Cuban “Twang”


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3 hours ago, ayepatz said:

While we can safely conclude from this thread that there is no clear definition of twang, we can also observe that there seems to be a vast array of flavours in Cuban cigars that people find lacking in NCs.

Is Cuban twang simply a broader palate of flavour and aroma?

It is the underlying base flavor note in at least all Cuban cigars I have ever smoked. It is what hooked me on Habanos and moved me away from NC's

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Mineral/earthiness that it slightly sour and a salty.

Twang is that salty/sour/citrus/tobacco flavor that is a characteristic of many Cuban cigars and which I have not found in many NC cigars. I love it. Sometimes it's subtle and very light and high, som

It tastes like plume. All cuban cigars have plume. Manure and plume. The best way I can tell is that the Cubans tend to be more plugged.

4 hours ago, ayepatz said:

 

Is Cuban twang simply a broader palate of flavour and aroma?

I don't know that I would agree with that.  Because it is something that is quintessentially cuban.

Although it could be a palate of aromas that individually find themselves in one or the other major cigar tobacco producer country/region, but that are found all at once only in cuban tobacco? 

And I wanna point out again that I don't mean to disparage NC cigars. 

It's just that for my part, when I crave a cigar, the taste that comes to my mouth most of the time is that "twang".

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Sourdough bread is what I describe it as. It’s lovely, but I have a fondness for sourdough. I’ve found that Nicaraguan sticks have a pronounced earthiness and richer cocoa notes than Habanos.

As far as the scent goes? Now that’s a good question. I can think of two cigars I’ve had that stand out as smelling fantastic while smoking them. One is a NC Illusione (original document line), and the other is the RASS. Both have a wonderful floral aroma.


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It's funny to me when members here bash non Cuban cigars. I prefer Cubans as well, but I don't view anything non-Cuban as a bad cigar. In fact, Non Cubans have an edge on Cubans in that they're consistent more than 90% of the time, and that's something Habanos SA will never be able to say. Different flavors for sure, but is a Padron 1964 Torpedo a bad cigar? I'd reach for it 10 times out of 10 over my favorite Montecristo No. 2 if they were both from blind boxes.

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It's funny to me when members here bash non Cuban cigars. I prefer Cubans as well, but I don't view anything non-Cuban as a bad cigar. In fact, Non Cubans have an edge on Cubans in that they're consistent more than 90% of the time, and that's something Habanos SA will never be able to say. Different flavors for sure, but is a Padron 1964 Torpedo a bad cigar? I'd reach for it 10 times out of 10 over my favorite Montecristo No. 2 if they were both from blind boxes.


I agree with most of what you said here. The (minor) difference between you and I is that I don’t know that I have a clear cut preference. It really depends on what I’m in the mood for. I believe that you’re spot on with your assessment of consistency. Padrón 1964? Stellar smoke, but if I’m reaching for a NC, it’s probably going to be an Illusione or My Father blend.


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8 minutes ago, soonerwings said:

 

 


The (minor) difference between you and I is that I don’t know that I have a clear cut preference.


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I think my preference for smoking Cubans is the roll of the dice that Cubans can be, and how they improve with age. Non Cubans, especially Padron and Davidoff and other luxury brands, even Illusione and My Father come with the tobacco in them already aged so they're good to go right off the shelf, whereas Cubans are a journey over time. That's why I like to buy a lot of Cubans and especially age them, but if I'm going for a cigar that I need to be good right away I'll always reach for my non Cubans. I love Illusione and lately I've been crushing Crowned Heads, especially the Le Careme Belicoso Fino LE2018, have you tried that yet? Can't recommend it enough!

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I think my preference for smoking Cubans is the roll of the dice that Cubans can be, and how they improve with age. Non Cubans, especially Padron and Davidoff and other luxury brands, even Illusione and My Father come with the tobacco in them already aged so they're good to go right off the shelf, whereas Cubans are a journey over time. That's why I like to buy a lot of Cubans and especially age them, but if I'm going for a cigar that I need to be good right away I'll always reach for my non Cubans. I love Illusione and lately I've been crushing Crowned Heads, especially the Le Careme Belicoso Fino LE2018, have you tried that yet? Can't recommend it enough!

 

I haven’t. Crowned Heads is a brand that I don’t have much experience with. I did try one of the “Angel’s Anvil” blends that they put out and it was solid. I’ve heard a lot of raving about the La Careme so I’m going to have to pick one up at a B&M at some point.

 

 

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On 8/25/2018 at 8:34 AM, joshhooper7 said:

I think my preference for smoking Cubans is the roll of the dice that Cubans can be, and how they improve with age. Non Cubans, especially Padron and Davidoff and other luxury brands, even Illusione and My Father come with the tobacco in them already aged so they're good to go right off the shelf, whereas Cubans are a journey over time. That's why I like to buy a lot of Cubans and especially age them, but if I'm going for a cigar that I need to be good right away I'll always reach for my non Cubans. I love Illusione and lately I've been crushing Crowned Heads, especially the Le Careme Belicoso Fino LE2018, have you tried that yet? Can't recommend it enough!

The Davidoff Emenintes will be back in US B&M's in Mid Oct. while they last. If you have a chance to grab some I think you will be very happy. I've heard $20/stick will be the average. I have a box pre-ordered. In the meantime and as I'm waitng for some CC stock to age I've been all over the Warped entire line and the Mi Querida from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. That Mi Querida is best smoked setting down. Stronggggg

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I was smoking a Trinidad coloniales one day while walking the dogs. This nutcase stopped to talk to us for a few minutes, asked if he could pray for us and bless us. It was all very strange, but he was just a little on the too religious side. He said he always hates, with a passion, the smell of cigarettes and especially cigars. He said mine seemed completely different, and he didn't mind the smell at all. I told him that's probably because it's Cuban. Even non smokers can tell the difference I guess.

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Twang is what I would refer to the taste of a not ready for prime time smoke. You can taste the flavors you know are to come with proper aging but in its youth it is twangy. Sourish, manure’ish, magnesiumish. We know better than to test that first one in the new box. But the hell with that. We twang.

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  • 4 months later...

Recently I had a Siglo VI that had it more than I’ve ever tasted before. It was intertwined with some cinnamon coffee and was by far my best smoking experience for 2018. 

Which current Cuban cigar do you find has the most twang and is it something you enjoy? 

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1 hour ago, JIK said:

We often describe Cuban cigars as having a certain “twang” to them. I certainly experience it with many of the brands. It’s hard to explain but it’s somewhat of a sour, lime type flavor. Recently I had a Siglo VI that had it more than I’ve ever tasted before. It was intertwined with some cinnamon coffee and was by far my best smoking experience for 2018. 

That being said, which Cuban cigar do you find has the most twang and is it something you enjoy? 

As for the OP - I definitely use the term “twang”. There are cedar mills a ways away and every so often the wind blows a waft of a sour-ish cedar off the mulch/sawdust piles and it reminds me of a good cigar. 

As for your question, it used to be the Monte 2, for me that had the most twang. Had a bunch of them in the mid 2000’s from late 90’s/early 2000’s boxes that were unreal - they hit just perfectly above mid bodied, the twang intermingled with what tasted like melted nestle quik powder. Lately I’ve had some young RyJ Churchill’s with their version of it and the last of my 2014 box of Monte Petit no 2 have it as well. 

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I had spoken to @NSXCIGAR not too long ago and he mentioned that the early 2000s Monte 4s did have a bit of a pleasant twang/tang taste to them (if my memory serves me correctly).

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6 hours ago, Luca said:

I had spoken to @NSXCIGAR not too long ago and he mentioned that the early 2000s Monte 4s did have a bit of a pleasant twang/tang taste to them (if my memory serves me correctly).

Almost...I've tried quite a few Monte 4s from 07-09 that now after 10 years have a lot of "tanginess" but I would say this for them is a primary flavor characteristic and distinct from the Cuban "twang". I think Monte is known for a bit of citrus tanginess in the profile and I just think these are more pronounced, whether Monte from 07-09 was like that fresh or whether age has brought it out more. 

The Cuban twang, to me, is a characteristic in almost all Cuban cigar tobacco. It could be described as a sort of tanginess, but I would actually use the word "tartiness" more, like a pure citric acid. I know, tang-tart-citric is all in the same ballpark, but if it can be dissected, that's how I'd do it.

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On 8/23/2018 at 12:25 AM, mt1 said:

I personally don't think this shows anything about that person being able to tell from the smell of the smoke.  Nobody is coming up to me and saying "hey, are you smoking a Nicaraguan cigar?"...it's always Cuban this, Cuban that.

That being said, I don't think I could tell a Cuban from a non-Cuban from second-hand smoke from another room.

 

MT1 if I smoke a non Cuban in my basement my entire house smells horribly for days. If I smoke a Cuban my basement will have that fantastic Cuban smell and the smell will only last a day at most. There's a big difference in smell in my opinion. One's a nasty stench and the other smells amazing. lol

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On 8/23/2018 at 6:29 PM, BeerPimp said:

I have only smoked 2 CC so I have no clue about Cuban Twang.   But I was told once by a wise man that is due to a undiscovered element know as Cubonium or Cb for short.

When I am able to acquire some CC for testing I will report back my findings.

Sorry mate, Cb is already taken as a known element in the periodic table...

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