Helping me branch out..


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So I currently have in my possession Montecristo #2, R&J Short Churchill and HdM Epicure #2.  I would like to have a full spectrum of what is out there.  If anyone knows of some good lancero recommendations, it would be appreciated.  Overall anything would be appreciated in recommendations Trying to stay away from rolls that are $20+.  This is the sampler of singles I ordered from Diane today.

BOLIVAR CORONAS GIGANTES 

BOLIVAR BELICOSOS FINOS SLB
 
BOLIVAR ROYAL CORONAS
 
H.UPMANN MAGNUM 46 SLB
 
H.UPMANN PETIT CORONAS
 
PARTAGAS SERIE D NO.4
 
RAMON ALLONES SPECIALLY SELECTED
 
RAMON ALLONES RA Club Allones LE 2015

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Welcome to FOH Isaac!

You have a great selection of CC's to try there ;)  I see you have gone for fuller bodied cigars so I do hope that is your preference!

Lancero (Laguito No. 1) size is also very popular with FOH members.  From my own experiences on the forum, the three that are most popular, in probable order, are Cohiba Lanceros, Trinidad Fundadores, and Montecristo Especial.  The Cohiba are a fair bit more expensive, but when they are on they are something special.  These are all excellent cc's though.  If you like fuller bodied smokes, then the Trini would be a great choice.  A slightly thinner but also excellent panatella is the Por Lorranaga Montecarlo (33 ring gauge I believe and about 6 or so inches long) - needs aging for minimum 5 years though to get the most out of it.

 

 

 

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I don't necessarily like fuller body smokes, but medium to full is better.  I had a Lot 23 from Perdomo the other day, and I found it was extremely weak, and didn't enjoy it at all.  Some of the better smokes that I have liked are the Padron 1964, so perhaps that is my preference.  

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7 minutes ago, Isaac said:

I don't necessarily like fuller body smokes, but medium to full is better.  I had a Lot 23 from Perdomo the other day, and I found it was extremely weak, and didn't enjoy it at all.  Some of the better smokes that I have liked are the Padron 1964, so perhaps that is my preference.  

Sorry, I really should have clarified by fuller bodied, I meant leaning to the other side of medium and above.  I think you will be spot on with your selections.  I haven't smoked Padrons in years (I did start out with NCs), but I believe these are above medium from memory.

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40 minutes ago, Isaac said:

I don't necessarily like fuller body smokes, but medium to full is better.  I had a Lot 23 from Perdomo the other day, and I found it was extremely weak, and didn't enjoy it at all.  Some of the better smokes that I have liked are the Padron 1964, so perhaps that is my preference.  

If you like the 1964, you're clearly in full-bodied territory as far as CC's are concerned.  They tend to be milder compared to strong Nicaraguan sticks.  The sampler you ordered is great.  I would recommend in addition that you try out Punch Punch, Diplomaticos 2, and something from the Juan Lopez line.  These last few have been smoking quite well recently, so you're likely to find good quality examples on the market.  Juan Lopez is one of the better values out there- No 1 if you want a Corona Gorda, or No 2 if you prefer a robusto.  Your CC tour probably wouldn't be complete without a cohiba, so try out a Siglo II for starters.  Good luck!

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The sampler is a great place to start. I would have recommended the RA Specially Selected and the Bolivar Royal Corona. There are a lot of great petit coronas out there as well. The Partagas Mille Fleur, RyJ Mille Fleur, Monte #4, Por Larranaga Petit Corona, and several PC tubos. All 3 cuban lanceros mentioned are excellent smokes, but tend to be pricey ($15-$20 US per) and hard to find at times. The RyJ Churchill is a classic that should not be passed over as well. 

One piece of advice I would give is to not worry about, medium, full, etc. I find in different moods I like everything from light to extremely full. 

Good luck on your journey! Keep it slow and simple. 

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First, welcome to the joy of the Cuban cigar and to FoH.

Asking for recommendations from the membership will likely yield you just about every cigar in the catalog, and that is not a bad thing!

Cuban cigars are known by several means of identification, some of which are brand, and model, but all by a factory name or vitola. So to your question there is the Cohiba Lanceros and then again there are several cigars, including several models which might be considered a 'lanceros' size cigars depending upon whom you ask. There may be also cigars that are limited production cigars such as EL's and RE's that answer to the model name lanceros, but as someone who does not closely follow that program, I am not the right guy to ask.

While it appears that the Cubans are moving aways from the classical "vitolas" in favor of newer cigars of larger girth and oddball sizes, historically the catalog has contained a more common group of standard sizes with few or many models in each vitola, or size.

The Cohiba Lanceros for example is made in the Laguito No. 1 vitola. Also in that vitola is the Montecristo Especial. There is also the Vegueros Especiales No. 1 (if that is still being made). There is a close sibling, the Laguito No. 2 a shorter version of the same ring. Is that also a "lanceros?" That largely depends on whether you are more familiar with Cuban cigars or perhaps non-Cuban cigars and how you read the numbers. Could the dalias or the cervantes also be considered a 'lanceros?' Again, it depends on your cigar world view.

I like a lot of these 'thin ring cigars.' And yes, the Cuban catalog is broken into thin, medium and large ring cigars.

You may consider having a look at the Cuban Cigar web sight to better familiarize yourself with the Cuban catalog, both past and present. The web address is: http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com

I think you should try some thinner ring cigars. The Monte and Cohiba are both fine examples. You should try them all... MHO. Many of these cigars are favorites of mine and I cannot say that one is definitively better than another. If you are buying singles from our host ask him what he is liking in his current inventory of singles. He will not steer you wrong. Remember though, we are talking Cuban cigars. If you are expecting 'cigarette consistency' forget about it. Your feel for what you like will develop with your experience. There is no shortcut but the membership will certainly help you with their opinions along the way if you ask.

Welcome again to the forum, and thanks for joining us. -Piggy

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Isaac, I am a noob around here and to cc's, and you and I had the same idea.  I also recently placed a singles order with Diane.  I read so much around here about H.Upmann's so I may have gone a bit heavy on those.  Here is my order (ordered 2 of each):

BOLIVAR BELICOSOS FINOS SLB 25′S (SINGLE) (#58109041)    
H.UPMANN CONNOISSEUR NO.1 SLB 25′S (SINGLE) (#41704002)    
H.UPMANN MAGNUM 46 SLB 25′S (SINGLE) (#50504129)    
H.UPMANN MAGNUM 50 SLB 25′S (SINGLE) (#100521)    
H.UPMANN H Upmann Connisseur A single    
RAMON ALLONES SPECIALLY SELECTED 25′S (SINGLE) (#43511031)    
VEGAS ROBAINA UNICOS 25′S (SINGLE) (#68147005)

One of my favorite non-cuban's is the Padron 64 Diplomatico maduro so sounds like you and I may have similar preferences.  Let me know if there are some from your list you think I need to try.

I already have 10/ea of PSD4's, Punch Punch, Monte #2's and Partagas Lusi's from a recent trip by brother-in-law took to Cuba (which is what started me chasing this crazy world of cc's).  Been to cold to smoke lately so they have been resting since late November.

Welcome to FOH fellow newbie!

 

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Hey Isaac,

     I love the Cuban lanceros, but they are not only hard to find, they are also expensive.  I would recommend starting with the Montecristo Especial (sometimes called especial no 1), which is one of my favorite all time cigars.  Good luck finding them--I hunted for a year before stumbling across the FOH store and buying (what I think was) the last box they had.  A very similar cigar in flavor, and one that you can find pretty much anywhere, is the Montecristo Especial no 2, which is the same ring gauge but an inch or so shorter.  These can be had for roughly 10 USD per cigar, and I don't see them out of stock most places.  I love this cigar as well, and am usually never without a box or two in my humidor. 

        Vagueros, to answer Piggy, do not produce the lancero anymore.  I'm not sure when they were discontinued, but I know they only do super shorts now in metal tins.  Too bad, because I have had an aged Vaguero no 2, and loved it.  I never had a no 1 but I'm looking across the sites that sell vintage sticks and wouldn't hesitate to purchase a decent box of these with some years on them.  From what I remember of the no 2 it was a highly approachable blend, nothing too fancy, but straight forward and just good.

        Cohiba you're looking at the lanceros or the coronas especiales (same size as the montecristo especial no 2), neither of which are generally in stock on any of the usual suspects' websites.  The lanceros pop up on 24 24 once in a while, but they're gone in a flash.  I was lucky enough to grab a box of PSP lancero in the last few weeks, and they are on their way.  However, you're looking at over 300 and 500 USD respectively for the corona especiales and lancero box price. 

      Trinidad fundadores  may be your best bet, since they are less expensive than the CoLa, and generally available most places.  While they're more expensive than the Monte Especial, at least you can buy yourself some boxes.  If I were you however, I'd buy this cigar (and almost every cigar, if you can swing it) from FOH's store.  It's slightly more expensive than other vendors, but I have seen some piss poor examples of the Trini Fund out there, and would be furious if I shelled out 350-400 bucks for a box of sh!t sticks. 

      I would say also that of the three, the fundadores to my palate is most approachable young.  The Monte seems like it needs more time to mellow out and really shine, and the CoLa likewise doesn't seem to know whether it's coming or going flavor wise when compared to one with 3 years on it.  Hope this helps.  The Lancero was my final frontier, and I'm still exploring myself. 

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As someone who's also, relative to a lot of folks on here, new to all of this, I would recommend trying a few of the benchmarks as well as some of the niche sticks.  I'm talking Monte No 2, Cohiba Robusto.  I found so many people comparing to those and other benchmarks so it was good to have a handle of them.

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20 hours ago, mwaller said:

If you like the 1964, you're clearly in full-bodied territory as far as CC's are concerned.  They tend to be milder compared to strong Nicaraguan sticks.  The sampler you ordered is great.  I would recommend in addition that you try out Punch Punch, Diplomaticos 2, and something from the Juan Lopez line.  These last few have been smoking quite well recently, so you're likely to find good quality examples on the market.  Juan Lopez is one of the better values out there- No 1 if you want a Corona Gorda, or No 2 if you prefer a robusto.  Your CC tour probably wouldn't be complete without a cohiba, so try out a Siglo II for starters.  Good luck!

I think this is great advice and I say that sitting in your shoes a year or two ago. One of my favorite sticks when I first started was the JL2. What I found out is that I started out smoking the fuller bodied smokes and now I'm inching my way into the medium realm. My favorite smoke I've had has been a Partagas Lusitania. It was not full bodied but a perfect specimen of a mild smoke that held my attention for the whole ride. Elegant would be a good term for it. There's a fine line between in your face and perfect IMO. Good luck! 

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Well I got caught up in the frenzy of the 24:24 and bought a box of HUPC.  What really pushed me over the edge is that I heard it was being discontinued and figured I could recooperate any losses if I don't like them.  

 

I don't know how you guys age cigars for 1-10 years...i am ready to dig in as soon as I buy stuff.  

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4 hours ago, Isaac said:

I don't know how you guys age cigars for 1-10 years...i am ready to dig in as soon as I buy stuff.  

Keep doing what you're doing, buying a box or two of cigars a week, and you won't have any issue aging them. Eventually you have too many to smoke in short order, and you continue to buy. It'll take a little time, but just make sure to pay your credit card on time every month, and have enough storage. 

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