What's Your Dog Rocket Cigar List?

[Connoisseur Kim]

1 minute ago, GavLew79 said:

But how many have you tried?

one so far. I think I'll try one more time getting it from Bond Roberts, but there is 3yr aged review with the same experience as mine.

[GavLew79]

9 minutes ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

one so far. I think I'll try one more time getting it from Bond Roberts, but there is 3yr aged review with the same experience as mine.

So that's my whole point. It's hard, I know, but try not to form an opinion until you've sampled across boxes. Storage is also *another* variable on top of all the other variables (maybe less so for LEs, supposedly made within one year but, hey, this is Cuba!). 

Like someone here, early in my cigar journey I wrote off RASS based on having 3 singles from a B&M (one aged). Then a friend sent me one after hearing me say I hated them. He disagreed. The RASS I had off him was a delight; sweet, fruity and creamy and...yep...YOUNG! ?

None of the sick, green, ammonia rotten coconut dipped in copper coin flavour. Lol. 

I immediately bought a box of 25 and happily smoked them. Yes there were 1 or 2 bad ones. Then I got a 50 cab and they are also great!

So again, don't write anything off on the experience of one poor stick, and...as is my advice for the entire internet; by all means let others inform your opinion, but form your own. 

[joey rockets]

Other than construction issues, I've never had a bad Cuban compared to many NCs over the years that were absolute monsters.  Probably 99% of my cigars came via mail order as I live in a cultural desert lacking a decent cigar store.  So I ended up hooked to bandits like Thompson who found it too easy to unload their latest house brand on me.  When I started smoking, Rocky Patel was a house brand along with Ghurka and Victor Sinclair.  Victor is still in that line along with too many new arrivals ie Diesel or Asylum but my experience is large cigars heavy on the nic.  When I started seeking other options was my discovery of legal CCs.

[Connoisseur Kim]

Other than construction issues, I've never had a bad Cuban compared to many NCs over the years that were absolute monsters.  Probably 99% of my cigars came via mail order as I live in a cultural desert lacking a decent cigar store.  So I ended up hooked to bandits like Thompson who found it too easy to unload their latest house brand on me.  When I started smoking, Rocky Patel was a house brand along with Ghurka and Victor Sinclair.  Victor is still in that line along with too many new arrivals ie Diesel or Asylum but my experience is large cigars heavy on the nic.  When I started seeking other options was my discovery of legal CCs.

Thanks for sharing your bad cigar experience! The nic hit is the reason why I still haven't tried any NCs yet.

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[SmokyFontaine]

In my VERY humble opinion, the big brand, usual names of the NC world make the highest quality cigars in the world. Never in my life have I ever even considered the idea of a "bad box". You're paying for the consistency and construction. If a Padron gives you a bad burn, you'll remember that specific cigar the rest of your life. If someone asked me to name the dud individual CC's I've had, I couldn't. It probably happens once a month if not more. I chalk it up to the famous Cuban consistency, chuck it, and move on.

But from a flavor perspective, CC's obviously give you a flavor and a mellowness, like no other. For me personally, my humidor/tupperdore/whatever-dore would be severely lacking if I didn't have NC and CCs in them. Each delivers something the other is incapable of. 

(and by the way...tried to smoke a RASS from MSU 2018. Pile of crap. Turned harsh fast because I was fighting the draw, but even before it got harsh, it just wasn't good. I would LOVE to try a RASS from a box that you guys rave about. Hell, I'd send you two for one of the RASS that I'm smoking to see if it's just me, or if it is as bad as I think it is). 

[NSXCIGAR]

Worst overall box of CCs I ever received was a ULA DIC 13 box of RASCC. Wow. Tasted like a roof shingle and were overfilled and wouldn't burn.

Worst single CC I ever had...hmmm.  2001 Hoyo Churchills smoked in 2003. Yikes. Could have been fake they were so bad. 

Current cigar that is regularly a dog rocket would have to be RASS or Hoyo Epicure. Punch Punch was in there until the last few years. 

[heminway186]

I've never had a good Partagas D4, and monte Cristo petit edmundos with their fire proof wrappers give me trouble. In terms of taste I find the Juan Lopez robusto to be one dimensional and unbalanced. Smoked a few and just couldn't do it. Lastly my last few Monte No. 2s have been dreadful, underfilled and taste very bitter. 

[Cairo]

On 4/15/2020 at 11:09 AM, jazzboypro said:

I went thru several boxes of Partagas Black Label Magnifico and i enjoyed all of them, never had the robusto though

The Partagas Black prontos (petite coronas) are super strong NCs--most folks here would probably really hate them--but sometimes I am in the mood for one.

[Sir Diggamus]

On 4/15/2020 at 8:17 AM, bundwallah said:

 

Second.  Drew Estates/Rocky Patel Java.  I'm still in the early stages of my cigar journey. Saw an ad for these and thought. Hmm..cigars and coffee together? Under one wrapper? Yes! I will try.  I ordered two "Toros" online. What came back was an almost perfect box press with sharp 90 degree angles. It had a 58RG to boot.  The aroma at cold was splendid.  Very pleasing. Literally the aroma of a nice cigar with a hot cup of coffee with hints of cinnamon.  The smoking experience though?  Wretched.    None of that cold aroma came through once lit. It tasted like hot garbage.  And then I noticed the staining on my fingers.  It wouldn't rub off on it's own. So I lay the cigar down and went inside to wash it off.  That's when I noticed. My lips were stained too!! ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!  After a thorough cleaning of my affected body parts I went back outside, took the cigar over to the garden and with the heel of my shoe, struck a hole in which to pitch this foul creation into. Once in the hole I used my foot to kick dirt on to it and pressed down to make sure it's journey back to Hell was sealed.

 

I second this. The Drew Estate Java was probably the worst cigar I ever had. 

Your mention of this brings back a memory from my early cigar journey as well. I also was drawn in by the lovely mocha/java scent of the Java just after I picked up my first 100ct desktop and hit the BOM to start filling it up. I put just that one in my humi with about a dozen other smokes and ended up smoking it a month or so later. My experience was similar to yours ("hot garbage") and threw it out before the halfway point. The MOST frustrating part was that it left my humidor with a lingering scent that left me rushing to the forums to figure out how to get rid of. I think they coated that thing with some sort of powder because I eventually removed all the cigars, all their cello, and wiped  down the inside of the humidor with a damp paper towel and letting it air out before re-seasoning it. After that I never considered putting another "infused" cigar anywhere near my humidor and shunned any attempt by anyone to get me to try one. Acid could be a decent cigar, but I won't take that chance, LOL. 

[Connoisseur Kim]

12 hours ago, SmokyFontaine said:

But from a flavor perspective, CC's obviously give you a flavor and a mellowness, like no other. For me personally, my humidor/tupperdore/whatever-dore would be severely lacking if I didn't have NC and CCs in them. Each delivers something the other is incapable of. 

(and by the way...tried to smoke a RASS from MSU 2018. Pile of crap. Turned harsh fast because I was fighting the draw, but even before it got harsh, it just wasn't good. I would LOVE to try a RASS from a box that you guys rave about. Hell, I'd send you two for one of the RASS that I'm smoking to see if it's just me, or if it is as bad as I think it is). 

Wow, this RASS must be super dud I've ever saw!

9 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Worst overall box of CCs I ever received was a ULA DIC 13 box of RASCC. Wow. Tasted like a roof shingle and were overfilled and wouldn't burn.

Worst single CC I ever had...hmmm.  2001 Hoyo Churchills smoked in 2003. Yikes. Could have been fake they were so bad. 

Current cigar that is regularly a dog rocket would have to be RASS or Hoyo Epicure. Punch Punch was in there until the last few years. 

Every cigar can't avoid of being dog rocket for sure...

9 hours ago, heminway186 said:

I've never had a good Partagas D4, and monte Cristo petit edmundos with their fire proof wrappers give me trouble. In terms of taste I find the Juan Lopez robusto to be one dimensional and unbalanced. Smoked a few and just couldn't do it. Lastly my last few Monte No. 2s have been dreadful, underfilled and taste very bitter. 

Mass produced CCs seems to have higher chance of being dog rockets if I'm not mistaken. I'm not definitely blind buy for these cigars for sure!

9 hours ago, Sir Diggamus said:

I second this. The Drew Estate Java was probably the worst cigar I ever had. 

Your mention of this brings back a memory from my early cigar journey as well. I also was drawn in by the lovely mocha/java scent of the Java just after I picked up my first 100ct desktop and hit the BOM to start filling it up. I put just that one in my humi with about a dozen other smokes and ended up smoking it a month or so later. My experience was similar to yours ("hot garbage") and threw it out before the halfway point. The MOST frustrating part was that it left my humidor with a lingering scent that left me rushing to the forums to figure out how to get rid of. I think they coated that thing with some sort of powder because I eventually removed all the cigars, all their cello, and wiped  down the inside of the humidor with a damp paper towel and letting it air out before re-seasoning it. After that I never considered putting another "infused" cigar anywhere near my humidor and shunned any attempt by anyone to get me to try one. Acid could be a decent cigar, but I won't take that chance, LOL. 

Wow, that infused cigar must wreak some havoc to you! Never tried any infused cigars, but your experience make me avoid infused cigars at all cost ?!

[Bunner]

I haven't posted in ages on here! But I think this is interesting

These are two cigars that were so bad they stick out very significantly in my memory.

Quintero Favoritos for sure... it was just a giant cigarette IMO. I bought a 5er from a friend and every time I had one I was let down.

Alec Bradley Black market filthy hooligan I couldn't smoke 1/8th of it. Just terrible notes, poor smoke output, and the list goes on. Less of a sample I suppose with only three but I was scared to smoke the last one!

[Connoisseur Kim]

On 4/18/2020 at 6:05 AM, Bunner said:

I haven't posted in ages on here! But I think this is interesting

These are two cigars that were so bad they stick out very significantly in my memory.

Quintero Favoritos for sure... it was just a giant cigarette IMO. I bought a 5er from a friend and every time I had one I was let down.

Alec Bradley Black market filthy hooligan I couldn't smoke 1/8th of it. Just terrible notes, poor smoke output, and the list goes on. Less of a sample I suppose with only three but I was scared to smoke the last one!

Thanks for sharing Quintero and Alec Bradley experiences! Lucky that I never had these two sticks at all!

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[barry12321]

On 4/16/2020 at 12:47 PM, SmokyFontaine said:

In my VERY humble opinion, the big brand, usual names of the NC world make the highest quality cigars in the world. Never in my life have I ever even considered the idea of a "bad box". You're paying for the consistency and construction. If a Padron gives you a bad burn, you'll remember that specific cigar the rest of your life. If someone asked me to name the dud individual CC's I've had, I couldn't. It probably happens once a month if not more. I chalk it up to the famous Cuban consistency, chuck it, and move on.

But from a flavor perspective, CC's obviously give you a flavor and a mellowness, like no other. For me personally, my humidor/tupperdore/whatever-dore would be severely lacking if I didn't have NC and CCs in them. Each delivers something the other is incapable of. 

(and by the way...tried to smoke a RASS from MSU 2018. Pile of crap. Turned harsh fast because I was fighting the draw, but even before it got harsh, it just wasn't good. I would LOVE to try a RASS from a box that you guys rave about. Hell, I'd send you two for one of the RASS that I'm smoking to see if it's just me, or if it is as bad as I think it is). 

@SmokyFontaineI have a box of RASS with the same code.  Keep going back to it every 4-5 months hoping that it would turn the corner.  Still waiting ?

 

[chzblck]

Not a Cuban but the AF Shorty Story is the worst cigar I have ever smoked. Every few years I will pick one up to see if anything has changed but nope.. still terrible

[Connoisseur Kim]

11 minutes ago, barry12321 said:

@SmokyFontaineI have a box of RASS with the same code.  Keep going back to it every 4-5 months hoping that it would turn the corner.  Still waiting ?

 

Please share this RASS from time to time mate! I wonder whether this RASS is ultimate dud or not! ?

5 minutes ago, chzblck said:

Not a Cuban but the AF Shorty Story is the worst cigar I have ever smoked. Every few years I will pick one up to see if anything has changed but nope.. still terrible

Wow, even AF has real dog rocket too! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[The Squiggler]

On 4/16/2020 at 3:47 PM, SmokyFontaine said:

In my VERY humble opinion, the big brand, usual names of the NC world make the highest quality cigars in the world. Never in my life have I ever even considered the idea of a "bad box". You're paying for the consistency and construction. If a Padron gives you a bad burn, you'll remember that specific cigar the rest of your life. If someone asked me to name the dud individual CC's I've had, I couldn't. It probably happens once a month if not more. I chalk it up to the famous Cuban consistency, chuck it, and move on.

But from a flavor perspective, CC's obviously give you a flavor and a mellowness, like no other. For me personally, my humidor/tupperdore/whatever-dore would be severely lacking if I didn't have NC and CCs in them. Each delivers something the other is incapable of. 

This has been my experience as well.  When CCs are on, they're on (and unique in character to boot).  Box to box and stick to stick, however, you can't really expect a consistent experience.  With NCs, on the other hand, consistency seems to be a bit more reliable.  Brands like Padron and Fuente tend to deliver a somewhat consistent experience within the same vitola.  That's not to say that aging NCs doesn't produce desirable results (my 2015 Don Carlos #3s are tasting mighty fine right now), but 'stick to stick, box to box', they seem a bit more consistent across the board. 

@Connoisseur Kim, I read though all the CC reviews you posted (I know you don't like NCs) and one thing I noticed was that your 'dog rockets' were both 86 point smokes.  For me it's a special treat when a cigar rates above 90, so an 86 point cigar doesn't really seem all that terrible (my last 3 smokes have been 97, 92, and 89.5 though, so I've hit a lucky streak).  I like to imagine that you love Cuban cigars so much almost every one you smoke is a transcendent experience (I assume this is not the case for most of us, but it's a nice thought).  What would you tend to rate a cigar you deemed average (good but not great)?

[Connoisseur Kim]

 

11 minutes ago, The Squiggler said:

@Connoisseur Kim, I read though all the CC reviews you posted (I know you don't like NCs) and one thing I noticed was that your 'dog rockets' were both 86 point smokes.  For me it's a special treat when a cigar rates above 90, so an 86 point cigar doesn't really seem all that terrible (my last 3 smokes have been 97, 92, and 89.5 though, so I've hit a lucky streak).  I like to imagine that you love Cuban cigars so much almost every one you smoke is a transcendent experience (I assume this is not the case for most of us, but it's a nice thought).  What would you tend to rate a cigar you deemed average (good but not great)?

That's a really good question mate ?! For my rating system, I rate good for 90-93 pts CCs, excellent for 94-97 pts CCs, magnum opus for 98-100 pts CCs. Any cigars below 90 pts are considered as epic fail or dog rockets. The only below 90 pts CC that I'll keep reach is CoShorts, since it still contains the elements of good quickie CCs despite of being monotonous CC.

[The Squiggler]

2 minutes ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

For my rating system, I rate good for 90-93 pts CCs, excellent for 94-97 pts CCs, magnum opus for 98-100 pta CCs. Any cigars below 90 pts are considered as epic fail or dog rockets. The only below 90 pts CC that I'll keep reach is CoShorts, since it still contains the elements of good short smokeS despite of being monotoneous CC.

Thanks for clarifying!  I too find cohiba shorts, which typically fall below 90 on my rating scale, to be a worthwhile inclusion in my rotation.  Occasionally though, a Cohiba short really manages to hit the spot for me and winds up in that ~91 point range.  They are quite good sometimes IMHO.

[Connoisseur Kim]

1 minute ago, The Squiggler said:

Thanks for clarifying!  I too find cohiba shorts, which typically fall below 90 on my rating scale, to be a worthwhile inclusion in my rotation.  Occasionally though, a Cohiba short really manages to hit the spot for me and winds up in that ~91 point range.  They are quite good sometimes IMHO.

I agree that CoShorts is worthy short smokes especially when I don't have much time to puff large CCs! It also can be used as quick fix CC IMHO ?!

[The Squiggler]

Just now, Connoisseur Kim said:

I agree that CoShorts is worthy short smokes especially when I don't have much time to puff large CCs! It also can be used as quick fix CC IMHO ?!

Exactly!  I enjoy small RG sticks, so shorts, to me, feel nice in the hand.  They never have the depth of flavor I get from other Cohibas though. 

In reference to what was said above, I occasionally give a cigar 98 points if I find one that seems near-perfect.  I don't think I could ever hand out a '100'.  Still looking for that 99 pointer that is better than anything I've ever smoked and has no discernible room for improvement, but so far 98 is my highest rating.  I expect to find a 99 pointer some day, but the 100 pointer will probably remain the ideal to which all smokes aspire (the 'white narwhal', if you will).

[Connoisseur Kim]

11 minutes ago, The Squiggler said:

Exactly!  I enjoy small RG sticks, so shorts, to me, feel nice in the hand.  They never have the depth of flavor I get from other Cohibas though. 

In reference to what was said above, I occasionally give a cigar 98 points if I find one that seems near-perfect.  I don't think I could ever hand out a '100'.  Still looking for that 99 pointer that is better than anything I've ever smoked and has no discernible room for improvement, but so far 98 is my highest rating.  I expect to find a 99 pointer some day, but the 100 pointer will probably remain the ideal to which all smokes aspire (the 'white narwhal', if you will).

Yeah, I've never got complex notes from CoShorts too. I had two CoShorts from @Raskol a long time ago, and they were constant 86pts good quickies.
⠀
I generally being generous when I puffing great CCs especially 100pts worthy CCs (man, I enjoyed Lusis and Leyenda so much). I admit that I'm such a die hard CC guy too, but I'm not being nice to mediocre and dog rocket cigars (with more rants when these forgettable CCs have bad draw and fireproof wrapper).

[The Squiggler]

1 minute ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

I generally being generous when I puffing great CCs especially 100pts worthy CCs (man, I enjoyed Lusis and Leyenda so much). I admit that I'm such a die hard CC guy too, but I'm not being nice to mediocre and dog rocket cigars (with more rants when they are mere tent peg, fireproof, wind tunnel).

?  No mercy for dogsh**t yardgars--100% agree.  I think I saw a 15-pointer on @Kenfessions the other day... now that's a dog rocket!

[Connoisseur Kim]

4 minutes ago, The Squiggler said:

?  No mercy for dogsh**t yardgars--100% agree.  I think I saw a 15-pointer on @Kenfessions the other day... now that's a dog rocket!

Much agreed ? ! No mercy for dog rockets! Reviewing these dog rockets are just plain chores that make me want to toss them to trashcan ASAP ?!