So what is the NC cigar that comes closest

[gcman68]

I am going to agree with the Illusione Epernay. I have always said I would love to throw them into a blind taste test mixed in with some Cubans and have people see if they can pick it out. 

[4wheelvfr]

After smoking my first Illusione Epernay recently, I have to agree.  Very good cigar.

[Notsocleaver]

The old release Illusione Singulare Phantom with about 5 years of age was as close to a Cohiba as I have ever had without being a Cohiba. This includes the Cuban custom rolls that are allegedly backdoor behikes. Age I think is the key. The pepper blast you get from a lot of Nicaraguans dies down after a few years and they start to seem more like fresh Cubans. If I'm looking for a cheap smoke at a US lounge, I always check to see if they have any old stock Don Pepin Black Labels laying around. With a bit of age they start to get a PSD4 vibe to them.

[El Presidente]

Corelius and Anthony

Hamlet 25th Anniversary

[kwsaw63]

Personally I find the Torano Exodus Silver Edition to be the most cubanesque of the NCs I’ve smoked. It reminds me of a SLR Regio with some sticks giving a hit of citrus just like a fresh Regio.

[Philc2001]

My experience has been that most Domincan cigars wrapped in Connecticut shade are generally milder than most other NCs, and for the most part they have more nuanced, creamy, and milder flavors (i.e. less peppery) than most other NCs. The Griffins robusto is one I keep on hand, which you can buy on CB for about $3/cigar. It's not an everyday cigar, but a good yard gar for those that prefer Cubans. Then again, it's tough to beat the PLP, which are often available for $65/box.

[pjansen]

2 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Corelius and Anthony

Hamlet 25th Anniversary

El Prez, which Cornelius & Anthony smoked close to a CC? In the market for some good NC's.

[Jimmy_jack]

I’ll shine and Watped lines of cigars. Both have tobacco fron Estelli Nicaragua.  

[5thStarChicago]

I think the general consensus here, and I personally agree, is that non-cc's with lighter shade wrappers (Ecuador Connecticut, lighter Nica rosado or habano) with NIcaraguan fillers (or some stronger Dominican) can hit closest to the general CC profile.  Connecticut shade has a great natural sweetness that can echo Cuban wrapper and Nica fillers CAN bring in the complexity and round out the flavors.  That pretty much includes Hamlet 25th (couldn't agree more, Prez), Illusione Epernay Singulare & ECCJ, Jaime Garcia Limited Edition 2012 and 10/50, some Davidoff, La Palina Goldies, Warped, Tatuaje (skinny gauges and the Tiff Cazadore, my current favorite cigar PERIOD), and a lot of cigars out of the Tabsa / Casa Fernandez factory.  It's very easy to go too far on the spice in Nicaraguan tobacco but hey, different smokes for different folks.  I love many CC's and non CC's and smoking both keeps the ol' palate awake and paying attention.  That's what makes this hobby / passion so damn much fun.   

[helix]

Lot of mention of Atabey's , never had one, they cost as much as Behikes !

[sasserjp]

Quesada Reserva Privada and Seleccion Espana, both are dead ringers for CCs, tending to smoke like a love child of Upmann and Hoyo. 

[Lant63]

Jas Sum Kral zlatno sonce Salmones

One of the top three or four cigars I smoked all year. The only cigars that rivaled have been some MDO no 2, punch SSn1 and a Hoyo extravaganza book cigar.




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[Cayman17]

Cabaiguan Guapos RX 

[Wonmotyme]

Pricing from Atabey is mindblowing -- I've heard people compare them to Behikes. Can you comment on that?

I’ve had it and it is nowhere close to Behike.


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[SEJ]

My first post on FOH ... hello FOHers (is FOHers the correct nomenclature?)  The CC to NC comparison is a subject that really interests me and I read a lot of opinions that I strongly agree with.  Most of all, if you regularly smoke CCs, some of the Connecticut Shade (CS) wrapped NCs will probably be the most enjoyable. The body level is similar to CCs although the flavors can be quite different.  Examples include La Colmena, (aged) Cabaiguans especially the WCD, and Atabey (I am confident that Atabeys have CS wrappers). My favorite CS though is the Joel Sherman LE 75th Celebration. These offer a body level similar to CC Cohibas and Trinidads. Other NCs that enter my CC rotation are Tatuaje black label and the Havan IV Gorditos (aged long enough for the Nicaraguan pepper blast to die down, the Gorditos got much better after 5 years of age).  

 

I also occasionally crave a Maduro: NC maduros are much better that the few CC offerings in this category.  I gravitate towards Liga Privada when I want a maduro.  

I will also say that I tend to enjoy stronger NCs A LOT less when I have been smoking CCs regularly. Examples are Padron and OpusX. 

[SEJ]

On 2/24/2018 at 10:53 AM, dshapiro said:

Another vote for Warped. I think L’Atelier is very cubanesque. Folks say Atabey is like a Behike but I’ve never smoked one and they are pricey. 

I just smoked a Behike and an Atabey back-to-back to compare them (Atabey then Behike).  The packaging and the bands are very similar.  Otherwise, they are quite dissimilar cigars.  They are both very enjoyable cigars.  Behike is at another level flavor- and body-wise.  Atabey was superior construction-wise (one of the most meticulously rolled smokes I have had).

[multi-useless]

Good bump, this thread is a great read!  On the one hand, I feel like CC and NC are such different animals that it's impossible to compare the 2.  Twang just doesn't exist in NC, not that I've found anyway, and I was primarily an NC guy until recently.  On the other hand, a good NC can be very well balanced, which is a "Cubanesque" factor to me, so to that end I'll agree with the La Commena and the Epernay, and will add - Warped La Hacienda, Curivari Achilles, and the Casa Fuente with the orange ribbon.