Partagas corona. I also smoked many ELs, as the prices were still acceptable at that time…

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Gone full circle. Was smoking Juan Lopez selec 1&2, erdm, Some milder RyJs, and mild medium stuff mostly.

went into boli's and a few other s until 2010 when I stopped and was on again off agsin for several years. 

My pallete has weakened, so I'm back to my RyJ belicosos I've aged, and other smooth cigars sans spice. 

Botrom line, full circle

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Was involved in a local cigar club where we pooled funds and bought boxes to share and try at dinners or gatherings.  It was a way of trying cigars.  Each meeting someone was tasked with acquiring the sticks. Fun times before the smoking laws shut down the restaurants and bars.  Also was trying a lot of NC stuff.  A lot of Fuente, Padron, Davidoff, etc. 

My daily was the JL Selection #2 around that time.  Went for a lot of EL stuff back then.  Now, not so much.  ;) 

Definitely have become an educated consumer now. :lol3: 

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5 hours ago, El Presidente said:

How are you finding the aged R&J Belis? What year were they from?

2010. Bought the box then never smoked until recently. The one I had last week was delicious. Really smooth smoke, went great with a cappuccino.  No draw issues like I've had in the past from the vitola

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Guest Nekhyludov
22 hours ago, Philc2001 said:

That was right in the middle of my 10-year buying hiatus.

I stopped buying CCs around 2003 after several years of trying to decipher and chase factory codes to get a decent box, then still ending up with 5 dog rockets in any given box. It became too much like actual work - which I try to do as little of as possible :lol:

By 2007, was smoking exclusively NCs. Padron Anniversarios were my go-to. At the time I was also stocking up on Graycliff red label, which were declining at the time, but aged boxes from the good days could be found at fire sale prices because they had fallen out of favor. 

I started buying CCs again around 2013 once I was reasonably certain that the quality was at least minimally reliable. Nowadays, Upmann and Punch are the marcas I generally enjoy most often. I'm not sure my tastes have changed all that much; I still love Anniversarios and always keep a box of Diplomaticos in stock. There are certain consistent characteristics that I appreciate - then and now - across all cigars I smoke, both CC and NC. But my palate has certainly broadened now that my rotation includes predominantly CCs. 

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Back then, I was into JL No. 1 & 2, BBF's, SP Belicoso, Upmann Monarch, LGC 1 & 2...  Pretty much like the same stuff, but LGC are very difficult to find, and Monarch's aren't so easy either.  I haven't bought JL's in like 5 years for myself.  Shortly after '07 I went on Lonsdale kick and now ready to sell off my Lonsdales boxes to go another direction.  

I need to build up on robusto / grand corona size cigars as I been enjoying my re acquaintance with those vitolas.

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18 hours ago, s1911 said:

I was smoking a lot of Fundadores, Lusitanias, Punch & Bolivar Churchills. Not much has changed except I can't easily find the Punch or Bolivar Churchills!

Punch is pretty easy to find, but not in tubos.

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all the NCs  available.

started buying CCs seriously mid 2007,have dropped the NCs.

coronas and petit coronas, occasional Monte 2  or Boli RC.

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On 2/19/2017 at 4:02 PM, stogieluver said:

I was chasing every stinking NC in the Cigar Aficionado top 25 trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.  I didn't become enlightened until five years later.  Oh, the horror of losing all those precious cigar smoking years.  I never found a NC that was box worthy, so I only bought a handful of singles every week.   

Me too.  I never could figure out what the fuss was about to this day with the crazy top 25.  Even in the last few years with the Alec Bradley Prensado, or whatever.  I recently tried one as it won cigar of the year.  To my palate, completely unfinishable.  I had to waste a solid 3 years chasing down the NC rabbit hole before someone turned me on to the world of online cubans in 2010/2011.  Never looked back.  I still do buy the odd single stick of NC (mostly Tatuaje or Padron) to support my local B&M shop where I smoke.  However, I usually wind up gifting these cigars or smoking them on the golf course rather than when I'm trying to relax or pair with a good beer or whisky. 

Further, I think what you said about never finding a box worth NC is absolutely accurate, and reflects something I was arguing about with the brick and mortar clerk last week.  To me, buying a single Cuban cigar is akin to madness.  What's the point?  The pleasure is in observing the changes in the cigars from the same box as it ages and changes.  With a single, you miss out on the journey.  Whereas for NC cigars it is the opposite.  I've heard people rave about aged Nicaraguans, but I've never noticed a true "progression." with them.  The last box of NC's I bought were Padron Churchills in 2011 and I still have a few.  They taste exactly like they did when I bought them.  I've even bough a single from recent production at the shop to smoke side by side and I have to tell you, I can't tell the difference.  Now, compare that to my 2011 cab of PLPC and, well there is no comparison.  The 5 years that have passed have done wonders for that box that the Padrons will likely never experience. 

Now I'm really going to sound like a snob, but what has really changed for me the most is the feeling that a humidor is just a silly wooden box if it has anything other than Cuban Cigars inside. 

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My mainstays back in 07 are still in my rotation today; Bolivar Royal Coronas and Party SD4. I'd have to say that over the past 10 years my "portfolio" has expanded to include Upmann, Montecristo, VR, amongst others. Probably the only cigar that I've gone away from have been the Hoyo's. Had some 'not great' experiences with them early on and haven't had an opportunity to revisit that line.

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Oh how these threads remind me of all the great cigars that are not around...

I am a huge huge fan of the lonsdale format and petite coronas and we have lost so many other great sticks...

2007 I could still get Molinos, RG Lonsdales, SLR DC's & PC's would pop up, Bolivar...ok I gotta stop it hurts :)

I have always been a big fan of Jose Peidra, Sancho, SLR, RG, RA, Boli, SCdlH, LGC and other smaller marques. Honestly I think I am smoking the same sticks today as then except for what has been taking away from me by the evil marking folks at Habanos SA

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I was just getting into Havanas. My favorite then is still my favorite now - RASS. I didn't understand the appeal of Montecristo then and I still dont.

About the only thing that has changed is my finding a few other faves along the way - notably PLMC, RyJPC and non-HTF Fuentes.

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